SAN FRANCISCO—Golden State Opportunity (GSO)—a statewide nonprofit that provides Californians with the tools to build personal financial well-being and thrive—is ramping up its advocacy operation with a new board member based in the Bay Area and two new staff hires based in Los Angeles.

Powerhouse Silicon Valley tech advocate Cynthia Guerrero joins the GSO Board, while seasoned strategist and organizer Sandra Pérez González and policy expert and coalition builder Sabrina De Santiago join the staff.

“Now, more than ever, Californians need access to the Earned Income Tax Credits and other public benefits to keep them from falling into poverty,” says GSO President Amy Everitt. “Cynthia’s experience and knowledge, particularly in FinTech, will help our Board guide us in our work, and Sandra and Sabrina strengthen our ability to connect people with the tools they need to improve their financial well-being and will also push policy makers to do better for low-income Californians.”

GSO’s newest board member, Cynthia Guerrero, is a Silicon Valley-based Partner at California Strategies who helps tech companies achieve their policy and regulatory goals at the state and federal level and has been recognized as one of the advocates in the tech arena. As one of few Latina women to mount a successful career in tech lobbying, Guerrero has an unmatched network of policy makers and business and opinion leaders in California and nationally, allowing her to provide policy insight and navigate both the regulatory and legislative arenas. She previously led her own public affairs firm, CG Consulting Group, and also served as the California Director for TechNet, a bipartisan network of CEOs that promotes the growth of the innovation economy. Cynthia also worked at the Rand Corporation and in the investment securities industry for firms including Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group, Barclays Global Investors, and Merrill Lynch.

Sandra Pérez González joins the GSO team as its first-ever Campaigns Director, based in Los Angeles. In her role, Sandra will create and work with her team to implement innovative programs to contact hard to reach low-income workers and ensure they know about and claim the state and federal EITCs and access other programs that help families achieve financial stability.

Prior to joining GSO, Sandra served as National Director at the National Association of Latino Elected/Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO). She also held advocacy leadership roles at Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), Parent Revolution, PowerPAC.org, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP), and Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE).

Sabrina De Santiago is joining GSO as the Policy and Research Director, also based in Los Angeles. She previously served as an advisor to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (NY), U.S. Senator Tom Udall (NM), and U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA). In her most recent role, Sabrina oversaw the Community Engagement unit at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

As Policy and Research Director, Sabrina will lead GSO’s federal and state legislative program and ensure GSO’s work is informed by trusted research and data. She will work closely with elected officials and partners to promote anti-poverty policies that help low-income communities build and retain financial stability, such as EITC expansion, living wages, public benefits reform, access to credit and savings programs.

To read more about the GSO team and its work, visit: www.GoldenStateOpportunity.org.