Professor Vita: Jeremy Del Rio

Rev. Jeremy R. Del Rio, Esq.,
Brandenton, FL

Professor: Course 330 - Introduction to Urban Youth Ministry
 

BRIEF BIO
Rev. Jeremy Del Rio, Esq. co-founded and directs 20/20 Vision for Schools, a movement to transform
public education that launched in New York City in 2008, and connects, trains, and mentors youth
workers regionally through Urban Youth Workers Institute and locally as the chair of the Coalition of
Urban Youth Workers. He has consulted ministries and nonprofits since 2000; and directed
Generation Xcel, a holistic youth center in Manhattan, from 1996-2006. Jeremy was the founding, bivocational
youth pastor at Abounding Grace Ministries (1994-2004), and also worked as a corporate
attorney in New York. He has contributed to four recent books, including Deep Justice in a Broken
World (Zondervan/YS 2008) and The Justice Project (Baker Books 2009), and his articles have
appeared in Charisma, Willow, The Journal of Student Ministries, Relevant, and elsewhere. Visit him
online at www.JeremyDelRio.com.

CAREER PROFILE
 Visionary: Founded or co-founded five organizations and dozens of collaborative initiatives.
 Strategist: Advised local and national agencies as a board member and/or consultant on
coalition building, urban affairs, community relations, new media, youth culture, and community
and youth development.
 Communicator: Delivered hundreds of speeches to audiences up to 90,000 people;
spokesperson for regional and national campaigns in print, radio, and television.
 Author: Published more than fifty articles, thousands of blogs, and parts of five books related
to youth, education, justice, leadership, and faith.
 Teacher: Adjunct professor, guest lecturer and conference trainer from New York to Los
Angeles.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES
 Member, New York State Bar (2000)
 Licensed Minister, Abounding Grace Ministries (2001)

EDUCATION
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, New York, NY
Institute for Non-Profit Management, “Middle Management Program for Youth Service Organizations,” May
2003
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, New York, NY
J.D., May 1999
Select Honors: Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar | Nat’l Moot Court Award | Bender Public Service Prize
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE, New York, NY
B.A., magna cum laude with honors in History, minors in Economics and Political Science, May 1995
GPA: 3.89 (Cumulative), 3.93 (Major)
Select Honors: Standard Bearer 1995 | Presidential Scholar | Phi Beta Kappa | President's
Service Award | Phi Alpha Theta | Truman Scholarship National Finalist

TEACHING AND TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Professor, Fuller Youth Institute and Fuller Seminary. Pasadena, CA (since 2008)
 Teach two practicum courses via distance learning and one intensive on campus.
· Leadership and Management of Urban Youth Ministry (Intensive) introduces
foundational principles and skills related to: organizational structure; developing
and communicating vision; strategic planning; administration; fundraising and
resource development; program evaluation; and recruiting, training and nurturing
volunteers, interns, and staff.
· Leadership and Management of Urban Youth Ministry (Practicum) provides a
supervised practicum experience connected with the student’s urban youth ministry
context that applies leadership and administration principles including
organizational structure, strategic planning, and leadership development to a
specific urban ministry.
· Transformational Urban Youth Ministry (Practicum) provides a supervised practicum
experience that applies a transformational ministry perspective to specific urban
youth ministry issues such as the nature and needs of urban adolescents and their
families, multicultural ministry, and identifying and ministering to adolescents,
families and communities in trauma.
Adjunct Professor and Guest Lecturer, Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary, New
York, NY (since 2004)
 Taught Urban Community Development at ATS in 2005, which applied strategic
leadership principles to community development issues, including organizational
development, asset mapping, community organizing, communications, fund
development, and personnel recruitment and training.
 Guest lectured various undergraduate and graduate classes since 2004.
Northeast Regional Director, Curriculum Writer, Trainer, and National Advisory Board Member,
Urban Youth Workers Institute, Santa Ana, CA (since 2004)
 Manage UYWI’s Northeast regional presence and manage its national programs in New
York, including training through Reload events, mentoring through Learning Community
cohorts, coaching individual youth workers, and networking youth ministries for
collaborative initiatives since 2009.
 Featured workshop and general session speaker at the Urban Youth Workers Institute
national conference and the Reload national training tour in various cities including:
San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Fresno, Pittsburgh, and New York
since 2004.
 Authored core curriculum for Reload including:
· Bagged Lunch and a Drop of Oil: Multiplying Re$ource$ for Urban Ministry (2006)
· Mooks, Midriffs, Myspace and More: Engaging Plugged-in Youth (2007)
· 20/20 Vision for Schools: Transforming Public Education within a Single Generation
of Students (2008)
 Descriptions and MP3s of those and other workshops are available online at
http://jeremydelrio.com.
City Coordinator, DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, Grand Rapids, MI (2009-2011)
 Served as the New York City Coordinator for the 2010 New York City cohort for
the nation’s premier urban youth ministry leadership development program.
 Responsibilities included: recruiting 10-12 cohort members; managing the
nomination, application, interview, and selection process; coordinating supervisor and
mentor orientations; manage mentoring initiative; lead devotionals and facilitate regular
cohort dialogues; facilitate the cohort breakthrough planning process; foster
collaboration within and beyond the cohort members; and oversee graduation.
Speaker/Trainer (since 1987)
 Delivered hundreds of speeches and sermons to live audiences up to 90,000 people, including
keynoting and presenting workshops at national conferences, guest lecturing at colleges and
universities, and participating in various think tanks.
 Keynotes have included Youth Specialties’ National Youth Workers Convention, Willow Creek
Association’s Shift Student Ministries Conference, Urban Youth Workers Institute, New York
City Leadership Center’s Leadership Summit, and dozens more.
 Highlights include Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade and “Thanks to Heroes” at the 9/11
Anniversary Tribute to Grace and Hope at Madison Square Garden.
 Conducted dozens of print, radio, and television interviews as a spokesman for various
campaigns.

PUBLICATIONS
Authored more than 50 articles since 2001 related to youth culture, education, justice, leadership
development, and faith; maintains “Away with Words” as a hybrid personal and professional weblog at
www.JeremyDelRio.com; and regularly contributes content for various websites. All published articles are
available online at http://jeremydelrio.com/blog/articles and have been syndicated regionally or nationally
in publications such as Charisma, Willow, Relevant, Relevant Leader, Sojourners, UrbanFaith.com,
Journal of Student Ministries, Pastors.com, Christian Post, Network, Tri-State Voice, Youth Ministry
Exchange, Charlotte Herald, Student Leadership Journal and numerous websites. Jeremy has also
contributed to the following books:
 Make Room for David: A Leader’s Guide to Holistic Youth Development (Away with Words
Publishing, Fall 2011)
 The Justice Project (Baker Books, 2009) (Authored one chapter)
 Deep Justice in a Broken World (Zondervan / Youth Specialties 2008) (Authored two chapters on
economic justice)
 The Playbook: A Campus Ministry Primer for Cities (Student Venture 2007) (Authored 80% of the
commentary throughout)
 Protest and Invest and other insights into Urban and Multiethnic Outreach (Urban Onramps 2006)
(Authored study guide comments and questions)
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Co-founder and Executive Director, 20/20 Vision for Schools. New York, NY (2007-2010)
 As a consultant from 2007-2009, served as the lead strategist and architect of
comprehensive public education reform initiative that mobilizes and equips community
stakeholders to engage issues of educational inequity.
 Invited to direct the campaign beginning in January 2010.
 Conceived 20/20’s school engagement paradigm that leverages stakeholder influence to
mobilize community resources and volunteers to improve educational equities for all
public school students, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.
 Since 2008, convened more than 2,500 leaders representing 250 community
organizations, and initiated an adopt-a-school campaign that has resulted in 195 school
adoptions to date.
 Published dozens of articles and blogs related to education reform in local and national
publications.
 Designed Beta Initiative to evaluate and prove 20/20’s reform model for launch in 2011.
 Outcomes include: academic enrichment and correlated student achievement;
mentor/mentee matches; beautification projects; public art installations; approximately
5,000 volunteer hours served; and more.
Founder and President, Community Solutions Consulting Services. New York, NY (since 2000)
 Advise community organizations on holistic youth and community development, coalition
building, urban affairs, community relations, new media strategies, and youth culture.
 Services include strategic planning, program design, corporate formation, executive coaching,
leadership development, and justice advocacy.
 Sample projects include:
· Latino Pastoral Action Center, New York, NY (2007 – 2009)
Provided technical assistance, organizational development, and leadership coaching to five
New York City youth agencies as part of the federally funded Transforming Youth Capacity
Building Project.
· Christ Tabernacle, Glendale, NY (2008-2009)
Provided strategic planning, organizational development, and program design for the
formation of The Legacy Center Community Development Corporation as a new 501(c)(3)
organization.
· World Vision US, Seattle, WA (2006 – 2007)
Facilitated “Justice for All” research initiative with partners Fuller Seminary and Urban
Youth Workers Institute, along with grassroots youth development agencies nationwide.
 Additional clients have included: World Vision’s American Families Assistance Fund (NYC);
American Bible Society (NYC); Student Venture (NYC); Living Hope Community Church (Los
Angeles, CA); Greater NY Billy Graham Crusade (NYC); Christian Herald Ministries (NYC);
Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (NYC); New Hope CDC (NYC); Jammin’ Against the
Darkness (Issaquah, WA).
 Outcomes include: holistic youth and community development in dozens of low-income
communities; cultivated competencies and character in indigenous leaders; collaborative local
and national networks; expanded best practice knowledge base.
Co-founder and Executive Director, Community Solutions, Inc. New York, NY (1996-2006)
 Co-founded at age 21, with thirteen volunteers ages 14-22, a not-for-profit corporation that
cultivates character and competence in at-risk youth. Without start-up money, space,
equipment, or paid staff, developed Generation Xcel as CSI’s first initiative; operated two youth
centers in lower Manhattan; conducts leadership retreats upstate, and organizes community
service nationwide. Became first executive director after seven years of volunteer service.
 Formulated action plans; developed strategy, organizational structure, and budgets;
recruited and cultivated board members, staff, donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community
partners.
 Renovated and opened the 88-STEP Theater in Manhattan’s East Village; produced
original theatrical presentations, variety shows, film projects, and music.
 Supervised the launch of Chain Reaction as a national community service initiative;
since 2003, CR has mobilized 700 teens to volunteer over 15,000 hours in New York,
Maryland, Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, and the Gulf Coast
following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
 Overcame wrongful eviction attempt by public housing authority after youth activism
and advocacy persuaded then Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1998.
 Outcomes included: four generations of homegrown leaders; improved graduation
rates, academic performance, college admissions and completion; job readiness and
placements; more than 15,000 volunteer hours served.
Operations Director, Northeast Clergy Group. New York, NY (2001-2003)
 Helped establish the Ground Zero Clergy Task Force as a grassroots response to 9/11
that provided coordinated clergy support, financial assistance, and advocacy for families
affected by the attacks; grew to include 250 regional ministers and crossed denominational
lines.
 Advocated for the creation of the Clergy Crisis Responders program at the Mayor’s
Office; designed and managed online resource database for 9/11 relief providers; organized
bilingual critical incidence and post traumatic stress training, support groups, and more.
 Produced special events including the 9/11 Anniversary Tribute to Grace and Hope
(9/11/02) at Madison Square Garden, The United Prayer Vigil (9/16/01) less than one mile from
Ground Zero, and others.
Litigation Associate, Dewey Ballantine LLP, New York, NY (1999 – 2001)
 Negotiated an unprecedented offer from a leading New York law firm to work as an
attorney part-time following law school in order to fulfill public service commitments.
 Practiced in the litigation section on various matters including patent infringement,
securities, and employment cases.
 Managed three pro bono clients and resigned in order to work full-time on 9/11 related
relief efforts.

BOARDS & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
 Board Chair, 20/20 Vision for Schools. New York, NY (since 2011)
 Board Member, New York Faith and Justice. New York, NY (since 2008)
 Board Member, TechMission. Boston, MA (since 2010)
 National Advisory Council, Urban Youth Workers Institute. Los Angeles, CA (since 2005)
 National Ministry Council, National Network of Youth Ministries. San Diego, CA (since 2009)
 Founding Board Member, Chair, Community Solutions Inc. New York, NY (1996 – 2007)
 Founding Co-Chair, Coalition of Urban Youth Workers. New York, NY (2003 – 2007)
 Exec and Youth Committee Co-Chair, Greater NY Billy Graham Crusade. New York, NY
(2004-2005)
 Adjunct Professor, Alliance Theological Seminary. New York, NY (2005)
 Founding Member, Elder, and Youth Pastor, Abounding Grace Ministries. New York, NY
(1992 – 2004)
 National Advisory Council, Billy Graham Inst. for Emerging Evangelists. Asheville, NC
(2004-2005)
 Board Member, Northeast Clergy Group, New York, NY (2001 – 2003)

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS
 “Legacy Award,” Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, September 2005
 “Surfacing Hispanic Leaders,” Prism magazine, September 2005
 Named one of “30 emerging voices that will lead the church in the next decade,” Charisma,
August 2005
 “Youth Worker of the Year,” Latino Pastoral Action Center, 2001
 “Citation of Merit,” Bronx Borough President, 2001
 “Union Square Award,” Fund for the City of New York, 2000