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Dear PolicyLink Colleague,
As we near year’s end, we are incredibly excited to announce the newest addition to the PolicyLink Leadership Team! Jerry Maldonado joins our team as the inaugural Vice President of Programs at a pivotal time in our organization’s history — as we refine and affirm our work for the next 20 years. Jerry's wealth of skills and lived experience, including his nearly 15-year tenure at the Ford Foundation, will be essential as we prepare for a transformational year advancing liberating policies for the 100 million people living in or near poverty.
Rather than simply sharing his impressive resume with you, we wanted to make space for you to get to know Jerry beyond his bio. Below you’ll find a Q&A with Jerry, where you’ll get a glimpse into his enthusiasm for the role and the ways his history shapes his leadership.
Why PolicyLink and what are you most excited for in your new role?
Jerry: During some of the darkest moments we’ve experienced as a country over the past few years, I’ve often found solace in Dr. King’s reminder that the arc of the moral universe may be long, but it always bends towards justice. In cities and states across the country, frontline community leaders have also reminded us that the arc of history doesn’t bend by itself or of its own volition. It requires bold leadership from advocates, policymakers, and practitioners working in deep partnership with each other to transform the politics and policies that drive inequality and injustice. In this unique, historic moment, I believe that PolicyLink — working alongside many of our national, regional, and place-based partners — has an important role to play in advancing a set of strategies and policies that expand human dignity, reinvest in our communities, and put essential workers and families at the center of our long-term recovery.
From Atlanta to Oakland, New Orleans to Minneapolis, PolicyLink has always recognized that transformative change happens from the ground up — in cities, states, and regions across the country. I chose to join PolicyLink because its leadership has always understood the power of policy to shape markets and either perpetuate or disrupt structural racism. It recognizes the power of place to contest and innovate, as well as the urgency of bold, federal government leadership to unleash the full potential of our urban, suburban, and rural communities. In my new role as Vice President of Programs, I’m excited to work with our diverse and growing team of internal and external thought leaders, allies, and partners to continue to serve as a bridge between research and activism and leverage our unique policy, communications, and advocacy capacities to nurture a more robust constituency for equity and social change.
What is something from your past, a lesson or experience, you’ll be bringing to your work at PolicyLink that you imagine will have a positive impact on your work and the results you deliver for the 100 million?
Jerry: Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of partnering with a diverse network of community, philanthropic, and public sector partners across the country working to advance structural change across a range of issues and geographies — from New York to California, and the Midwest to the US South. Under often incredibly difficult circumstances, I’ve watched our partners make the impossible possible. They refused to surrender to the forces of disaster capitalism in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Maria and championed new strategies to promote a more just recovery. They’ve fought back against predatory financial and development interests and challenged the underlying zoning, land use, infrastructure, housing, and finance policies that have perpetuated cycles of divestment and displacement and have stripped communities of color of their wealth for decades. They’ve organized and mobilized to harness the full administrative, regulatory, and budgetary
power of cities, counties, and states to advance justice and opportunity.
Time and time again, these experiences have taught me the power and importance of coupling strong policy and research with rigorous organizing and civic engagement in order to build and sustain a robust constituency for social change. They’ve also taught me that radical hope requires radical solidarity, and a commitment to transformational — not transactional — partnerships as part of an aligned social justice ecosystem. As I assume this role, I’m committed to expanding and deepening our national and place-based partnerships in order to more effectively align and mobilize our collective resources, relationships, and capacities in a way that strengthens the voice, influence, and power of the communities we serve.
What is something that people may not know about you that gives them a little window into who you are?
Jerry: I was born and raised in public housing during the ‘70s and ‘80s — during the era of trickle-down economics and benign neglect — when far too many Black and Brown lives and communities were systematically treated as expendable and unredeemable. I’m one of eight children, the son of Puerto Rican farmers who were displaced from the island during Operation Bootstrap and worked double shifts just to make ends meet. Though we grew up poor, we were by no means impoverished. My mother — who never went to school because she had to care for her younger siblings — instilled in us a fierce pride in our language and culture and an enduring commitment to learning. Our family and community bonds filled us with a sense of duty and purpose. Our food and music fed our souls and brought us joy. These lived experiences have fundamentally shaped my personal and professional life. They’ve taught me the urgency of reclaiming the public sector as a force for good that can
proactively heal the painful wounds of our past, and expand the realm of hope and possibility for our communities. They remind me that a more just and equitable future is one in which we move from simply repairing the wrongs of the past to transforming our communities and economy in a way that centers beauty, joy, and dignity. In this moment of both great pain and great possibility, I’m looking forward to partnering with PolicyLink and all our public sector, philanthropic, and community partners to advance our collective aspirations of a more perfect union — one that liberates our communities’ full potential to dream, create, and thrive.
Jerry begins his tenure at PolicyLink officially in January 2022, at which time you can find him on our staff page with a link to contact. Please join us in welcoming him to the PolicyLink community!
Warmly,
Michael McAfee, President and CEO
Ashleigh Gardere, Executive Vice President
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