Tony DeFalco joined Latino Network as the Executive Director in February 2021, where he and his team work to positively transform the lives of Latinx youth and families in education, leadership, and civic engagement in Oregon. He brings decades of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, advocacy and coalition-building across diverse sectors in the region and state, coupled with a deep understanding of the issues facing Latinx and communities of color. His past experiences include working with Native American tribes across the country to re-acquire culturally significant lands and working with a broad coalition of environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishing groups and scientists to protect ocean health. Prior to his role at Latino Network, DeFalco worked for Verde for 10 years, partnering with the community to innovate anti-displacement, environmental protection, and economic development efforts.

Signature achievements include transforming a 25-acre landfill into Cully Park in northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood and development of Living Cully, an innovative collaboration of Hacienda CDC, Habitat for Humanity and the Native American Youth & Family Center to prevent displacement of low-income residents from the rapidly gentrifying Cully neighborhood. At Verde he co-led passage of the Portland Clean Energy Fund, a first-of-its-kind effort nationally to bring investment to low-income and people of color communities in Portland to combat climate change. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies with a minor in Chicano Studies and a master’s in Natural Resources Planning from Humboldt State University.

Tony currently serves as the board chair of the Coalition of Communities of Color and was appointed by Governor Brown to the Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District in 2019. Tony has served on numerous boards including Earthjustice, Audubon Portland and as a founding board member for the Center for Diversity and the Environment. 

Tony is a proud member of Cohort V of Latino Network’s UNIDOS leadership development program and also an American Leadership Forum of Oregon Fellow (Class 33).