Jorge Lopez, Associate General Counsel, MacArthur Foundation
Growing up in East Los Angeles, California, I witnessed – and benefitted from – the tireless efforts of nonprofit leaders and organizers working to improve our under-resourced community. It was my mom, however, that introduced me to grassroots activism. Indeed, my earliest memories of community organizing are marching and demonstrating with thousands of people against California Proposition 187 when I was 9 years old. As I made my way through school, I naturally looked for ways to both continue and amplify my commitment to public service; but, it wasn’t until law school, after participating in a tax and nonprofit transactional clinic that I realized advising nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations could be a career. Following that experience, I was intentional about planning my career in this space: first, by taking every tax class that seemed relevant; thereafter, by working for law firms that had robust exempt organizations practice groups. While I enjoyed working with nonprofit organizations as outside counsel, I ultimately wanted more continuity with the client and moved in-house. I love that I can continue to challenge myself intellectually and stay true to my convictions and values.
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