He/Him/His

William Cardenas is committed to closing the opportunity gap for traditionally underserved communities. He brings over 20 years of experience delivering impactful regional and national initiatives with success in leading organizational growth, building high leverage systems, and developing teams and talent for mission-driven organizations in education, tech, and financial services. 

As the Vice President of Operations for Kidango, William leads the Operations division in driving efficiency, innovation, and excellence to ensure all children have the skills needed to be ready for success in school and life. In this role, William will oversee Program Development, Facilities, Operations and Compliance, and Inventory Compliance departments. William is excited to join the Kidango community and support early childhood students in collaboration with an amazing group of dedicated professionals.

William worked most recently at SMASH, part of the Kapor Center, where he built college and STEM/tech career readiness opportunities with philanthropic, corporate, and university partners, actively managed a portfolio of established and growing program sites using data-driven methodologies, and expanded the operational systems and processes for a national organization. 

Additionally, William served as the founding Director of Operations for KIPP NYC’s first elementary school in the South Bronx. During his tenure, William managed Facilities, Finance, Human Resources, IT, and Compliance functions as the school expanded by 2X students and 3X staff.

William holds a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley and an M.A. from Columbia University in International and Transcultural Studies. William is a California native and a proud product of immigrant parents from Peru. He enjoys spending time outdoors, growing his vinyl collection, and exploring new places to eat with his family.