COLOR's Board is a group of dedicated Latinas with passion for Latina Reproductive Justice whose vision guides our work
Cristina Fresquez-Pizarro, Co-Chair
Cristina was born and
raised in Denver, Colorado and has lived here her entire life. Mrs.
Fresquez-Pizarro is currently working on completing her B.A. in
Psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver on the Auraria Campus. Cristina is currently the Managing Editor for the local Denver community bilingual newspaper, The Weekly Issue/El Semanario
and has worked for the publication as a reporter and photojournalist
over the past eight years. Cristina is also an active member of the
César E. Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver (CCPJC), which
holds an annual event to honor the legacy of Chávez. Cristina's area of
focus is financial oversight.
Evelyn 'Alix' Trujillo, Co-Chair
Alix
was born in Mexico and raised in Denver, CO. She is the second child of
three from Salvadorian parents. Alix is currently in high school, where
she is a participant COLOR's high school comprehensive sexual education
program, Latinas of Vision. Alix is also a presentor for Summer LOV.
Apart from being involved with COLOR, Alix works with The Center's
Rainbow Alley, a safe space for Queer Youth and their allies. Alix is
an active board member of CAVP's side project, Branching Seedz of
Resistance. Branching Seedz aims to prevent Sexual/Relationship abuse
in the Queer Youth Community.
Maria Micaela Corral
María was born and raised
in Denver, Colorado. She currently works as a Family Liaison for the
Department of Special Education at Denver Public Schools where
she helps connect parents with a variety of resources, educates parents
with children with special needs about the special education system and
empowers them to advocate for themselves and their children. María has
been actively involved in the metro Denver community working and
volunteering for several organizations including Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver
. María strongly believes in building a strong community of women and
families empowers children to work harder toward becoming future
leaders. María is a founding board member of COLOR and her area of
focus is fundraising.
Celeste 'Cele' Spink, Secretary/Treasurer
Celeste was born and raised in different parts of Colorado, and is the oldest of six Indigenous children. As a Hopi/Diné/Colombian, Cele co-founded the Indigenous Youth Sovereignty Project with her aunt three years ago in hopes to offer Indigenous youth the tools for sustainable community building, and creative decolonization within the metro Denver area. As a queer woman of color, Cele is dedicated to strengthening Equal Rights for the LGBTQ community with Queer People of Color Lounge (QPOC Lounge).
Cele was the first member of COLOR and Latina Initiative's collaborative youth program, Latinas Increasing Political Strength (LIPS), and has recently made the transition from COLOR participant to board member. Celeste is currently pursuing her B.A. in Psychology with a double minor in Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Colorado at Denver, with the intent to attend law school in the future.
Cele currently works at El Centro Humanitario para Los Trabajadores (Colorado's Humanitarian Center for Day Laborers), to teach English as a second language to the immigrant community, as well as to assist the Executive Director and dedicated staff with realization of a huge Human Rights project.
Diane Amaya
Diane Amaya was born and raised in El paso, TX. She recently moved to
Denver 2 years ago. Diane first got involved with advocacy through
Latinas of Vision (LOV) and Latinas Increasing Political Strength
(LIPS). She is a jr. at Abraham Lincoln High School and takes classes
from UCD. She is currently working, through her school, to pass
comprehensive sexuality education in Denver public high schools. =]
Esmeralda Rangel-Bio coming soon!
Dawn Medina-Bio coming soon!
Honorary Board Members & Comadres
Charlene Barrientos Ortiz
Charlene Barrientos Ortiz began her health career at Denver Public Health in 1994 where she was a Senior Clinical Care Associate. Ms. Ortiz has a strong interest in community activism. From 1990 to 2000 she worked as a Dollar A Day Counselor at the Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Denver. Ms. Ortiz is a founding board member of COLOR (Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights), a co-chair and member of the Latino HIV/STD Advocacy Coalition, a public health council member of Project CADENA, a member of Conexión Latina Contra VIH/SIDA/ETS en Colorado, a resource consultant for the Center for Health Policy and Development in San Antonio, Texas, and a consultant for Mi Casa Resource Center for Women. Ms. Ortiz is currently working on the POWER (Prevention Option for Women Equal Rights) and Youthnet research projects as a research coordinator.
Corina Cde Baca
Corina was born in Bernalillo, New Mexico and has lived in Denver since the age of 9. She attended Adams State College
for one year and then returned to Denver and received a certificate
from The Teller Training Institute. Corina has volunteered for the
Latino HIV/STD Advocacy Coalition, Connexion Latina, and Coloradans
Working Together and has been an active board member of COLOR since
January of 2002 through mid 2008.
Juana Rosa Cavero, Board Member
Relocating to Los Angeles, California, Juana Rosa is the newest member of the Pacific Institute for Women's Health. Believing in the power of community self-determination, Juana Rosa has served as Secretary for Promotores Unidos en Colorado, a coalition of lay health workers and helped establish the LUZ Reproductive Justice Think Tank to integrate reproductive justice issues into Colorado’s social justice organizations. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder
in the fall of 2003 with a double major in International Affairs and
International Spanish for the Professions with a Business minor. She is
currently working on her masters in Political Science with an emphasis
in Politics and Public Policy.
Flora Rodriguez Russel, MSW, JD
Flora is a retired attorney/psychiatric social worker who specialized in Healthcare, Juvenile and Elder Law. She is retired from the Denver Department of Health & Hospitals, where worked as a psychiatric social worker, mental health administrator and director of Risk Management/Legal Affairs for 25 years. She has been a supporter of reproductive rights for over 35 years and was a founding board member/officer of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, a board member/officer of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, board member of Catholics for a Free Choice and a founding board member of COLOR.
Melanie Herrera Bortz, MPA
Melanie was born and raised in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. In 1988, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Denver . In 1994, she received her Master of Public Administration degree from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver. Ms. Herrera Bortz is passionate about working to improve the health of the Latino community and of her family and is a founding board member of COLOR. In May 2003, Melanie was honored with the Gloria Steinem Women of Vision Award given by the Ms. Foundation for Women for her work in the area of Latina reproductive rights and health.
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