Alex Perez-Garcia

Strategic Doer. Capacity Builder. Driving Ideas to Impact.

I believe our stories, paired with thoughtful strategy and data, can transform systems and create lasting change.

With more than ten years in consulting, nonprofits, and public sector strategy, I have led high-impact projects and supported senior leaders through organizational and operational change. I thrive in complex environments, bring a structured and collaborative approach to problem solving, and center equity and lived experience in my work.

I hold a dual Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), where I focused on mental health and health care management. Previously, I served as Associate Director of Development and Communications at Disability Lead, growing the startup nonprofit through strategic fundraising, communications, and community outreach.

Before that, I was a Program Associate at The Chicago Community Trust, managing projects tied to the Trust’s commitment to racial equity, disability inclusion, and economic opportunity for diverse communities and disinvested neighborhoods. During my tenure, I played a key role in incubating and launching Disability Lead, the nation’s only leadership program dedicated to connecting leaders with disabilities to civic engagement opportunities. I joined the Trust through the Kimpton Fellows program, a competitive public interest fellowship for recent graduates launching careers in high-impact public sector and nonprofit roles.

As an inaugural member of The Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps, I founded an online mental health storytelling platform centering young voices of color. In its first month, the platform, which featured lived experiences of mental illness (including my own), reached thousands of readers across the country. I was later selected as a featured speaker at the 2018 Obama Foundation Summit and served as an Ambassador for the Foundation. I also served as Co-Chair of the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Young Women’s Giving Council. In 2019, I received the Young Alumna Award from my high school. I am a 2020 Disability Lead Fellow and a 2021 New Leaders Council Fellow. I graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Policy.

In my free time, I'm usually listening to a policy podcast, going to pilates, or hanging out with my three adopted cats – not necessarily in that order.

Connect with me online @avperezgarcia.