Biography
Cesar Villa-Garcia is a Product Manager at American Express and the co-founder of INIT, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering college students to launch careers in technology. What began over a decade ago as a supportive community for computing students at FIU has since grown into a multi-institutional initiative recognized across Florida. Through INIT’s programs, alumni network, and partnerships with leading companies like Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, the organization has served over 10,000 students - helping them secure full-time roles in tech and achieve economic mobility.
Since graduating in 2019, Cesar has remained deeply engaged with the FIU community. He continues to grow INIT’s FIU chapter, mentor new student leaders, and support ShellHacks - FIU’s signature hackathon. He has helped raise over $1.5 million to expand INIT’s impact at FIU and beyond, with support from the Knight Foundation, City of Miami, Lab22c, and dozens of corporate and community partners. He also served on the FIU Young Alumni Executive Board and actively builds industry networks to connect FIU interns and alumni with career opportunities.
Professionally, Cesar has led high-impact product initiatives at American Express, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.
A graduate of FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing and the Honors College, Cesar is passionate about crafting experiences, building communities, and creating opportunity - work that reflects a lifelong commitment to helping others succeed. Born in Peru and raised in Miami, he credits his journey to resilience, purpose, and the opportunities he found at FIU.