Josue De Paz is the CEO and co-founder of First Tech Fund, a nonprofit started in 2020 that provides accessible technology and broadband access, mentorship, digital skills training, and insight into careers for students, equalizing the academic and professional playing fields for low-income students of color. Previously, he was a community partnerships manager at Girls Who Code, where he was responsible for all partnerships, outreach, and strategy across nine states in the South. De Paz has also worked in for-profit jobs in financial services and advertising.
Outside his role, he was a 2021 Coro Workforce Systems Leadership Fellow and a 2022 Council for Urban Professionals Fellow. Most recently, De Paz was one of 12 change makers selected globally for the 2022-23 Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University, a leadership development program where scholars deepen their knowledge and skills and build new capacities and networks to accelerate their impact. Finally, De Paz was recently selected as a 2023 Ricardo Salinas Scholar at the Aspen Institute. De Paz has been recognized for his work in the nonprofit sector; he was named an inaugural recipient of the 2023 Nonprofit Trailblazer Award by NYN Media.
Originally from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, De Paz immigrated to the United States at age 5 and grew up in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Santa Clara University and is currently a DACA recipient living in Brooklyn with his wife, Hana, and his dog, Maui.
Words of Wisdom: Don’t forget to lift as you climb – the next generation is looking to you for advice, mentorship, and support – we were all once in their shoes, trying to figure out how to break into our respective industries. Our legacy is defined by those we empower and uplift.
