Leadership
Young people lead the work. Governance protects the mission.
Twenty seven students hold titles here, from the chief executive to the volunteer liaison. A board of directors governs above them.
Executive Office
Organizational leadership and management.
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 broader 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.
Lya Quintana Nunez
Chief Administrative Officer
Sofia Hernandez
Chief of Staff
Nickole Aular
Deputy Chief of Staff
Aaron Florencio Nolasco
Strategic Aide-de-Camp
Department Chiefs
Each chief owns a function and the team that delivers it.
Mateo Cisneros
Chief Programming Officer
Carolina Cuba-Perez
Chief Communications Officer
Isaura Valdes Reinoso
Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer
Joey Sanchez
Chief Partnerships and Development Officer
Robert Rojas
Chief People and Culture Officer
Clara Strassnig
Chief Finance and Compliance Officer
Chanda Faruk
Technology and Data Officer
Program Managers
Each manager owns one program end to end.
Christopher McClindon, Jr.
Program Manager, Civic Knowledge Bowl
Sydney T. Carr
Program Manager, Youth Governance Day
Sophia E. Tomas
Program Manager, Strive305 Economic Fellowship
Program Team
Coordinators build the programming and run it on the day.
Camila Vazquez
Programs Coordinator
Grace Mazzorana
Programs Coordinator
Isadora Reis Bastos
Programs Coordinator
Vladimir Veloz
Programs Coordinator
Departments
Communications, development, policy, finance and volunteer operations.
Miranda Gonzalez
Creative Lead
Amira Avellan
Public Relations Specialist
Mariana Bedoya
Sponsorship Manager
Daniella Ordonez
Partnership Coordinator
Sophie Prata Nogueira
Partnership Coordinator
Mia Perez
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Ambrosio Rios Tabares
Finance Coordinator
Yoisel Figueredo
Volunteer Liaison
Board of Directors
Governance, fiduciary oversight and mission stewardship.
The board governs. It does not manage day to day operations.
Maurits E. 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.
Maurits was named the 2024 National PTA Youth Advocate of the Year, a distinction Clint would share two years later, and a leadership legacy that continues through the organization's next generation.
Hailie Prieto
Vice Chair of the Board
Rukayat Adebisi
Board Director
Roberto Carmona
Board Director
Alyssa Leon
Board Director
Emma Sotero
Board Director
Daniel Nuñez
Board Director
Matthew Webb
Board Director
Natalie Alguera
Board Director
Gianna Michel
Board Director
Allyson Diaz-Rubio
Board Director
Roselyn Navarro
Board Director
Angie Zuleta
Board Director
Organizational chart
Who reports to whom.
Four levels, four different jobs. Board governance, executive leadership, department execution and program delivery.
Maurits E. Acosta
Founder and Board Chair
Clint A. John, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Aaron Nolasco
Strategic Aide-de-Camp
Lya Quintana Nunez
Chief Administrative Officer
Carolina Cuba-Perez
Chief Communications Officer
Amira Avellan
Public Relations Specialist, Photo and Video
Miranda Gonzalez
Creative Lead, Design and Visuals
Chanda Faruk
Technology and Data Officer
Clara Strassnig
Chief Finance and Compliance Officer
Ambrosio Rios Tabares
Finance Coordinator
Isaura Valdes
Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer
Mia Perez
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Joey Sanchez
Chief Partnerships and Development Officer
Daniella Ordonez
Partnership Coordinator
Mariana Bedoya
Sponsorship Manager
Sophia Nogueira
Partnership Coordinator
Mateo Cisneros
Chief Programming Officer
Camila Vazquez
Programs Coordinator
Christopher McClindon
Program Manager, Civic Knowledge Bowl
Grace Mazzorana
Programs Coordinator
Isadora Reis Bastos
Programs Coordinator
Sophia E. Tomas
Program Manager, Strive305 Fellowship
Sydney T. Carr
Program Manager, Youth Governance Day
Vladimir Veloz
Programs Coordinator
Robert Rojas
Chief People and Culture Officer
Yoisel Figueredo
Volunteer Liaison
Sofia Hernandez
Chief of Staff
Nickole Aular
Deputy Chief of Staff