Fidel Vargas Shapes Tomorrow’s Leaders
From the youngest elected mayor to CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Fidel Vargas is dedicated to educational access and community empowerment.
As a former recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund turned CEO of the HSF, Fidel’s tireless efforts have reshaped the landscape of scholarship programs and catalyzed opportunities for countless young Latino scholars nationwide.
Through strategic advocacy and innovative programs, Fidel has built pathways to success for underrepresented communities and opportunities for younger generations.
Today, Vargas continues to drive a new perception home: Latino students in the United States are in charge of their own destinies, and there are no limits to what they can achieve.
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About Our Guest
Fidel A. Vargas is President and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). After serving on HSF’s Board of Directors from January 2010 through December 2012, he assumed leadership of the organization on January 2, 2013. Mr. Vargas sets HSF’s overall direction; develops and oversees the execution of strategy; leads the senior management team; plays an active, leadership role in development and outreach activities for all constituencies, and advocates for HSF, throughout the country.
Prior to joining HSF, Mr. Vargas was a Founding Partner of Centinela Capital Partners, an alternative asset management firm that invested nearly $1 billion in and alongside leading emerging private equity and venture capital funds. Prior to joining Centinela, Mr. Vargas was a founding Principal and Managing Director of Reliant Equity Investors, a private equity investment firm investing in lower-middle-market companies.
At twenty-three, Mr. Vargas became the country’s youngest elected Mayor of a major city: Baldwin Park, California, with a population of 85,000, twenty miles northeast of Los Angeles. He currently serves on the boards of the California Community Foundation, the Latino Donor Collaborative, and The Los Angeles Theatre Center.
