Jody Agius Vallejo is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California. She is an expert in immigration, race/ethnicity, Latinos and the Latino middle class. Her book, Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican American Middle Class (Stanford University Press) examines patterns of mobility and socioeconomic incorporation among upwardly mobile and middle-class Latinos in Southern California. She is presently conducting research on middle and upper class Latino entrepreneurs and their patterns of wealth accumulation and ethnic philanthropy, and whether ethnic philanthropy helps to close gaps in the social safety net.. Her research has been funded by The National Science Foundation, The American Association of University Women, The Lusk Center for Real Estate, The American Sociological Association, and The John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation. She has published in Social Forces, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Latino Studies, Social Science Research, City & Community, and Sociological Forum, among others. Her research has received coverage in print, radio, and television including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NBC Latino, BBC World News, BBC Mundo, Agencia EFE, ABC’s Vista LA, OC Weekly, NPR, KCRW and KCPP.