Jennifer Maldonado was born in the Eastside and raised in El Sereno. She became involved in community service and programs as a high school student at Woodrow Wilson High School. Her engagement began with InnerCity Struggle, AVID program, and Latinas Unidas. After graduating high school she attended UC San Diego to major in Ethnic Studies and minor in Education Studies. She continued her involvement with student activist groups and helped obtain a community resource center dedicated to supporting Latinx students. After graduating, she returned to work at InnerCity Struggle mentoring students at both Woodrow Wilson High School and Lincoln High School. After 4 years of youth organizing, she began to work with parents securing permanent rent stabilization in unincorporated areas through Los Angeles County and influencing land use policies with city alliances.
In 2017, she joined the Wilson Mules Alumni Association and later became part of their board of directors to support current students and alumni of Woodrow Wilson High School. In 2019, Jennifer joined the Board for the Fidiecomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre Landtrust in hopes of supporting policies and developments that are providing dignified, accessible and affordable housing for the communities of Boyle Heights and Unincorporated East LA. Lastly, she was recently, appointed by Supervisor Hilda Solis as a Commissioner on the Rental Housing Oversight Commission to ensure the Eastside’s best interest is at hand. She now works as the Program Associate for the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing ensure the youth organizing field has the support, resources, and capacity to continue building a youth movement for social change