Caroline Cruz is an attorney and public servant with over 20 years of experience expanding access to civil rights and government services at the local, State and Federal. At CEO Caroline leads all staff members across specialized teams to expand economic opportunity and civic engagement in a culturally and linguistically rich City. As a member of the executive team, she supervises CEO’s partnerships, communications, and education forums for City staff, partners, and residents.
Caroline has led initiatives that build governmental responsiveness that strengthens residents’ trust in the rule of law. She has held leadership positions in City government at the Office of the General Counsel at the Philadelphia School District, the Law Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Office of Children and Families and the Office of Immigrant Affairs. In these roles Caroline has litigated, crafted policies, designed organizational systems, and built coalitions that deliver critical service to the public and advance access to legal representation, public safety, and education.
As Assistant General Counsel for the Philadelphia School District she worked with educators, families, and city leadership to provide educational services for students during the Covid pandemic, legal guidance on First Amendment law, and antidiscrimination law. As legal advisor for the U. S. Department of Justice and U.S. State Department, stationed abroad, Caroline worked on international rule of law efforts that develop transparency and accountability systems between justice institutions and the public they serve.
At the state level, for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Caroline investigated and litigated employment, race, and disability discrimination cases.
Recently, Caroline worked with local and national emergency response agencies and resettlement leaders to craft a community-led humanitarian response for new arrivals emigrating from every region of the world. In partnership with city leadership and resettlement agencies she created a rapid community integration model for Philadelphia later applied in other cities. Caroline also led the City’s successful application to be designated a Welcoming City by Welcoming America and now serves as a peer auditor for the national organization growing welcoming economies and policies across localities.
Caroline credits her relentless optimism and faith in the power of community to her mother, Ana. Her visionary leadership has been recognized by Impacto News and Al Dia. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law. As a longtime South Philly resident, Caroline loves exploring the neighborhood’s cuisines from all over the world and is a life-long learner of languages and cultures through travel.
