JC De Vera is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, concentrating in social and urban policy and public leadership and management. He is passionate about equitable and inclusive policymaking, creating pathways out of poverty, and advancing equity for low-income communities and communities of color.

During his undergraduate career at UCLA, JC was a committed student leader and activist, serving on the boards of various cultural and political organizations, running campaigns for college affordability and diversity, and representing 26,000+ students as one of the thirteen elected councilmembers of the undergraduate student government in his senior year.

Prior to starting graduate school, JC worked for The Greenlining Institute, a racial and economic justice policy think tank based in the Bay Area. In his four years at Greenlining, he helped build the organization’s digital communications strategy from the ground up, and developed communications campaigns to strengthen the organization’s advocacy impact. JC has also served on the nonprofit boards of Filipino Advocates for Justice as Vice President, as well as the Associated Students UCLA as a graduate student representative. In 2014, he was selected as the Valedictorian for the Front Line Leaders Academy, a political leadership development program.

As a 2016-17 Bohnett Fellow, JC is humbled and honored to be joining the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. He is looking forward to working on projects and initiatives that seek to better engage and include the diverse array of immigrant communities into the fabric of the nation’s second largest municipality.