Alejandra Vila, Consultant – Assets and Youth Development

Alejandra, or Alex as all her friends call her, embodies the passion and devotion of the youth development field. A product herself of the youth development process, which included participation in a comprehensive teen leadership program during her teen years, Alex decided that youth development was her calling and she made it her career. Alex has over 20 years of experience in the field, working first as a youth minister for the Catholic Church, then as a counselor at a shelter for youth runaways, a community gang specialist, and finally as a field consultant and trainer.

Alex understands the need to serve and educate youth populations that are difficult to serve, such as gang-involved youth; children with disabilities; recent immigrant, non-English speaking youth; gay/lesbian families and homeless youth. She has a passion for community collaborations and inclusion, as well as leadership development. As a programmer, she exposed her teams to the newest youth development principles and techniques.

Over the last ten years, Alex has established a relationship with other youth agencies in order to help serve high-risk youth and to effect change within the systems of influence to enhance the lives of kids. As a director, Alex also built alliances and goodwill among local politicians, other community based organizations, and all of the larger mainstream groups that work in the community. Finally, Alex brings her theories of change, work ethic, charisma and passion to the youth development movement. As a proud, bi-lingual Latina Lesbian immigrant female, she also reminds the youth development movement of the important role that human diversity plays in fashioning youth development strategies and leadership that is inclusive, tolerant, and responsive to the communities we serve.