Araceli Palafox is the Director of Programs with CA FWD. She has experience leading cross-sector teams in the design and implementation of community development strategies. Before joining CA FWD, Araceli served as the Deputy Director at Lift to Rise, where she supported the development and implementation of regional, cross-sectoral strategies to address inequities in housing.

Araceli has a Masters in Public Policy from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and a Bachelors in Political Science and Chicano Studies from Loyola Marymount University. Araceli is passionate about using data and evidence to drive equity-based and community-led social change in the Inland Empire Region of Southern California.