Alma Marquez
CEO, Del Sol Group
Alma V. Marquez is the Founder and CEO of Del Sol Group, a communications and public affairs firm that provides strategy, outreach, and leadership advising and programming in the private and public sectors. Alma is also the Founder of the La Comadre Network, a network of hundreds of Latinas who use their collective influence to demand change to transform their communities.
Alma learned the power of organizing and authentic leadership, at 14, when she successfully organized against a toxic waste incinerator that was planned across the street from her high school.
As an early Latina leader in education reform, Alma saw how invisible and silenced Latinas and women of color have been in the sector. In 2015, she created the La Comadre Network, which loosely translates to “Co-mothers” to develop voices and authentic Latina leaders, at every level, in education. She also co-founded the Los Angeles Parents Union, the first efforts of its kind, to organize parents for political change nearly 20 years ago.
Alma served as the first Vice President of External and Government Affairs for Green Dot Public Schools where she helped build a movement in California. She was a Program Officer for the First 5 LA Commission. As the CA Latino Vote Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, Alma created the first of its kind Latino engagement, the acclaimed “Obamanos” and “Obama Nos Llama” efforts.
Alma’s leadership has been recognized nationally and in California. She received the White House Presidential Community Service Award, California State Assembly Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Hispanic Lifestyle Magazine’s Latinas of Influence Award and La Opinion Newspaper’s Outstanding Woman Award.
Like many students of color, Alma’s higher education journey started at her local community college, East Los Angeles College. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and holds a Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA where she was a HUD Community Builders Fellow. She is a German Marshall Memorial Fellow. Alma is a graduate Stanford University’s first cohort of the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative.
Alma serves on the boards of Great Schools and the AltaMed Political Action Committee. She lives in Los Angeles. Her proudest achievement is seeing her daughter, Miquitzli, joyful and grounded.