LACE MEMBERS

LEOCADIA MONTERO-HAINLEY

ABOUT LEOCADIA

Leocadia Montero-Hainley is a black Latina who helps people use a productive approach to address conflict. She is the principal of Leocadia Consulting and is an Associate with LACE Oregon. She uses a trauma-informed and restorative justice approach to facilitate dialogues. Leocadia helps organizations, individuals, couples, and families to have compassionate conversations to address difficult relationships. She is a Psychotherapist and a Popular Education dialogue facilitator. She received the ESPERE training from Centro de Dereitos Humanos e Educação Popular of Brazil in 2009. She coordinated, directed, and facilitated the ESPERE-Violence Reduction Program at Adelante Mujeres for seven years. She was the first Latina to implement the ESPERE workshop in the USA. She has trained more than 1,300 people in her twelve years of facilitating these dialogues. She is a member of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team of the Oregon Department of Justice, a board member of the Family Justice Center of Washington County, and a board member of Forgiveness International. She is from the Dominican Republic where she served as District Attorney. She earned her law degree from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña and she holds a Master of Art in Psychotherapy from Pacific University.

TERESA ALONSO LEÓN

ABOUT TERESA

Teresa Alonso León is the Representative of the 22nd district of the Oregon House of Representatives, and a founding member of LACE.  She is the first immigrant Latina to be elected to the Oregon Legislature. The daughter of migrant farmworkers, Teresa grew up in House District 22. Teresa holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Oregon University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Portland State University. Education was Teresa’s path to success, and as a legislator, she wants to increase opportunity and access for all Oregon students.
Among her recent victories is the passing of the Driver’s License for all Act, the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act, which has been nationally-recognized as the most inclusive in the country. Furthermore, she worked to help pass the Student Success Act, which will invest an unprecedented $1 billion in Oregon schools annually. She was also recently named the new Secretary for the Executive Committee of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

VERONICA BAÑUELOS

ABOUT VERONICA 

​Veronica Bañuelos is a bilingual / bicultural Chicana focused on Organizational Development, Intercultural Communication and Restorative Processes. As an independent consultant she spends her energy supporting people and organizations move closer to their mission and each other through team building, coaching, training, restorative processes and mediation. Her professional studies are a reflection of both her personal interests and life purpose. These practices ground her wholistic personal approach to values of social justice and love with commitment to service and healing in the world. Veronica is relationship-based leader. Her practice centers caring for relationships and connections, she brings people together in partnerships to move closer towards common goals. As a natural asset-based leader, influencer, organizer, and communicator, she knows the importance of truly listening for understanding.

CECILIA GIRON

ABOUT Cecilia

Founder and owner of Giron & Associates, LLC, Cecilia Giron specializes in culturally specific executive coaching, fund & program development, and community engagement. She has over 20 years of experience empowering and inspiring underrepresented and underserved audiences around the state. Cecilia is currently an executive advisor for the Listo Family Literacy Program. Indigenous from Oaxaca, Mexico, she has dedicated her career to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts while positively impacting 1000's of Latinx children, youth, and families. With her leadership skills and commitment to the community, she has a proven track record developing and leading culturally relevant after-school programs, partnering with school districts, nonprofits and businesses. In 2013, her work was recognized by the Oregon Commission for Women as the recipient of the "Women of Achievement Award”. 
Other leadership roles in advocacy include Oregon State Director for The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Director (2021) of Washington County Public Affairs Forum. 

LINDA JARAMILLO

ABOUT LINDA

Linda Jaramillo is a management and leadership consultant, utilizing her professional education and experience to support nonprofit organizations. She has over 40 years of program and executive management experience working with nonprofit and government programs in Oregon, nationally, and globally. She is a skilled advisor to organizations during executive and/or governing body transition. An ordained clergywoman in the United Church of Christ, Linda served for 10 years as Executive Minister for Justice and Witness Ministries where she oversaw the church’s work on human rights, racial, environmental, economic, and gender justice in the U.S. and around the world. Linda was born into a farm working family in Southern Colorado, where she spent her childhood and teenage years. Linda is the proud mother of two and grandmother of five amazing grandchildren! She cherishes engagement with intercultural and multilingual communities and believes that, regardless of our age, stories and wisdom are invaluable across every generation. 

CAROLINA CASTAÑEDA DEL RÍO

ABOUT CAROLINA

Carolina Castañeda is an executive coach, consultant, and mental health professional specializing in leadership and organizational development with a socially conscious approach. She holds a BS in Psychology from Iberoamericana University, a Specialty in Family Therapy, and a master’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from University of Guanajuato, she holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource and a Certificate in Financial Success for Nonprofits from Cornell University. Carolina has worked in healthcare, and diversity, equity and inclusion for over 10 years, and is currently the Director of Community Impact at Social Ventures Partners Portland. Her work with communities that live in poverty inspired her understanding and passion on how to impact the structures of inequality. Carolina is passionate about strengthening leaders, systems and structures that support the full development of all individuals, especially those who suffer disparities and social injustice.

ANDREA CANO

ABOUT ANDREA

A founding member of LACE, Andrea Cano cherishes the goal of creando un mundo donde quepan todos, with equity, accessibility, and authentic inclusion as Oregon becomes more richly diverse. Originally from Los Angeles, Andrea is a Chicana who settled in Portland in 1999 after years of international work, and living in Ecuador and Mexico. While she began as a writer and anchor for network affiliates in Los Angeles, it was the founding of the California Chicano News Media Association in the 1970’s that placed her on the path to organizational design and development. Wife, mother, grandmother - her other now very dusty claims to fame: a former Robert F. Kennedy Fellow, one of 100 Young Women of Promise in America named by Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1985, and an all-girl rock band in high school. Ordained with the United Church of Christ, Andrea is also a board-certified hospital chaplain​. 

ELAINE RODRIGUEZ

ABOUT ELAINE

Elaine Rodriguez is a 20-year veteran of the department of social services. She has worked with marginalized communities through her job and as a community organizer in Los Angeles California, and now in Roseburg Oregon. Elaine is passionate about what she does, she is both a servant and a fierce advocate for the Latinx population. Through her outreach events, she works to improve access to public benefits, promote civic engagement, and encourage community involvement. Elaine's lifelong commitment to improving the lives of others stem from her first-hand experience of overcoming the challenges of immigration, poverty, and homelessness. Her life experience, compassion, and understanding, give her a unique perspective that allows her to bridge the gap between the Latinx community and local government/businesses​. 

ALAIDE VILCHIS-IBARRA

ABOUT ALAIDE

Alaide Vilchis Ibarra loves dogs, hiking, hanging out with family and road trips. She is a DREAMer who became a United States citizen in 2014. She found her voice testifying in Kansas’ legislature to protect access to higher education for immigrants like her. This experience sparked a passion for nonprofit work and public policy. Alaide is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ), a statewide organization that equips faith communities in Oregon to advocate for immigrant justice. Before joining IMIrJ, Alaide worked in Washington, DC leading advocacy work focused on immigration and foreign policy. She continues to be connected to foreign policy advocacy as a member of the Board of Directors of the Latin America Working Group Education Fund (LAWGEF).  Having closely worked with grassroots communities, government, and nonprofits, Alaide has a passion doing work that better connects all three​. 

       ​ALLISON LUGO KNAPP

ABOUT ALLISON

Allison Lugo Knapp (she/hers/ella) brings over fifteen years of experience to her consulting, having worked with philanthropic and nonprofit organizations across the United States, and internationally. Allison consults in the areas of organizational development, community engagement, and program design and management. She also works with foundations to provide support for strategic grantmaking practices. She has worked as a program director at a university overseeing a national training program for foundations, as a community foundation program officer, and has served on various boards and committees nationally in the field of philanthropy. Allison is a co-founder of Latina Network of West Michigan, the largest professional development network for Latina women in the state of Michigan. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her two sons, and husband. Allison was born in Peru to Colombian parents, and enjoys sharing her love of Latin food, music, and culture with family and friends​. 

CAMERINA GALVAN

ABOUT CAMERINA

Camerina Galván is a community-centric fundraiser and grant writer with over ten years of experience leading non-profits in the creation of equitable program and services. She has dedicated the last three years to supporting organizations’ fundraising strategy and exploring what equitable fundraising can look like. She is on a new path to reclaim her identity as a visual artist. Her people are from Cuautla, Jalisco and her fondest memories are of living with her grandmother in Cuautla and planting corn with her family in Los Coyotes. Camerina lives in Milwaukie and can be found gardening, listening to podcasts, and cooking​

KAREN LORENA CARRILLO

about karen

Karen ("Karencilla") Lorena Carrillo currently works as the Associate Director of Economic Sustainability for El Programa Hispano Católico (EPHC) and oversees programs that support members of the Latino/e/x communities with housing and energy assistance services. Previously, she served as Public Affairs and Community Relations manager for a district that manages flood infrastructure in a historic floodplain where she helped raise awareness of flood management systems, the Vanport flood, and facilitated the creation organization's first equity policy. Karen's love for the environment had her start her professional journey with the Columbia Slough Watershed Council where she managed outreach and recreation programming to promote the restoration, enhancement, and protection of habitat and biodiversity in the Columbia Slough watershed. Karen is a graduate of the Center for Diversity and the Environment’s E42 program and works to promote awareness, understanding, and further behaviors and policies that support social and racial equity. She holds a B.A in International and Sustainable Urban Development and a Project Management certificate from Portland State University. She also holds a certificate of French language proficiency from CIEP for France’s Ministry of Education; she is fluent in French and Spanish.

GILDA MONTENEGRO-FIX

about Gilda

​Gilda Montenegro-Fix is a Costa Rican woman, mother, wife, adventurous world traveler and global citizen. She represented her country in two Olympic Games (Barcelona ‘92 and Atlanta ‘96), in the sport of whitewater slalom kayak, being the only woman from all Latin America to compete in this discipline. This Olympic experience was the culmination of 10 years of outdoor leadership work. Gilda studied Psychology at the University of Costa Rica, she worked as a bilingual/bicultural family advocate with multicultural low-income families for 10 years in Hawaii and Oregon, and later became a certified trainer in Cultural Competency. Ms. Montenegro-Fix is the founder and senior consultant of Celebrate Diversity! a Cultural Agility consulting and training company. Having worked in early childhood education, family support services, cross cultural communication and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, she is passionate about facilitating understanding, cultivating harmony and building bridges that connect us all. 

SARA CURIEL PAEZ

about sara

​Sara Curiel Paez is an experienced bilingual and bi-cultural community engagement and capacity building consultant. With a background in Participatory Leadership, Sara has experience in leadership and organizational development, she brings an equity and inclusion lens to all her projects. As a first-generation Mexican American woman, Sara deeply believes that leadership happens through reflection, listening and dialogue. Sara has worked throughout Oregon as a trainer, facilitator, and DEI coach. Sara has delivered the Ford Institute Leadership Program in rural communities as well as board development and strategic planning training. She has experience developing curriculum on civic engagement for the Latino community. Internationally, Sara has worked and studied in Spain, Bulgaria and Mexico

JESSICA RODRIGUEZ-MONTEGNA, PhD

about Jessica

Jessica Rodriguez-Montegna is a founding member of LACE. She received a dual PhD in Political Science and in Migration Studies and has 17+ years of global expertise across the United States, Latin America and Europe in research analysis, organizational development, the political representation and leadership of women and immigrants, collaborative governance facilitation and mediation of high conflict political issues. 
​
Jessica's work is driven by concerns for the inequalities underlying the causes of migration, the structures that lead to the marginalization of vulnerable populations in the public sphere, and the limited protection of their rights. Through scholarship and activism, she focuses on engaging policymakers, advocates, and community organizations to create dialogue, challenge assumptions, and reshape institutions towards equality and justice for everyone. 

Jessica has also earned an M.A. in Conflict Transformation and a double B.A. in Psychology and Communications. She was raised in Texas by her hard-working immigrant parents and is a first-generation college graduate.

GUADALUPE GUAJARDO

ABOUT GuadaluPE

Guadalupe Guajardo PhD, has worked as a Senior Consultant specializing in organizational and leadership development, and cultural competency. Guadalupe holds a PhD in Transformative Learning and Change from California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco; an MA/ABS in Organizational Development from the Leadership Institute of Seattle; and an MA in Theology from Mt. Angel Seminary. Guadalupe can be found out in front on issues of justice, racism and human rights. She is committed to healing and repairing the world. She brings us back to the constant search for understanding each other connecting us to an ever evolving spiritual community.
Her secret formula is living in the full sum of herself: as a mixed heritage person (Indigenous Mother, Sephardi Jewish immigrant father), lesbian identified, and as a wise elder woman.

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