Kevin Zwick
CEO
United Way Bay Area
Washington, DC USA
“There’s nothing more invaluable than just getting involved and working with other people.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationKevin Zwick
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I grew up in Orange County, California.
My father taught vocational education to people with disabilities and I knew I wanted to do something similar and help others.
I went to UC Berkeley for college because I was drawn to the social justice work that students could do at the university.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in sociology and started my career in the nonprofit sector working for Project Open Hand, which gave me a lot of insight into how housing affects health.
I wanted to learn how to do community organizing, so I transitioned from Project Open Hand to the Industrial Areas Foundation, a community organizing organization.
I then moved on to affordable housing development, working first as a project manager and then moving up to deputy executive director and director of housing development.
After a master’s degree in nonprofit management and several years of experience at my first affordable housing organization, I became CEO of Housing Trust Silicon Valley.
I spent 12 years at Housing Trust Silicon Valley and decided I wanted to work regionally on broader anti-poverty issues, which led to me joining United Way Bay Area.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Executive Education
Harvard Kennedy School
Executive Education
Harvard Kennedy School
Career
CEO
I tackle the root causes of poverty and build pathways to prosperity for families throughout the Bay Area.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Business
Helping People
Day to Day
My day is incredibly varied. I'm either meeting with my program staff to learn about challenges they might be having with a specific initiative or program, speaking with my finance staff to keep updated with the health of the organization, or meeting with my advancement staff to figure out how we can bring in more supporters. I could also be out in the community speaking with people and learning what's going on in the community so that we can be more effective.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
It's much easier today to connect across communities and effect social change through social media platforms. I encourage you to start there. I also recommend getting involved and volunteering with your local community organizations. That can be a local nonprofit, a local organizing group, or your local church, mosque, or temple.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"It's not good to be told no."
