Pastor Gustavo Garza’s journey as a conservation leader began with a simple yet powerful truth–he saw his community reflected in a movement for the first time. Through his involvement with Hispanic Access Foundation, he found the tools, mentorship, and national platform to elevate the voices of Latino communities in the fight for our environment.

What started as a collaboration turned into a powerful journey of learning and connection. As Rebolledo Sánchez first joined the Hispanic Access Foundation’s ocean conservation project to create Nuestro Mar, Nuestro Futuro: A Sustainable Seafood Guide alongside Ocean Manager Sofia Barboza and marine scientist Melissa Márquez, she began to see ocean science not as something distant, but as something deeply personal—and deeply rooted in the Latino experience.

“I now feel more equipped than ever to mentor and guide youth, especially those who, like me, come from backgrounds that are underrepresented in STEM,” says Anais Martinez, an educator whose leadership and confidence have grown thanks to her involvement with Hispanic Access Foundation.

Monica Poveda is a seasoned and highly analytical finance executive currently serving as Vice President for Finance at The Land Trust Alliance. With deep expertise in organizational and financial strategy within complex nonprofit organizations, she has a proven track record leading financial and digital transformations, crafting innovative financing solutions, and fostering global cross-functional collaboration to drive organizational growth.

Before joining The Land Trust Alliance, Monica served as Vice President for Finance at the American Forest Foundation, where she played a pivotal role advancing the organization's mission through strategic financial leadership. Prior to that, she was Global Finance Director at The Nature Conservancy, where she oversaw financial operations on a global scale, contributing to the organization's impact and sustainability.

Monica's work has consistently focused on empowering mission-driven organizations to achieve greater impact through innovative financial strategies and collaborative leadership. Monica holds an MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology and a law degree from Universidad de los Andes.

Alex Santillana was born in Puebla, Mexico, and learned the value of giving back at an early age. Alex has had a successful career in the technology and business fields and is currently responsible for global infrastructure at Ralph Lauren. Throughout his career, he has been fortunate to work with many corporations like Volkswagen, Pfizer, Cadbury Schweppes, Accenture, Zimmer Biomed and Microsoft, where he has had the opportunity to work with talented individuals and teams, which has significantly contributed to his personal and professional growth. Additionally, he is actively involved in philanthropic initiatives, including serving as executive sponsor for the Hispanic and Latinx community at Ralph Lauren and introducing the first Hispanic non-profit organizations to the company's matching program. Alex is passionate about making a positive impact in his community and looks forward to continuing these efforts. Outside of his professional and philanthropic endeavors, Alex enjoys spending time with his family and exploring new cultures. Alex believes in the power of diversity and inclusion and strives to create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Alex enjoys mentoring young professionals and sharing his experiences to help them achieve their goals. Overall, he is deeply committed to making a difference in both his professional and personal life.

Hispanic Access is excited to collaborate with one of Sunbelt Rentals' Employee Resource Groups (ERG), JUNTOS, to support the MANO Project program. JUNTOS has made a significant monetary investment to advance the MANO Project’s mission to help the next generation of leaders build successful careers by connecting them with valuable workforce development opportunities.

La comunidad latina en Estados Unidos no solo está creciendo en número, sino también en influencia y capacidad de liderazgo. En este contexto, del 28 de abril al 2 de mayo marca la Semana de la Abogacía Latina 2025, un evento nacional que busca fortalecer las habilidades de los latinos para defender sus derechos y los de sus comunidades.

On April 17, 2025, the Administration issued an Executive Order attempting to open the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument —one of the last wild, healthy ocean ecosystems on Earth—to industrial fishing. This decision would scale back protections from 200 to 50 nautical miles, opening more than 408,000 square miles of protected ocean to commercial extraction. The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument is not only a sanctuary for threatened and endangered wildlife, it also holds deep cultural and historical significance for Indigenous Pacific Islanders who have stewarded these waters for generations.

Hispanic Access Foundation’s fifth annual Latino Advocacy Week begins on April 28 and runs through May 2, 2025. Latino Advocacy Week was launched in 2021 to help build the capacity and familiarity among Latinos to advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities. This year’s theme in “Our Voice, Our Strength, Our Future”, which is essential as the Latino community continues to shape the nation's social, economic, and political landscape.

Hispanic Access Foundation is honored to announce a new partnership with Renacer Foundation through the Senderos a la Ciencia/Pathways to Science Hispanic Role Model and Mentoring Project, funded by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Through this collaboration, Hispanic Access and Renacer Foundation will work together to build awareness about the value and importance of STEM careers, particularly in Latino communities where access and exposure to these career paths remain limited.