Peñalosa is a public affairs veteran and leading voice in the Democratic Party and is a regular on national panels addressing race, power and politics in addition to multiple appearances as a political analyst and contributor for national news outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Politico, the Washington Post, New York Times and Bloomberg.

Prior to joining Amare, Peñalosa held top roles in progressive and Democratic organizations and campaigns including service as the Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party, and leadership roles on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Campaign and as a manager and senior strategist on dozens of winning Congressional and statewide issue-based campaigns across the U.S. In addition, Juan has served as a top national fundraiser, raising over $20 million in the 2020 electoral cycle for progressive and Democratic campaigns.

Prior to his work in the political and fundraising space, Peñalosa spent 15 years in crisis communications and international development, specializing in helping sovereign nations, international NGOs and private sector clients across the globe adapt and implement digital, social and financial management models to address a rapidly changing global citizenry.

Juan is a graduate of Boston College, where he received degrees with honors in both Geophysics and Sociology. Peñalosa is active in a number of volunteer and philanthropic pursuits including serving as Chair of the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund. He is a first generation Colombian-American and lives between Miami and Washington, DC.