Pictured: Luz Corcuera, a leader with vision, integrity and the ability to inspire others. Photo courtesy of UnidosNow.

Luz Corcuera, beloved executive director of UnidosNow, will be stepping down at the end of 2022 to devote her full attention to her family. As UnidosNow’s co-founder and current board chair, Luz has been a transformational leader, ushering in an era of remarkable growth for the organization. Luz poured her talent, love, and passion into UnidosNow and made a significant impact on the region. It is with good reason, as a result, that Luz has been recognized nationally for her work. She will be deeply missed, particularly by the families and students the organization serves. Luz has been a trailblazing force throughout her seven-year tenure at UnidosNow. She strengthened and expanded educational programs designed to put predominantly low-income, first-generation Latinx students on a path to a post-secondary education. Her transformation of these programs has empowered more than 3,000 high school graduates to build a post-secondary path, securing over $14 million in scholarships and grants, the great bulk of dollars coming from outside the southwest Florida region to support these local students. Luz has also expanded the reach of the organization, launching new intergenerational programs including the Future Leaders Academy for Girls (FLAG) for elementary students, Future Leaders Academy for Middle Schoolers (FLAM), and the Parent Leadership program. During the pandemic, Luz led the organization in uncharted territory establishing key partnerships to provide critical emergency assistance, health education/vaccine and treatment access to hundreds of Hispanic families in the region.

Born in Peru, Luz moved to Canada where she worked as a family therapist before relocating to Manatee County in 2000 serving in several leadership roles before accepting the executive director position at UnidosNow in 2016. Luz has been honored with numerous awards for building strong relationships in the Manasota region with private, public, faith-based, and civic organizations to close the education achievement gap, reversing negative health trends, and empowering people to be active citizens. This year, Corcuera was appropriately recognized at a national level by the Bank of America as one of five Inaugural “Neighborhood Builders Racial Equality Champions” honored for their transformational work in communities around the United States. Beyond the recognition, the honor also led to the largest unrestricted gift to UnidosNow in the organization’s history–a fitting end to an amazing career.

Pictured: Luz Corcuera, a leader with vision, integrity and the ability to inspire others. Photo courtesy of UnidosNow.