Saúl Valdez oversees grants that increase college persistence, two-year transfer and bachelor degree completion for students from underserved backgrounds. Prior to joining ECMC Foundation, Saúl worked with Seattle Foundation's philanthropic advising team where he advised a portfolio of donors and philanthropic partners and managed a youth grantmaking board. Previously, Saúl worked at the Seattle Region Partnership and served as the program manager for the Latin American Association in the state of Georgia. He is an alumnus of Coro’s LEAD LA fellowship program and Hispanics in Philanthropy’s (HIP) lideres fellowship program. Outside of ECMC Foundation, Saúl serves on the steering committee for HIP’s lideres alumni network and the Los Angeles chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). Saúl holds an MA in public administration with a nonprofit management certificate from the University of Washington and a BS in international business and BA in Spanish from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.