Myles Mendoza is a Partner at Oak Rose Group and a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience building and scaling organizations across education, public policy, and philanthropy. He is known for his social entrepreneurship, translating ambitious ideas into reality by combining fundraising, technology, and execution to drive measurable outcomes.

 

As President of Empower Illinois, Myles led the passage and implementation of the Invest in Kids Act, building the state’s largest K–12 scholarship organization from the ground up. In addition to building a counterintuitive political coalition that brought together private trade unions, faith leaders, and diverse K–12 stakeholders, he led the development of the software and financial infrastructure required to manage a complex statewide program, while executing a fundraising strategy that mobilized over $400 million and served tens of thousands of students across more than 400 schools.

 

At Oak Rose Group, Myles advises ultra-high-net-worth donors, nonprofit founders, and policy leaders on strategy, organizational design, and scalable fundraising models. He has helped mobilize more than $450 million across education, workforce, and civic initiatives, and has launched ventures spanning nonprofit platforms, education technology, and policy campaigns.

 

Earlier in his career, Myles held national leadership roles at Democrats for Education Reform, where he led multi-state strategy, and at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, where he helped reach the $60 million mark, toward a $100 million campaign. He began his career as a social worker and therapist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he developed and scaled clinical and public health programs, including an HIV/AIDS initiative for youth.

 

Myles remains actively engaged in efforts advancing pluralism, free expression, and education reform, including board roles with the One America Movement and the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, as well as advisory roles across national civic and Jewish organizations. He lives in Glencoe, Illinois with his wife and family.