I grew up in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from UCLA in 2009. I then moved to South Korea to teach English and was there for five years. I met my wife there and followed her to Nashville, TN in 2014.

Since moving to Nashville, I have been doing education-based nonprofit work in school and out-of-school settings. In 2017, I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a masters in Community Development & Action. My studies then were focused on the community-school model, social networks, and organizational studies.

Currently, I am the Education Program Officer at the Maddox Fund, a nonprofit foundation that supports organizations in Middle Tennessee. I also founded and direct API Middle Tennessee, an Asian and Pacific Islander-serving organization working towards racial justice by building API community, lifting API voices, and celebrating API identities.

When I do have free time, I spend it trying out restaurants with my wife, playing videogames, and riding my bike. Bikes, coffee, and burritos are my favorite things and the best days include all three.

Reach me at @joegutierrez___ on social media or email me at [email protected].