Valle del Sol is proud to announce Luis De La Cruz as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). Bringing a unique combination of enterprise strategy, consulting and impactful non-profit executive leadership, Luis joins Valle del Sol’s Executive Leadership Team to spearhead enterprise strategic priorities, organizational growth, community and strategic partnerships across Arizona. Luis most recently served as CEO of the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, one of the largest and longest serving foster care non-profits in Arizona. Luis’ work in community has earned recognition across Arizona including Phoenix Business Journal 40 under 40, Phoenix Magazine Great 48, Valle Del Sol Profile of Success, The Arizona Republic and Front Doors Media.
Before assuming non-profit leadership, Luis was a seasoned strategist at Deloitte working with Fortune 500 and multi-national clients to optimize value chains and human capital strategies. Other experiences include fellowships at Meta (fka Facebook) in Silicon Valley and in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. Luis' professional and personal background allows him to have a profound understanding of the intersectionality of the public, private and independent sectors of our society. Born in a one-room adobe home with no running water or electricity in Mexico, Luis was brought by his parents to the United States when he was approximately 8 years of age. For Luis, getting a shot at the American Dream meant losing his family-- he entered Arizona’s foster care system after years of instability, homelessness, and abandonment. Notwithstanding the economic and familial hardships, Luis became a first-generation high school graduate and would go on to also become a first-generation college student. Today, Luis holds two undergraduate business degrees from Arizona State University, where he also authored an award-winning thesis on U.S. Immigration Law. Luis earned a master’s in public policy from the University of Michigan.
Most importantly, Luis is happily married to his better half, Nataly, and his desire to make the world a better place is inspired by his two boys, Mateo (5-years) and Sebastian (2-years).