Meet Joaquin Vazquez | Nonprofit Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joaquin Vazquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joaquin, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I work in the intersections of public policy, politics, and social justice nonprofits spaces, and what most outsiders probably would be most unaware of, especial for our marginalized BIPOC communities is that they can too run for office, work in government, and/or for social justice organizations to make a difference in their communities.

It is important also to note that regardless of what your initial career path is, you can transition into these career spaces at any time. When I was in high school at Crawford HS, I dreamed of becoming a civil engineer or even a scientist, and after being invited to work on a project that analyzed the factors impacting student success in affluent and working-class neighborhood schools, the disparities found were clearly due to the lack of funding in high schools like mine as well as the unending amount of additional responsibilities that my classmates have outside school vs what those in affluent neighborhoods had. While we had to go work and take care of other siblings at home, students in more affluent parts of San Diego didn’t, and they could just focus on their homework and studies. This motivated me to get into politics so that I could change the way we fund our school and bring more resources to our communities that level the playing field for the working class.

Today along with some amazing colleagues we run Organizing For Progress, an organization focused on uplifting our marginalized communities and empowering our youth to become the bold change-making leaders of the future.

Whether you are at the beginning of your career or further, there’s always to get involved, and it can be in the volunteer capacity if not in one’s career. In my case, my passion to help my community via these intersecting fields has led me to be engaged via both routes.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As Founder and Executive Director of Organizing For Progress, my goal is to direct our organizational mission in a way that we are building people power in underserved and marginalized communities that keep being excluded from the political decision-making process, in order to have a voice with a seat at the table and be in an influential position to demand the changes we need. Policy issues we advocate for are strictly progressive, from eradicating poverty and racism to achieving Medicare For All and passing a Green New Deal. We carry this mission out via an annual community organizing fellowship, which is perhaps what is most exciting about our work, because we get to engage with participants from different parts of the country in a virtual setting while we share stories, backgrounds, ideas, and talk about the needs and changes we seek for our communities. During the fellowship program, fellows gain tools to become the progressive civic leaders their communities need and work towards a capstone project that is delivered at the end of the program, while also earning a certificate of completion for their participation. All of this is provided to them at no cost, as the goal is not to profit, but to empower our communities.

As per what I do business-wise, I am a consultant for various candidates, campaigns, and small businesses who are seeking to get started with launching a campaign or setting up a small enterprise. I provide services ranging from administration, financial strategy, and legal compliance guidance, to branding, digital marketing, public relations, messaging, strategic communications, and more. What I find most exciting is that my focus is on working with small businesses owned by people of color, providing accessible sliding-scale pricing for services that otherwise would be too costly for them to even be able to get off the ground. I got to where I am after working in various different roles, from having our family small businesses, working with the United Nations, in the federal government for Barack Obama, to working in nonprofits and, of course, two runs for Congress where I’ve been privileged enough to have many amazing people that have become very close friends and part of my chosen family. Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is that regardless of whether I may feel that things aren’t going according to plan, they always end up even better as long as I stay the course, remain authentic with who I am, and continue to be my genuine self.

Given that my upbringing was impacted by family separation and childhood homelessness after my father’s deportation, I could not have expected that I would have had the opportunities I’ve enjoyed throughout my career. Every single part has been most exciting and fulfilling because I have been following my passion for helping people who need it the most, as my family once did. Six years ago I was living in Washington, DC thinking that I was going to continue a life in public service with the federal government, and was on track to living a much different life than I do today, which perhaps would have been working within the bureaucracy of the federal government, still on economic policy and development. Life took its turns, and I ended up in Chicago for grad school where my passion for community organizing returned, and that led me to come back home to give back to the community that saw me grow and forged me into the person I am today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As always, I’d make the usual suggestions of getting to know the port of San Diego, heading downtown, and checking out our beautiful beaches, but I always make a point to let them know that there are places in the city neighborhoods of City Heights, Barrio Logan, and even down to Chula Vista where they will be surprised by how amazing the food and the vibe is in the local eateries, and restaurants that give you a more homey taste and feel that you cannot get anywhere else.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Much of my success and drive is due to the mentorship I’ve had from high school teachers to early college professors. Although I’ve had lots of help along the way, I’d like to give this shout-out to teachers because they do so much for our youth and still don’t get enough credit for it.

Website: www.joaquinvazquez.com; www.organizingforprogress.org

Instagram: @itsjoaquinvazquez

Twitter: @Vazquez4CA52

Facebook: @Vazquez4CA52

Other: joaquin@joaquinvazquez.com joaquin@organizingforprogress.org