Our Team
Lupi Quinteros-Grady
President & CEO
In June 2018, Mirna (Lupi) Quinteros-Grady stepped into the role of president & chief executive officer of Latin American Youth Center. She is a strategic, forward-thinking leader with over 20 years of experience working in socio-economically challenged communities serving a diverse population of youth. Lupi has intertwined LAYC’s mission with the new and evolving needs of DC and Maryland’s Black, Latino, and immigrant communities; ensuring our services are responsive, relevant, and reliable to our most vulnerable youth and families. Over her four years as president & CEO at LAYC, she has transformed LAYC operations and directed staff through an unprecedented global health crisis; leading LAYC to provide culturally-relevant and linguistically-inclusive services where many other organizations could not. Each year, LAYC serves approximately 4,500 youth, primarily Black and Latino youth residing in DC and Maryland’s Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.
Lupi came to the US from El Salvador when she was seven years old and did not speak English. Her parents made sure to instill in her a great respect for education and hard work. Her connection to LAYC began as a 14-year-old participant in LAYC’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Later, as a college student in her first position at LAYC, she served as SYEP program coordinator. LAYC’s Positive Youth Development approach, seeing youth as resources to be developed, and emphasizing strengths-based support, helped Lupi build confidence, self-advocacy, and communication skills that serve her to this day.
Lupi has worked in youth development for 20 years. She has implemented a variety of programs such as Upward Bound and AmeriCorps and served as LAYC/MMYC’s managing director prior to her current position. She was appointed to the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism from 2008-2010 and is a graduate of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington’s future executive directors fellowship program. She also served for four years on the Prince George’s County Board of Education, representing district 2. She received a master’s degree in bilingual and special education from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College.