Victor Burrola: Turning Institutional Capital into Economic Opportunity

Every year, the region’s largest institutions spend billions of dollars. Where that money lands can determine who gets to grow.

Victor Burrola knows what access to opportunity can mean. Raised in Greeley, Colorado, as the son of migrant workers, he became a first-generation college graduate after finding his way to Colorado State University through the TRIO Upward Bound program. More than two decades later, he has built a career around creating those kinds of pathways for others.

Today, Burrola leads community impact and sustainability initiatives at Wells Fargo across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. He brings nonprofits, civic leaders, businesses, and community partners to the same table around what every strong local economy needs: affordable housing, growing small businesses, and families on solid financial footing.

The stakes are rising. Hispanic-owned small businesses grew 10.5% in Virginia and 9.6% in Maryland between 2022 and 2023. In D.C., 5,572 Hispanic-owned businesses account for 8% of all businesses in the District. Latino entrepreneurs are opening businesses, creating jobs, and contributing to local economies. The question is whether the institutions that hold capital will meet them there.

That work draws on more than 15 years across philanthropy, community development, government relations, and public policy. His career has focused on housing, neighborhood revitalization, small business growth, and financial capability, bringing institutions together around challenges no one organization can solve alone.

The DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP) puts that approach into practice. The initiative connects major institutions with local businesses to expand access to procurement opportunities. Since 2017, participating institutions have directed more than $1.5 billion in spending to D.C.-based businesses, including nearly $1 billion to minority-owned firms. Wells Fargo helped fund the partnership from its early days.

Burrola’s conviction is that institutional resources should create pathways to economic mobility. His work shows what can happen when institutions use their capital, relationships, and influence not simply to invest in communities, but to help build the conditions for local businesses and families to grow. That is what earns Victor Burrola a place among our Top 10 Latino Voices of 2026.