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LNAF Vice President
April Alvarez was raised in The Dalles, Oregon and is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico.
As a first-generation Latinx woman, April has always been passionate about immigrants rights and building electoral power for the Latinx community in Oregon.
She began organizing the Get Out The Vote campaign (GOTV) at the Voto Latino chapter during her undergraduate studies. Since then, she has been working to make sure Latinx Oregonians turn out to vote. April is currently the Field Director at PCUN where she is focused on running bicultural/bilingual campaigns and building Latinx voting power.
LNAF Secretary
Iris Maria Chávez is a government affairs, community engagement, and communications professional.
Iris has 15 years of experience working with non-profit organizations to advance local, state and federal policy focused on bettering outcomes for the community.
Iris Maria has successfully built grassroots campaigns with various advocacy and civil rights organizations across the country to advance more socially just federal education policy.
During her 15 year career, Iris Maria has built coalitions with and advocated on behalf of organizations such as the Education Trust, League of United Latin American Citizens, Chalkboard Project, Children’s Institute, Partnership for Safety & Justice, Sponsors, Inc., and the Oregon Coalition of Community Charter Schools.
Iris Maria’s volunteer work also focuses on community engagement and equity, she currently serves as the Board Chair for the Partnership for Safety & Justice Board of Directors, on the City Club of Portland’s Board of Governors and as a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Public Independent Charter Schools.
Presidente de LNAF, Centro Legal de Oregón, Defensor de Políticas y Legislación Estatal
Martha Sonato was born in Michoacán, Mexico and immigrated with her family to Hood River, OR at the age of seven.
Martha is currently a state legislative and policy advocate at the Oregon Law Center.
Before joining OLC, Martha served as the Political Director for PCUN, Oregon’s Farmworker Union, and led several landmark legislative campaigns to their passage, including the Oregon Voting Rights Act, and overtime pay for Oregon’s farmworkers.
Martha also served as the electoral director at PCUN where she led numerous successful candidate and issue campaigns that ultimately led to a more representative and reflective democracy.
Before PCUN, Martha worked in Governor Kate Brown’s office as a housing and human services policy assistant and as a legislative aide in Senator Sara Gelser’s office. Martha is also a wildland firefighter.
As the proud daughter of farmworkers, her background drives her passion to build and support policymaking that centers the needs and experiences of poor and low income communities.
Martha is a Willamette University alum. She currently serves as the chair of the Oregon Worker Relief, Vice-President of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), board member of Latino Network Action Fund, and council member at the Latino Partnership Program, a statewide program of the Oregon Community Foundation.
In her free time, Martha greatly enjoys spending time with her gray cat, Ollie, dancing, doing crossfit and spending time with friends and family.
ella/they/them
Central Oregon Environmental Center
Born on Tongva territory to migrant Mexican parents, Janet now resides on the traditional homelands of the Warm Springs and Northern Paiute people. Janet is first and foremost a parent to two vibrant young men both currently attending high school.
They are a community advocate and leader in rural central Oregon, centering the needs and voice of minoritized people through political advocacy and direct action of community organizing. Their previous role as founder and director of Mecca Bend set a name for Janet as a defender and front-line activist in the ongoing struggles of Latin@ and migrant people. Janet’s commitment to empowering their community shows through their work as owner & founder of Libre Strategies – an equity and outreach consulting business focused on inclusionary practices and policies in government for underserved Latin@ people. In their work life, Janet has over a decade of experience in business and non-profit finance and administration. Currently, they work as the Business Manager for Central Oregon’s Environmental Center located in Bend.
Janet was elected to and served on Bend La Pine School District’s Board of Directors as the first openly Queer and Indigenous member from July 2021 through September 2022 before having to relocate out of the District. They continue to serve on the Board of the ACLU’s (American Civil Liberties Union) Oregon chapter and Rural PAC – a grassroots BIPOC led (Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color) political action committee.
she/her
Oregon Futures Lab, Program Manager
Jessica Martinez Medina (she/her) is a second generation Latina from Salem. Since an early age, Jessica has led with her values of community and is passionate about creating sustainable changes for our most vulnerable communities.
Which led her to pursue a degree in Public Policy and Administration from Western Oregon University in 2021.
Jessica has been involved in grassroots efforts consisting of community organizing and electoral campaigns. Most recently she has worked at the Oregon State Legislature as a Legislative Aide for Senator Campos which has strengthened her community relations skills and her understanding for developing strong policies. Jessica is dedicated to uplifting and promoting greater access to all people in order to create thriving communities.