Virginia Mosqueda was appointed Initiative Director in April 2022. She brings more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit, public policy, and advocacy arenas, holding senior positions within philanthropy and government. Most recently, Virginia was Program Manager of the California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities in Central Santa Ana program. Prior to joining the Endowment, she was the Director of Civic Engagement for the California Community Foundation, where she launched the Immigrant Integration Initiative among other civic engagement efforts. Before that, Virginia completed a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellowship in Washington, DC in 2003, and then served as Legislative Assistant and Legislative Director for U.S. Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez. Virginia also served as Youth Enrichment Director at Santa Ana’s Delhi Center, where she designed, implemented, and managed five youth enrichment and education programs.

Virginia holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Irvine, and her master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her experience growing up in the Coachella Valley in a farmworker, mixed-status immigrant family has motivated and inspired her educational and professional journey.