STAFF
Pamela Reséndiz Trujano, Executive Director, pamela@cojwj.org, 303.717.8240
Caroline Casteel, Organizer, caroline@cojwj.org, 303.717.9827
Faviola Armendariz, Organizer, faviola@cojwj.org
Eric Leveridge, Clean Slate Future of Labor Law Research Fellowship
BOARD MEMBERS
All board members for Colorado Jobs with Justice are selected with the aim of broadening the set of political perspectives and backgrounds in labor and community organizations on the board.
Sara Fitouri- Board- Chair
Vinnie Cervantes- Co- Chair/Secretary
Erin Bennett Leighton- Treasurer
Vinnie Cervantes- Co- Chair/Secretary
Erin Bennett Leighton- Treasurer
Carlos Valdez: Carlos Valdez is a high school history teacher in Aurora Public Schools.He is also Chair of the Equity Council for the Aurora Education Association. Carlos serves as a board member of Colorado Jobs With Justice and brings experience in union organizing and solidarity campaigns. In addition to this, he has helped to advocate and create space for LGBTQ educators and BIPOC educators at the local, state and national level. Carlos received his B.A. at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Carlos is originally from Los Angeles and is the son of undocumented parents. He and his family moved to Aurora, Colorado in 2001. His background helped begin his education and advocacy work with the Immigrant Services Program at MSU Denver. Carlos believes in a more equitable society and self-determination for historically marginalized people.
“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” - Assata Shakur
Maria Ignacia Miranda Santis: Maria Ignacia was born and raised in Chile, and moved to the U.S. in 2006 when she was 12 years old. She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) with a B.A. in International Studies, Political Science, and a minor in Spanish. She is interested in a variety of social justice issues, especially concerning reproductive justice in different communities; however, she believes that the conversations around collaboration and intersectionality among social justice organizations are the key to creating effective change in the community.
With a passion for learning, Maria Ignacia enjoys exchanging viewpoints and information with colleagues, friends, and family. As Gabriela Mistral once said, “Los días más felices son aquellos que nos hacen sabios”. Maria Ignacia’s favorite activities include speaking Spanish, photography, and brainstorming projects for the future.
She worked at COLOR for 2 years as a Community Organizer and Field Manager developing and implementing community outreach strategies to engage the Latinx community. She now works as the Program and Outreach Manager at Women’s Voices for the Earth, a national organization amplifying women’s voices to eliminate toxic chemicals that harm our health and communities. She is also Rise Up Midwife’s Spanish Creative Consultant and is excited to work for a company that makes social justice t-shirts for people of color.
You can follow Maria Ignacia’s creative endeavours on @mimsphotoart on instagram.
Josh Downey: Josh Downey was elected as the Denver Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO President in May of 2014 and re-elected in 2017. He had previously served as Chief of Staff and Political Director for the Service Employees International Union Local 105, spearheading the local’s electoral and legislative work.
Prior to joining the labor movement, Josh was an organizing director for Grassroots Campaigns and MoveOn.org, helping to recruit and train thousands of volunteers to take grassroots political action.
Josh lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Tara, daughter Pryor, and Son Theodore. He has a Bachelors degree in Politics from Drake University.
Victoria Gonzalez: Victoria Paige Gonzalez is a cultural producer dividing her time between Texas and Colorado. Currently, Gonzalez is the Digital Strategist for the Latino Cultural Arts Center (Denver, CO)–an interdisciplinary art complex that strengthens the knowledge of and appreciation for the extensive artistic expressions of Latinxs by preserving and highlighting the history and ongoing contributions. During the fall of 2018, she was selected to attend The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) Emerging Leaders of Color Conference–a regional non-profit arts service organization dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts. She graduated from the University of Houston with a BFA in Photography and Digital Media, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Art.
Originally from Houston, TX, Victoria has been working collectively with students and local arts community to expand opportunities for aspiring cultural workers. Victoria moved to Denver in 2016 to gain access to Latinx museums and work directly within her community. Victoria is passionate about learning how she can help fellow artists and cultural workers gain clarity in the ways we can come together to build dignity as facilitators of culture.
“...The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change…” - Audre Lorde
Joe Deras: Joe Deras is a the Lead Organizer for District Council 81 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades "IUPAT". Mr. Deras is currently working to end wage theft in the construction industry through worker centered campaigns that push for a more fair and dignified work place. Originally from Aurora Colorado, Joe became involved in social justice struggles in college working on immigrant rights, racial justice, police accountability and labor rights. He moved to Florida in 2013 to support the tomato pickers organizing for better wages and working conditions. In 2014 he moved back and started as a field organizer for IUPAT. He lives in southeast Denver where he is an active community member.
"Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift"- Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Keara Fenzel: Keara Fenzel is a Program Manager for Impactual, a social impact firm based in Denver. She has served as a board member with Colorado Jobs With Justice since January 2018. She has extensive background in organized labor, progressive movement-building, and civic and community organizing in Colorado. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Government from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, and earned a certificate in Strategic Corporate Research from Cornell University.
Raised in a union household, Keara has known from a young age the importance of empowering workers and having strong representation on the job. She has dedicated her career to expanding freedom for all people - freedom to organize and be represented by a union, freedom to access comprehensive healthcare, freedom against discrimination, freedom to access the outdoors, and the freedom to have one's voice heard in our democracy. When she is not organizing, she enjoys traveling the state with her little beagle, Honey.
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” -- Dolores Huerta
Madison Cassels:
Contact the board: board@cojwj.org
Carlos is originally from Los Angeles and is the son of undocumented parents. He and his family moved to Aurora, Colorado in 2001. His background helped begin his education and advocacy work with the Immigrant Services Program at MSU Denver. Carlos believes in a more equitable society and self-determination for historically marginalized people.
“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” - Assata Shakur
Maria Ignacia Miranda Santis: Maria Ignacia was born and raised in Chile, and moved to the U.S. in 2006 when she was 12 years old. She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) with a B.A. in International Studies, Political Science, and a minor in Spanish. She is interested in a variety of social justice issues, especially concerning reproductive justice in different communities; however, she believes that the conversations around collaboration and intersectionality among social justice organizations are the key to creating effective change in the community.
With a passion for learning, Maria Ignacia enjoys exchanging viewpoints and information with colleagues, friends, and family. As Gabriela Mistral once said, “Los días más felices son aquellos que nos hacen sabios”. Maria Ignacia’s favorite activities include speaking Spanish, photography, and brainstorming projects for the future.
She worked at COLOR for 2 years as a Community Organizer and Field Manager developing and implementing community outreach strategies to engage the Latinx community. She now works as the Program and Outreach Manager at Women’s Voices for the Earth, a national organization amplifying women’s voices to eliminate toxic chemicals that harm our health and communities. She is also Rise Up Midwife’s Spanish Creative Consultant and is excited to work for a company that makes social justice t-shirts for people of color.
You can follow Maria Ignacia’s creative endeavours on @mimsphotoart on instagram.
Josh Downey: Josh Downey was elected as the Denver Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO President in May of 2014 and re-elected in 2017. He had previously served as Chief of Staff and Political Director for the Service Employees International Union Local 105, spearheading the local’s electoral and legislative work.
Prior to joining the labor movement, Josh was an organizing director for Grassroots Campaigns and MoveOn.org, helping to recruit and train thousands of volunteers to take grassroots political action.
Josh lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Tara, daughter Pryor, and Son Theodore. He has a Bachelors degree in Politics from Drake University.
Victoria Gonzalez: Victoria Paige Gonzalez is a cultural producer dividing her time between Texas and Colorado. Currently, Gonzalez is the Digital Strategist for the Latino Cultural Arts Center (Denver, CO)–an interdisciplinary art complex that strengthens the knowledge of and appreciation for the extensive artistic expressions of Latinxs by preserving and highlighting the history and ongoing contributions. During the fall of 2018, she was selected to attend The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) Emerging Leaders of Color Conference–a regional non-profit arts service organization dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts. She graduated from the University of Houston with a BFA in Photography and Digital Media, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Art.
Originally from Houston, TX, Victoria has been working collectively with students and local arts community to expand opportunities for aspiring cultural workers. Victoria moved to Denver in 2016 to gain access to Latinx museums and work directly within her community. Victoria is passionate about learning how she can help fellow artists and cultural workers gain clarity in the ways we can come together to build dignity as facilitators of culture.
“...The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change…” - Audre Lorde
Joe Deras: Joe Deras is a the Lead Organizer for District Council 81 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades "IUPAT". Mr. Deras is currently working to end wage theft in the construction industry through worker centered campaigns that push for a more fair and dignified work place. Originally from Aurora Colorado, Joe became involved in social justice struggles in college working on immigrant rights, racial justice, police accountability and labor rights. He moved to Florida in 2013 to support the tomato pickers organizing for better wages and working conditions. In 2014 he moved back and started as a field organizer for IUPAT. He lives in southeast Denver where he is an active community member.
"Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift"- Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Keara Fenzel: Keara Fenzel is a Program Manager for Impactual, a social impact firm based in Denver. She has served as a board member with Colorado Jobs With Justice since January 2018. She has extensive background in organized labor, progressive movement-building, and civic and community organizing in Colorado. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Government from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, and earned a certificate in Strategic Corporate Research from Cornell University.
Raised in a union household, Keara has known from a young age the importance of empowering workers and having strong representation on the job. She has dedicated her career to expanding freedom for all people - freedom to organize and be represented by a union, freedom to access comprehensive healthcare, freedom against discrimination, freedom to access the outdoors, and the freedom to have one's voice heard in our democracy. When she is not organizing, she enjoys traveling the state with her little beagle, Honey.
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” -- Dolores Huerta
Madison Cassels:
Contact the board: board@cojwj.org
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