Irving Zavaleta serves as Mi Familia Vota National Programs Manager. He is a well-known and highly regarded non-profit leader, educator, and speaker with in-depth knowledge and experience in the areas of inclusion, equity, and civic engagement.

Irving was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He and his family immigrated to North Carolina in 2000.

He graduated from Guilford College with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and French. He was recognized nationally as one of the best 25 Latinx college students by the Hispanic College Fund in 2007. Irving obtained his MBA at High Point University with a concentration in leadership and organization development.

Before joining Mi Familia Vota, Irving led the voting rights organizing and campaigns for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), a community-lawyering organization. As the Networks Director at SCSJ, he collaborated with partners across the South on election engagement and protection, redistricting, and capacity building.

Irving founded the highly successful Soy un Líder (I am a Leader) Conference. Soy un Líder is a college prep and empowerment conference for students who identify as Latinx, immigrants, or refugees. It is the only conference of its kind in North Carolina, offering workshops on college application and financial aid while providing information on DACAmented, undocumented, and refugee students. For over a decade, soy un Líder has empowered students to dream big through a social justice lens.

Irving was a recipient of the 2017 Community Involvement Diamante Award, statewide recognition of people and organizations who support the North Carolina Latinx population. For his community involvement, he was named a 2018 Community Game Changer by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Irving participated in the 2018 Hispanics in Philanthropy Next Generation Latinx Líderes Program. He was among only 25 Latinxs invited to participate in this highly acclaimed national leadership initiative.