Friendly Center Inc

MANAGEMENT

CEO/Executive Director

Kenia Cueto, Ph.D.

CEO/Executive Director Experience

As President & CEO of Friendly Center, Kenia Cueto, Ph.D., leads with a mission to innovate and address critical community needs in Orange County. In just over two years, she has reimagined service delivery by launching impactful initiatives such as a Drone Boot Camp, bilingual High School Equivalency (GED) program in Spanish, computer basics courses for parents, and two fully redesigned Friendly Mart locations, opened in the City of Orange (2024) and Buena Park (2025). She pioneered a mini-mart model for food distribution, transforming traditional food assistance into a dignified, choice-based shopping experience that reflects the cultural preferences of the families served. By redesigning two locations in less than two years, she has significantly expanded access while increasing both donations and services twofold, demonstrating a scalable and community-centered approach to food insecurity. She works closely with key partners, including Rady Children’s (formerly CHOC), to expand access to health resources and deliver sustainable, family-centered programs. Her leadership is grounded in more than seven years of experience in workforce development and program management, where she has built strategic collaborations with industry leaders, local agencies, and educational institutions. By intentionally aligning workforce development with local K–12 school districts, community colleges, and universities, including Orange Unified School District, Garden Grove Unified School District, Chapman University, Cal State Long Beach, and Santiago Canyon College, she has created reciprocal partnerships that position Friendly Center as a hands-on training site. These collaborations engage teacher trainees, carpenters through the Carpenters Union, medical professionals, MFTs, Federal Work-Study students, Workforce Development (WEX) trainees, and college students completing community service hours, including 60 Chapman University students in 2025. She champions a comprehensive education-to-workforce pipeline, one that extends beyond tutoring and homework support to include real-world training, internships, apprenticeships, and career pathways for both youth and adults. By leveraging expertise in work-based learning models, she is guiding Friendly Center toward long-term impact while addressing urgent challenges such as housing and food insecurity. Supervisor Doug Chaffee entrusted Friendly Center with $1 million to implement an emergency rental assistance program, which was successfully deployed to stabilize families and prevent homelessness across the district in 2025. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Education, Culture, and Curricular Studies with Honors from Chapman University in 2017. Her commitment to innovation, access, and emerging technologies ensures Friendly Center remains a leader in community-driven solutions that create stability, opportunity, and lasting change. In addition to her more than 16-year career in education and workforce development, Dr. Kenia Hernandez Cueto brings extensive community service and board leadership experience to her role. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Vital Link, where she played a key role in shaping the organization’s mission. She also served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Orange County Educational Arts Academy, contributing to efforts that expand educational opportunities for students. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove and as a Mentor for The Puente Project at Fullerton College, where she supports and guides students on their educational journeys. Dr. Cueto has been happily married for 35 years and has two adult children.

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