Gloria Soto was born, raised, and educated in Santa Maria. She is the daughter of immigrant farm-worker parents who made numerous sacrifices to ensure she would have a better life. Leveraging the opportunities provided by her family and community, Gloria actively participated in organizations like Future Leaders of America (FLA) and Future Farmers of America (FFA) during her youth.

Gloria has dedicated her career to serving her community. She is the Executive Director of Future Leaders of America (FLA), one of California’s largest Latinx youth-serving organizations. Before joining the FLA team, she served as the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC), where she expanded access to quality reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortion, through community engagement and public policy.

Gloria’s community engagement is extensive, having previously served on both the Grant Making Committee and the Board of Directors for The Fund for Santa Barbara. She remains dedicated to education as a board member of the Allan Hancock Scholarship Foundation, concurrently pursuing her Executive MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

In 2018, Gloria became the youngest woman elected to the Santa Maria City Council as part of the national wave of young women of color seeking representation in local governments. Four years later, in 2022, she was re-elected to the City Council, reaffirming her commitment to serving her community.

Today, she and her family reside in Santa Maria. Gloria is bilingual, bi-cultural, and deeply connected to the many communities on the Central Coast. Gloria attended Pioneer Valley High School and earned her associate’s degree at Allan Hancock College and her B.A. at Chapman University.