Cynthia Figueroa began her tenure as President and CEO of Congreso de Latinos Unidos in January 2011. In this capacity, she has fiscal oversight of $24 million dedicated to strengthening Latino communities through social, economic, education and health services. Founded in 1977, Congreso is the City of Philadelphia’s largest nonprofit agency providing expert services to the Latino community, and has been recognized as a Top Workplace in the Philadelphia region since 2013.
Under her leadership, Congreso has experienced many accomplishments, including opening the Congreso Health Center – a Federally Qualified Health Center in partnership with PHMC. In September 2012, Figueroa led Congreso to expand its North American Street Campus with the newly constructed Trujillo Center that houses Congreso’s K-8 charter school and Harcum College at Congreso, an associate’s degree program. She has supported Congreso’s Data and Evaluation Department in achieving national recognition for their outcomes measurement, which now provides technical assistance to public and nonprofit agencies throughout the country. In 2014 Congreso was named the National Council of La Raza Affiliate of the Year.
Prior to leading Congreso, Figueroa served as the Deputy Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and as the Executive Director of Women Against Abuse, the largest domestic violence agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Figueroa brings international leadership and recognition to Congreso through a prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, in which she traveled to Chile and Argentina to explore women leadership models in the government and the private sector. In the spring of 2013, she also traveled to Israel as a delegate of the Israeli Foreign Ministry with the American-Israel Friendship League. In addition, Ms Figueroa has been recognized by SmartCEO Brava! Women Business Achievement Award for her exemplary leadership and her support of local philanthropy, The University of Pennsylvania Outstanding Leadership Award, the National Football League/Philadelphia Eagles Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, Impacto’s Most Influential Latinos, Philadelphia Flyers Community Leadership Award, Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40, and Al Dia Latina Woman of Merit.
Born in Arecibo Puerto Rico, Ms. Figueroa has a bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile Alabama. She resides in Philadelphia with her husband Robert Clark and their two children Lola and Santiago.