Dr. Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga is a consultant and social equity expert specializing in social and economic issues impacting Latinos, immigrants and women of color in the United States. As the co-founder and CEO of Comprehend.us, she leads data-driven projects to inform decision-making and policy development in the social impact space.

In the past, Dr. Gomez-Aguinaga directed the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI) at the Stanford University, and was a professor of Public Policy and Social Equity at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. She served as doctoral fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Center for Health Policy and the Center for Social Policy at the University of New Mexico.

Before academia, Dr. Gomez-Aguinaga served as researcher and independent research contractor for multiple organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, conducting research on the use of solitary confinement across the state; the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, DC, providing support for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program on issues such as immigration enforcement and deferred action; and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco, CA, doing research on immigration enforcement policies, unaccompanied minors and the DACA program.

Her research has been featured in prominent media outlets such as the New York Times and NBC News, has led to policy changes in the criminal justice system in New Mexico, and has been cited in the US Courts, the Senate, and congressional hearings and testimonies addressing the incorporation of racial minorities and immigrant youth.