Marcos Vargas - Biography 

Marcos Vargas is the founding Executive Director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a community planning and policy research center serving the California central coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Since its formation in 2001, CAUSE has led successful efforts around living wage jobs, accountable development, health coverage expansion, women’s economic justice, fair representation and community support for union organizing campaigns.

Marcos’ experience in the not-for-profit sector include Executive Director of El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, a Ventura County Latino community advocacy and multi-service organization (1986-1995), the founding chairperson of the Ventura County Living Wage Coalition (1997-2001) and the Director of Planning for the United Way of Ventura County (1984-1986). He currently serves on numerous local, regional and national boards, including the McCune Foundation, the Tri-Counties Labor Foundation, the Ventura County Workforce Investment Board, and the Partnership for Working Families. Marcos has received numerous awards in recognition of his work, including the 2007 El Concilio Latino Leadership Award, the 2004 Earth Summit Leadership Award from the Ventura County Citizens for Peaceful Resolution (CPR) and the Alice Greenfield McGrath Social Justice Award in 2001. 

A strong commitment to the life-long practice of social learning, Marcos has sought to inform his work through his decades of experience and practice in community-based social change work, as well as the study and application of both social science and Native American indigenous teachings. A Sundancer in the Lakota Native American and Mechica traditions, Marcos is actively involved in efforts to expand the knowledge and application of these indigenous teachings and ceremonies in all levels of social change work.

Earning his Ph.D. in urban planning from the University of California at Los Angeles, Marcos’ 2004 dissertation addresses the theory and practice of community and social transformation and the expanding public policy and community development role of racial and multi-racial community based organizations in California. A father of three, Marcos lives in Ventura, California with his wife, Robin Jacobs, son Canek Pena-Vargas (age 22) and his two daughters, Maya Esperanza (age 7), Julianna Citlali (age 4). Marcos’ wife, Robin, is a part-time teacher with the Ventura Charter School of Acts and Global Education. His son Canek graduated in 2007 from New York University, and is currently a community organizer with Arts for Action in Ventura County.