Albino Garcia, Jr. is the founder and Executive Director of La Plazita Institute in Albuquerque New Mexico. He has served as an educator, trainer, and community liaison for the Community Engagement Center at the University of New Mexico, and as a Deputy Director of Training at Youth Development Inc. in New Mexico. He also has several years of experience as the lead program coordinator at Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz, CA, where he initiated school-based, community-based, and institution programming. He has visited and participated in forums around civic engagement, leadership, and global issues in Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Peru, Guatemala, Belize, South Africa, Mexico, and cities across the United States. As a committed member of his community, Garcia has participated in numerous networks and professional affiliations, including the Latino Network, Violence and Injury Prevention Project, Educational Leadership Institute, Community Action Network, and others. Apache and Chichimeca in origin