Cleofas Rodriguez, Jr. is the Executive Director of the National Migrant Seasonal Head Start Association in Washington, D.C. Cleo has returned to this role after a brief absence. Currently and during his previous tenure, the association grew its financial resources and delivery of professional development, parent professional development and programming. For example, now in its eighth year, Cleo initiated a Summer Internship for former Migrant and Seasonal Head Start students. This successful program was featured on Telemundo. On behalf of the NMSHSA, Cleo is also a recipient of the prestigious Ohtli Award from the Mexican Government for his work with bi-national populations.

As the recent President/CEO of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, he stabilized the funding, doubled membership and raised over 1.7 million dollars for small businesses following the devastation of hurricane Harvey. Cleo also served as Executive Directors of the Texas Head Start Association; and Raising Austin.

Cleo has served as an invited member of the White House Roundtable Council on Hispanic Families; collaborated with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics to bring rise to migrant student voices; recently served as co-chair of the National Hispanic Education Coalition; and is a current member of both the National Farmworker Alliance, and the Child Labor Coalition.

Cleo’s parents were both migrant farm laborers who toiled tirelessly in the cotton fields across the state of Texas and other Southern states. Cleo himself did seasonal summer work in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and is proud to work on behalf of migrant and seasonal farm worker community.

Cleo received a BS from Texas State University and was recently honored with the prestigious title of Distinguished Alumni. Cleo also serves as a member of the Alumni Association.