Magdaleno Rose-Avila, the son of immigrant parents and one of 12 children, began his working life in the onion fields of southeast Colorado at the early age of 11. By 13, he was traveling the migrant stream picking fruits and vegetables. Today, he serves Chief of Party for the Miami Florida Project for the International Relief and Development where he manages a multimillion dollar contract with USAID.
The road from the dusty 'campos' of the Southwest to international advocate for human rights was not an easy one. It was a journey filled with countless obstacles, great faith and the support of numerous friends and family.
The difficult work of thinning onions as a child provided the background and impetus needed to advocate for workers rights at a very young age. After spending several years organizing workers in Colorado, Rose Avila took on the position of lead organizer and spokesperson for the efforts of Cesar Chavez's United Farm workers Union in the state of Colorado. He was a leading voice and figure in the Chicano Movement of the 1960's and '70's and ran for public office for La Raza Unida Party.
Throughout his career, Rose-Avila has been a United States Peace Corps Country Director in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay and Micronesia. He has run congressional campaigns and worked for the Democratic National Committee, worked for Colorado Legal Services and The Colorado Migrant Council, taught theatre and sociology at the University of Colorado, and sociology at Colorado College. Between 1985 and 1993 he worked in a variety of administrative and leadership positions for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Amnesty International USA. He was the Western Director for Amnesty International's Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty and served as the inaugural Executive Director for the Cesar E Chavez Foundation.
A gifted public speaker, he has inspired thousands throughout his career speaking at high schools, colleges, universities, meetings, conferences, and various public events.
With Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking he founded The Moratorium Campaign. He also co-founded The Ahora newspaper and bookstore in Colorado, and is the founder of Homies Unidos.
He holds a degree in communications from University of Colorado in Boulder.

Peter Bloch Garcia (Non Profit Sector) joined Marguerite Casey Foundation in December of 2006. As program officer, Mr. Bloch Garcia's responsibilities include identifying, developing and soliciting grant proposals, conducting site visits and preparing grant recommendations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Bloch Garcia 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. He has helped to create new non profit organizations such as the Latino Community Fund of Washington State, in which he continues to serve as board President, and CollegeCorps, an overseas internship program for undergraduates with financial need, for which he also currently serves as a member of its board of directors. He is also involved locally with the People of Color in Philanthropy network and the Social Justice Fund Northwest. He 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.

Frances Contreras, M. Ed., PhD (Academic Sector) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington in the College of Education in Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Contreras presently researches issues of equity and access for underrepresented students in the education pipeline. She addresses transitions between K-12 and higher education, community college transfer, faculty diversity, affirmative action in higher education and the role of the public policy arena in higher education access for underserved students of color.
Dr. Contreras has conducted research using the College Board Data on Latino high achievers in the United States, and data on the UC system using individual applicant and admission profiles at select UC Campuses. She has recently completed a manuscript with P. Gandara, "The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies," (Harvard University Press). In addition to publishing in journals such as Educational Policy and the Journal of Hispanics in Higher Education, she is currently publishing a chapter titled "The Role of High Stakes Testing & Accountability in Educating Latinos" in E. Murillo, The Handbook of Latinos and Education: Research Theory & Practice (forthcoming), an article titled: A Look Back at Proposition 209 in California (forthcoming), and a policy brief for the American Federation of Teachers on "The Status of Latinos Transitioning from High School to College: Transforming a Crisis Into Opportunity." Her second manuscript (sole author) The Brown Paradox: Latinos and Educational Policy in the United States is currently under contract with Teachers College Press.
She presents at forums across the country and conducts seminars on educational leadership. In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Contreras serves on the Board of the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, the Journal of Advanced Academics, and has been appointed by Mayor Nickels as a member of the Families and Education Levy Oversight Committee for the City of Seattle.
Dr. Contreras received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Educational Administration & Policy Analysis, Master of Education from Harvard University, and B.A. from University of California, Berkeley.

Uriel Iñiguez

Mr. Iñiguez was appointed by Governor Christine Gregorie as Executive Director of the Commission on Hispanic Affairs on June 2005. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, he worked for the Department of Corrections, and served as volunteer Commissioner for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs. During his tenure in the Department of Corrections, he held the positions of Community Corrections Officer, Prison Counselor, Regional Correctional Manager, Associate Superintendent, Field Administrator, and Management Services Chief.

Mr. Iñiguez holds a BA in Human Resources Management from Eastern Washington University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from City University. He is an immigrant from Mexico, oldest of eleven children, married, and has two sons, 17 and 11 years old.

Since being appointed as Director, Mr. Iñiguez has:
• Redesigned the web site/database and populated with links and research information on Hispanic/Latinos
• Co-hosted a Healthcare, Economic and Educational Diversity Summit
• Co-hosted a Hispanic/Latino Education Forum
• Recorded Spanish radio PSA’s on money transmitters and payday loans
• Participates weekly in the Spanish news broadcast at KDNA in Granger, WA
• Co-hosted a Spanish radio program on financial literacy at Radio Sol
• Secured funding and published a more detail annual report in Spanish and English
• Hosted the Ethnic Legislative reception
• Instrumental in the passing of legislation that established the Health Disparities Committee where CHA’s Chair is a permanent member
• Instrumental in the passing of legislation that established the Education Ombudsman Office
• Assisted in changed the definition of education to reflect more the needs of our communities
• Reinstituted the Hispanic/Latino Legislative Day
• Increase the activity of the commission:
• In 2004 the director and commissioners attended 119 community meetings, in 2007 the number increased to 392.
• In 2004 the commission wrote 52 advisory letters to Governor’s office, agencies and legislators, in 2007 the number increased to 314.
• In 2004 the number of attendees at our public meetings total 76- in 2007 the number increased to 332.

He currently is a member in the following committees and commissions:
• The Washington Supreme Court Diversity Community
• Department of Social Health Services (DSHS’s) Diversity Committee
• DSHS’s Economic Services Advisory Committee

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Michael E. Sotelo (Business Sector) is founder and President of Approach Management Services (AMS) and Vice President of Field Operations and Partner at W.G. Clark Construction Co.
Mr. Sotelo is a nationally recognized safety professional and a highly visible force in the Northwest's construction community as he has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry.
Through Approach Management Services, Mr. Sotelo currently manages and oversees seven retrospective rating groups and industry-specific services that include professional risk management consultation, accident prevention, workers' compensation claim management, and other related services.
Mr. Sotelo has a proven track record of success in developing safety programs for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho employers and is committed to establishing long-term solutions to keep workers safe and productive.
Besides his businesses, Mr. Sotelo works tirelessly with the Latino Community and currently serves as the Chair of the Association of Washington State Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and as the President of the King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is passionate about serving the Latino Community and believes that with 80% of Latinos in Washington State being first-generation, it is vital that we raise the profile of successful Latinos and provide mentoring for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In 2005, as part of Mr. Sotelo's commitment to the continued success of the Latino business and entrepreneurship, he assembled a team of local business leaders to found Plaza Bank. As a community bank, their focus is to serve local families and businesses within the Latino community and others. Headquartered in Seattle, the first branch in Kent, Washington, successfully opened in the spring of 2006.
Currently, under Mr. Sotelo's leadership, his team is developing a series of shopping centers, starting with La Plaza of North America, located in Kent, Washington. La Plaza's goal is to project a positive, confident, and accomplished image of the richness of the Latino, and particularly Mexican, cultures.
Mr. Sotelo's newest private enterprise project was incorporated in February of 2008 and it is a business that he and his partners are currently working on establishing and launching. Its main focus will be to provide reasonable automobile loans and financial literacy training to the Latino population.
Mr. Sotelo also serves on various community and business Boards such as the Executive Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs, the UW Suppliers Diversity Team, the Community Board of Regence Blue Shield, and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, among others.