Alumni Award Finalist

Carlos Lejnieks

President & CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties

Newark, NJ
Cohort: CCL, Washington, DC, 2011

Carlos Lejnieks is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties. Carlos took over a struggling BBBS agency in 2008 and, within four years, went from serving approximately 100 youth to serving over 1,100. Under his leadership, BBBS has received numerous awards from local, state and national. Carlos serves on the Brown University Alumni Association Board and the Board of Regents for Saint Peter’s University. He also serves as a Trustee for the Jersey City Medical Center (a RWJ/Barnabas Health Hospital), the New Jersey City University Foundation, and at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School.
 
Prior to joining BBBS, Carlos was an administrator at North Star Academy in Newark, the Vice President of CN Communications International, and a Chairman on the NJ Charter Schools Association. He served on President Barack Obama’s Regional Finance Committee, was an active participant in the News Corporation Diversity Council from 2009-14, was a part of the Educational Transition Teams of NJ Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and held a position at Goldman Sachs. Carlos has a B.A. degree in International Relations and Commerce from Brown University and an M.Sc. degree from the London School of Economics.