A third-generation immigrant, Mrs. Janethe Peña immigrated to Washington D.C. from Granada, Nicaragua in the late seventies during the country’s civil war. Today, Mrs. Peña proudly serves as the founder and Executive Director of DC Doors Inc., a nonprofit that helps to empower and educate youth, individuals, and families to break poverty and homeless cycles in our community.  For the last 20 years, Mrs. Peña has devoted her time to advocating and serving our most vulnerable neighbors. She began her service as an outreach specialist teaching immigrants about their rights. She then continued to help house and advocate for the homeless until she spearheaded the creation of DC Doors in 1999.

Growing up in a three-bedroom home shared by 14 family members was the foundation for Mrs. Peña’s passion for housing equity and family support. To help her realize this passion, Mrs. Peña earned a bachelor of arts in Latin American Studies from American University and a nonprofit executive management certificate from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. 

Mrs. Peña’s is grateful for the many people in her life that have contributed to who she is today and will become tomorrow. At DC Doors, she has been able to combine her life experience with her passion for housing our most vulnerable residents. She leads DC Doors by word and deed. Her personal motto is “Do better today than you did yesterday, do better tomorrow than you did today.”  

Mrs. Peña believes DC Doors’ success originates with its philosophy of meeting clients where they are and with empathy and understanding. DC Doors is open to anyone seeking a better life regardless of circumstances and Janethe has woven cultural competency into the fabric of DC Doors’ foundation.