Growing up in El Paso, TX, Rodolfo Rodríguez grew up in a deeply impoverished neighborhood where extreme violence was a regular occurrence. Bearing witness to a drive-by shooting as a young child and learning shortly thereafter that his teenage sibling had fallen victim to gang violence inspired Rodríguez to devote his life to improving historically neglected communities like his own.

During his undergraduate studies, Rodríguez would see the curriculum through the unique lens of a young man whose community was left behind by the promises of public servants. A scholar of Architectural Studies, Public Health and Urban Planning, he now recognizes how frequently good intentions and unintended consequences intersect, often leaving communities to navigate quagmires well beyond the scope of their resources. Over the past 12 years he’s stayed focused on advancing his education and evolving into a public servant who enjoys thinking critically and engaging the voices of the community with the opportunities innovation presents while using history to help inform the applications of policy and design.

Rodríguez’ academic accolades and scholarly recognitions include: earning a full scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, receiving global acknowledgement of his innovative policy work via the inaugural 2021 Apgar Thought Leadership Award from the world’s largest professional organization for socially responsible land use and real estate experts, The Urban Land Institute and currently serving as a Culture of Health Leader with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the top 10 largest philanthropic entities in the world and the largest health endowment in the United States. Combined with over a decade of experience working in local government, Rodríguez is a seasoned disruptor of systemic oppression.

Rodríguez is acting on his promise to catalyze meaningful impact by bridging the gap between communities and their local governments through his consultancy, The Policy Gap.