Amanda Sanchez, Senior Director of Education & West Coast 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.
Before her current role, Ms. Sanchez supported high-potential, early-stage charter schools and proven charter management organizations working in underserved communities nationwide. She has 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 Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Yakima Valley Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Business and Nonprofit Administration from Arizona State University. Ms. Sanchez advocates for a permanent, supportive education policy, quality school choice, and increasing economic mobility for children and families. Originally from Washington State, Amanda is a first-generation American fluent in English and Spanish.