By Matt Barakat | mbarakat@alextimes.com
and Denise Dunbar | ddunbar@alextimes.com
Roberto Gomez, who used his own experiences as a troubled teen to guide him as he built an Alexandria nonprofit that helped at-risk youth learn skilled labor, has died, his organization’s board of directors announced Tuesday. He was 39.
The cause of death has not been announced.
In 2021, Gomez founded Cornerstone Craftsman, a nonprofit that trains teenagers in skilled trades while also providing mentorship and character development.
“Roberto was a gang member himself. He left high school at 16,” Bryan Kirkes, who started the city’s gang prevention task force and met Gomez there, said.
Kirkes’ initial wariness of Gomez quickly morphed into admiration and then devotion.
“I remember when I first met him. I went, ‘Oh my God’ … because he’s all tattooed and his hair’s wild and all that. And my seat in the task force is right next to him so we struck up a conversation … he and I from that point became very close friends,” Kirkes said.
The Cornerstone Craftsman website says it seeks to “to reduce juvenile crime rates, gang-related violence, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and high school dropout” rates in the community.
Former Juvenile Probation Officer David Klem said Gomez did more than talk about helping kids – he turned words into action.
“I think that he wasn’t like a lot of people and organizations in Alexandria that just talk about helping kids,” Klem said. “He actually did it. Like he wasn’t really big about talking s—- and making promises that he couldn’t keep.”
Klem said Gomez went to the mat for troubled kids like no one else.
“This is a guy that when kids are getting evicted, he’s talking to the police trying to get them a few more days. Or he’s trying to buy tents for evicted family members.
He’s trying to get food out to people who need it. He’s trying to get electric bills paid so the lights can come back on,” Klem said.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Cornerstone Board of Directors posted a statement lauding Gomez’s work.
“For Roberto, Cornerstone was more than an organization,” the board wrote. “It was his passion and his life’s work. He saw potential where others saw obstacles.
“Roberto was Cornerstone. He was its heart, its soul, and its driving force. His unwavering belief in young people, his commitment to creating opportunities, and his dedication to helping others build brighter futures defined everything Cornerstone stands for,” the Facebook post read.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger toured the nonprofit in September and said on social media, “Cornerstone Craftsman is an incredible program that should be a model for the country!”
Earlier this year, Gomez ran for City Council in a special election to fill the seat vacated by now-Delegate Kirk McPike. Gomez placed third in a field of five Democrats in a firehouse primary, losing to current Councilor Sandy Marks.
In a commentary published by the Times in February, Gomez explained why he was running for Council and highlighted his community involvement with his nonprofit.
“I have witnessed young people, previously told they had no options, confidently leaving job sites with a paycheck in hand. That is what this work is about: results,” he wrote.
In a 2025 Times profile about his organization, Gomez said the trades helped him overcome his own difficulties early in life and he wanted to provide those same opportunities for others.
“If I had known what I know now at 14, 15, 16, I’d probably own some of these buildings in the City of Alexandria by now,” Gomez told the Times. “But I didn’t. It wasn’t being taught to me.”
In 2024, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce recognized Gomez as one of its “40 under 40” inductees.
“Despite facing hardships in his youth due to limited opportunities, he now empowers at-risk youth aged 12 to 18, sharing his experiences and guiding them towards a brighter future,” the chamber wrote in its description of Gomez.
Rene Merino, who is a project manager and instructor at Cornerstone Craftsman, knew Gomez before he started the nonprofit.
“Before he [started Cornerstone] he had talked to me about him wanting to help the community and help out kids and open up something so kids could have the opportunity he didn’t,” Merino said. “He was involved with a lot of the kids’ lives if they were going through something.”
Merino and Kirkes both had meetings scheduled with Gomez for Wednesday – about different Cornerstone-related issues – while Klem spoke about his friendship with Gomez.
“He was my best friend, we hung out all the time,” Klem said. “And all he ever talked about were these kids. There wasn’t another topic. This was his life’s work and the only thing that he cared about.
“I don’t think any of those boys ever had anyone in their life who cared that much about them,” he added.
Klem said, “there’s no replacing Roberto. Ever.” But he also said he was certain everyone would work together to keep Cornerstone alive.
“It’s hard. But … he wouldn’t want the program to stop or die down. I know the kids aren’t going to let that happen. The board isn’t going to let that happen. None of us are going to let that happen. He will be living on through the kids that he’s helped.”
Cornerstone will hold a candlelight vigil honoring Gomez Thursday at 5 p.m. at 2111 Eisenhower Ave., according to a Wednesday Facebook post.
Sabrina Martin contributed reporting to this story.
The post Roberto Gomez, founder of Cornerstone Craftsman, dies at 39 appeared first on Alexandria Times.
