Cynthia Figueroa (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) began her tenure as President and CEO of Congreso de Latinos Unidos in January 2011. In this capacity, she has fiscal oversight of $24 million dedicated to strengthening Latino communities through social, economic, education and health services. Founded in 1977, Congreso is the City of Philadelphia’s largest nonprofit agency providing expert services to the Latino community, and has been recognized as a Top Workplace in the Philadelphia region since 2013.
Under her leadership, Congreso has experienced many accomplishments, including opening a Federally Qualified Health Center, expanding its campus with the addition of the Trujillo Center, and the national recognition of its Data and Evaluation Department, which now provides technical assistance to public and nonprofit agencies throughout the country. Also, in recognition of its efforts to support other Latino nonprofits throughout the country, Congreso was named the National Council of La Raza Affiliate of the Year in 2014.
Figueroa brings international leadership and recognition to Congreso through a prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, in which she has traveled to Chile and Argentina to explore women leadership models in the government and the private sector. Ms. Figueroa has been received various awards, including The University of Pennsylvania Outstanding Leadership Award, the National Football League/Philadelphia Eagles Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, and the Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40.
In 2015, Ms. Figueroa was named to the U.S.A. Board of Trustees for United Way Worldwide, was named Northeast Affiliate Council Representative for National Council of La Raza, and joined the Board of Trustees for her alma mater, Spring Hill College. She was also selected to receive the prestigious Peter B. Goldberg Aramark Building Community Executive Leadership Award, which honors one exceptional chief executive who leads neighborhood-based strategies that improve the health and well-being of families and communities. The award included a $40,000 contribution from Aramark to Congreso.
Born in Arecibo Puerto Rico, Ms. Figueroa has a bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. She resides in Philadelphia with her husband Robert Clark and their two children Lola and Santiago. (Participated in the Aspen Seminar in Aspen, Colorado in April 2016.)