• 12 years of in-house experience at nonprofit, social enterprise, and philanthropy-serving organizations across the social impact sector

  • 3 years as a consultant and board member for education and nonprofit organizations

  • certified Daylight Impact Philanthropy Advisor

  • graduate of the University of Southern California’s master of social work program

  • graduate of University of California San Diego’s International Studies program (Cum Laude)

  • 15+ years of living internationally across four countries

Miguel has built a 15+ year career in development, communications, and philanthropy, collecting and sharing human-centered stories that have inspired investment in many communities, including immigrants seeking financial access and inclusion and first-generation students of color pursuing higher education. He served these communities through his work at Covenant House California, Mission Asset Fund, and iMentor. In these previous roles, Miguel helped plan annual galas and community events, directed online fundraising campaigns, and secured critical lifelines in revenue by winning grants. 

In 2020, he pivoted to grantmaking at a field-leading, capacity-building organization, The LeadersTrust, where he managed a portfolio of worker justice organizations in California, administering over $10 million in multi-year, unrestricted grants. During this time, he was selected as a fellow for the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) Impact program and served on the steering committee for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy - Bay Area.

Currently, Miguel provides fundraising and strategic communications partnership for mission-focused impact organizations, previously partnering with Yu Ming Charter School in the Bay Area, California and providing grantwriting services through Carino Consulting to support several nonprofit clients serving various communities, including foster children, unhoused youth, and entrepreneurial immigrants. He now offers tailored communications services for social sector-focused organizations across Asia through his business, Kapwa Consulting.

Aside from spending most of his adult life in the United States, Miguel has lived in the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, and now Singapore. Miguel considers himself a “global soul” with deepening roots in Southeast Asia. Oakland had been his home for many years, and he remains committed to equity-driven organizations, primarily through his role as a trustee on the governing board of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE).

Miguel is deeply grateful—and constantly humbled—by his globetrotting, multicultural family, including his two creative and compassionate daughters, and his inspirational educator partner who teaches the family to follow dreams without abandon.