Norma Chairez first began working with Hispanic Access as a Latino Heritage Internship Program intern and then got involved in their historic preservation efforts. Chairez has contributed to both Place, Story and Culture white papers.

Moses Borjas from El Paso, TX, has dedicated the past five years to working on a campaign looking to designate Castner Range as a national monument. Since then, he has become a staunch advocate for the landscape that surrounds El Paso, which has gained momentum this year, getting them closer to their end goal.

Pastor Jesus Garcia and his wife Bethzaida Perez-Villegas recently moved from San Juan, Puerto Rico to New London, CT. Within a year of relocating to the area, they have established a strong relationship with the community and have run a successful vaccination program to get community members vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pastors Juan and Rocio Almanza hail from Colombia, but have resided in Henderson, NV, for many years, pastoring outside of the Las Vegas area. For more than 10 years, they have worked alongside Hispanic Access Foundation to support our community-focused programs, most recently serving as program managers for our COVID-19 vaccination program.

Chantelle Ruidant-Hansen is a San Antonio native who currently works as a bilingual Visual Interpretation Specialist at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. She began her journey with the park back in 2017 as a MANO Project intern and after interning there for two years, was able to obtain a permanent position as the first ever bilingual VIS.

Historically, the decision-making process in the field of conservation has left minorities and vulnerable communities out of the conversation. The Hispanic Access Foundation’s MANO Project partners with agencies like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to connect and mentor young leaders of color to protect public lands and implement equitable and just climate change strategies.