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"There is this basic value that whatever you do, you do for the community and the family. It is not about you as an individual. Yes, it is important to do well, but because it will enable others to do well. Even in the midst of dire circumstances, people will say let me see if I can help." -- ---Honorable Anna Escobedo Cabral, Former US Treasurer

Peter Bloch Garcia is a Program Officer at the Marguerite Casey Foundation.  Peter’s responsibilities include identifying, developing and soliciting grant proposals, conducting site visits and preparing grant recommendations.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Peter served as Associate Program Officer in the Research and Evaluation department of the education division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  Prior to entering the philanthropic field, he worked as a secondary-level classroom teacher. Peter holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. 

Carmen Carrero de Esparza uses her expertise in the areas of marketing and advertising to give back to the community through the Latino Community Fund. She was the Strategic Planning Director for McCann Erickson and senior marketing officer of ITU/Telecom, the United Nations body responsible for telecommunications. Carmen has also worked with J. Walter Thompson and Quaker Oats. She is a psychologist with graduate studies in social psychology and business administration completed, in her native Venezuela and at Duke University, North Carolina.

 

John Paul Chaisson-Cardenas his passion and success has been in economic development and international business. Her background includes international business development work for The Boeing Company and AT&T Wireless in Latin America and the Caribbean. While pursuing her MBA at Columbia Business School, Carmen consulted with Hispanic-owned businesses in Manhattan and helped to establish a micro lending product administered through a large S&L. As well, she has contributed her business expertise to other international organizations, such as the US Peace Corps, the Clinton Foundation, the ICT Task force of the United Nations and the Grameen Foundation. Born in Mexico, Carmen holds a Master of Business Administrative with an emphasis in Finance from Columbia Business School in New York City.

Joaquin Hernandez is an attorney at the Seattle office of Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt and handles complex contractual issues in the real estate and telecommunications industries. He also sits on the national board of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Joaquin is avidly involved in education initiatives affecting the Latino community. Having had to learn the hard way about access to college, he hopes that all Latinos are made aware of their access to college and the importance such education plays in their personal lives and in the community as a whole.

Alyson Lara is responsible for managing technical, legal, financial, and administrative components of the grant-making process in the Global Health Program. She works with the Discovery, Infectious Diseases, and HIV teams as well the Grand Challenges Explorations program. When she’s not working, Alyson spends much of her free time with her family.

 

Andrea M. Martin is currently a visiting Professor at the University of Washington CAUP.  Before coming to Seattle she was the Principal of her own Architectural practice in Cuernavaca and a Partner at   CASO Architects based in Mexico City.  While in Mexico, Andrea was faculty at the Universidad Metropolitana where she researched low-income housing design.  Andrea was involved in several well recognized community housing design projects.  She has also published several papers in the field. She is a member of the CIB (International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction) and participates in the work group W104 Open Building and W110 informal Settlements and Affordable Housing. Andrea has degrees from the National University in Mexico and MIT. 

 

Luis Ortega is currently a senior at the University of Washington, where he is studying Political Science, Finance, and Education. He is the co-founder and current Co-Chair of ALIANZA Student Coalition, the first statewide Latino student alliance. Previously he has served as President of the Latino Student Union at UW and as Director for the Yakima Valley Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Luis currently works advising various Latino high school and college student organizations across the state and as a consultant and research assistant for Proyecto Accesso, a research team from the College of Education at the University of Washington.

Rebecca Saldana is a Community Liaison for US Congressman Jim McDermott’s district office in Seattle, Washington. Ms. Saldana received a Bachelor of Arts in both Theology and Humanities from Seattle University in 1999. Since then, she has worked as a community and union organizer with the farm workers’ unions in Oregon & Washington, and with the Service Employees International Union’s Justice for Janitors campaign in Seattle, Washington.

 

Junior Torres has years of experience in the legal profession, legal publishing industry, and real estate market. He attended Cornell University and received his JD from Syracuse University College of Law. At Syracuse, Junior focused on property and tax law. In addition, he studied book and magazine publishing at New York University. A native of the Dominican Republic, Junior moved to New York City at the age of 12 and then to Seattle in 2001. Junior considers Seattle his adopted hometown and is involved with many nonprofits organizations, including Alianza Dominicana, Hispanic Federation, Esperanza Foundation, and the American Red Cross.

 

Jose Vasquez is a senior at the University of Washington – Foster School of Business, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. He is one of the co-founders and current co-chair of the Alianza Student Collation, a program initiated out of the Latino Community Fund. Previously he has served as President of the Latin American Culture Club as the ASBCC Emerging Technology Representative at Bellevue Community College. Currently, he is the chairman of the Hispanic Business Student Association and Mentor for the Young Executives of Color Fellowship, while also serving as advisor to various student organizations.  His passion for business and technology is surpassed only by his commitment to his community.

Patricia Carrion Moras is the CEO of Utopia Media and Entertainment.

 

Jennifer Gianni-Haubry is the Finance Manager of the Marguerite Casey Foundation.

 

Magda Herrera is the Senior Fund Development & Communications Officer at Impact Capital.