Dr. Sanchez is a nationally recognized leader in the field of youth programming. He has served on the boards of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (until 2009), and is an advisor to the Vera Institute of Justice and the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. He has received many awards throughout his career, most recently being named Best CEO in Austin in 2013, recipient of the Ohtli Award from the Mexican Consulate, the Freddy Fender Humanitarian Award, the Rising to the Challenge Social Justice Award from LULAC, and the Leading Voices Award from American Gateways for his work on behalf of immigrant children.

Dr. Sanchez is proud to have built one of the most diverse nonprofits in the country, where 93 percent of Southwest Key's 3,000 employees, including most top managers and board members, are people of color. Southwest Key is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation, one of the world's leading human service accreditation organizations.