Darío León (he, him, his)

Research and Community Coordinator, Institute for Social Transformation and Center for Labor and Community

831-459-5985, dariol@ucsc.edu

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Darío assists faculty in their research initiatives and centers, particularly with a community engagement focus. By aligning faculty research with partner organizations’ continued goals, Darío connects, engages, collaborates with, and ultimately forms positive relationships with a wide range of community partners. He also supports new partnership development through utilizing qualitative research skills, event planning, and program management.

Darío brings a deep understanding and experience as a community organizer through his community-engaged work throughout central and northern California. He thrives in community organization relationship building and enjoys providing organizations with resources and services—like power analysis and power mapping— that have traditionally been held only in higher education. He often leads networking efforts to connect community-focused organizations, unions, and public institutions with a focus on research, organizational power building, and public good.

His work in strengthening communities spans more than 17 years of engaging with diverse neighborhoods and regions throughout the state. Darío grew up in Chico, CA, in a farm-working family that immigrated from the state of Guanajuato, México in the 1970s. His experience growing up in a rural, farm-working environment, as well as having family and organizing roots in Berkeley/Oakland has uniquely shaped his perspective and approach to urban as well as rural community engagement power-building strategies.