As a Salvadoran immigrant who came of age in 1980’s South Central Los Angeles, Carl brings a lived understanding of the challenges that shape the lives of young people in urban America — poverty, trauma, and often, deep mistrust between communities and law enforcement.
Now with over 15 years of nonprofit experience, Carl has worked at the intersection of public systems, law enforcement, and street-level change, partnering with state agencies like DYS, DMH, and DCF across Massachusetts and Connecticut. Before joining Roca, he served as the Western Regional Program Director & Contract Manager for Adolescent Re-entry Services at the Center for Human Development, where he oversaw care and coordination for more than 200 young people returning to their communities from lock-up.
Carl’s work is rooted in the belief that transformation is possible — when young people are met with relationships, structure, and the right tools to rewire their responses to harm, hurt, and hardship.
Carl holds a BA from UC Berkley in Ethnic Studies and Rhetoric, a Masters in American Studies from NYU, Masters in African American Studies from Yale, and is ABD at Yale University. His graduate research focuses on Juvenile Justice Reform and the school to prison pipeline.