Chris Iglesias, Chief Executive Officer
Chris Iglesias is a visionary leader who has dedicated his career to advancing social and economic equity through innovative public-private partnerships and community-centered development. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Unity Council (TUC), he leads one of East Oakland’s most vital community assets—a more than 60-year-old social equity development organization committed to improving the quality of life for residents of the Fruitvale District, the largest Latino neighborhood in the Bay Area.
Under Iglesias’s leadership, The Unity Council employs more than 400 dedicated staff members and manages a $45 million annual budget, providing holistic support services to over 10,000 individuals and families each year. These services include high-quality early childhood education, youth leadership and workforce development, senior services, affordable housing, financial empowerment, and small business assistance. He also oversees more than $400 million in community assets, including major affordable housing developments and the nationally recognized Fruitvale Transit Village, one of the country’s premier transit-oriented development projects.
Throughout his tenure, Iglesias has led The Unity Council through a period of transformational growth, expanding the organization’s impact, strengthening its financial sustainability, and advancing equitable community development. His leadership has helped secure significant public and private investments to increase affordable housing, strengthen economic opportunity, and preserve the cultural vitality of the Fruitvale community. Among his many accomplishments are securing funding for affordable housing serving families and veterans, expanding early childhood education opportunities, institutionalizing Oakland’s Latino Men & Boys initiative as part of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, and partnering with residents and small businesses to foster inclusive neighborhood revitalization.
An Oakland native, Iglesias is a respected public sector leader with a distinguished career serving communities throughout the Bay Area. Before joining The Unity Council, he served as Senior Advisor on Jobs and Contracting Programs for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and Mayor Newsom’s first Director of CityBuild, a nationally recognized construction workforce development program that prepares residents for careers on public and private construction projects.
In 2023, Iglesias was recognized as one of the Bay Area’s Most Admired CEOs by the San Francisco Business Times, honoring his commitment to visionary leadership, community impact, and organizational excellence.
Iglesias currently serves on the Job and Housing Coalition, the SPUR Oakland Board, the Oakland Thrives Leadership Council, and as Co-Chair of the African American Latino Action Alliance. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from San José State University, where he competed as an NCAA Division I FBS football wide receiver.
