Cecilia Silva serves as a major gifts officer, where she is able to leverage her experience and expertise to support the organization’s mission of protecting people's rights and strengthening democracy.
Cecilia is a trailblazing first-generation Mexican-American who has devoted her career to electoral and democracy reform work. Her personal experiences inspired her passion for politics. In 2018, she made history as the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the Senate at The University of Texas at Arlington. During her tenure, Cecilia spearheaded policy initiatives to provide free feminine hygiene products to students and expand college advisement resources, among other accomplishments. She also served as the first student advisor on the President's Hispanic Advisory Committee at UTA, advocating for Latinx students' success in higher education.
Cecilia's work has extended far beyond her academic career, as she has collaborated with numerous organizations and candidates to promote equal representation in politics and cultivate leadership skills amongst high school and college students. She has previously worked with IGNITE National, the League of Women Voters of Dallas, and ReflectUS to empower the next generation of political leaders. Cecilia's dedication to strengthening democracy and defending voter rights was on full display during the 2022 midterm election when she served as a consultant for the Progressive Turnout Project, leading the Michigan program and engaging over 100 organizers across 90 campaigns.
She is deeply committed to driving positive change by catalyzing impactful philanthropy. As a proud alumna of The OpEd Project, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, IGNITE National, and a current Resident with Social Venture Partners of Dallas, Cecilia is poised to continue making an indelible impact in the world of politics and beyond.