Ely Flores on Youth Power, Movement Building, and Leading with Purpose

From facing incarceration as a teenager to directing statewide programs at Liberty Hill Foundation, Ely Flores has transformed lived experience into a lifelong mission of advocacy, equity, and systemic change. His leadership is proof that when you invest in people—especially young people—you ignite movements that last.

System-Involved Youth to Movement Leader

Ely Flores didn’t start his career with a resume full of degrees or nonprofit internships. He started with a choice: stay in the cycle—or break it.

As a teenager facing years in prison and about to become a father, Ely knew something had to change. He chose to speak out, own his story, and start again. Something that most of us would struggle to overcome - Ely decided that his past wouldn’t own his future. 

That decision sparked a career dedicated to organizing, advocacy, and grassroots power-building. Today, he’s Program Director at Liberty Hill Foundation, leading initiatives that support youth, environmental justice, and community voice across California.

Personal Journey -> Professional Calling

Ely’s early life in underserved neighborhoods shaped his approach to social impact.
After those early lessons and the rebuilding phase of life, Ely took his experiences to work at Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD), where he focused on building local leadership and pushing for policy changes that improve the lives of marginalized families.

From there, he stepped into running two key programs at the Liberty Hill Foundation:

• Bold Vision: Investing in marginalized youth in LA County.
• Environmental Leadership Initiative: Cultivating local leaders in environmental justice across California.

But no matter the role, program, or organization, Ely’s approach to his work has stayed the same: build strong people, and strong systems will follow.

Leading with People + Purpose

For Ely, success is more about deep, lasting relationships vs. metrics.  “A heavy early emphasis on relationship-building has always been the key.”

He believes relationships—whether one-sided or mutual—are strategic investments in future outcomes. That means nonprofits should stop competing for the spotlight and start sharing it.

• Elevate emerging voices
• Collaborate instead of compete
• Tell stories, not just show stats

That human-first approach is central to how Ely leads—and it’s what fuels real transformation for both communities served and colleagues in the space.

Reflecting The Mission

Another core belief? Your internal culture should reflect your external mission.

Many nonprofit employees are just one or two degrees away from the communities they serve (which is so true, as there are many programs I’ve come across in my journey that would’ve been so helpful to my family and me at different times in life). 

So if we’re fighting for equity out there, we need to build it in here—with fair pay, flexibility, and burnout prevention baked into how we operate.

Ely has seen how strong teams drive strong programs. And how poor management—often the result of underinvestment in training—pushes great people out of the sector.

Key Takeaways from Ely’s Leadership Style

• Treat funding like a movement—not a handout.
   Shift the mindset from scarcity to shared mission.
• Invest in your team as much as your cause.
   Build internal systems that support the people behind the work.
• Leadership development isn’t optional.
   It’s a necessity for any nonprofit that wants to retain talent and scale its impact.
  
  

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Supporting the community starts with supporting your people. That’s what Ely Flores models—and what we at Mata Consulting believe, too. If you’re a nonprofit leader tired of broken systems, manual work, and unclear data—we help you clean it up and build better.

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