About Our Team

 

Mission

We create opportunities for Latino youth to build healthy relationships, advocate for their education, and become proud of the work they do.

Vision

We envision families, schools, and workplaces that build resilience though belonging so Latino youth can learn, grow, and lead.

Diana Avalos-Leos

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Before founding Latino Leadership Northwest and the Clark County Latino Youth Leadership Program, Diana Avalos-Leos spent 16 years working for Vancouver Public Schools. A long-standing advocate for youth, Diana has strong, trusting relationships with many community partners and leaders in SW Washington. Diana is known for her deep commitment to working collaboratively with partners to improve outcomes for all youth.

Rose Mendoza

PROGRAM MANAGER (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Rose is the Program Coordinator for Latino Leadership Northwest (LLNW). Rose uses her role to connect, elevate, and support young Latino leaders through youth behavioral health programming and community education and outreach. As a first-generation university graduate, Rose earned her Bachelors of Science in Public Health from Central Washington University. Her second greatest passion? Bigfoot. The real one.

Ana Betancourt Macias

OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT MANAGER (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Ana is a Washington State University-Vancouver alum, where she studied sociology. She supports Latino youth through after-school programming assisting students to explore higher education, as a paralegal at an Immigration Law office, and as a lead organizer for LLNW. Ana is deeply passionate about sharing Xincanx studies with youth. Her goal is to earn her masters in Xincanx studies, and later a PhD to one day be a professor at a community college.

Meet The Board

Alexis Espinoza

CEO of Media Mountain Production

Diana Perez

US Forest Service, Vancouver City Council

Bill Oman

Vancouver Public Schools, Executive Director of Schools and Learning

Eduardo Ramos

Policy Advisor at Metro

Sandra Zavala

Vancouver Public Schools, School Board President

Dr. Jennifer Hernandez

Former Director of Department of Multilingual Education, and Educational Consultant

Yessenia Martinez

Attorney at Law Office of Yessenia Martinez

Melissa Meconi

Healthcare professional at Cambia Health

  • Leadership

    Building skills, sharing resources, and providing the necessary supports to help elevate Latino youth into their leadership potential.

  • Connection

    Our deep connection with our community has allowed us to gain the trust of Latino families, students, and young professionals across SW WA.

  • Collaboration

    We work together to lead conversations and create change that benefits all of us.

  • Impacts

    Opportunities, resources, and support for ALL youth means we can make waves bigger than us.

 Mariposa Interns

Sam Meza

MARIPOSA (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Sam is a collegiate Mariposa Intern for Latino Leadership Northwest (LLNW). She is a first-generation Latina student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Working to connect with and support underrepresented communities has been Sam's passion over the years.

Jair Carlos

MARIPOSA (HE,HIM,EL)

Jaír is a first generation college student majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in math. Jair has been an LLNW intern since 2020. As an intern Jair works alongside LLNW team to coordinate programming for the people of Clark county, and helps manage our social media pages.

Alma Melchor-Burgos

MARIPOSA (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Alma is a first-generation, undocumented Latina student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biology with a Minor in Spanish at WSUV. She is currently one of our collegiate Mariposas supporting youth program development centering Latino families here in Clark County.

 

Luis Huerta

MARIPOSA (HE, HIM,EL)

Luis is one of the Mariposa interns for LLNW. He is a first-generation Latinx student pursuing a career in Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University in Vancouver. As someone who has always cared for his community, Luis is always looking for new ways to help Latinx youth pursue their goals.

Pamela Melchor- Burgos

MARIPOSA (SHE/HER/ELLA)

Pamela is an undocumented, first-generation, Latina student attending FVHS and Clark College working towards attaining her associate degree in Biology. As a Latino Leadership Northwest intern, she is able to follow her passion for advocating, serving, and uplifting her community.

 

Community Partners