| @ValeriaGurr

Valeria Gurr serves as a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children (AFC) and is the founder of La Federación Americana para los Niños, which helps Hispanic families access high-quality education.

After working for and subsequently leaving the teachers union, Valeria has become a nationally recognized expert on advancing educational choice for underserved families. She understands the profound impact that school choice programs can have on students’ lives, particularly those from low-income households.

As a first-generation American from Chile, she witnessed firsthand the struggles of poverty. Her mother, a maid, was not taught how to read or write, and Valeria, like others, was passed from grade level to grade level without attaining proficiency in any subject. Thankfully, with opportunities to access a higher quality education, Valeria’s trajectory changed.

She has shared her story nationwide and has been featured on CNN, FOX News, FOX Business, the Washington Post, and significant Spanish outlets such as CNN en Español, Univision, and Telemundo. Her opinion editorials have been published in The Hill, FOXNews.com, Daily Caller, Univision.com, Townhall.com, Washington Examiner, and the Washington Times.

Valeria has led frontstage events featuring governors, the vice president, members of congress, and other school choice proponents.

She earned her master’s degree in journalism and media studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2013 and her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in marketing at Duoc UC of The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in 2009.

In 2022, the UNLV School of Public Policy and Leadership awarded her the Dottie Shank Service Award, and the University chose her as a Phi Kappa Phi member for her high academic achievement. Valeria expects to complete her Ph.D. in Public Affairs at UNLV in 2024.