Theresa Fay-Bustillos

Philanthropic, business, and nonprofit executive

Headshot of Theresa smiling and wearing pink sweater

About Theresa

Theresa Fay-Bustillos is an experienced strategic planning and governance consultant and civil and human rights lawyer specializing in social change strategies on the issues of leadership, social movements, diversity and inclusion, education and health equity, and social and environmental sustainability. As a consultant, she has worked for foundations, corporations, nonprofits, and multilaterals, and is an accomplished business and philanthropic executive, advisor, and lawyer. 

She was the Chief Program Officer for the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Executive Director and General Counsel for the Levi Strauss Foundation and Vice President of Sustainability and Communities for Levi Strauss and Co. as well as the Vice President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Theresa founded a global consultancy firm working with foundations, corporations, nonprofits and multilaterals on education, human rights, and sustainability issues. She has served as an adjunct law school professor at USC Law School and as an administrative law judge for the State of California. Theresa received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Why Theresa supports Wave-Makers

I’m proud to be a Making Waves Education Foundation board member because the organization is demonstrating how to ensure that Latinx, Black/African American, and Asian students in communities with limited resources have the opportunity to thrive by reimagining how the public education system should prepare these students for a future of their choosing.