Rudy Espinoza is the Executive Director of Inclusive Action for the City (formerly known as Leadership for Urban Renewal Network – LURN), a community development organization designing innovations to responsibly revitalize low-income, urban areas. At Inclusive Action, he leads advocacy efforts in support of the working poor and microfinance programs that support microentrepreneurs. Rudy specializes in designing economic development initiatives in low-income communities, researching the informal economy, building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training the working poor to participate in the socioeconomic revitalization of their neighborhoods. Rudy has worked at Emerging Markets Inc. and the AARP Foundation, where he designed and managed place-based initiatives with financial institutions, foundations, and regional non-profits. Most recently he worked at a CDFI in South Los Angeles providing microloans and business assistance to street vendors. He serves on Board of Transportation Commissioners for the City of Los Angeles, the Advisory Boards of the LA Development Fund, Investing in Place, and the LA Food Policy Council, and the Board of Directors for the LA Kitchen and Esperanza Community Housing Corporation. Rudy holds degrees in business administration and urban planning.
During the Fellowship
Rudy focused on developing a large-scale microfinance initiative that will support business owners at the “bottom of our economic pyramid,” like street vendors and home-based entrepreneurs.
