Amaris Alanis Ribeiro is the Director of Forestry and STEM at the Hispanic Access Foundation.

Amaris is an environmental change maker having worked with nonprofits, government, informal science centers, and the outdoors. She has nearly 20 years of experience in conservation, environmental education, and STEM.

Most recently Amaris was the Center Director for a nature center in Chicago. There she oversaw a 46 acre natural area and the operations of a public facility open 7-days a week, serving 75,000 visitors annually.

Throughout her tenure, Amaris has served on local boards and as a national advisor, and has garnered program awards and multi-year grants. Amaris’ expertise includes using asset-based approaches in centering communities in environmental equity and justice, bridging climate and health, and climate migration. She has a bachelor in science degree in Ecology, Ethology, Evolution from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is completing a master’s degree in Science Education.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I am excited about bringing my expertise on forestry and STEM while focusing efforts with the Latino community. I also like the idea of working for an organization that has a strong internal culture and strives for innovation and growth."

In her spare time…

“I enjoy nature, going out for an evening, serving on committees, and supporting grassroot efforts.”

Hi, my name is Marisol, Let me begin by saying a little about my personal life, which is that I love being a wife and mom. I was born and raised in the Bronx and my family is from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.

As for my professional career, I have a track record of over two decades in Business Managing-Bookkeeping in a non-profit organization. I worked on critical financial functions, including General Ledger (GL), Accounts Receivable (A/R), Accounts Payable (A/P) journals, Trial Balance, and payroll records. Simultaneously, I managed bank accounts and investment portfolios. In addition, I assumed a pivotal role in payroll administration.

My professional memberships include Notary Public certification in the State of New York, the American Association of Notaries, and the National Association of Professional Women. My educational background includes a Full Charge Bookkeeping Certificate from Lehman College, and a degree in Business Administration from Baruch College. My professional award includes a Director’s Award from my former employer the William Alanson White Institute.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the extraordinary success and accomplishments of the Hispanic Access Foundation.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I decided to work for the Hispanic Access Foundation after reading their cause of helping Latinos. In my opinion, as a Nuyorican a.k.a. Puerto Rican from New York, this would have been a great resource for my mom at the time she came to New York without a word of English."

In her spare time…

“In my spare time, I spend it with my husband, daughter and my Yorkie taking trips out of NY. I also love the movies. I'm what you call an introvert because I love spending time home.”

Her favorite book…

“My favorite book is "Misery" by Stephen King. I love any horror movie that is not too gory. I also love non-fictional books. I just finished reading Rosie Perez biography.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“My mom is the most inspirational person in my life. The things that she went through as a child, adult and a mom, well all I can say is "Gracias, Mami. Por todo lo que sacrifices para que ieramos una educacion superior y una buena vida.”

As a member of Hispanic Access Foundation’s Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN), Jasmine works in facilitating HLN’s mentoring and leadership program to support young, mid-career and experienced Latino pastors serving high-need rural and urban congregations across the U.S.

Growing up in Southern California, and within different Spanish-speaking communities, Jasmine developed her love for public service and community outreach by watching her mother serve in the local church and perform faith-based outreach to those in need. Jasmine was later able to serve alongside her mother in hosting back to school drives and engaging in outreach initiatives.

Jasmine holds a B.A in Cultural Anthropology (emphasis in Community Development in Latino Communities). While in college, she served as an intern for the Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership, where she assisted the leadership team with creating connections between the faith community, education, and the Hispanic community at large. She also worked with local Hispanic clergy and faith leaders to facilitate annual Latino Prayer Breakfasts and other community engagement events in the Southern California area. Additionally, during her college years, she was able to participate in mission work at Footsteps Orphanage in Honduras (Tegucigalpa and Santa Barbara). Upon graduation, Jasmine worked as a medical outreach worker in Downtown San Diego, focusing on high need communities such as the homeless and Spanish-speaking immigrants. She later transitioned into the role of bilingual prenatal case manager in the vibrant Latino community of Barrio Logan/Logan Heights, where she was able to provide prenatal case management and support to the local community. In addition to these roles, she has also worked within the education field as a teacher and in the healthcare field as a Patient Liaison and advocate.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I desire to see Latino and underrepresented communities flourish and thrive. I love the idea that I can couple my love for community development, my cultural anthropology education, and my passion for the Latino community into my role as Program Associate. Through Hispanic Access, I can utilize my personal, educational, and professional experiences to benefit the communities we serve. Hispanic Access provides me the opportunity to do what I love while making a significant impact that will uplift Latino leaders and the community."

In her spare time…

“I LOVE watching K-dramas and foreign films! My other interests include collecting cute stationery, ballet class, going to the orchestra, the beach, and traveling. I am vegan as well, so I love searching out new restaurants to enjoy and trying out new recipes.”

Her favorite book…

“I have so many books I love but one that was impactful to me is “Let Me Be A Woman” by Elisabeth Elliot. It touches on themes of faith, family, and growing into womanhood.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“As cliché as this may sound, I would say my mother. She is an amazing woman and her consistent character, integrity, and walk of faith has truly inspired me and pushed me to be the woman I am today. She is constantly motivating me to not only be successful externally, but to cultivate my inner wellbeing and spirit. She is the same behind closed doors as she is in public and that is rare. She is truly my best friend!”

Rivers and streams, the lifeblood of our planet, have sustained human civilization and ecosystems throughout history. These meandering currents, majestic flows, and interconnected networks shape the very essence of our natural world, including where and how we live. This report delves into the significance of rivers, their role in the water cycle, and the vital link between healthy rivers and the cultures that are sustained by them. 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month - Elevating our Comunidad

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, let’s recognize the histories, achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans nationwide. During this month and throughout the year, Hispanic Access Foundation works to elevate the voices of Latino and Hispanic Americans.

Whether we are helping Latinos improve their financial literacy, explore new workforce opportunities, become environmental stewards or advocate for better health, trust and a commitment to equity is at the core of everything we do. Our initiatives, programs and grassroots outreach efforts are aimed at empowering and inspiring individuals to improve themselves and their families and, in turn, strengthen their communities and their country. Check out our brand film “Mejor Juntos” to learn more.

Hispanic and Latino Americans have diverse, unique stories to be told. Throughout the year, we feature the stories of our network members across our programs who are becoming leaders in their communities.

Top 2023 Spotlight Stories

Join the celebration! Check out our social media toolkit to see how you can help us amplify our efforts during #HispanicHeritageMonth:

SHARE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT TODAY

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- HELP US TRANSFORM LATINO LIVES - DONATE TODAY -

Purpose and Scope

Hispanic Access Foundation (“Hispanic Access”) is committed to protecting the integrity and objectivity of its research activities by ensuring that the design, conduct, and reporting of research will not be biased or appear to be biased by a personal financial conflict of interest. This Financial Conflict of Interest Policy (“Policy”) is implemented to identify, manage, reduce, or eliminate financial conflicts of interest. This Policy describes certain legal obligations applicable to Investigators’ disclosure of potential financial conflicts of interest. The policy and the associated procedures are derived from the final rules on Objectivity in Research promulgated by the PHS and the NSF as implemented in the 2011 Final Rule for grants and cooperative agreements. This policy and the associated procedures are applicable to all PHS sponsored program activity carried out by Hispanic Access Employees. These procedures will be followed whenever Hispanic Access or its employees submit a request for funding from any external agency, whether it is the PHS, the NSF or another Federal agency.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to this policy:

• Disclosure of Significant Financial Interests means an Investigator's significant financial interests (“SFI”) disclosure.
  
  
• Family Member means the Hispanic Access Employee's spouse and children or other adults who qualify as dependents under the Internal Revenue Code definitions.
  
  
• Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) means a significant financial interest that could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, or reporting of PHS-funded research.
  FCOI Report means Hispanic Access’ report of a financial conflict of interest to a PHS Awarding Component.
  
  
• Financial Interest means anything of monetary value, whether or not the value is readily ascertainable.
  
  
• Investigator is defined as the Project Director (PD), Principal Investigator (PI), consultants, or any other person, regardless of title or position, who is responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded by the PHS, or proposal for such funding.
  
  
• Manage means taking action to address a financial conflict of interest, which can include reducing or eliminating the financial conflict of interest, to ensure, to the extent possible, that the design, conduct, and reporting of research will be free from bias.
  
  
• PHS Awarding Component means the organizational unit of the PHS that funds the research that is subject to 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F.
  
  
• Research means a systematic investigation, study, or experiment designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge relating broadly to public health, including behavioral and social sciences research. The term encompasses basic and applied research (e.g., a published article, book, or book chapter) and product development (e.g., a diagnostic test or drug). For PHS-Funded Research, the term includes any such activity for which research funding is available from a PHS Awarding Component through a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract, whether authorized under the PHS Act or other statutory authority.
  Hispanic Access Employee means any individual employed on a full- or part-time basis by Hispanic Access and is receiving, or will receive, compensation (including consultants, agents, and research collaborators of Hispanic Access).
• Significant financial interest means:
  
  • A financial interest consisting of one or more of the following interests of the Investigator (and those of the Investigator's spouse and dependent children) that reasonably appears to be related to the Investigator's institutional responsibilities:
    
    
    • With regard to any publicly traded entity, a significant financial interest exists if the value of any remuneration received from the entity in the twelve months preceding the disclosure and the value of any equity interest in the entity as of the date of disclosure, when aggregated, exceeds $5,000. For purposes of this definition, remuneration includes salary and any payment for services not otherwise identified as salary (e.g., consulting fees, honoraria, paid authorship); equity interest includes any stock, stock option, or other ownership interest, as determined through reference to public prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value;
      
      
    • With regard to any non-publicly traded entity, a significant financial interest exists if the value of any remuneration received from the entity in the twelve months preceding the disclosure, when aggregated, exceeds $5,000, or when the Investigator (or the Investigator's spouse or dependent children) holds any equity interest (e.g., stock, stock option, or other ownership interest); or
      Intellectual property rights and interests (e.g., patents, copyrights), upon receipt of income in excess of $5,000 related to such rights and interests.
      
      
  • Investigators also must disclose the occurrence of any reimbursed or sponsored travel in excess of $5,000 (i.e., that which is paid on behalf of the Investigator and not reimbursed to the Investigator so that the exact monetary value may not be readily available), related to their institutional responsibilities; provided, however, that this disclosure requirement does not apply to travel that is reimbursed or sponsored by a Federal, state, or local government agency located in the United States, a United States Institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a United States Institution of higher education. The Institution's FCOI policy will specify the details of this disclosure, which will include, at a minimum, the purpose of the trip, the identity of the sponsor/organizer, the destination, and the duration. In accordance with the Institution's FCOI policy, the institutional official(s) will determine if further information is needed, including a determination or disclosure of monetary value, in order to determine whether the travel constitutes an FCOI with the PHS-funded research.
    
    
  • The term significant financial interest does not include the following types of financial interests: salary, royalties, or other remuneration paid by the Institution to the Investigator if the Investigator is currently employed or otherwise appointed by the Institution, including intellectual property rights assigned to the Institution and agreements to share in royalties related to such rights; any ownership interest in the Institution held by the Investigator, if the Institution is a commercial or for-profit organization; income from investment vehicles, such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, as long as the Investigator does not directly control the investment decisions made in these vehicles; income from seminars, lectures, or teaching engagements sponsored by a Federal, state, or local government agency located in the United States, a United States Institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a United States Institution of higher education; or income from service on advisory committees or review panels for a Federal, state, or local government agency located in the United States, a United States Institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a United States Institution of higher education.

Process

An Investigator is required to comply with the policy and procedures outlined below. Investigators also include collaborators and consultants. Investigators are required to: 1) disclose any significant financial interests (SFIs) at the time of application for federal PHS funding by completing and signing a disclosure form, and submitting this to the Designated Official at Hispanic Access, 2) disclose SFIs using the disclosure form at least on an annual basis during the course of an award, 3) disclose within 30 days of discovering or acquiring (e.g., through purchase, marriage, or inheritance) any new SFI, and 4) take part in FCOI training at least once every four years.

Investigators receive training to promote objectivity in research and to ensure Investigator compliance with regard to the applicable regulations and significant financial interest disclosure obligations. Hispanic Access requires Investigators to complete the National Institutes of Health’s Financial Conflict of Interest tutorial located at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/coi/tutorial2011/fcoi.htm every four years, and when: 1) Hispanic Access revises its financial conflicts of interest policy or procedures in any manner that affects the Investigator’s obligations, 2) an Investigator is new to Hispanic Access, or 3) Hispanic Access finds that an Investigator is not in compliance with this policy or a financial conflicts of interest management plan.

To identify conflicts of financial interest, the following procedures will be followed: 1) all investigators involved in the project/proposal are required to complete, sign and submit the SFI Disclosure Form, 2) the Investigator must list all of their SFIs (and those of the Investigator's Family Members) that reasonably appear to be related to the Hispanic Access Research; 3) the form requires the Investigator to include, at minimum, the name of the entity, the nature of the financial interest (e.g., equity, consulting fee), the monetary value of the financial interest or its approximate value if the interest is one whose value cannot readily be determined. If needed, Hispanic Access may request supporting documentation to determine whether an FCOI exists; 4) for SFI disclosures related to sponsored or reimbursed travel, the disclosure must include, at minimum, the purpose of the trip, the identity of the sponsor/organizer, the destination, the duration, and the approximate monetary value, 5) the Investigator is required to submit an updated SFI Disclosure during the period of the award at least annually, and within 30 days of discovering or acquiring a new SFI.

In conjunction with the administrative review of applications for grants, the CEO will review each SFI disclosure submitted and shall make the determination of whether a conflict of significant financial interest exists. An Investigator's SFI is related to PHS-funded research when Hispanic Access, through its designated official, reasonably determines that the SFI could be affected by the PHS-funded research or is in an entity whose financial interest could be affected by the research. An FCOI exists when the institution reasonably determines that the SFI could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, or reporting of the PHS-funded research. If the CEO determines that no conflict of significant financial interest exists, the resulting negative finding will be filed in Hispanic Access Employee’s Legal and/or Human Resource files. For negative findings no further review is required.

In cases in which Hispanic Access identifies a financial conflict of interest and is able to resolve the matter, Hispanic Access is not required to submit an FCOI report to the PHS Awarding Component. For any significant financial interest that Hispanic Access identifies as conflicting and is not able to resolve, Hispanic Access will, within 60 days, submit an FCOI report regarding the financial conflict of interest and ensure that Hispanic Access has implemented a management plan. Any FCOI report required by PHS will include sufficient information to enable the PHS Awarding Component to understand the nature and extent of the financial conflict, and to assess the appropriateness of Hispanic Access’ management plan. For any financial conflict of interest previously reported, Hispanic Access will provide an annual FCOI report that addresses the status of the financial conflict of interest and any changes to the management plan. The annual FCOI report will specify whether the financial conflict is still being managed or explain why the financial conflict of interest no longer exists. Hispanic Access will provide annual FCOI reports for the duration of the project period (including extensions with or without funds) in the time and manner specified by the PHS Awarding Component.

Noncompliance

If an Investigator who is required under this policy to file a SFI disclosure fails to do so or fails to disclose a significant financial interest on the disclosure form, the Investigator may be subject to company inquiry. If an unreported significant financial interest involves a research project administered by Hispanic Access, appropriate administrative action required by the funding agency will also be taken. Hispanic Access will promptly notify the funding agency if it is determined that the company is unable to satisfactorily manage any conflict of significant financial interest. Intentional disregard for this policy, including non-adherence to the agreed upon management plan, shall constitute serious misconduct and may be the basis for further administrative inquiry.

Whenever a Financial Conflict of Interest is not identified or managed in a timely manner, including:

• Failure by the Investigator to disclose a Significant Financial Interest that is determined by the Institution to constitute a Financial Conflict of Interest;
• Failure by the Institution to review or manage such a Financial Conflict of Interest; or
• Failure by the Investigator to comply with a Financial Conflict of Interest management plan;

the Institution shall, within 120 days of the Institution’s determination of noncompliance, complete a “retrospective review” of the Investigator’s activities and the research project to determine whether any research, or portion thereof, conducted during the time period of the noncompliance was biased in the design, conduct, or reporting of such research.

The Institution shall document the retrospective review which must include at least the following key elements:

• Project number;
• Project title;
• PD/PI or contact PD/PI if a multiple PD/PI model is used;
• Name of the Investigator with the FCOI;
• Name of the entity with which the Investigator has a financial conflict of interest
• Reason(s) for the retrospective review;
• Detailed methodology used for the retrospective review (e.g., methodology of the review process, composition of the review panel, documents reviewed, etc.);
• Findings of the review; and
• Conclusions of the review.

If bias is found, the Institution must notify the funding agency promptly and submit a mitigation report. If the FCOI was previously reported to the NIH, the mitigation report is submitted as a “Revised FCOI Report.” The mitigation report must include, at a minimum, the key elements documented in the retrospective review above and a description of the impact of the bias on the research project and the Institution’s plan of action or actions taken to eliminate or mitigate the effect of the bias (i.e., impact on the research project, extent of harm done, including any qualitative and quantitative data to support any actual or future harm; analysis of whether the research project is salvageable). Thereafter, the Institution will submit FCOI reports annually as prescribed by the regulation.

Clinical Research

In any case that a clinical Research project, whose purpose is to evaluate the safety or effectiveness of a drug, medical device or treatment has been designed, conducted or reported by an Investigator with a conflicting interest that was not reported or managed as required by this Policy or the applicable regulations, then Hispanic Access shall, at minimum, require the Investigator involved to disclose the conflicting interest in each public presentation of the results of the Research and to request an addendum to previously published presentations. An Investigator who has failed to report a Significant Financial Interest related to clinical Research will also be subject to sanctions under this Policy.

Records

Hispanic Access will maintain all SFI disclosures, training certifications, management plans, reports and all related records of actions taken by Hispanic Access with respect to disclosures of financial interests for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditures report to the PHS as governed by 42 CFR Part 50 Subpart F, and from other dates specified in 45 CFR 75.361, where applicable.

Ivone was born in Brazil and now is currently living in Virginia. She graduated from Eniac University in São Paulo with a degree in Business. She is a Human Resources professional with over five years of experience. Her professional experience also includes logistics, sales, and customer service. Overall she's always had a passion for helping people and engaging with the community. She loves learning new languages because she is a strong believer that anything is possible when you make good communication accessible.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I find it incredibly fulfilling to work for a company like the Hispanic Access Foundation that actively supports and empowers the Latino community, providing essential services to aid their professional growth. Given my own Latino background, being a part of this team brings me great joy and satisfaction."

In her spare time…

“In my spare time I go to the gym, read books and travel with my husband."

Her favorite book…

“The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, a French writer. This book with it's simplicity brings lots of important life lessons."

A person she finds inspirational…

“Augusto Cury - Brazilian Psychology and writer.”

Silvana joined the Hispanic Access Foundation in July 2023 as a Human Resources Associate where she supports Operations with HR administration.

Prior to joining Hispanic Access Foundation, Silvana worked in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition roles within the Non-Profit, Higher-Ed, Tech and Healthcare industries. Her professional passion for HR is based upon supporting and developing the employee experience and helping organizations grow. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Florida International University, pursued a Master’s degree in HR Management from Nova Southeastern University and attained a SHRM-CP certification.

Silvana is based out of her hometown of Miami, FL and you can likely find her alongside her very attached canine companion, Zissou.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I’m from a big Nicaraguan family with strong values that immigrated here to the United States in hopes of escaping political unrest and seeking a better future. Growing up, I was always reminded about their stories of hardship, perseverance, sacrifice, and serving their communities. Being impacted by those profound experiences, I made it a point to seek out a professional opportunity with a great mission that I resonated with – one where I felt I could help make an impact on my community. Fast-forward to 2023 when I stumbled upon a role with Hispanic Access, I knew it would be my chance to finally fulfill my professional ambition. I feel deeply drawn to the organization’s mission of developing and empowering Latinx leaders and look forward to the future of this organization!"

In her spare time…

“In my spare time you can find me obsessing over TV and Film, planning my next adventure, researching a new dining/mixology/entertainment experience (I love a good theme), decorating, and being a fan-girl for a seemingly never-ending list of things.”

Her favorite book…

“I’m known for having “top lists” so it’s hard to choose but if I had to pick just one favorite, it would be The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy simply for being a light-hearted comedic read – and of course, for providing the answer to the meaning of life.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“The one nearest and dearest to my heart is my dad. At just 21, he came to the United States seeking political asylum from an oppressive regime in his country. He has always fought for what was right and gave up so much to come here. He’s come so far in his professional career and serves as a Chair of the Latinx ERG at his company– in addition, he has been my number one supporter and is the funniest person I know. I aspire to be like him!”