Dr. Ghecemy Lopez is a bilingual Latinx immigrant and first-generation doctor of social work. Her mission is to drive positive, equitable change through social impact innovation and strategic education, for a kinder, more compassionate, inclusive and educated world. Dr. Lopez joined Kid City in the summer of 2025, in the midst of very difficult times in Los Angeles; however, she jumped right in and immediately started to strategize how to minimize disruption in our programming, while also getting support for our youth and families who had been impacted. She shares the same values and mission that has made our organization excel for almost two decades. She immediately embraced many of the great work her predecessors had started and is now leading Kid City's new chapter into further prosperity by growing partnerships, collaborations and resources. She has full confidence in her talented and inspiring colleagues (staff and interns) and she is grateful for the mentorship of Anne Hawthorne (one of the amazing Kid City's founding rocks and current Urban Foundation Executive Director). Dr. Lopez has a growing group of dedicated people that also supports her vision, such as the Kid City's board of directors, our engaged partners, donors, alumni, parents and volunteers. Dr. Lopez came to Kid City, with over 20 years of experience at the interesection of higher education, language acquisition, social work, public health, government relations, community engagement and advocacy. She has empowered countless individuals through internships, mentoring, teaching, and career development across five public and private academic institutions in Mexico and the U.S., like University of Southern California, Southwest College and Universidad Anahuac, and also at two major medical centers like Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cedars-Sinai. In her past experience, she managed community-based programs and grants, that focused on helping people address significant socioeconomic, cultural and lingustic barriers, while facing complex life challenges. Her advocacy work has also allowed her to serve conducting programmatic review for the US Department of Defense and the CBCRP Council in the state of CA. She has facilitated health equity related CPAR activities, and volunteered in public awareness campaigns for the Spanish-speaking communities with organizations in the US and Latin America. Dr. Lopez holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Teaching Foreign Languages; a Master's in Education and a Doctorate in Social Work. She is a two-time cancer survivor, a dog mom, and is happily married to her college sweetheart

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Email me at ghecemy@kidcityhopeplace.org