ABOUT ELIAS

Elias “Eli” Velazquez was born and raised in Escondido in a working-class family where hard work and initiative were deeply valued. With the help of his parents and church leaders, Eli was taught the importance of community, family, integrity, fairness, education, and, most importantly, service to others.

These values were the basis of Eli's life’s work. Upon graduating from college, he began a career in non-profit service. That brought him to underprivileged communities, like the one in which he was raised, and he trained others in the importance of education and community involvement as means to achieving opportunity. Eli learned from his formative life experiences; he saw firsthand how access to the right resources could change lives and how community programs, both public and private, could uplift entire neighborhoods.

Eli then transitioned to serving veterans and their families. In this role, he worked with challenges such as PTSD, Gold Star families, as well as working with the needs of small businesses, which faced difficulties during the COVID Pandemic. He supervised programs that provided critical support, and also ran a small business himself, giving him personal insight into the struggles and resilience of entrepreneurs.

His superior performance earned him an executive position at his current non-profit. There, he works to address the challenges of homelessness and addiction. He sees firsthand the impacts of poverty and financial hardship, as well as their effect on one’s quality of life. His work is hands-on, and he knows how members of the community can get off track. More importantly, he knows how to get them back on track and reenter society as full members.

Elias Velazquez is, first and foremost, a servant leader—supporting and uplifting the people of Escondido to strengthen the community.