Val Benavidez

Interim Director of State Programs

Val Benavidez is the Interim Director of State Programs. In this capacity, she supports the State Programs team to direct our state-level strategies for grantmaking and long-term power building.

Val has over 25 years of experience in grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and electoral work. Before MVP, she was the President and Executive Director for the Texas Freedom Network (TFN), a leading statewide social-justice and movement-building organization. Val assumed the role of TFN President in November 2020, having previously served as Chief Program Officer and in other key roles for over 18 years.

Val possesses a deep passion and unwavering commitment to centering programs around building power and leadership within communities of color, aiming to cultivate a truly representative democracy. During her tenure at the Texas Freedom Network, she proudly founded Texas Rising, the state’s largest youth civic engagement program, and co-founded the Texas Youth Power Alliance.

Before joining the Texas Freedom Network in 2007, Val contributed her expertise to a variety of nonprofit advocacy organizations, including Texas Immigrant and Refugee Coalition, League of Young Voters, and the Generational Alliance. She also served as Executive Director of ProTex: Network for a Progressive Texas. Val has served on numerous boards, including the Workers Defense Project, and currently serves as a board member of American Gateways.

Val lives in Austin, TX, with her husband and two children. You can find them amidst a sea of endless baking, art projects, and community events, and chasing their sometimes escape-artist puppy down the street.