Rey Saldaña

President and CEO, Communities In Schools National Office
Areas of expertise: Enrichment/Motivation, Capacity Building

Rey Saldaña is President and CEO of Communities In Schools® (CIS®). A CIS alumnus himself, Saldaña's journey from student supported by the organization to its national leader embodies the power young people have to shape their own futures. 

Prior to joining CIS, Saldaña served as Regional Advocacy Director for the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation and Chair of the San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Agency (VIA). He previously served four terms on San Antonio City Council, first elected at 24 as the youngest council member in the city's history. During that time, he also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Trinity University and Palo Alto Community College, and served as Chief Engagement Officer at KIPP San Antonio Public Schools. 

Saldaña holds two bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Communications from Stanford University, and a master's degree from Stanford's Graduate School of Education in Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies. In 2023, he received Stanford's President's Award for the Advancement of the Common Good. 

A proud first-generation American and first in his family to graduate from college, Saldaña was born and raised on the South Side of San Antonio, the son of immigrants from Mexico and a product of Title I Texas public schools.