On July 1, USC Price School of Public Policy alumna Domenika Lynch began a significant new chapter in her professional career — assuming the role of president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) in Washington, D.C.
Lynch, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the Price School, previously served as the executive director of USC’s Latino Alumni Association (LAA).
“I am profoundly honored to have been selected as CHCI’s next CEO. It is a privilege to work with an elite group of leaders dedicated to promoting Latino excellence,” Lynch said in a statement. “It is my sincere intention to maximize CHCI’s national platform through innovation, collaboration and social impact. We are living in a defining moment in history; it is imperative that we invest and launch Latino leaders who are prepared to address the problems of the future.”
The institute is a nonprofit and nonpartisan leadership development organization that educates, empowers and connects Latino youth by providing leadership development programs and educational services. CHCI shapes the lives of more than 1,600 students and young professionals each year through a variety of opportunities including fellowships, Congressional internships and scholar-intern programs.
“CHCI is proud to welcome Domenika Lynch to the CHCI family and on behalf of our board of directors, we look forward to working with her to continue growing the organization to serve more talented young Latinos looking for opportunities,” Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez, who chairs the institute, said in a statement.
Making an impact at USC, in the community
During her leadership of USC’s LAA, Lynch managed the overall administration of the association’s scholarship program and Latino alumni relations. She was responsible for awarding more than $800,000 in annual scholarships to 200 LAA scholars. Since 2006, Lynch raised more than $15 million in revenue, more than tripling the LAA endowment from $2.3 million to $7.3 million. Prior to working at USC, Lynch was vice president, market development manager for Bank of America, and account executive at Univision Communications Inc.
An active member of the community, Lynch is a board trustee for St. Anne’s, an advocacy organization that supports teen mothers and their babies. She has also been a part of the USC Neighborhood Outreach Grants Committee, the Toyota TODOS Scholarship Committee, the TELACU Scholarship Committee and the Telemundo Padres Heroes Selection Committee, and served as Bank of America’s Achievement Awards chair.
Among her notable accolades, Lynch was named a 2016 Latina of Influence by Hispanic Lifestyle and a Los Angeles Community Hero by Telemundo. She also received an Educational Leadership Award from Saber es Poder and was selected as Chevron’s Breast Cancer L.A. Latino Initiative spokesperson.
In addition to her undergraduate degree from USC Price, Lynch also received a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from the USC Rossier School of Education, and she’s a proud parent of a USC alumnus.