Jose is an immigrant that was born in El Salvador and grew up in East L.A. He attributes much of his success to his hard-working mother who sacrificed everything to give him and his siblings a better life. He graduated from John Glenn H.S. in L.A. with a full ride scholarship to wrestle at Brigham Young University where he obtained 3 degrees: BA in Secondary Education Spanish, ESL, master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and a PhD in Educational Leadership. His previous positions include Coordinator of Title III and Special Programs at the Utah State Office of Education, Director of Diversity for Alpine School District, served 11 years in both Alpine and Provo school districts as an Assistant Principal, and taught Spanish for 3 years prior to that. He was appointed a commissioner on volunteerism by Lieutenant Governor Bell’s Utah Commission on Volunteers in 2010, and as a commissioner to the office Multicultural Affairs by Governor Herbert, 2012. Serves on the Board of Directors United Way of Salt Lake and Board of Directors of Intermountain Community Care Foundation and Granite Education Board of Directors. Currently, Jose is living his dream as the full time CEO of Latinos in Action (LIA), a non-profit he built from the ground up since 2001, and which officially became a non-profit organization in 2010.  LIA is currently implemented over 300 schools across 14 states LIA’s mission is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through culturally responsive social emotional learning, college and career readiness, and leadership. In 2014, LIA was honored as a Bright Spot by the White House Center for Excellence in Hispanic Education. Latinos in Action was recently recognized by Governor Herbert and Envision Utah and given the Common Good Award for Excellence in Educational programming. Jose is the father of 6 children: 4 girls and two boys and 1 grandson.

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José Enriquez began to recognize in high school in Los Angeles that very few of his Latino peers participated in rigorous coursework, extracurricular activities, and community service. With the support of his mother, whom he credits for his passion and drive, José received a wrestling scholarship to Brigham Young University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Education in TESOL, Spanish, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and finally a PhD in Educational Leadership. As a teacher, and later an administrator, José saw again what he’d started to notice as a student in Los Angeles: Latino youth were disengaged and disenfranchised at school. In addition, they often shunned their language and cultural heritage, which he believes is at the heart of every Latino youth’s drive to excel. This gap kept students, who could offer the classroom and community a wealth of knowledge, experience, and unique perspectives, from graduating high school and college. In effect, this phenomenon kept students from reaching their potential. José recognized the barriers these young Latinos faced within their own homes and communities. He saw himself in these students and reflected on the opportunities, experiences, and mentors that had allowed him— a low-income, non-English-speaking immigrant— to succeed. The combination of these experiences and reflections led José to begin the Latinos in Action program.

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Currently, Jose is living his dream as the full time CEO of Latinos in Action (LIA), a non-profit he built from the ground up since 2001, and which officially became a non-profit organization in 2010.  LIA is currently implemented over 300 schools across 14 states. LIA’s mission is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities. In 2014, LIA was honored as a Bright Spot by the White House Center for Excellence in Hispanic Education. Latinos in Action was recently recognized by Governor Herbert and Envision Utah and given the Common Good Award for Excellence in Educational programming.