Alicia Nuñez
Chicanos Por La Causa, a leading Arizona-based nonprofit empowering communities in six U.S. states, has announced the appointment of Alicia Nuñez as its new president and CEO. Nuñez has more than 23 years of financial and operational management experience in both for-profit and non-profit business. She is now the organization’s first female leader in its 55-year history.
“We are thrilled to name Alicia Nuñez as the president and CEO,” said Delma Herrera, chair of Chicanos Por La Causa board of directors. “Her visionary leadership, strategic acumen, and dedication to our more than 2,000 staff and the communities we serve make her the ideal choice to lead our organization forward. As the first woman to assume this role in over five decades, Alicia represents a beacon of inspiration for people everywhere.”
Since joining CPLC in 2006, Nuñez has served in several other roles including most recently as acting president and CEO, CFO and VP of business enterprises.
“I am honored and humbled to serve as the president and CEO of CPLC,” Nuñez said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with our dedicated team, supporters, and partners to drive positive change and continued to create lasting impact in our communities.”
At CPLC, she will lead one of the nation’s largest Latino organizations, and represents a new era of community impact and strategic growth to meet the growing needs of staff and clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.
Nuñez will officially assume her new role as the eighth CEO in CPLC’s history, effective immediately. Under her leadership, CPLC is poised to embark on a transformative journey, building upon its legacy of community impact through the delivery of services and programs in the following areas of impact: Advocacy, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Economic Development.
Prior to joining CPLC, Nuñez served as assistant director of finance for The Ritz Carlton, Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, Calif.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Credential Program at California State University Northridge and received her MBA from The University of Arizona. In 2022, Nuñez was selected as one of 12 nonprofit leaders for the prestigious Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust’s Class of Piper Fellows in partnership with Stanford University. She completed the 2023 NeighborWorks America’s Achieving Excellence Program from Harvard University.
Nuñez serves on the board of directors for Valleywise Health Foundation and the Southwest Folklife Alliance. She is chair of Sí Se Vota CPLC Action Fund, a 501C4 advocacy nonprofit organization leading the Latino Loud nonpartisan voter engagement campaign.
Nuñez grew up in Los Angeles in the Lincoln Heights area. Her parents were immigrants from Sinaloa, Mexico.
