Roger Perez

Roger is GitLab Foundation’s Program Officer focused on developing economic inclusion strategies in the United States and Colombia. His work explores how stakeholders can increase lifetime earnings for individuals while incorporating intersecting aspects of community development. Roger has dedicated his career to social and racial justice in the United States and abroad. Prior to GitLab Foundation, he led grantmaking and identified impact investment opportunities at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation. In this role, he created the foundation’s participatory grantmaking program and collaborated with social sector actors to address inequities in the Affordable Housing, Criminal Justice Reform, and Environmental Justice sectors. He also served as a strategic financial advisor at Nonprofit Finance Fund, supporting organizations with financial management, forecasting, and scenario planning. Roger is a trustee of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation, on the board of Inclusive Action for the City, and active in the Los Angeles Latino giving circle. Roger earned an MA in International Development and MBA from Brandeis University, and a BS in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina in Asheville. Roger grew up in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and currently lives in Los Angeles - where you can find him hiking and biking in the Angeles National Forest.