Yanira Cortez is an Urban Economic Analyst at the City of Oakland – Business Development Division with a background in business, real estate, education and community organizing.
Prior to this role, Yanira was the Education Director for Frontline Catalysts, a youth development organization rooted in Ethnic Studies pedagogy in Oakland, CA. Yanira create Eco-Summer youth development summer program focused on expositing youth to local government. She was also a local Real Estate professional serving many non-English speaking clients in the Bay Area. Having witnessed the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, Yanira focused her working with people vulnerable to predatory lending improving outcomes for those she came into community with.
Yanira earned her BA in Ethnic Studies from U.C. Berkeley, while serving as lead facilitator and mentor for NavCal, an organization empowering first generation students to increase their financial and social capital. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Cre9Innovations, an organization that focus on higher education, housing and financial wellness. She was born and lives in Oakland with her husband Jesse, two daughters ages 9 and 12, and Louie and Clover (dog and cat).
