Conversaciones con Líderes Series | White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

The Conversaciones con Líderes zoom series features Biden-Harris Administration officials and community leaders sharing their inspiring personal journeys and updates on federal opportunities that uplift the Latino community. Leaders from the White House, federal agencies, members of Congress, and community leaders celebrates Latino leaders and ways in which they’re working within, and with, the Biden-Harris Administration to build prosperous and healthy communities.

Check back on this page for updates on the next webinars and read about our previous webinars.

Conversaciones con Lideres: Como Presentar el Formulario FAFSA 2024-25, Jueves, 11 de Abril de 2024

FAFSA en espanol

Organizada por la Iniciativa Hispana de la Casa Blanca con la oficina de Ayuda Federal para Estudiantes (FSA) del Departamento de Educación de los Estado Unidos, este evento virtual explicará el nuevo formulario FAFSA y las últimas actualizaciones del proceso de ayuda financiera. El seminario web será moderado por Melody Gonzales, Directora Ejecutiva de la Iniciativa Hispana. Eric Santiago y Anita Olivencia de la oficina de Ayuda Federal para Estudiantes (FSA) presentarán detalles sobre como estudiantes y familias pueden completar la FAFSA. También escucharemos los consejos para estudiantes y familias inmigrantes de Gaby Pacheco, presidenta de TheDream.US, el programa de éxito universitario y profesional más grande del país para jóvenes inmigrantes indocumentados.

Conversaciones con Líderes zoom: Afro-Latino Excellence in Higher Education, Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Conversaciones con Lideres: Afro-Latino Excellence in Higher Education

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

3 P.M. ET/12 P.M. PT

Register: https://shorturl.at/dJKN5

Join the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics to hear from trailblazing Afro-Latino leaders as they share their inspiring stories and their efforts in advancing equity in higher education.

Speakers:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Johanny Adames, Press Secretary for Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education
Dr. Pedro Noguera, Dean, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Commissioner, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Dr. Nancy López, Professor, Director and Co-founder of Institute for Study of “Race” & Social Justice, University of New Mexico. Co-Chair, Education Subcommittee, New Mexico Governor’s Advisory Council for Racial Justice
Dr. Eddie Fergus, Professor of Urban Education, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University – Newark
Dania Matos, Vice Chancellor, Division of Equity & Inclusion, University of California, Berkeley
Enrique Noguera, Assistant Dean, Educational Opportunity Fund and the Men of Color Success Initiative, Passaic County Community College

Biographies:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Melody Gonzales is a community-oriented leader committed to building the capacity of organizations and leaders shaping a brighter, more equitable future for our nation. She leads the White House Hispanic Initiative, an office created by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14045 and housed under the leadership of Secretary Miguel Cardona at the U.S. Department of Education. The Initiative works to advance education, equity and economic goals in partnership with the White House, federal agencies and external stakeholders; lead a 21-member commission; run a federal Interagency work group centered in advancing equity and access to federal resources for the Latino community; and lead in-person and virtual public engagement efforts. Melody joined the Administration from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators – where she managed Latino grants, partnerships and advocacy work. Her prior experience includes serving: on the Biden-Harris transition team’s Office of Personnel Management Agency Review Team; as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee in the Obama-Biden Administration — serving first as the U.S Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Chief of Staff and then as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Deputy Chief of Staff; as a Legislative Assistant then Director of Member Outreach for former Congressman Xavier Becerra and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus; and as the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda’s Founding Director of the Latino Appointments Program and LatinasRepresent. She began her career in her hometown of San Diego working for the local NBC News affiliate and working as General Manager of the Chula Vista Convention and Visitors Bureau with the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce.

Johanny Adames, Press Secretary, Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education

Johanny Adames is a press secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. In her role, she leads communications and press strategy for higher education, including the implementation of the 2024–25 FAFSA Implementation. Named of the 100 Latina Millennials Shaping Our World and a People en español’s Chica Boss, Johanny is a bilingual communications strategist focused on the intersections of education, politics and social justice.

Prior to joining the Department, Johanny was the communications director and senior advisor at Latino Victory Project, where she spearheaded and led multimillion-dollar campaigns to promote civic engagement for Latino across the nation. A brand and communications strategist who served as the first national spokesperson for Latino media at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Johanny led the organization’s Hispanic media and engagement. Prior to that, Johanny held multiple positions at GMMB, a political consulting and advertising firm in Washington, DC.

Johanny began her career in political communications as an intern in the Obama White House supporting African American and Latino media efforts. In 2012, Johanny made her prime-time debut on the Democratic National Convention’s main stage, where she gave an inspiring speech on higher education and immigration. She also co-moderated a presidential forum, featuring President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among other candidates during the 2020 Democratic primary in South Carolina.

A sought-after political commentator in Spanish-language media, Johanny has been widely featured in national and international outlets, including People en español, Univision, Telemundo, CNN en español, Latino Rebels, France24, Politico, Popsugar, Al Día News, MiTú, EFE and La Opinión.

Dr. Pedro Noguera, Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California/Commissioner, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Pedro Noguera is one of the nation’s leading scholars on issues related to race, inequality and education. Prior to coming to USC to serve as the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education, he served as a Professor of Education and holder of endowed chairs at UCLA, NYU, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of 15 books. His most recent book A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Tough Questions and Complex Issues Confronting K-12 Education in the United States Today with Rick Hess was the winner of the American Association of Publishers Prose Award in 2021).

From 2009–2012 Noguera served as a trustee for the State University of New York as an appointee of the governor. He has served as an advisor to the governor of New Mexico on education policy, and worked as an advisor to the state departments of education in Washington, Oregon, New York and Rhode Island, as well as several large urban school districts throughout the country. In 2022 he was appointed to President Biden’s National Commission on Hispanics, and he was asked to serve as the co-chair of the state of California’s Black Student Achievement Taskforce by the state superintendent. In 2014 he was elected to the National Academy of Education and Phi Delta Kappa honor society, and in 2020 Noguera was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Noguera has received seven honorary doctorates from American universities and received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and from the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty. In 2023 he was ranked 1st in the nation for influence and impact in the field of education, by Education Week.

Dr. Nancy López, Professor, Department of Sociology & Criminology, University of New Mexico/Director and Co-founder, Institute for Study of “Race” & Social Justice/Co-Chair, Education Subcommittee, New Mexico Governor’s Advisory Council for Racial Justice

Nancy Lopez Dr. Nancy López is professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico. Dr. López directs/co-founded of the Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice. Her scholarship, teaching and service are guided by the insights of intersectionality–the importance of examining the simultaneity of race, gender, class, ethnicity and other systems of inequalities across a variety of social outcomes, including education, health, employment, housing, for developing contextualized solutions that advance social justice. Dr. López is author of Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys: Race & Gender Disparity in Urban Education (2003); co-editor of, Creating Alternative Discourses in the Education of Latinas & Latinos (2003), Mapping “Race”: Critical Approaches to Health Disparities Research (2013); and, QuantCrit: An Antiracist Approach to Education Equity (2023). Her current research, “Intersectionality as Inquiry and Praxis: Race-Gender-Class-Ethnicity for Student Success in STEM,” is funded by the NSF HSI program. Dr. López is a Black Latina, New York City-born daughter of Dominican immigrants with a second grade education rich in cultural wealth. She is the first woman of color tenured in Sociology and the first woman of the African Diaspora tenured in the College of Arts and Sciences (2008) and promoted to full professor (2018) at the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Eddie Fergus, Professor, Rutgers University

Eddie Fergus Dr. Edward (Eddie) Fergus is Professor of Urban Education in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University – Newark. Prior to joining Rutgers University – Newark, Dr. Edward Fergus was Associate Professor of Urban Education and Policy at Temple University (2017-2022) and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at New York University (2013-2017), and Deputy Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University (2004-2013). As a former high school social studies teacher, program evaluator, and community school program director, Dr. Fergus is continuously approaching research with an attention to its application within educational settings. Dr. Fergus’ work is on the intersection of educational policy and outcomes with a specific focus on Black and Latino boys’ academic and social engagement outcomes, disproportionality in special education and suspensions, and school climate conditions. He has published more than four dozen articles, book chapters, evaluation reports, and five books including Skin Color and Identity Formation: Perceptions of Opportunity and Academic Orientation among Mexican and Puerto Rican Youth (Routledge Press, 2004), co-editor of Invisible No More: Disenfranchisement of Latino Men and Boys (Routledge Press, 2011), co-author of Schooling For Resilience: Improving Trajectory of Black and Latino boys (Harvard Education Press, 2014), author of Solving Disproportionality and Achieving Equity (Corwin Press, 2016), co-editor of forthcoming book Boyhood and Masculinity Construction in the US (Routledge Press, forthcoming), and Desegregating Ourselves (Corwin, forthcoming). Fergus has worked with over 150 school districts since 2004 on educational equity and school reform, specifically addressing disproportionality in special education and suspension. Fergus partners with state education departments such as California, Maryland, Delaware, Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Texas and serves on various boards such as NY State Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (2010-present), appointed in 2011 to the Yonkers Public Schools Board of Education (2011-2013 and 2019-2021), National Center on Learning Disabilities (2020-present), and is an expert consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division on Educational Opportunities (2014-2016), New York State Attorney General’s Office (2022), and NAACP Legal Defense Fund (2018). Dr. Fergus received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Secondary Education – Broad Field Social Studies from Beloit College and a doctorate in Educational Policy and Social Foundations from the University of Michigan.

Dania Matos, Vice Chancellor, Division of Equity & Inclusion, University of California, Berkeley

Dania Matos (she/her/ella) leads with love. As the fourth Vice Chancellor for the Division of Equity & Inclusion (E&I) at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and a member of Chancellor Carol Christ’s Cabinet, she guides strategies that prioritize social justice, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Specifically, she oversees E&I’s opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. Dania also leads divisional Thriving Initiatives, each of which offers culturally responsive services to specific communities across campus. Dania has always championed equity work in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors, and has even taken her talents to Broadway. She was the first deputy chief diversity officer at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; and served in Virginia’s public defender’s office. Prior to coming to UC Berkeley, she was the first associate chancellor and chief diversity officer at the University of California, Merced. Born in Puerto Rico, Dania is proud to have been raised by a single mom and grandmother–two women she credits for shaping her work, advocacy, and leadership style. She holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law; and a BA from Brown University.

Enrique M. Noguera, Assistant Dean, Educational Opportunity Fund and the Men of Color Success Initiative, Passaic County Community College

Enrique Noguera stands at the forefront of educational innovation and equity, leveraging his extensive community development and education background to champion initiatives that enhance access and success for historically underrepresented students. A proud alumnus of Rutgers University, Noguera earned his B.A. in Urban Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in January 2010, followed by an Ed.M. in Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education from the Graduate School of Education in October 2014. His academic journey laid the groundwork for a career dedicated to fostering inclusive educational environments and utilizing technology to bridge gaps in education and community engagement.

As the Assistant Dean for the Educational Opportunity Fund and the Men of Color Success Initiative at Passaic County Community College, Noguera supervises talented EOF team members who implement comprehensive support services that significantly enhance the academic outcomes of low-income students. Beyond his role at Passaic, he is the visionary behind Enrique Speaks, LLC, and EduTech Nation, where he promotes cultural awareness, civic engagement, and the integration of advanced technology in educational practices.

Noguera’s innovative approach to education and technology was notably exemplified through a GIS mapping project that he directed following Superstorm Sandy. This initiative, which involved 30 high school students, provided crucial information to communities affected by the storm and garnered recognition from esteemed organizations and media outlets, including the White House and FEMA.

His contributions to education and community service have been acknowledged through numerous awards, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Serving Recognition Award, the President’s Citation from Passaic County Community College, and the Arrigo O. Rogers Advisor of the Year Award from Rutgers University.

Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Technology Leadership at New Jersey City University, Noguera advocates for using blockchain technology and generative AI tools to enhance educational outcomes. His work reflects a commitment to improving efficiency and fostering meaningful connections and positions him as a leader in the intersection of education, technology, and community development.

Enrique Noguera is an educator, entrepreneur, and a catalyst for change, dedicated to leveraging his expertise to empower students and educators alike. He can be reached on LinkedIn for further information on his projects and collaborations.

Conversaciones con Líderes zoom: White House Fellows Program, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

White House Fellows Conversaciones con Lideres

The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics held its Conversaciones con Líderes zoom: White House Fellows Alumni on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

The White House Fellows Program is one of America’s most prestigious leadership and public service programs. Exceptional emerging leaders gain first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. This is a significant leadership opportunity for rising Hispanic professionals. Staff from the President’s Commission on White House Fellows and Latino alumni of the White House Fellowship program shared their experiences in the program.

Resources:

Speakers include:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Kevin Lavery, Associate Director, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, The White House
Adan Gonzalez, White House Fellow, Class of 2022-2023
Vanessa Velasquez, White House Fellow, Class of 2022-2023
Margarita H. Colmenares, White House Fellow, Class of 1991-1992

Biographies:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Kevin Lavery, Associate Director, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, The White House

Kevin Lavery serves as the Associate Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows. In his role he supports the recruitment, application, selection, and placement of the incoming class of fellows. Originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, Kevin worked for five years in higher education at his alma mater, Gettysburg College. Most recently, he served as Assistant Director of the Eisenhower Institute, where he managed undergraduate programs in leadership and policy designed to prepare students for lives and careers of service. Kevin holds a B.A. in History from Gettysburg College and an M.A. in European History, Politics, and Society from Columbia University. His interests include reading and hiking, and he has completed extended backpacking trips in Norway and Scotland.

Adan Gonzalez, White House Fellow, Class of 2022-2023

Adan Gonzalez, is from Dallas, Texas, and is placed at the Department of Education. As the son of immigrants, Adan values the power of education. He graduated from Georgetown University, majoring in Government with a minor in Education, Inquiry and Justice. He earned a Masters in Education Leadership at Columbia University and a Masters in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University. Adan has engaged with students and parents globally to advocate for the importance of higher education, parental support, and community involvement. He has served his local community as a teacher and Director of School & Family Partnerships. He is the Founder of Puede Network, a family empowerment organization that provides underserved minority students—many from Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood where Adan grew up and continues to live—with transformative programming encompassing; academics, health and nutrition, community stewardship, recreational athletics, and socio-emotional support. Adan enjoys being a youth soccer and boxing coach in his spare time, and he aspires to make his family proud.

Vanessa Velasquez, White House Fellow, Class of 2022-2023

Vanessa Velasquez is from Vero Beach, Florida, and is placed at the U.S. Navy. Vanessa has extensive project management experience, most recently at Apple as a Global Supply Manager where she helped manage sourcing components for the iPhone. In this role, she engaged with international suppliers for capital equipment. Previously at Amazon, Vanessa first started in a fulfillment center running operations, eventually working her way up to corporate headquarters where she focused on Amazon’s engagement with Hispanic businesses. In her portfolios, she generated over $20 million in revenue and led projects worth over $100 million. As a proud Latina raised by a single mom, Vanessa dedicates her time in and out of work to underserved communities. She mentors Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholars to cultivate future Hispanic leaders. She previously served as the inaugural Director of Fulfillment Center and Community Engagement at Glamazon (Amazon’s LGBTQ+ ERG). Vanessa earned her B.B.A. and B.A. from Mississippi State University.

Margarita H. Colmenares, White House Fellow, Class of 1991-1992

Margarita Colmenares Margarita H. Colmenares is from Sacramento, CA and was the first Mexican-American woman to be selected as a White House Fellow. She graduated from the School of EngineerIng at Stanford at a time when Latina women received less than 0.1% of engineering degrees nationwide. She holds the distinction as the first female elected to lead the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Because of her passion for STEM, she has served twice as a political appointee at the US Department of Education. As an advocate for the transition to a clean energy economy, Margarita has worked in emerging clean-tech companies that accelerate the use of renewable energy and storage to increase our energy independence and community resilience. She also pioneered environmental, safety, fire and health practices at Chevron and led multi-million projects to reduce GHG emissions and climate risk. As Director of Outreach and Recruitment, White House Fellows Foundation and Association, she currently leads efforts to increase the number of highly-qualified applicants for the White House Fellows.

Conversaciones con Líderes zoom: A Deep Dive into President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget Request and U.S. Department of Education Grants, Thursday, April 13, 2023

The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics held Conversaciones con Líderes zoom: A Deep Dive into President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget Request and U.S. Department of Education Grants on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

President Joe Biden’s FY 2024 budget request details a blueprint to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out while pushing for bold investments to ensure our students have equitable access to schools and are prepared to succeed in whatever career they choose. Senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Education and Latina education policy leaders provided updates on how the Biden-Harris Administration’s budget proposal will advance educational equity for Latino students, families, and communities. Attendees learned more about how the U.S. Department of Education is implementing our discretionary grant programs with an equity lens and how they can get involved in reviewing, or applying for, departmental grants.

Resources:

Speakers:

Loredana Valtierra, Policy Advisor, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education
Bernadine Futrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Equity and Discretionary Grants and Support Services, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Founder, Latinos for Education
Elizabeth Zamudio, Vice President of Education, UnidosUS
Moderator: Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Biographies

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Loredana Valtierra, Policy Advisor, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education

Loredana Valltieera Loredana was recently education policy counsel for the House Committee on Education and Labor under Chairman Bobby Scott and worked on K-12 and juvenile justice policy. Prior to her position on the Committee, Loredana worked to promote equitable school policies for girls of color and represented pregnant and parenting students at the National Women’s Law Center. She has also represented immigrant children and families and is a former 7th grade English teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Loredana is a proud Chicagoan and daughter of immigrant parents.

Bernadine Futrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Equity and Discretionary Grants and Support Services, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Bernadine Futrell, Ph.D., was most recently the director of the Office of Head Start (OHS) at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families. Futrell, began her career as an assistant Head Start teacher in Virginia. She came to OHS in the Biden-Harris Administration from the National Head Start Association (NHSA), where she was most recently the senior director for effective practice. Prior to NHSA, Futrell led superintendent certification programs at the American Association of School Administrators. She is co-author of the book ConnectED Leaders: Network and Amplify your Superintendency and holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a M.Ed. and a Ph.D. in education policy from George Mason University. Futrell and her husband are the proud parents of two young children.

Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Founder of Latinos for Education

Amanda Fernandez is the CEO and Founder of Latinos for Education, the first Latino-founded and led national organization dedicated to developing, placing, and connecting essential Latino leadership in the education sector, while mobilizing Latino voices to promote practices and policies that remove barriers to equitable educational opportunity. In 2023 she was appointed to serve on the Massachusetts Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council which will advise on strategies to expand economic opportunities for and improve the overall wellbeing of Massachusetts’ Latino community. Prior to this appointment, she served on the Governor’s transition team as the co-chair of the thriving youth and young adults committee. Amanda previously served as a Trustee of the Board with the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. She has twice been named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in Massachusetts and she is a Senior Fellow at FutureEd. Amanda has over 25 years of experience in the areas of recruiting, diversity, organization development, change management, strategic planning, and Latino community relations.

Elizabeth Zamudio, Vice President of Education, UnidosUS

Elizabeth Zamudio is a senior education professional with over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector. As the Vice President of Education at UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, Elizabeth leads all education programmatic work including K-16 programming, family and community engagement, and strategic impact with UnidosUS’ Affiliate Network. A first-generation college graduate herself; Elizabeth holds bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Non-Profit Resilient Leaders program and is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University. She serves as a board director for Open Paths Counseling Center and volunteers as a mentor for USC’s Non-Profit Leaders program.

César Chávez Day Conversaciones con Líderes Series: Advancing Equity, Excellence and Migrant Rights, Friday March 31, 2023

The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics held a special César Chávez Day Conversaciones con Líderes Series: Advancing Equity, Excellence and Migrant Rights on Friday, March 31, 2023.

César Chávez Day is commemorated yearly on March 31 and celebrates the life, legacy and birthday of César Estrada Chávez, a champion for social justice and founder of the United Farmworkers alongside Dolores Huerta. It is a day to celebrate the contributions of migrant communities to our country and highlight the need to advocate for migrant rights.

Senior federal leaders shared how the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing equity for migrant students, workers, and families and highlight federal resources that are promoting equitable practices supporting students and families working in this labor sector. Participants heard from White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President, and César Chávez’s granddaughter, Julie Chávez Rodriguez on how her family’s dedication and advocacy for migrant rights inspired her on the journey to be one of the President Biden’s senior advisors. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fabiola Torres-Lara shared how her experience living in a migrant community influenced her decision to enter public service.

Speakers:

Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Secretary, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
Laura Ibañez, Unit Chief, Specialty National Programs, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Tara Ramsey, Director, Office of Migrant Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Silvia Fabela, Senior Advisor for the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Fabiola Torres-Lara, Confidential Assistant, Office of the White House Liaison, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Christine Park-Gonzalez, District Director, Los Angeles District, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Moderator: Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Biographies

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Melody Gonzales is a community-oriented leader committed to building the capacity of organizations and leaders shaping a brighter, more equitable future for our nation. She leads the White House Hispanic Initiative, an office created by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14045 and housed under the leadership of Secretary Miguel Cardona at the U.S. Department of Education. The Initiative works to advance education, equity and economic goals in partnership with the White House, federal agencies and external stakeholders; lead a 21-member commission; run a federal Interagency work group centered in advancing equity and access to federal resources for the Latino community; and lead in-person and virtual public engagement efforts. Melody joined the Administration from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators – where she managed Latino grants, partnerships and advocacy work. Her prior experience includes serving: on the Biden-Harris transition team’s Office of Personnel Management Agency Review Team; as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee in the Obama-Biden Administration — serving first as the U.S Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Chief of Staff and then as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Deputy Chief of Staff; as a Legislative Assistant then Director of Member Outreach for former Congressman Xavier Becerra and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus; as the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda’s Founding Director of the Latino Appointments Program and LatinasRepresent.

Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Julie Chavez Rodriguez Julie Chávez Rodriguez currently serves as Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, she served as a Deputy Campaign Manager on the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. Before that, she was the National Political Director and traveling Chief of Staff for then-Senator Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Before launching Senator Harris’ campaign, she served as California State Director in her Senate office. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Chávez Rodriguez served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Deputy Director of Public Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement. She also worked in the Department of the Interior as the Director of Youth Employment and as Deputy Press Secretary to former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. She is the former Director of Programs at the César E. Chávez Foundation. A native of California, she is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education

Catherine Lhamon Catherine E. Lhamon is the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, where she has served since the United States Senate confirmed her in October 2021 following President Biden’s nomination for her in May 2021. From January through October 2021, Assistant Secretary Lhamon served as Deputy Assistant to President Biden for Racial Justice and Equity, where she managed the President’s equity policy portfolio. From December 2016 until January 2021, she chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, to which President Obama appointed her. She also served in California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Cabinet as Legal Affairs Secretary from January 2019 through January 2021. Before these roles, Lhamon had also been Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, to which President Obama nominated her and the Senate confirmed her in 2013. In addition to her government service, Lhamon has litigated civil rights cases at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, National Center for Youth Law, and Public Counsel Law Center. Earlier in her career, Lhamon taught federal civil rights appeals at Georgetown University Law Center in the Appellate Litigation Program and clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2023, Disability Rights California honored Lhamon with their National Leadership Award. YaleWomen honored Lhamon with their Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in 2019 and the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. Magazine gave Lhamon their Wonder Women Award in 2018. In 2016, Politico Magazine named Lhamon one of Politico 50 Thinkers Transforming Politics and the National Action Network honored Lhamon with their Action & Authority Award. In 2015, Yale Law School named Lhamon their Gruber Distinguished Lecturer and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities awarded Lhamon their Special Recognition Award. Chronicle of Higher Education named Lhamon to their 2014 Influence List as the Enforcer. The Daily Journal listed her as one of California’s Top Women Litigators in 2010 and 2007, and as one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007. In 2004, California Lawyer magazine named Lhamon Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights. Lhamon received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was the Outstanding Woman Law Graduate, and she graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College.

Tara Ramsey, Director of the Office of Migrant Education, U.S. Department of Education

Tara Ramsey has served the migrant and seasonal farmworker community for over twenty years, starting her career in migrant education as the assistant director of a High School Equivalency Program (HEP) in Missouri. At the Federal level in migrant education, Tara has served as a program officer for the HEP, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and Migrant Education Program (MEP); she has also been a team leader and group leader for the HEP/CAMP. Tara left OME to take on the director role in the Office of Indian Education and, later, in the Office of State and Grantee Relations within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. In April of 2021, she volunteered to work with the youth crossing the Southern border, and then returned in July 2021 as Acting Director of the Office of Migrant Education. In March 2022, Tara became the Director of the Office of Migrant Education. She has a background in teaching, including teaching and designing curriculum in Mexico for the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM).

Laura Ibañez, Unit Chief, Specialty National Programs, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Laura Ibanez Laura Ibañez oversees the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Farmworker Jobs Program and Monitor Advocate System, which focus on ensuring migrant and seasonal farmworkers have access to career services, upskilling training, safe and sanitary housing, and workforce protections to improve their living and working conditions. Drawing on her domestic and international experience with expanding access to equitable services, Ibañez critically assesses the intersection between policy and practice to empower partners to develop effective programs that have a positive impact on their communities. Prior to this position, Ibañez’s work focused on influencing policy to cultivate a workforce that includes youth with disabilities, developing community-driven solutions for exploited youth, and supporting sexual assault survivors through their healing process. Ibañez holds a master’s degree in urban policy analysis and management from The New School and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Silvia Fabela, Senior Advisor for Immigration and Labor, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Silvia Fabela Silvia joined the USDA with more than 15 years of experience in policy and organizing work in the progressive and labor movements. She is an experienced and resourceful leader with an aptitude for building consensus. Silvia previously served as the Program Director for Local Progress, a network of progressive local elected officials focused on advancing a racial and economic justice agenda by utilizing the power of municipal government. She led Local Progress’ work on immigrant protections, economic justice, and public safety. She grew her team threefold, expanding the policy work to include evergreen education on a wide array of issues and helping envision and implement a healthy work culture. Before joining Local Progress, Silvia led the AFL-CIO’s young worker leadership development program, developing the next generation of labor leaders from across the country as they advanced in their unions. Before that, she worked at the United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), where she organized retail workers. In this role, Silvia’s work resulted in raises for 1.2 million workers in the retail industry, accommodations for pregnant workers at a national retailer, and the country’s most significant grassroots Black Friday protests in 2012. In addition to her issue-based organizing, Silvia has worked on multiple congressional and presidential races, turning out the vote among union members in Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Silvia earned her Bachelor of Arts from Monmouth College in western Illinois, where she studied political science, psychology, and Spanish. She is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School program on Leadership, Organizing, and Action, and she also holds a certificate in the Psychology of Leadership from Cornell University. She is a first-generation Latina who was born to two Mexican-American immigrants. Fabela understands that her family thrived in the United States because they had quality jobs that allowed them to live in a safe community with excellent public schools, roads, libraries, and other plentiful resources. She is called to public service work because she understands how structural systems play a pivotal role in the ability of communities of color to flourish.

Fabiola E. Torres-Lara, Confidential Assistant, White House Liaison Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Fabiola Torres Lara Fabiola is the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, a first-generation college student, and a former poultry farmworker alongside with her mother. She recently earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Fabiola comes from very humble beginnings and is proud of both her Mexican and Southern roots and strives to serve her community. During her time at UNC, she completed both the Into the Fields program and Solidaridad program as an intern with the Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) nonprofit organization. Through these programs, she collaborated with farmworkers and supported farmworker youth in their development as students, leaders, and activists fighting for farmworker rights. She has recently worked on (2) research studies with the Wake Forest School of Medicine in efforts to bring awareness to the longitudinal health effects of farm-working conditions to advocate for stronger labor law protections for child farmworkers nationwide. She is an advocate for better living and working conditions, increased equity, justice, awareness, and respect for the Latinx community and other groups that have been historically and continue to be underserved. She believes that everyone (regardless of their background) deserves a fair and equal opportunity in today’s job market and society. By serving at USDA, she hopes to help make the world (both locally and globally) more sustainable, healthier, and equitable for all.

Christine Park-Gonzalez, District Director, Los Angeles District, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Christine Park-Gonzalez currently serves as the District Director for the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC enforces federal laws which prohibit discrimination in the workplace. As such, she oversees the processing of employment discrimination charges filed within the Los Angeles District which includes Central and Southern California, Southern Nevada, the state of Hawaii, and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, Wake Islands and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Christine joined the EEOC in 2001, initially as an Enforcement Investigator, later serving as an Enforcement Supervisor and then as the Program Analyst for Outreach & Public Relations. She was appointed to the Deputy District Director position in 2015, Acting District Director since October 2021. In February of 2023, Christine was appointed the District Director for the Los Angeles District by Chair Charlotte Burrows. Christine has served on national EEOC task forces established to address how to enhance services for groups such as immigrant and migrant workers, human trafficking victims and small businesses. Christine is a former news reporter and earned a B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of California at Berkeley.

Conversaciones con Líderes webinar, Latina Educators Advancing Equity and Excellence Through Multilingualism, Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Conversaciones con lideres for Women's History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics hosted Conversaciones con Líderes webinar, Latina Educators Advancing Equity and Excellence Through Multilingualism, on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Providing better opportunities for our students to become multilingual is one of U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar priorities. During this webinar, Latina educators uplifted their personal stories and share professional examples of how they are advancing equity and economic opportunity through multilingual education.

Paticipants heard from leaders from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Association for Bilingual Education, teacher unions and schools across the country as they shared information and inspiration – encouraging educators and advocates to leverage multilingualism in their communities, pursue professions in education and join us in empowering students to recognize, as Secretary Cardona always says, that multilingualism is a superpower. They also hear from a special guest – the winner of NABE’s bilingual student essay contest!

Speakers Include:

Montserrat Garibay, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Dr. Brenda Calderon, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Gladys Marquez, Executive Committee Officer, National Education Association
Evelyn DeJesus, Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers and President, National Association for Bilingual Education
Sonia Aguila, 2nd Grade Teacher, Canalino Elementary School, 2022 California Association for Bilingual Education and 2023 National Association for Bilingual Education Teacher of the Year
Carolina De Anda-Treviño, 3rd Grade Dual Language Teacher, Blanca Sanchez Elementary School
Moderator: Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Featuring a poem reading by the 2023 National Association for Bilingual Education Student Essay Winner

Biographies

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Melody joined the Administration from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators – where she managed Latino grants, partnerships and advocacy work. Her prior experience includes serving: on the Biden-Harris transition team’s Office of Personnel Management Agency Review Team; as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee in the Obama-Biden Administration — serving first as the U.S Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Chief of Staff and then as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Deputy Chief of Staff; as a Legislative Assistant then Director of Member Outreach for former Congressman Xavier Becerra and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus; as the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda’s Founding Director of the Latino Appointments Program and LatinasRepresent.

Montserrat Garibay, Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Montserrat Garibay is the Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. Previously she was the secretary-treasurer of the Texas American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and served as vice president for Certified Employees with Education Austin. Ms. Garibay was a bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher for eight years and a National Board-Certified Teacher. She is a graduate of the National Labor Leadership Initiative with the Worker Institute at Cornell University and is a University of Texas-Austin graduate with a master’s degree in Education. An activist on education and immigration issues, Garibay came to the U.S. from Mexico City as an undocumented immigrant and became a citizen 20 years later. She has been instrumental in promoting opportunities for all students, including those from immigrant families.

Dr. Brenda Calderon, Senior Advisor in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Dr. Brenda Calderon is Senior Advisor in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Biden- Harris administration at the U.S. Department of Education. She formerly
served as the Senior Director for Policy at New Leaders. Prior to this role she was a Program Officer with the U.S. Department of Education where she oversaw millions of dollars in
state grants to support schools with low-income students, support services for English learners and improve teacher professional development. In 2020, she was appointed as a State Board Member for the Virginia Community College System by Governor Ralph Northam. She holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA, a M.A. in Education from Loyola Marymount University and a PhD in Education Policy from George Mason University.

Evelyn DeJesus, Executive Vice President, America Federation of Teachers

Since 2019, Evelyn DeJesus has been the executive vice president of the 1.7-million-member American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, the first Latino/a officer in the union’s 105-year history. A skilled teacher and administrator, DeJesus is a forceful advocate for justice—undaunted and unafraid to speak truth to power. Elected as an AFT vice president in 2014, she chairs the AFT Latino Issues Task Force and serves as the presiding officer of the AFT Asian American and Pacific Islander Task Force and the newly created AFT LGBTQIA+ Task Force. In 2021, she joined the executive boards of the AFL-CIO and the Solidarity Center and became secretary-treasurer of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. At the AFL-CIO, she serves on the Racial Justice Task Force (and the Subcommittee on Reimagining Federated Bodies), the Immigration Committee and the board for the Maritime Trades Department. She also serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the National Immigration Forum and was recently elected to serve as president of the National Association for Bilingual Education. In December 2022, she was appointed by the Biden administration to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. A native Puertorriqueña who grew up in New York City’s Lower East Side, DeJesus traveled an unexpected road from engaged parent to educator and trade unionist. When one of her daughters became ill during a school construction project, DeJesus publicly exposed the toxic environment, caused by asbestos. Her courageous whistleblowing actions led to the Great Asbestos Scandal of 1993 and a citywide shutdown of the schools until asbestos could be safely removed from school buildings. She began her education career as a state-certified parent educator and then as an assistant director for the Even Start Program for pregnant teens, all while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. As an early childhood teacher and reading specialist, she taught for two decades in New York’s Chinatown and has made literacy and support for multilingual learners her signature curricular issues. DeJesus’ spirituality extends into every aspect of her life, and she credits her faith for her achievements. DeJesus is also a chaplain under the New York State Chaplain Task Force. She is the proud wife of Louie and the mother of two beautiful daughters, Tiffany and Kristina. She has been blessed with five grandchildren.

Gladys Fátima Márquez, Executive Committee, National Education Association

Gladys Marquez Gladys Fátima Márquez is a high school bilingual English Language Learners (ELL) Teacher with over 20 years of classroom experience. She was elected to the NEA Executive Committee in 2021 for a three-year term. As the past Chair of the NEA Hispanic Caucus, Gladys organized nationwide events to raise awareness about the plight of immigrants in America, including “Teach-Ins” at immigration detention centers, humanitarian missions to shelters at the border, and helped organize massive marches in protest of the national policy leading to the separation of immigrant families and the incarceration of immigrant children. Gladys also lobbied and led efforts in support of a clean Dream Act and fought for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), advocated for Deferred Action for Parental Adjustment (DAPA), and helped facilitate countless “Know-Your-Rights” clinics to help protect immigrant communities across the nation. Her goal has always been focused on the advocacy and protection of those living in the shadows of America’s broken immigration system.

Gladys began her education career in Midlothian, Illinois in 1996 working as a parent liaison, Spanish language translator, in her sons’ elementary school. In 2000, she began her teaching career as a 7th grade bilingual/ELL student and has since taught students in grades ranging from kindergarten to adult education. Gladys holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts Education, a Master of Arts in secondary school administration, and a Doctor of Education in multi- and interdisciplinary studies, all from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois.

Sonia Aguila, 2nd Grade Dual Language Immersion Teacher at Canalino Elementary School

Sonia Aguila Born in Santa Barbara, California. Grew up in a small town near Guadalajara, Mexico. Returned to California at age 11 only knowing how to count to ten in English. Was selected high school Salutatorian, and Latino Student of the Year in College. Attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Obtained an Elementary Teaching Credential with emphasis in Spanish and Masters Degree in Education in 1998. 2nd grade Dual Language Immersion Teacher at Canalino Elementary School, Carpinteria, CA. 25th year as an educator. Co-wrote the Plan Maestro for the Dual Language Immersion Program for Carpinteria Unified School District. Currently the Dual Language Immersion Chairperson for CUSD. Was selected Carpinteria Unified School District Teacher of the Year, 2017. California Bilingual Teacher of the Year, 2022. National Bilingual Teacher of the Year, 2023. Radio host, producer and director of Festival Infantil, a children’s radio show. Radio Bronco 107.7 FM. Columnist: Latino Newspaper. Education section. Mentor Teacher: University of California, Santa Barbara. Westmont College Teacher Credential Advisory Board. Lifelong learner pursuing a PhD. Lives in California with her high school sweetheart and 3 beautiful children.

Carolina De Anda-Treviño, 3rd Grade Dual Language Teacher at Blanca Sanchez Elementary School

Carolina De Anda Trevino Persisting on with my 1st year of service in McAllen Independent School District, I’m currently teaching 3rd grade Dual Language at Blanca Sanchez Elementary School. I received my Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in both Bilingual Education and Mexican American Studies from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and I’m currently pursuing my M.Ed in Bilingual Education from The University of Texas at El Paso. I was inspired to become a maestra because as the largest group of emergent bilinguals in the U.S., Latinx students need teachers to advocate with and for them; to invite them into a culturally and linguistically sustaining learning space that has often viewed them as visitors to, rather than owners of, the classroom. I view my teaching as an opportunity para abrir caminos for others and amplify the voices of those who have been labeled as “less likely to achieve” in the education system in order to foster students’ role as agents of social change.

African American, Afro-Latino & Black-Hispanic Leaders Advancing Equity and Excellence Through Public Service, Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Black History Month Conversaciones con Lideres flyer

Black History Month provides an opportunity to celebrate, and learn from, the contributions and achievements of Black Americans – including the 6 million Afro-Latino and Black-Hispanic leaders who make up 12 percent of the Latino community.

On Tuesday, February 28, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics hosted its Conversaciones con Líderes zoom event on the inspirational stories of Afro-Latino members of Congress and senior Biden-Harris Administration officials whose African American, Afro-Latino and Black-Hispanic roots are shaping their remarkable journeys in advancing historic equity, education, economic opportunity and public service efforts.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:   

U.S. Members of Congress

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, New York 13th Congressional District 

Congressman Adriano Espaillat U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat proudly represents New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District. Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, during the 115th Congress and is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and is ranking member of the legislative branch subcommittee on the committee. Additionally, Representative Espaillat serves on the House Budget Committee.

He is Deputy Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Representative Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and is a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. Through his committee assignments and caucus leadership positions, Representative Espaillat helps advance and amplify legislative priorities and accomplishments that aim to improve the lives of families around the nation. Together with his Democratic colleagues, Representative Espaillat worked to pass more than 900 bills during the 116th Congress, including bipartisan legislation to clean up government, defend access to affordable health care, lower prescription drug costs, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, invest in our nation’s infrastructure, and support policies for job creation and economic growth. Additionally, during the 116th Congress, Representative Espaillat introduced more than 40 bills and resolutions aimed at improving the lives of constituents, helping small businesses become more competitive and recover from the pandemic, protecting the rights of immigrants, securing funds to complete the Second Avenue Subway’s extension into East Harlem, and helping to secure federal grant funding for New York’s 13th congressional district.

A steadfast champion for working- and middle-class New Yorkers, Representative Espaillat is a staunch advocate of a fair living wage, immediate and effective investments in affordable housing, meaningful criminal justice reform, infrastructure improvements, expanded youth programs, and better educational opportunities.

Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Florida 10th Congressional District

Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost The first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, Maxwell Alejandro Frost is proud to represent the people of Central Florida (FL-10) in the United States House of Representatives. As a young Member of Congress and Afro-Latino, Congressman Frost brings a fresh, progressive perspective to an institution formerly out of reach for young, working Black and Latino Americans. Frost was adopted at birth and raised in the very community he now represents. His mother, a Cuban American, came to the U.S. during the freedom flights in the late 1960s and became a special needs teacher in Central Florida, inspiring his advocacy for supporting future generations through education. And his father, a full-time musician, taught Congressman Frost his love for music, gifting him his first drum set and igniting his passion for the arts. As a former organizer, musician, and community activist, Frost was inspired to get to work at 15 years old after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary claimed the lives of 26 innocent people. From that moment on, Frost dedicated his life to fighting against gun violence and empowering communities across Florida and the U.S. to get behind gun reform, including joining forces with those affected by the Parkland and Pulse shootings to shed light on this epidemic. In 2016, after years of organizing and advocacy work, Frost himself became a survivor of gun violence after witnessing a shooting in downtown Orlando. The experience only further committed Frost to fight for commonsense solutions to this senseless loss of life through leadership roles at ACLU and eventually March for Our Lives, where he served as National Organizing Director. Now, as a freshman member, Frost has been appointed to the powerful Committee on Oversight and Accountability, where he will deliver on his mission of ushering justice and transparency to Floridians while fighting against House Republicans extremist attempts to politicize the work of the committee by attacking democracy and promoting ridiculous MAGA conspiracies. Frost will additionally use his post on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Congressman Frost, to support Central Florida’s burgeoning status as a simulation tech hub, which employs a strong workforce across major industries in Orlando, such as aerospace, defense, healthcare, and aviation. Congressman Frost will also use his committee post to reaffirm Florida’s status as a central hub for NASA and space exploration. In Congress, Frost is committed to representing the people of his hometown in Orlando and Central Florida and being their voice in Washington, D.C. Frost is laser-focused on working to deliver change and results on issues of housing affordability, healthcare, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, transportation, justice reform, climate change and more.

Biden-Harris Administration Appointees

Nuria Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Administrator Nuria Fernandez Nuria Fernandez was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on June 10, 2021. She was previously appointed as Deputy Administrator and senior FTA official on January 20, 2021. With more than 35 years of experience, Fernandez made a name for herself as an inspiring leader in the transportation industry. She came to FTA after serving as General Manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), where she was responsible for 2,100 employees and oversaw projects, programs, and transit services that provide mobility solutions for more than two million people who live and work in the Silicon Valley. Among the highlights of her tenure at VTA was the completion of the first Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail service into Silicon Valley, a 10-mile, $3 billion line that opened to passenger service in June 2020. She also received federal approval in 2018 to extend the heavy rail service for another six miles. When completed in 2026, the heavy rail service will total 16 miles of rail and six stations that will provide transit alternatives for tens of thousands of commuters in and around the Silicon Valley. Fernandez is also responsible for the creation of VTA’s Innovation Center, an incubator to encourage collaboration, test the latest technology, and imagine new ways to keep the valley moving forward by leveraging the expertise of Silicon Valley’s high-tech corporations and universities. Prior to leading VTA, Fernandez served in leadership positions at some of the busiest transit agencies in America, including Chief Operating Officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Senior Vice President of Design and Construction for the Chicago Transit Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, consecutively. She also served as Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Aviation, overseeing O’Hare and Midway Airports. In 1997, Fernandez was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Acting Administrator of FTA, where she led the agency’s programs, including $1 billion in annual grant funding to local communities for planning, design, and construction of new and expanding rail and bus systems. She served as Chair of the American Public Transportation Association from 2019-2020 and on the boards of the Mineta Transportation Institute, The Transportation Learning Center and on the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board. Fernandez was born and raised in Panama City, Panama. She holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University in Chicago.  

Alexis Holmes, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans

Executive Director Alexis Holmes Alexis K. Holmes is the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans, housed within the U.S. Department of Education. As the first woman and mom to lead the initiative, Mrs. Holmes brings more than 25 years of experience in government, public affairs, and public policy to proactively engage the black community on key priorities such as early childhood education, teacher diversity, black family voices, STEM access, and equitable distribution of federal resources. With an updated focus on equity and economic opportunity, the initiative, under her leadership, works collaboratively with more than two dozen interagency partners and national black organizations to coordinate and increase opportunities for black students, families, and communities. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Mrs. Holmes was policy manager in the National Education Association’s (NEA) Education Policy and Implementation Center. In this role, she advocated and advanced policies to support public education and working families at the national, state, and local level. Following the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, Mrs. Holmes was instrumental in coordinating educators across the country to actively engage their state and local policymakers in order to take advantage of the Act’s historic resource allocation. Previously, she was responsible for a policy portfolio that included secondary schools, career and technical education, and family engagement. Joining the NEA in 2007, Mrs. Homes was part of the inaugural team that led the organization’s national outreach and engagement of the Black community. Before joining the NEA, Mrs. Holmes was Director of Federal Relations at College Board, where she worked closely with educators, institutions, community advocates, and civil rights allies to advance policies that supported every student’s postsecondary aspiration, preparation, and success. Mrs. Holmes is a graduate of West Virginia University’s School of Journalism with a focus on public relations and political science. She and her husband reside in Virginia, and are proud parents of a college freshman, high school junior, and spirited Belgian Malinois.

Dr. Dietra Trent, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historical Black Colleges and Universities

Executive Director Dr. Dietra Trent Dietra Trent earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Hampton University and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has over twenty-five years of experience working to advance equity for Virginia’s most disadvantaged populations. Most recently, she served in several leadership positions at George Mason University, including chief of staff and interim VP for Compliance, Diversity, and Ethics. In 2016, Dr. Trent was appointed as Virginia’s Secretary of Education. Prior to her appointment, she served as Deputy Secretary of Education, a position she also held during the administration of then-Governor Tim Kaine. Having served in the Administrations of three former Governors (including Mark Warner), as well as the Office of Congressman Bobby Scott, she has a wealth of federal, state, and higher education experience.

Moderator: Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics 

Conversaciones con Líderes Webinar on Advancing Educational Equity and Investing in Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Friday, October 7, 2022

Conversaciones con lideres Education event

On Friday, October 7th, we continued our Conversaciones con Líderes zoom featuring Biden-Harris Administration appointees and career staff working at the U.S. Department of Education.

This was a special opportunity to meet, and hear from, some of our outstanding colleagues who’ll share their inspiring personal journeys and updates on their work advancing educational equity, supporting Latino and English language learners and strengthening the capacity of our nation’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Joaquin Tamayo, Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Montserrat Garibay, Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, U.S. Department of Education
Chris Soto, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education
Beatriz Ceja, Senior Director for Institutional Service, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor, Office of Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

BIOGRAPHIES:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Melody Gonzales Melody joins the U.S. Department of Education from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators. Her prior experience includes serving: on the Biden-Harris transition team’s Office of Personnel Management Agency Review Team; as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee in the Obama-Biden Administration — serving first as the U.S Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Chief of Staff and then as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; as a Legislative Assistant then Director of Member Outreach for former Congressman Xavier Becerra and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus; and as the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda’s Founding Director of the Latino Appointments Program.

Joaquin Tamayo, Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Joaquin Tamayo

Joaquin Tamayo, a former high school teacher and principal, is Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and a proud LGBTQ+ member of the Biden-Harris Administration. In this capacity, Joaquin supports Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten’s leadership on national PreK-12 policy and departmental budget, operations, and management. Joaquin also leads ED’s STEM and innovation portfolios as well as the Administration’s National Partnership for Student Success. Previously, Joaquin was a Senior Policy Advisor at EducationCounsel where he helped create and lead the Science of Learning and Development Alliance, and co-founded and was National Director of the Middle School Kindness Challenge (now Teach Kindness) at Stand for Children. Between 2014 and 2017, Joaquin served in the Obama Administration, first as special assistant to the assistant secretary and then as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Elementary and Secondary Education at ED. Joaquin was also a member of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Federal Taskforce. Prior to his Obama Administration service, Joaquin was assistant director of the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program, where he managed the Aspen Congressional Education Staff Network. And, in 2005, he led a team of educators to found the Urban Assembly Academy of Government and Law (AGL), a small, government and law-themed public high school in New York City’s Lower East Side. Joaquin began his career in education as a social studies teacher and student activities director in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where his mother has taught middle school children for 41 years. Joaquin holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University, a master in public affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and is a graduate of the New Leaders for New Schools urban principal residency program.

Montserrat Garibay, Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, U.S. Department of Education

Montserrat Garibay

Montserrat Garibay is the Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. She was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO. Previously, she served as Vice President for Certified Employees with Education Austin, a merged union local with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations. Garibay came to the U.S. from Mexico City as an undocumented immigrant and became a citizen 20 years later.. A bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher for eight years and National Board-Certified Teacher. She is a graduate of the National Labor Leadership Initiative with the Worker Institute at Cornell University. Garibay is a University of Texas -Austin graduate with a Master of Education.

Chris Soto, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education

Chris Soto

Chris Soto currently serves as Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona. He’s held previous roles in Connecticut state government, first being elected State Representative to the CT General Assembly followed by roles as Governor Ned Lamont’s Legislative Director and Director of Innovation and Partnerships at the CT State Department of Education. Chris entered the education field following his active-duty service as a Coast Guard Officer and returned to the Coast Guard Academy as Assistant Director of Diversity. Soon after, he founded and served as Executive Director of Higher Edge, a college access and completion organization serving Eastern CT’s low-income & first-generation college-bound students. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in Operations Research from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and his Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA) from Brown University.

Beatriz Ceja, Senior Director for Institutional Service, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Beatriz Ceja is the Senior Director for Institutional Service in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role she has oversight responsibilities of four Divisions that administer several multimillion-dollar programs that support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, (HSIs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) along with other programs that seek to improve college access, completion, and affordability. Prior to her current role, she served as the Director for the HSID where she was responsible for the administration of the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions, the Promoting Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans and the HSI STEM and Articulation programs. Prior to joining the Office of Postsecondary Education, she served as a Program Manager for the Teacher Quality Programs in the Office of Innovation and Improvement. As a Program Manager she oversaw the administration of several discretionary programs including: Race to the Top District, Teacher Quality Partnership, School Leadership, Supporting Effective Educators, and Transition to Teaching. Mrs. Ceja has also served as the federal liaison to the states of Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Mrs. Ceja has presented at numerous education conferences on school leadership, teacher quality, migrant students, and cultural literacy. Fellowships include, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellowship Program, the Department’s Excellence in Government Fellows Program, and the Executive Leadership Program. Mrs. Ceja earned her BA in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her MA in Education and Human Development with an emphasis in Bilingual Education and Special Education from George Washington University.

Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor, Office of Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

Ashley Harrington

Ashley Harrington is the senior advisor to the Chief Operating Officer at the Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. In this role, she advises the COO on policy implementation, operations, and external communications related to the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. Prior to joining FSA, Ashley served as federal advocacy director and senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). Ashley led CRL’s federal advocacy efforts, helping to shape fair lending and consumer protection reforms to address racial wealth disparities. Her portfolio included a range of consumer lending issues, with a focus on student debt reform. Ashley also previously worked at UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) and in the New York Governor’s Office. She is the author of articles and reports on student debt, particularly as it affects Black borrowers; a frequent media contributor; and she has provided testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee and Small Business Committee. Ashley received her B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from UNC-Chapel Hill and her J.D. from New York University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in New York.

Conversaciones con Líderes Series: Climate and Environmental Justice, Friday, September 30, 2022

Graphic for the conversaciones con lideres on climate and environmental justice

On September 30th, we continued our weekly Conversaciones con Líderes zoom series featuring Biden-Harris Administration officials and community leaders sharing their inspiring personal journeys and updates on federal opportunities that uplift the Latino community. Attendees learned more about the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Justice40 Initiative, Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) awards program and other initiatives that are advancing environmental justice, investing in Latino communities, building a clean energy future in America that is creating good-paying jobs, lowering energy costs, and tackling the climate crisis.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Sara Gonzalez-Rothi, Senior Director for Water, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Alejandra Nunez, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Mobile Sources, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Sonrisa Lucero, Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy
Andrea Suarez Falken, Special Advisor for Infrastructure and Sustainability, U.S. Department of Education
Mark Magaña, President and CEO, GreenLatinos

BIOGRAPHIES

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Melody Gonzales

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics . Melody joins the U.S. Department of Education from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators. Her prior experience includes serving: on the Biden-Harris transition team’s Office of Personnel Management Agency Review Team; as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee in the Obama-Biden Administration — serving first as the U.S Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Chief of Staff and then as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; as a Legislative Assistant then Director of Member Outreach for former Congressman Xavier Becerra and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus; and as the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda’s Founding Director of the Latino Appointments Program.

Sara Gonzalez-Rothi, Senior Director for Water, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Sarah Gonzalez-Rothi

Sara Gonzalez-Rothi serves as Senior Director for Water at CEQ, where she leads policy development and coordination of federal interagency initiatives on freshwater, saltwater, drinking water, drought, and toxics. Prior to CEQ, Gonzalez-Rothi was most recently senior counsel on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, where developed legislation and conducted oversight on matters related to oceans, fisheries, clean energy, and other climate issues. Sara previously worked as legislative counsel and Everglades fellow to then-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla., now NASA Administrator), where she helped craft the RESTORE Act in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. She has also worked with the National Wildlife Federation and with the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition. The 38-year-old Gainesville, Florida native, whose mother is Norwegian and a scientist and father is a physician from Matanzas, Cuba, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from the University of Miami.

Alejandra Nunez, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Mobile Sources, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Alejandra Nunez

Alejandra Nunez is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Mobile Sources, Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ale’s work at EPA focuses on reducing pollution from the transportation sector, including overseeing the development of emissions standards for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Clean School Bus Program, implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard Program, and the integration of environmental justice in climate policy. Prior to being appointed to her current position at the EPA, she served as a senior attorney at the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, where her work focused on litigation and regulatory advocacy on federal climate regulations. Before the Sierra Club, Deputy Assistant Administrator Nunez worked as associate counsel at the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency, advising on public-private partnerships in the energy and water infrastructure sectors. She was also an associate at Morrison & Foerster, representing clients on public trust issues, carbon sequestration projects, and conservation easements, and she taught a seminar on Advanced Energy Law at the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington, D.C. Deputy Assistant Administrator Nunez holds Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) and Masters of Law (LL.M.) degrees from Harvard Law School, and a law degree (LL.B.) from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. During her studies, she interned at UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme and was also a research fellow at Stanford University’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development.

Sonrisa Lucero, Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy

Sonrisa Lucero is a Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. Sonrisa Lucero was most recently the Equitable Buildings Decarbonization Manager at RMI where she led the efforts to integrate equity into carbon free buildings policy and advocacy. Previously she worked to advance equitable sustainability and climate policy at the City and County of Denver in the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency. A lifelong activist for social justice, Sonrisa is skilled at building coalitions and guiding diverse stakeholders to equitably advance sustainability and combat climate change. Sonrisa was born and raised in Denver, CO and graduated from Stanford University with an Individually Designed Major, Environmental Systems Engineering.

Andrea Suarez Falken, Special Advisor for Infrastructure and Sustainability, U.S. Department of Education

Andrea Faulken

Andrea Suarez Falken serves as Special Advisor for Infrastructure and Sustainability at the U.S. Department of Education, which includes overseeing the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition award. This award is a communications and outreach tool responding to a widely supported public request that Falken has built from the ground up. Beyond the recognition award, Falken has come to lead the Department on matters related to school environment, sustainability, and infrastructure. Falken began her federal tenure as a Presidential Management Fellow within the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Early in her career, she taught and translated languages in France and Spain and worked in nonprofit international education. She earned both of her degrees — a master’s from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s from Colgate University — with high honors. Since 2014, the Washington, D.C. native has overseen the Department’s environment, sustainability, and infrastructure portfolio from her home in northern Colorado, where her household includes two active boys who are intrigued by the natural world and a state natural resources agency administrator who cultivates their sense of wonder. In her spare time, she enjoys distance running, commuting her boys on electric cargo bikes, skiing, and camping.

Mark Magaña, President and CEO, GreenLatinos

Mark Magana

Mark Magaña is the Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos, a National network of Latino environmental and conservation advocates. Mark is the first Latino to have served as senior staff at both the White House and in Congressional leadership – as Special Assistant to President Clinton for White House Legislative Affairs and Senior Policy Advisor to the House Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair Robert Menendez. Mark also served as a Presidentially appointed Congressional Liaison at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as Legislative Assistant to Congressional Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA), as a Federal Legislative Representative for the City of Los Angeles, and as a Research Assistant for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). As an early supporter of Senator Obama’s Presidential Campaign, in February of 2007, Mark founded the National Latinos for Obama. Through Latinos for Obama, he helped build a national grassroots organization and mobilization effort. Originally from Los Angeles, Mark lived in Washington, DC for 30 years and just recently moved to Boulder, CO with his wife and young children, where he serves on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters, Green 2.0, and the Children’s Environmental Health Network.

Conversaciones con Líderes Series: Economic Empowerment, Thursday, September 22, 2022

Graphic for conversaciones con lideres on economic empowerment

On September 22nd, we launched our weekly Conversaciones con Líderes zoom series. This week’s theme is on economic empowerment. Attendees learned about how the efforts like the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Student Debt Relief Plan, Inflation Reduction Act and other initiatives are supporting the economic well-being of Hispanic community and how you can tap into key federal resources.

SPEAKERS:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Carlos Monje, U.S. Department of Transportation, Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
Marlene Cintron, U.S. Small Business Administration, Regional Administrator, Atlantic Region
Calvin Mitchell, U.S. Department of Education, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Domenika Lynch, Executive Director, Latinos and Society Program, Aspen Institute

BIOGRAPHIES:

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Carlos Monje, U.S. Department of Transportation, Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy

Carlos Monje Monje managed the agency review process for domestic agencies for the Biden-Harris Transition. Monje previously served as Acting Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation where he oversaw implementation of surface transportation programs, the discretionary grant programs, and efforts to promote equity and economic development. Monje is the first in his family born in the United States. His family is from Argentina.

Marlene Cintron, U.S. Small Business Administration, Regional Administrator, Atlantic Region

Marlene Cintrone As Region II Administrator, Marlene Cintron will oversee SBA programs, offices and operations in the SBA’s Atlantic region, serving New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ms. Cintron was born and raised in The Bronx. During her trajectory, she has worked for Congressman Robert Garcia, Mayor David N. Dinkins, Governor Pedro Rosello of Puerto Rico, and New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. In 2010, she was named President of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and The Business Initiative Corporation of New York where she utilizes her government relations and financial acumen to support current and prospective Bronx businesses. Ms. Cintron received her bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Old Westbury, her Master’s in Education Administration from Fordham University and her Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC.

Calvin Mitchell, U.S. Department of Education, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Calvin Mitchell In 2020, Calvin J. Mitchell, Jr. joined the U.S. Department of Education (ED) leadership team as the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). As Director, Mr. Mitchell is responsible for implementing policies and initiatives throughout the Department to ensure that all socioeconomic categories of small business are afforded opportunities to compete for contracts. Prior to joining the Department, Mitchell served as the Branch Chief of the Accounts Management Division at the General Services Administration. Mitchell led the organization toward meeting Government-wide strategic goals to support all 24 CFO Act agency vision, mission, and strategic goals. Separately, Mr. Mitchell served as a Congressional Fellow for the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. In this position, he served as the Principal Procurement Advisor to Committee leadership and provided guidance and oversight to Members and Committee staff on procurement, small business programs, and related acquisition issues within the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Mitchell has also held leadership positions at the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.

Domenika Lynch, Executive Director, Latinos and Society Program, Aspen Institute

Domenika Lynch is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program (AILAS). Lynch has overseen strategic planning, policy advocacy, and public affairs campaigns for nonprofits and corporations, increasing donor and stakeholder support and raising millions of dollars for organizational endowments. Lynch currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Management Foundation and serves on Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council which advises the bank on community development, environmental and consumer policy issues. From July 2016 to May 2019, Lynch served as president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the preeminent Latino leadership institute founded by Hispanic members of Congress in Washington, DC. A graduate of the USC Price School of Public Policy, Lynch holds a master’s degree from the USC Rossier School of Education.

RESOURCES:

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Waiver – Deadline 10/31
Student loan debt relief information
Affordable connectivity program
Federal agencies’ equity plans
Federal career opportunities
Learn more about the President’s Justice 40 initiative to help Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.