Karla López del Río is a community development executive and Senior Fellow at Chapman University’s Center for Demographics and Policy, where she advances research and action at the intersection of housing, demographics, and economic mobility. A first-generation immigrant, she brings a distinctive blend of lived experience, data-driven strategy, and policy leadership to strengthening Latino upward mobility and expanding pathways to the middle class.  Her career spans the private sector, nonprofit leadership, academia, and federal and local government service, giving her a comprehensive understanding of how institutions, markets, and communities intersect. She specializes in building multi-sector partnerships that translate research into implementation. Through strategic collaborations with civic leaders, financial institutions, philanthropies, and public agencies, she has helped direct millions of dollars into low- and moderate-income communities, advancing financial stability, homeownership access, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. Karla leads groundbreaking initiatives on financial health, wealth creation, and economic mobility designed to lift up working families and build a strong, resilient middle class.  Karla earned her B.A. in International Development from the University of California, Berkeley. Her work has earned numerous awards from esteemed institutions at the national, state, and local levels in recognition of her leadership and measurable community impact.