Manuel Rodriguez

Manuel is a California native, a Mexican American Chicano, born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego. He has been living in San Francisco for nearly 30 years and is currently a Senior Executive Director at the YMCA of San Francisco, overseeing a public and private grant portfolio of $55 million annually. Prior to his current role, Manuel was the San Francisco Director of Community Action Partnerships, where he led the city’s Community Services Block Grant and CARES federal funding allocation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on emergency needs and the elimination of poverty. 

Manuel graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Sociology and began his career working at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Institute (SPUR) in 2001. He has served on the Board of the San Francisco Mission Housing Development Corporation and the School Site Council for Aptos Middle School. He is currently a member of the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Commission, working to minimize youth involvement in the justice system. He has worked with San Francisco system-involved youth and stakeholders since 2004, collaborating with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and securing funding for programs through the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Manuel is anti-racist, anti-fascist, and is committed to diversity, equity, and belonging for all. He has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their fullest potential and creating results-driven community-based services. He enjoys skateboarding, playing music in local bands, drinking coffee, biking around the city, reading, playing basketball, and spending time with his family.