Veronica Juarez
Senior Director, Business Initiatives | Lyft
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
For two years, Veronica Juarez worked with local governments around the US so that Lyft could enter new markets. In fact, she led this effort in more than fifty markets, earning her recognition as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” However, she’s just now entering the most exciting phase of career as Lyft’s head of enterprise initiatives.
“I decided that I wanted to learn about business and how business decisions were made,” Juarez says. “At that time, we had just hired our chief business officer so Lyft could partner with any large organization—businesses, healthcare organizations, government entities, educational institutions, or nonprofits. So I joined the team, and I now help manage the team, execute all of our social impact programs, and lead a portion of our corporate business development strategy.”
Although the team is responsible for establishing partnerships with Fortune 500 businesses, the most rewarding part of the job for Juarez is the social impact work. For example, Lyft recently started working with the International Rescue Committee so the organization can use Lyft to transport their refugee clients to and from appointments, job trainings, and other services they need. Juarez also spearheaded a program that allows partners to donate 1 percent of their spend to charities of their choice.
“Social impact is important to us as a company, and we want to continue to drive access and opportunity through transportation,” Juarez says. “We are continuously looking for ways to double down on that impact.”
With someone like Juarez at the helm, Lyft will surely further its social efforts, nonprofit partnerships, and business initiatives.
Art Can Change Lives
Outside of Lyft, Veronica Juarez is a board member of Silicon Valley’s Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), an inclusive contemporary art center grounded in the Chicano/Latino experience.
The organization engages the community through visual, performing, and literary arts and hosts community and youth arts programs for more than thirty thousand patrons each year.
“I believe that art is extremely important for the education of our youth and for engendering creativity,” Juarez says. “At MACLA, we focus on many social justice conversations, so my involvement with MACLA really amplifies my belief that art can be used as a form of social resistance. Because of that, I love the work that we do, and I think that it is extremely important.”
