This is the third of a five-part series. Part 1 is available here and Part 2 is available here.
Luz Sosa of Milwaukee has been in a strong advocate in the fight against family separation. She has organized gatherings to demand an end to the cruel and inhumane practices of taking children away from their parents. As the daughter of immigrants, Luz came to Wisconsin from Paraguay when she was 16. She attended graduate school at Marquette and has helped lead Citizen Action of Wisconsin, where she is the Latino Outreach Organizer. She is also vice-president of Raise Wisconsin, an organization that champions the fight to raise the minimum wage for the working class.
Ivan Gamboa of Milwaukee has been appointed by Governor Walker as the Chair of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). Gamboa will help improve the quality of life for Wisconsin residents by providing affordable housing and business financing products. “Ivan Gamboa possesses the experience and expertise necessary to serve Wisconsin as Chair of WHEDA, “Governor Walker said in the announcement of his appointment. “With his extensive leadership experience at the Tri City National Bank as well as serving on numerous commissions, we know Mr. Gamboa will lead WHEDA with the knowledge and dedication to benefit the taxpayers of our great state.” Gamboa was the Senior Vice President of Tri City National Bank for over ten years and also served as the President of the Board of Directors at Harbor District, Inc, which revitalized Milwaukee’s harbor.
Jaime Alvarado is the Deputy State Director for Young Adults and the Civic Engagement Director of Milwaukee-based LULAC-Wisconsin. He was a founding Board Member of the UWM Latino Alumni Chapter and a graduate of the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program (LNLP). Alvarado is passionate for a quality education for all students and is on the Leadership and Operations team of Milwaukee Succeeds. This effort examines data driven best practices and strategies with all the major stakeholders to transform education from cradle to career. He is especially concerned on the proficiency gap and opportunities of Latino Students. In 2013, he was a candidate for the MPS School Board Director (6th District).
Nicole Sandoval, a Bilingual Recruiter for Madison College in the Recruitment and Community Outreach Department. She moved to Madison from La Paz, Bolivia at age 7. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, Political Science and Ethnic Studies from Edgewood College in 2014. She is currently the president of the Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison. Nicole has extensive knowledge on immigration policy more specifically DACA, I-601 Waivers of Inadmissibility through her work at Kempster, Corcoran Quiceno and Lenz- Calvo in Chicago as an immigration legal assistant. Additionally, Nicole has experience in community outreach, database management, case management, fund development, and event planning from a number of professional roles including her past role as the Program and Event Coordinator for the Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Claudia Guzmán became UW-Green Bay’s new director of student life earlier this year, where she leads the efforts to create a positive college experience for nearly 7,000 students. One of only a handful of Latinos in director-level leadership roles at UW schools, Guzman came to UW-Green Bay from UW-Milwaukee where she served as the sociocultural program manager. In that role she oversaw a dramatic growth in programs and collaborations within the University and community. She has also worked in the private, nonprofit sector in Milwaukee. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and received her masters degree from Marquette University.
Marcela “Xela” Garcia was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and came to Milwaukee with her family when she was 5. She has been the executive director of the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, where she works to use art as a mechanism to help bring down barriers and bring people together in conversation. Cultural identity is very important to Xela, who majored in creative writing at UW-Madison before returning to Milwaukee to pursue a career in non-profits. Xela leads the City of Milwaukee Arts Board for which she has won awards for her contributions. She also has co-chaired Latinas En Accion at the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee where she has worked to help Latinas thrive in supportive environments.
