Rhonnel Sotelo

Rhonnel Sotelo is the Executive Director of the Rogers Family Foundation, a private foundation primarily focused on transforming the educational experience and success of Oakland public school students furthest from opportunity. In addition to overseeing the executive management of the Foundation’s grantmaking, operations, and strategy, Rhonnel leads and guides his team in the execution of the Foundation’s key Oakland education initiatives in blended/personalized learning, early literacy, and quality schools development. Rhonnel’s career in philanthropy spans nearly two decades, including serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Program & Operations for the Stuart Foundation and leading The San Francisco Foundation’s West Oakland Initiative and Multicultural Fellowship program. An urban planner by profession, Rhonnel previously owned and operated Urban Works, a planning and design firm focused on neighborhood planning and livable communities in the Pacific Northwest and California. Rhonnel holds a Master of Arts in Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in English, both from the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives in Oakland with his wife Chris. Together, they have raised two daughters who are proud graduates of Oakland public charter schools.