Tulsa Area United Way welcomes Jesse Guardiola as its first Vice President of Community Relations and Impact. A key component of Guardiola’s role is to ensure that community needs and issues are understood while simultaneously fostering collaborative relationships with corporations, foundations, schools, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, and various government agencies.
“Jesse’s impressive tenure at the Tulsa Police Department, his hands-on approach to forging partnerships across various agencies, and his unwavering commitment to impactful initiatives and community growth are in perfect harmony with the long-term strategy of TAUW,” said Alison Anthony, TAUW president and CEO. “We’re thrilled to have Jesse articulate and address community issues as well as drive impactful initiatives, encouraging volunteerism, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
As a member of several TAUW partner nonprofit Boards of Directors, Guardiola has helped organizations like CAP Tulsa, Boy Scouts, and Street School with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
For the past 26 years, Guardiola’s work as a business and workforce development strategist has benefitted the Hispanic and minority communities. Through his study of behavioral economics with an emphasis on immigrants and first-generations, he significantly increased minority applicants and hires in Tulsa’s public safety departments by 91%.
During his long career, Guardiola established and served as the Tulsa Police Department’s (first ever) Hispanic Outreach and Relations Director from 2009 to 2020. Utilizing empirical data, he successfully orchestrated a Hispanic Outreach Program that fostered mutually beneficial relationships with the Hispanic community. In 2013, he was awarded “Officer of the Year” for his community work. In 2019, Guardiola’s research and application design was selected from 700 other agencies nationwide. He was honored in Washington DC with a “Distinguished Medal” for innovative community policing strategies from the Attorney General’s Office and Department of Justice.
Reflecting on his new role at TAUW, Guardiola said, “The Tulsa Area United Way has made a significant impact on the Tulsa region and my life. This next step in my career with TAUW allows me to work on a larger scale for greater community impact.”