Meet the Community

Beto Altamirano

“I am building collaborative communities.”

Beto Altamirano graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2022 with a Master’s in Public Administration. He is the CEO & Co-founder at Irys, a company building AI-driven tools that engage communities to bring real-time visibility and data analytics for urban stakeholders. Beto’s interest in public policy has led him to work at the Texas House of Representatives, United States Senate, White House USTR, and the Alamo Area MPO. His involvement in public policy was recognized by the Aspen Institute Latinos & Society and the Center for Urban Innovation, where he serves as a scholar, co-authoring reports highlighting the Millennial civic potential. Beto is also a recipient of the VotoLatino Innovators Challenge-MacArthur Foundation Grant, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur list maker, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and an American Express-Ashoka Emerging Innovator. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

As a Cheng Fellow, Beto developed a digital platform that helps facilitate two-way engagement for infrastructure and climate resilience project-related planning, policy, and design decision making. The analytics produced by the Irys platform supports leaders and community members in making more informed decisions at the intersection of social equity and infrastructure while distributing services and improvements where they are needed the most. When he’s not working on Irys, you can find Beto traveling, doing photography, or watching Formula 1.