LCSV Seeking New Board Members

The mission of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley (LCSV) is to educate and prepare Latinas in the areas of civic engagement and leadership development as an expression of our shared values of services, commitment, and appreciation for the Latinas who have paved the way for our successes.

We still have vacancies on our board. We need your skills and your passion! Please consider joining us if you have a passion for the advancement of Latinas, and especially if you have skills in administration, program planning, organizing, marketing & technology, event planning or fundraising.

Our members come from many walks of life, but all share the same passion for our Silicon Valley community. Our organization is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)3. We are non-partisan and do not endorse political candidates.

Read more about our members and history
Learn more about membership and sign up!

If you are interested in joining us, download board recruitment information or contact our president.

Why we serve

Our volunteer board, committee members and fundraisers are passionate about LCSV's mission. The testimonial below speaks to why we serve, and what keeps us engaged in the work of the LCSV.

	Elisa Orona, LCSV President Supporting Latinas as leaders is critical! I joined the LCSV Board because I recognize the importance of having Latina mentors and being a mentor to other Latinas. LCSV gives me an opportunity for both experiences and I'm better a leader because of my participation.
	Georgina Belmonte, Former LCSV Board Member Before joining the board, I was on the ELLA committee and was so motivated by the ELLA program and all the wonderful women I was working with to be a larger part of the organization. I joined to contribute to the mission of LCSV in developing a pipeline for Latina leaders. The ELLA program provided me with confidence, professionalism, and a hunger to empower Latina women the same way I felt empowered by LCSV. Being on the board, I have learned about the hard work and woman power it takes to run a non-profit with a big heart and big aspirations.There is nothing more gratifying than seeing and meeting the strong, fearless, and ambitious Latinas that attend our events. It is inspiring to see Latinas come together for a common cause; to help one another grow and to grow as a unit. I have had the privilege of meeting many resilient and thriving Latinas. The speakers have been so diverse, just like LCSV members; I have learned not only about what it means to be a professional, but what it means to be a woman, and more importantly a Latina professional and the role one represents as such. Participating on the board, I have been able to discover who I am as a leader, and the different profiles of leadership. Working with Latinas from a variety of professional backgrounds has been very motivating and encouraging for my own career journey as a young professional.
	Patricia Castorena, Former LCSV Board Member Sandra Cisneros writes, “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.” I am a member of the Latina Coalition because the women I have the honor of serving with inspire me and the young Latinas I have had the opportunity to meet through our ELLA Program continually remind me of the passionate commitment that first fueled my desire to be an advocate for my community.
Without a doubt, LCSV is an organization that has engaged me and allowed me to develop and strengthen my leadership skills. I joined the Board of Directors of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley in October 2008 to empower young Latinas to achieve educational success and leadership excellence, and most importantly, to remind these future leaders of the importance of remembering where they came from and the need to give back to the communities that nurtured them.

If you are interested in serving by being on LCSV's board of directors, or on one of our committees, please e-mail us. The LCSV board is a great place to start on your civic engagement path. No prior board experience necessary.

Board of Directors

The LCSV has vacancies on our board! If you are ready to serve e-mail our president.

	Sonia Ramos, Past President Sonia is the Executive Director of California Student Opportunity and Access Program. Ms. Ramos served as a volunteer on the Barack Obama presidential campaign and is a graduate of CompassPoint's Women Executive Directors of Color Leadership Program. HLI Class of 2009.		Jaqui Guzman, President Elect Is an Executive Analyst in the San Jose City Manager's Budget Office. She holds a master's degree in Public Policy from UCLA's School of Public Affairs. Jaqui also has experience as a non-partisan budget and policy advisor to the California State Legislature, community engagement facilitator, and program coordinator
	Elisa Orona, President Elisa joined the AACI (Asian Americans for Community Involvement) team in the role of Grants and Contracts Manager. Elisa is a Berkeley graduate and holds a masters in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon. She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Guatemala '05-'07) and joined the LCSV Board in 2009. HLI Class of 2010.		Lennies M. Gutiérrez, Marketing/Membership Lennies works for Comcast as Director of External Affairs for the South Bay and Southern Peninsula areas. Prior to that, she worked on policy issues for ten years at the California State Capitol. Lennies is a graduate of UC Davis and the Lorenzo Patino Law School of Sacramento. She is also HLI Class of 2003, Latino Leadership Alliance Class of 2011, HACR Young Hispanic Corporate Achiever Class of 2012 and part of the NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program at Darden School of Business in Virginia Class of 2012-13.
	Obdulia Banuelos, Treasurer Is a graduate of the Latino Board Leadership Academy (LBLA) from the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Currently she is a committee member of LBLA. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a communications degree and double minors in Political Science and Spanish. Has seven years of banking experience with Bank of America.		Cathy D. Correia, ELLA Chair Cathy works for the City of San Jose, Environmental Services Department as an Associate Environmental Services Specialist. Prior to this, she was a Senior Staff Geologist in the private environmental compliance sector. Cathy is a graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Geology.
	Christina Ramos, Marketing/Membership Is the Director of the MESA Schools Program at San Jose State University. She was recently named as part of the 2012,100 Influential Women of Silicon Valley from the San Jose Business Journal. She is a recent graduate of the Latino Board Leadership Academy (LBLA) from the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley and member of the Latino Leadership Alliance (LLA) of Silicon Valley. Ms. Ramos graduated from The National Hispanic University in Liberal Studies and is finishing her Master’s Degree in Public Administrationfrom SJSU. .		Janine Ramirez, Secretary Janine Ramirez is the Executive Director for the Parent Institute for Quality Education San Jose office. She began with PIQE in 2008 after graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Psychology. After two years she became an Associate Director, and in 2011 she was promoted to her current position for which she relocated from her original home and office in Fresno. Janine is a recent graduate from the Latino Board Leadership Academy from the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. She is excited to serve as Board Member and Secretary of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley.

Fernanda Karp, ELLA Committee

Fernanda Perdomo A. Karp works at San José State University (SJSU) as the Student Affairs Director for Campus and Community Relations. She earned an MA in Public Administration and a BA in Mathematics both from SJSU and studied law at the Universidad Externado de Colombia. Fernanda is part of the 2013 cohort of DeAnza College’s Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI) Civic Leadership Program, an executive course that brings together emerging Asian American and Latin@ community leaders to expand the civic leadership pipeline in immigrant communities.

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Belinda Hernandez, Marketing/Membership

Ms. Hernandez has been an executive leader within the healthcare industry for almost 20 years. She graduated from UCLA with two degrees in Sociology and Chicano Studies where she moved on to earn a Master’s degree from UC Berkeley with special emphasis in Management and Planning. She owns a Certificate of Distinction in Project Management and graduated with the inaugural class of Clinic Leadership Institute – a program sponsored by the Blue Shield of California Foundation and UCSF’s Center for Health Professions honoring national emerging healthcare executives. Most recently she became a Distinguished Fellow of the Latino Board Leadership Academy. As an experienced entrepreneur and founder of her own consulting group, she has contracted within several Bay Area counties sharing her strategic thinking for the planning, implementation, and formal evaluation of numerous healthcare projects. She is committed to supporting the efforts of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley.

Advisory Committee

If you are interested in joining us, pleae e-mail our president.

	Andrea Flores Shelton, Chair Director of Communications, Santa Clara County Supervisor Dist. 2 LCSV president 2007-2008
	Teresa Alvarado LCSV Founder Former Executive Director, Hispanic Foundation Silicon Valley		Daisy Chu Policy Aide, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Dist. 2 Active community board and commission member
	Camille Coto LCSV Founding member FIrst lady of California's 23rd Assembly District		Helen Torres Executive Director of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality