Rene Casas

René Casas is a Program Officer at Sobrato Philanthropies, focusing on the Silicon Valley Strengthening Communities initiative. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as Deputy Director of Programs at Youth Alliance, where he provided organizational leadership and program enhancement while advocating for local and state policy reform and systems change. Mr. Casas has dedicated his career to addressing the barriers that impede upward mobility for communities of color, inspired by a legacy of multi-generational community organizing that began with his father.

Prior to his tenure at Youth Alliance, René served as an Administrative Analyst II and Community Partnerships and Evaluations Specialist at the Service Learning Institute of California State University Monterey Bay. He is a co-founder and former board member of MILPA (Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement), an organization committed to empowering system-impacted individuals and advancing social equity through systemic and policy change.

In 2015, René was awarded the National Juvenile Justice Network Fellowship through the Youth Justice Leadership Institute, where he developed a community-focused approach to youth justice policy and systems change in California’s Central Coast. Since 2017, he has been providing expert consultancy in the areas of youth justice, community organizing, resident empowerment, and economic development. He has also held advisory and board positions with organizations such as the National Alianza for Youth Justice and Partnerships for Children and Youth, in addition to serving as a commissioner for the Juvenile Justice Commission in Monterey County.

René earned his Master of Social Work degree from California State University Monterey Bay, where he interned with the National Alianza for Youth Justice, contributing to qualitative research on the tracking of Latinx youth in the juvenile justice system, known as The Latinx Data Gap. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University Chico. René is committed to tackling systemic and institutional racism through a social work lens, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to promoting racial equity and advancing social justice.