Esther A. Torrez, Founder of Community Enhancement Corporation

A  former college professor - turned developer with a vision for social change, Esther Torrez founded Community Enhancement Corporation, a non-profit 501(c) (3), in Los Angeles, in February 1992.

As a Latina growing up in the San Joaquin Valley, Ms. Torrez took an early interest in improving social conditions in rural areas. She established community college satellite classes in Kern County. Her goal was to inform, educate and inspire migrant families to obtain better jobs and acquire safe, stable housing through economic self-sufficiency. She also established a counseling program for Tehachapi Correctional Facility inmates.

Ms. Torrez earned an MBA from the Anderson School of Business Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and she also holds a Masters degree in Psychology from California State University, Bakersfield. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the Policy Roundtable for Child Development in Los Angeles County and is a member of the Communitiy Advisory Committee of LA City Council District 9, is a member of the Executive Board of Regents of the City of Hope and is a member of the Trusteeship.