Columbus
Karina Perez was born in Los Angeles, California and she and her family migrated to Nebraska in 1999 seeking work opportunities in the Midwest. Her parents are immigrants from El Salvador who found Columbus to be their forever home. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha, studying Communications and Spanish. Upon returning home to Columbus, Karina married her high school sweetheart, Aaron, and they have three children.
Currently, Karina is the Executive Director for Centro Hispano in Columbus, Nebraska. The organization’s mission is to foster intentional change for immigrant families, learners, and entrepreneurs through direct services, programming, and advocacy. Karina focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in rural Nebraska through storytelling and shared experiences.
Karina currently serves as a board member to CASA Connections in Columbus, Center for Rural Affairs and is an Ex-Officio member to the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. She was in the 2019 Class of Leadership Columbus and is in her fifth year as a TeamMates mentor. Outside of these roles, Karina enjoys traveling, art, books, and eating good food.
Karina has worked with NCF in different capacities after joining her local affiliated fund in Columbus. She serves on their People Attraction Committee through NCF. Centro Hispano was an affiliated fund grant recipient for their Micro Business Development Program, which provided Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs or existing businesses the local resources needed to thrive in their communities. Karina strongly believes in the purpose of NCF and personally aligns with building stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska.