Oscar E. Cruz, chief executive officer of Citizen Schools, has more than 20 years of non-profit experience. Most recently, Oscar served as chief operating officer at United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) where he oversaw efforts to center racial equity at the core of UWGLA internal operations and programmatic work.

Previously, Oscar was the president and chief executive officer of Families In Schools (FIS), which is dedicated to involving parents in gaining the best possible education for their children. He also served as a program director for Community Partners, directing projects in community technology and civic engagement, and as senior program manager at the Center for Civic Education, where he managed an international network of civil society organizations, school districts, universities, and foundations working to implement civic engagement programs for students and youth throughout the United States and Latin America.

He holds a Master of Arts in Latin American studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Latin American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Oscar currently serves as a board member with the following organizations: Community Partners, Diversity in Leadership Institute (DLI) and The National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NASFCE).