Luis Aguilar

CASA’s Virginia State Director Luis Aguilar is a dedicated, passionate, and principled community organizer. Luis has led countless legislative victories with immigrants, communities of color, and working families. These victories are a foundation of a thoughtful and strategic approach that aims for true structural change. While at Commonwealth, he aided in the fight to win driver’s licenses for all Virginians, instate tuition for all Virginians regardless of immigration status, increasing funding for instructors to support English Language Learners, and increasing the minimum wage. At the local level, some victories include ending of the anti-immigrant 287(g) program in Prince William County, Universal Representation in Fairfax County, Direct Financial Assistance in Fairfax County to those excluded by the CARES Act, ending the intergovernmental service agreement between ICE and the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, and updating the General Orders of the Fairfax Police Department. Luis began his relationship with CASA as a community member seeking support with his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) application shortly after the program’s implementation. He has grown from a volunteer, to serving as a temporary promoter to CASA’s Virginia lobbyist in Richmond to managing electoral programs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He is now leading CASA’s vision in Virginia. Outside of CASA, Luis has received the Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University. He was part of the team that created Push4Reform, an application that informs voters of their representative’s stance on immigration reform. He also was Prince George’s Councilmember Deni Taveras’s Latino Outreach Coordinator. An award-winning advocate, Luis was recognized by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and Congressman Connolly for his advocacy efforts. Luis has also received the Certificate of Completion for the Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations from the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education. Luis believes that we learn from the legacy that the greatest change-makers have laid out for us, his favorite quote is ‘Give light and people will find a way’ by one of the most iconic Virginians and civil rights leaders of all time, Ella Baker.