Berto Aguayo is the co-founder and Executive Director of #IncreaseThePeace (#ITP), an organization that develops young leaders and promotes peace through community organizing and policy advocacy. Berto is a proud Back of the Yards native, where he was raised by a single mother who emigrated from Mexico. Berto’s struggles and experiences as a former gang member led him on a passionate journey toward social justice. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Economics and is currently in the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago.

From 2013 to 2016, Berto coordinated the Hoops in the Hood program in Back of the Yards. In 2015, he was appointed by the Mayor’s Office to the My Brother’s Keeper Cabinet. And in 2016, Berto co-founded #ITP. Since then, #ITP reopened a community center, trained hundreds of residents in community organizing, organized dozens of actions to increase the peace, and has expanded its work to include violence prevention, youth development, food access, mutual aid, and multicultural unity.

In 2018, Berto worked as a national leadership trainer with the Obama Foundation. In 2019, he ran an independent grassroots campaign for 15th Ward Alderman. Although he was outraised eleven to one, he came within 277 votes of a runoff. Shortly thereafter, he did a brief stint as Latino outreach director for Lori Lightfoot’s successful campaign for Mayor and he was the political director for Marie Newman’s historic campaign for Congress.

In addition to his current role as Executive Director at #ITP, Berto serves as the LSC community representative at BOTY College Prep, he is on the Board of Directors at CHANGE Illinois, and he is a Fellow with the Chicago Community Trust.

Berto is a past recipient of USHLI’s young Hispanic Leader Award, Mikva Challenge's Outstanding Alumnus Award, a scholar of the Aspen Institute’s Latinos and Society Program, and he was a Fellow at Citizen University.