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Amanda Sanchez

Sr. Director of Education & West Coast Region

Amanda Sanchez, Senior Director of Education & West Region, joined RDF in 2011. In 2017, under her leadership, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, RDF opened its Pacific Northwest regional office, becoming one of the first CDFIs to provide charter school facility financing in Washington State.

In her current capacity, she oversees all lending related activities focused on education, affordable housing, social services, healthcare, and small business initiatives for the West Coast region. She is also responsible for leading the fund’s educational community outreach and impact investment efforts.

Prior to opening RDF’s Pacific Northwest regional office, Ms. Sanchez was an Investment Associate on the fund’s Education Finance Team, where she supported high potential, early-stage charter schools and proven charter management organizations working in underserved communities, nationwide.

Previously, Ms. Sanchez sat on the Arizona Charter School Association’s Walton Family Foundation Startup Grant Review Committee and worked closely with New Schools for Phoenix Fellowship Program.  She holds an Associates Degree in Business Administration from Yakima Valley Community College; and a Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Business and Nonprofit Administration from Arizona State University.

Ms. Sanchez is an advocate for permanent, supportive education policy, quality school choice and increasing economic mobility for the children and families.  Originally from Washington State, Amanda is a first generation American, who is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Accomplishments

  • National Charter School Lenders’ Coalition Member
  • Mentor – Friendly House College & Career Readiness Program
  • Mastering Design Thinking Executive Program – MIT Sloan School of Management (2021)
  • Board Member – Build Excel Sustain (BES), an organization that provides school leadership development, supporting leaders to build schools, to ensure their schools excel, and to sustain their results over time.