Robert Medina

As Director of Policy and Advocacy, Robert Medina leads a grantmaking team partnering with advocates to inform state and national policy and systems change in our four priority issue areas: economic mobility, educational equity, housing security, and climate action. Previously, he directed the English Learner Program, Sobrato Philanthropies’ inaugural policy and advocacy strategy to uplift multilingual learner students in California’s agenda for public schools.

Robert has contributed to policy strategies across a range of diverse issues, including public education, global health, foreign policy, youth leadership, and others. At Education First, a national strategy and policy consulting firm, he advised foundations, school districts, state agencies, and nonprofits on educational improvement initiatives. At The Aspen Institute, he worked with advocates, community organizers, government leaders, and funders to evaluate and strengthen advocacy campaigns designed to spotlight policy solutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Robert is a Pahara Fellow and a Fellow in Hispanics in Philanthropy’s Líderes Program. He earned an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. A native of Peru, he immigrated to the U.S. with his family at age ten and was classified as an English Learner by his public school.