José is a social entrepreneur who has built a reputation as a visionary CEO and leader, strong manager, innovator and coalition-builder. Over his professional career, Jose has held C-level and other senior leadership roles in organizations spanning the non-profit, philanthropic, private and public sectors. He has been recognized for building mindful and creative organizational cultures and convening public, private and community people and resources to solve complex community, business and public sector problems.
Most recently, Jose founded Rebozo Ventures – a consultancy practice grounded on humility, compassion, honor and respect (for self and others). Rebozo merges strategic planning, investment, leadership development, and policy innovation to create and partner with impactful organizations and leaders that challenge the status quo to make communities more inclusive.
Prior to Rebozo, Jose led the grantmaking, partnership and programmatic efforts for Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. Prior to joining the Eat. Learn. Play., José served as the Director of Equity and Strategic Partnerships under Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, where he co-founded and launched the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation – a start-up nonprofit that engages and convenes philanthropic partners and whose mission is to support City of Oakland priorities by engaging private partners and resources to innovate, test, and scale ways to enhance and improve city government and its delivery of services.
José served as Chief Executive Officer of Inner City Advisors (now known as ICA.fund) from 2004 to 2015, leading the organization to become a nationally recognized, award-winning non-profit for its work on investing in and scaling small businesses and entrepreneurs as a way to create good jobs, especially for people with the highest need.
Jose is an Aspen Fellow, a Ricardo Salinas Scholar and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Unity Council and Senior Advisor with Raise for Good. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Oakland Museum of California, the San Francisco Giants Community Fund.
Jose is the son of immigrants, raised in the farming town of Watsonville, CA to a loving, tenacious mother and an ambitious farming entrepreneur of a father. He lives in Oakland with his family.
