LCF Leadership Team
Our success is directly attributed to leadership, expertise, and visionary insight of this team.
Learn more about the dynamic individuals leading the way to a stronger community.
Lilliane Ballesteros
Interim Executive Director
lilliane@latinocommunityfund.org
Lilliane is a development and fundraising professional who has worked with nonprofits in Seattle and her hometown, Los Angeles. Lilliane works to communicate LCF’s broad vision and increase resources to benefit the community.
Alejandra Tres
Senior Strategist
alejandra@latinocommunityfund.org
Alejandra Tres is Senior Strategist and brings her decades of advocacy, organizing, research, and leadership experience to forward LCF's community-led systemic change. Alejandra is thrilled to work alongside committed, talented, and tenacious community leaders and organizers. She believes that the best solutions are community-led solutions and that anyone, regardless of the details of their background, can be a changemaker.
Peter Barrios
Finance and Operations Manager
peter.barrios@latinocommunityfund.org
Peter Barrios is a graduate of Masters of Public Administration from the Evans School at UW. Originally from Los Angeles, he moved to Seattle to and advance his education and engage in the new community. With a background in Finance and Human Services, as well as experience with implementing Performance Management at the Mayor's Office in Seattle, Peter comes to LCF to develop new strategies to support LCF's growth and expansion. He is excited to find new ways to develop systems to support LCF's financial and operational activities, as well supporting the fiscal sponsors LCF serves and works with everyday.
Marisol Morales
Communications and Development Coordinator
marisol@latinocommunityfund.org
Marisol is a daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, raised in San Jose, California and moved to Washington in June 2016 because of her fascination with the culture, technology, and art scene of Seattle. Marisol is excited to apply her ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector and new skills learned in the Digital Technology and Cultures Degree program at Seattle University to deliver services, support, resources, and connected learning opportunities to families and professionals through digital media tools that are interactive and user-friendly.
Emely Perez
Manager of Economic Empowerment Initiative
emely@latinocommunityfund.org
Emely is committed to empowering the community through asset-based advocacy. Her education in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington and her upbringing, as a daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico, has helped her understand the importance of having accessibility to information. She understands, through her family's experience, that resources aren't always widely disseminated, and barriers exist for traditionally underserved communities limiting their access to information due to location, work, language, and literacy levels, among other factors. LCF’s asset-based approach to meeting the community where they are is a model for all organizations who work with communities, and one of the many reasons Emely excitedly joined the team. She hopes to contribute to the work that LCF does by being a bridge between communities and information while using education as a tool for empowerment.
Liliana Lopez
Program Coordinator of Economic Empowerment
liliana@latinocommunityfund.org
Liliana was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and lived in San Francisco for a substantial part of her life. She first became involved with community development efforts in the early years of her undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University where she studied Political Science and Latino Studies. Liliana is a social justice advocate and strongly believes in connecting communities to resources that will lead them to thrive. She is a Chicana Latina Foundation Alumni and Spectrum Scholar, highlighting her deep commitment to social justice and underrepresented communities. At this moment in time she is also pursuing her Masters in Library and Information Science degree at San Jose State University through which she aspires to further connect communities to resources through technological and economic development.
Luzmila Freese
Health Program Manager | Healthy Latino Families Initiative
luzmila@latinocommunityfund.org
Monica Salmoran
Benefits Enrollment Counselor
monica@latinocommunityfund.org
Monica is passionate about helping those in need and is working towards becoming a Registered Nurse. She helps provide Benefits Enrollment services through the Healthy Latino Families Initiative.
Oskar Zambrano
Director of Civic Engagement and Advocacy
oskar@latinocommunityfund.org
Oskar has his roots as a community organizer since 1994 fighting California's Prop 187. Ever since he's been advocating in the community to ensure that disenfranchised communities are civically engaged and their voices get heard.
Alissa Mustre
Coordinator of Civic Engagement and Advocacy
alissa@latinocommunityfund.org
Alissa was born and raised in Yucatán, México and immigrated to the US to pursue higher education. As a social justice activist and advocate, she is passionate about working with marginalized communities and youth empowerment. She is passionate and committed to social justice and human rights, and has been involved in a number of organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP).
Alissa is a recent graduate from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science and Law, Societies and Justice. During that time, her research focused on the immigrant population in the United States and Washington State specifically, human rights in Latin America, and environmental racism. Alissa is currently working at the Latino Community Fund as the coordinator for Civic Engagement and Advocacy, where she manages their youth empowerment and leadership program and advances their advocacy efforts. In the future, Alissa hopes to become an immigration lawyer and work with human rights issues to continue to develop her career as an advocate.
Salvador Salazar-Cano
Civic Engagement & Advocacy Coordinator
salvador@latinocommunityfund.org
Salvador is a policy advocate, researcher, and spoken-word poet from the Pacific Northwest. Born in Jalisco, he grew up in rural Oregon, Idaho, and Eastern Washington to a migrant family. He is grateful for the nurture and support that his family has given him to pursue his community and academic endeavors. He is a graduate from the University of Washington, Bothell majoring in Society, Ethics and Human Behavior.
While in community college, he organized DACA workshops to bring free legal counsel to hundreds of DACA applicants in the Tri-Cities. Salvador completed a fellowship at the Center for Law and Social Policy, to research tuition equity for immigrant students and also worked in the Office of U.S Senator Patty Murray through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute as an intern. At LCF, he plans to cultivate an authentic voice in young leaders, build a strategic network, and embrace sustainability to harness the power of all communities. He plans to obtain his Master’s in Strategic Communications to support civic engagement and progressive issues.
Micaela Razo
Program Manager for Central Washington
micaela@latinocommunityfund.org
Micaela has lived in Yakima County for most of her life where she involves herself with community organizations to make a positive change. She is known for her effective workshops, outreach planning, community engagement and developing civic leadership. Micaela resides in Yakima with her two daughters, golden retriever Sadie and sassy cat.
Merivet Lombera
Youth Organizer for Central Washington
merivet@latinocommunityfund.org
Merivet lives in Yakima WA along with her mom and two younger siblings Eli and Angel. She is a first-generation college student at Central Washington University, where she studies Psychology and Communication. She first got involved with Latino Community Fund in 2015 through the Alianza program where she continues to develop her nonprofit leadership. In her free time, Merivet enjoys running, reading non-fiction books and spending time with her loved ones.
ALIANZA FELLOWS
Carlos Rojo
Alianza Youth Organizer Fellow
carlos@latinocommunityfund.org
Erika Arias
Alianza Youth Fellow
erika@latinocommunityfund.org
Usman Naushab
Alianza Youth Fellow
usman@latinocommunityfund.org
Usman Naushab is currently a student at the University of Washington, majoring in Political Science and Communications with a minor in Diversity. He started as a volunteer at the Latino Community Fund before staying on for the summer as a Youth Fellow. Through his studies and his time as a mentor to kids in underserved high schools, Usman understands the need for equity in our economic and political system and strives to promote that in his work at the Latino Community Fund and its political arm, Progreso.
Peyton Lyons
Alianza Youth Organizer Fellow
peyton@latinocommunityfund.org
LCF MASCOT
Hi, my name is Tux!
Birthdate: August 28, 2018
Breed: Schipperke
Favorite Toys: Stuffed toys, especially his toy squirrel in an acorn
Favorite Playtime: Chasing, playing, and biting his older brother Lennox, the German Shepard
Doggie Superpower: Doesn’t realize he’s only 4 pounds; thinks he’s a giant dog and can take on any dog.
Tricks: Sit, Stay, Down, Bark, and somewhat potty trained. Also knows how to look cute to tell you he’s hungry
Why do you like LCF?: I'm the new mascot at LCF. I like LCF because it’s challenging the conception of philanthropy and non-profit work. Between the programs we run, our relationships with the community and funders, and how we operate as a team, LCF consistently integrates our backgrounds and unique experiences into our daily work. What all of this does is that it sets us apart as an authentic organization and creates an image where others can see that LCF remembers where we came from and is not willing to lose that spirit, even as we grew from a small team with a few employees into a multifaceted organization that is ready to challenge the institutionalized wrongdoings in our society.
Social Media Hashtags: #Vote4Tux #TeamTux