ABOUT ENGAGE SAN DIEGO
Since 2011, Engage San Diego has been a fiscally sponsored project of The San Diego LGBT Community Center that functions as the region’s premiere civic engagement table that works to build an equitable, diverse, powerful and a permanently inclusive movement in San Diego.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to increase voter participation in historically and systemically excluded communities of San Diego County. Through voter outreach, civic engagement, experimentation, advocacy, and communications, Engage San Diego aims to expand political opportunity by increasing electoral and civic participation of underrepresented communities in the County of San Diego – with a focus on the New American Majority Electorate of low-income families, LGBTQ+ folks, women, youth, immigrants, and people who are Pacific Islander, Black, Latino/a/x, and Asian.
OUR VISION
Engage San Diego works to achieve this mission by helping community-based organizations build power in San Diego through capacity building on voter engagement, policy advocacy and community leadership development.
OUR VALUES
Inclusive Democracy
Economic Equity
Gender Equity
Environmental Equity
OUR PARTNERS
Engage San Diego Table Partners are established and effective civic engagement and social change organizations with deep roots in the neighborhoods they serve.
OUR TEAM
Luis Montero-Adams
Executive Director
(He/Him/His) Luis is a passionate advocate and believes strongly in community organizing. Throughout his career he has worked in progressive organizations focusing on direct service, education, civic engagement, and policy. Prior to working at Engage San Diego, Luis served as the Advocacy and Civic Engagement Manager at the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
Prior to his work at The Center, Luis was a Health Educator at San Ysidro Health. Luis also served Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest for 10 years in several roles spanning the agency’s three pillars: education, health services, and advocacy.
Luis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University in 2017, after transferring from San Diego City College. Luis was a 2018 Fellow of the San Diego Leadership Alliance and continues to volunteer as an SDLA Institute facilitator. Luis is a proud resident of District 4 alongside his partner Caryl and their child Remington.
Caitlyn Benjamin
Operations Coordinator
Caitlyn has worked in the nonprofit sector for nine years in fields such as youth development, international aid, humanitarian aid. She began her formal career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine in 2016, but prior to that volunteered with various organizations including Habitat for Humanity, The Trans-border Institute, St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen, and other local non-profits since high school.
Following her Peace Corps Career, Caitlyn earned an M.A in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the University of San Diego. While there, she specialized in Advocacy and International Development to help further her career goals given her prior experience. Caitlyn’s goal is to continue to drive the nonprofit sector to grow in its professionalism and bring a higher standard to organizations. She served for two years as a programming committee board member for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network in San Diego.
When she is not working Caitlyn plays competitive disc golf, hikes, knits, cooks and enjoys local live music with friends.