Board and Ministry Partners

Executive Board

Alvin Chu
Alvin Chu is the founder and president of Urban Bridge Builders. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1996 with a B.A. both in Economics and Political Science, and spent the next three years working in various finance and law-related jobs. During this time, in October 1997, Alvin came to know the Lord, which stretched and deepened his passion for urban-education reform. This passion led him, in 1999, to pursue graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin where the UBB vision was born in January 2001. Alvin graduated in May 2003 with his law degree, MBA in Finance and Masters in Educational Administration.

Alvin was born in Guatemala City, but spent most of his childhood in California—including the first five years in Los Angeles and the latter ten in Santa Cruz. Urban Bridge Builders’ vision stems from Alvin’s struggle with stuttering and being the recipient of low educational expectations. Seeing the vast disparities in socioeconomic and educational quality between the more urban environment he witnessed in Los Angeles and his more suburban surroundings in Santa Cruz was a heart-jolting experience. As he began to apply to colleges in 1990, Alvin began reflecting on the key factors that paved his path to higher education. He realized his achievements in large part were due to his: stable and supportive home environment and the educational quality and community environment he experienced while living in Santa Cruz. The lessons Alvin learned and the ideas generated from these reflections started him along a journey that has led to the current vision for Urban Bridge Builders.

Alvin is currently an attorney in Washington D.C. He resides in Virginia with his wife Ruth. His other passions include spending time with family and friends, reading, music, anything food related, traveling and Michigan Wolverines football.

Joseph Kaufmann
Joseph Kaufmann first became involved with UBB in 2009 as a volunteer and joined the board in 2011. He serves as a deacon at Grace Presbyterian in Chinatown and lives in the H St. NE neighborhood.

Samuel Chang
Samuel Chang works in Washington DC. He attends Grace DC and he joined the UBB board in 2010.