Leadership
Student led is not a lower standard. It is the operating model.
Young people lead the work. Governance protects the mission. Both statements are true at the same time, and the structure below is how.
Executive Office
Organizational leadership and management.
Twenty six students run this organization. These eleven carry the executive load.
Clint John, Jr.
Executive Director
Runs the organization and makes the case for it in public.
Lya Quintana
Chief Administrative Officer
Keeps every program, budget line and deadline moving on schedule.
Sofia Hernandez
Chief of Staff
Runs the executive office and keeps the leadership team aligned.
Nickole Aular
Deputy Chief of Staff
Carries decisions from the meeting into execution.
Mateo Cisneros
Chief Programming Officer
Designs the programs and owns whether they land.
Carolina Cuba-Perez
Chief Communications Officer
Owns the public voice of the organization across every channel.
Isaura Valdes Reinoso
Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer
Turns student positions into arguments elected officials will read.
Joey Sanchez
Chief Partnerships and Development Officer
Builds the sponsor and institutional relationships that fund the work.
Robert Rojas
Chief People and Culture Officer
Recruits, trains and retains the volunteers and officers.
Clara Strassnig
Chief Finance and Compliance Officer
Owns the budget, the books and the nonprofit filings.
Chanda Faruk
Technology and Data Officer
Builds the systems and holds the participation data the impact numbers come from.
Clint John, Jr., Chief Executive Officer
Clint John, Jr. is a youth advocate, nonprofit executive and civic leader who became Executive Director of Virtutem Populo as a high school freshman, succeeding founder Maurits Acosta. Since taking the helm he has led the organization's growth, fundraising, partnerships and civic education programs across Miami-Dade, building on its founding vision while expanding its reach and institutional capacity.
Beyond Virtutem Populo, Clint serves as the District Student Government Legislative Liaison for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, helping represent the interests of more than 330,000 students and working at the intersection of student voice, public policy and government. His advocacy and community leadership earned him recognition as the 2026 Florida PTA Youth Advocate of the Year.
His work is driven by a belief that young people should not simply be prepared to lead someday. They should be trusted with the opportunity and the responsibility to lead now.
Program Teams
Program design and delivery.
The managers and coordinators who build each program and run it on the day.
Sydney Carr
Program Manager, Youth Governance Day
Places students in nineteen city halls on a single day.
Christopher McClindon, Jr.
Program Manager, Civic Knowledge Bowl
Runs a twenty one school competition from question bank to trophy.
Sophia E. Tomas
Program Manager, Strive305 Economic Fellowship
Builds a thirty session fellowship and keeps a cohort moving through it.
Vladimir Veloz
Program Coordinator
Runs program logistics from setup to final round.
Isadora Bastos
Program Coordinator
Runs program logistics from setup to final round.
Grace Mazzorana
Programs Coordinator
Runs program logistics from setup to final round.
Sophie Prata Nogueira
Programs Coordinator
Runs program logistics from setup to final round.
Departments
Functional execution.
Communications, development, policy and advocacy, finance and data.
Miranda Gonzalez
Creative Lead
Designs everything the public sees, from the stage to the feed.
Amira Avellan
Public Relations Specialist
Gets the work in front of press and partners.
Mariana Bedoya
Sponsorship Manager
Converts interest into signed sponsorships.
Daniella Ordonez
Partnership Coordinator
Keeps every partner and sponsor relationship current.
Mia Perez
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Researches the issues the advocacy team takes on.
Camila Vazquez
Administrative Liaison
Documents the advocacy work and keeps the record straight.
Ambrosio Rios Tabares
Finance Coordinator
Tracks every dollar from pledge to reimbursement.
Aaron Florencio Nolasco
Strategic Aide-de-Camp
Works directly with the executive office on strategy and operations.
Founder and Chairman
The organization began with one high school freshman.
Governance, fiduciary oversight and mission stewardship. The board does not manage day to day operations.
Maurits Acosta
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Maurits Acosta is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Virtutem Populo, which he established as a high school freshman in 2022 to give young people greater access to civic education, public leadership and government. What began as a student led vision grew into an organization that has developed more than a dozen programs, raised over $120,000 and engaged thousands of students.
After graduating high school, Maurits moved from executive leadership to Chairman of the Board as a freshman at Harvard University, passing day to day leadership to Clint while continuing to guide the institution he founded. At Harvard he studies Government and holds leadership roles in public opinion, international affairs and civic engagement. He also serves on the National PTA Board of Directors and previously represented more than 340,000 students as the 40th Student Advisor to the Miami-Dade County School Board.
He was named the 2024 National PTA Youth Advocate of the Year, a distinction Clint would share two years later.
Board of Directors
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Hailie Prieto
Vice Chair of the Board
Florida International University. Serving since 2026
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Rukayat Adebisi
Board Director
Teacher, Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School. Serving since 2022
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Roberto Carmona
Board Director
Harvard University. Serving since 2026
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Alyssa Leon
Board Director
Florida State University. Serving since 2026
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Emma Sotero
Board Director
University of Florida. Serving since 2026
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Daniel Nuñez
Board Director
Duke University. Serving since 2026
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Matthew Webb
Board Director
University of Central Florida. Serving since 2026
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Natalie Alguera
Board Director
Florida International University. Serving since 2026
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Gianna Michel
Board Director
Florida State University. Serving since 2026
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Allyson Diaz-Rubio
Board Director
University of South Florida. Serving since 2026
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Roselyn Navarro
Board Director
Florida International University. Serving since 2026
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Angie Zuleta
Board Director
Florida International University. Serving since 2026
How the organization is structured
Four levels, four different jobs.
Accountability without implying that every working relationship is a formal reporting line.
Board of DirectorsGovernance
Fiduciary oversight, mission stewardship and approval of organizational direction. The board does not run programs or manage staff.
Executive OfficeLeadership
Organizational leadership and management. Sets priorities, represents the organization publicly and carries responsibility for delivery.
DepartmentsExecution
Office of Budget Management, People and Culture, Communications, Partnerships and Development, Policy and Advocacy, and Technology and Data.
Program TeamsDelivery
Program managers and coordinators who design and deliver Constitution Day Quest, the Civic Knowledge Bowl, Youth Governance Day, the Civic Action Podcast, the Strive305 Economic Fellowship, PUBLIC. and the school board initiative.