I am honored to begin 2026 by stepping into the role of Chair of the Irvine Foundation Board of Directors. I am grateful to my fellow board members for their trust, and I want to offer deep thanks to our outgoing Chair, Tim Rios, for his service to the Foundation. Tim embodies so many of Irvine’s values, and we are lucky to have had his guiding hand. 

Building on this strong foundation, we face a crucial time for California workers and their families. The Public Policy Institute of California found that workers are increasingly concerned about the cost of basic necessities, and every day feels like walking an economic tightrope, forced to make trade-offs just to stay afloat. Families are telling us that economic stability depends less on wages alone and more on whether housing, health care, and caregiving systems make daily life sustainable rather than precarious.  

Having experienced this reality firsthand growing up in an immigrant, working-poor family in South County San Diego, I feel a deep sense of urgency around advancing Irvine’s North Star: a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. For me, that idea of power is about agency. It is about having the opportunity to make real choices about your life, your work, and your future, something every Californian deserves. Too many people are working hard while navigating inequitable systems that were never designed for their success. 

Workers are not just naming the challenges they are facing; they are shaping the solutions and offering bold, practical ideas for a more just future. Through Irvine’s grantees, those ideas are being implemented in communities across California, meeting workers where they are in moments of crisis while also working toward lasting economic mobility. 

As I begin my term as Chair, I look forward to learning alongside Irvine’s staff, partners, and grantees. Together, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to work with California workers and their families to build a more equitable society.