Richy Pena

Richy (he/his) is a Program and Grants Manager for the NBA Foundation. Richy identifies as a multi-racial person of color, a seasoned philanthropic professional, a social justice and racial equity advocate, and a systems-reform enthusiast. Stemming from his intersectional lived experience as a first-generation and formerly low-income BIPOC individual, Richy is passionate about transforming adversity into fuel to uplift generationally disenfranchised communities. His north star as an emerging leader in the sector is to collectively move society closer to racial, social, economic, disability, gender, LGBTQ+, and indigenous justice.

Richy is a Chicago native who comes to the NBA Foundation with years of experience in philanthropic consulting, grantmaking, project management, organizational change, and policy reform. Previously, Richy worked for organizations such as Arabella Advisors, Civic (Re)Solve, and the Centre for Development Studies and Activities in India. Richy is a proud alumnus of the Cristo Rey Network and is a current member of the Cristo Rey National Alumni Leadership Council. He received his BA in Government from Georgetown University with a minor in Justice and Peace Studies and his MA in Public Policy and Public Administration from Northwestern University. In his free time, Richy loves to watch and play basketball, spend time with family and friends, explore new restaurants and neighborhoods, play videogames and watch movies, and lean into his new role as a cat-Dad to twin kittens.