Innovators of Color
2024

Amanda Fernandez

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Latinos for Education

Amanda Fernandez is the CEO and Founder of Latinos for Education, the first Latino-founded and led national organization dedicated to developing, placing, and connecting essential Latino leadership in the education sector, while mobilizing Latino voices to promote practices and policies that remove barriers to equitable educational opportunity. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a Boston-based nonprofit to a national leader on education policy, advocacy, and leadership development, with a presence from coast to coast and an operating budget of over $6 million. In 2023, she was appointed to serve on the Massachusetts Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council, which will advise on strategies to expand economic opportunities for and improve the overall wellbeing of Massachusetts’ Latino community. Prior to this appointment, she served on the Governor’s transition team as the co-chair of the thriving youth and young adults committee. Amanda previously served as a Trustee of the Board with the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is a 2020 recipient of the McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund and a Senior Fellow at FutureEd. Amanda has over 25 years of experience in the areas of recruiting, diversity, organization development, change management, strategic planning, and Latino community relations.