New staff, board members join Latino Community Association
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Latino Community Association has welcomed a new staff member and three new members to its board of directors in 2021.
Erika Ortiz, Client Services Coordinator, was already a familiar face at LCA’s Bend office, where she has volunteered off and on since 2008. She began assisting LCA part-time as an independent contractor early in the pandemic, navigating applications for the Oregon Worker Relief Fund. Erika grew up in Mexico, where she earned a degree as a systems analyst and computer programmer. She moved to Central Oregon in the late 1990s and worked for over 18 years in customer service at restaurants, hotels and retail sales.
Zavier Borja (Zavi) is a native Central Oregonian who brings his enthusiasm for youth and the outdoors to the LCA board. Zavi has worked for the Boys and Girls Club of Bend, Bend Parks and Recreation District, Education Outside in San Francisco, and as a youth mentor at Summit High School in Bend.In 2019, he founded the Central Oregon chapter of Latino Outdoors and took local folks out on trails. Zavi joined the Children’s Forest of Central Oregon in 2020 in a new positonto increase access to the outdoors for Latinx populations called Vámonos Outside.
Kinsey Martin is a native of Bend who works for the Bend-LaPine school district that educated her as Assistant Director of ELL and Dual Immersion Programs. She earned her master's degree in education with certification in bilingual education, English as a New Language, and a reading specialization at Oregon State University. She moved back to Central Oregon and taught in dual language classrooms. Kinsey has two bilingual children and joined the LCA board because “I love my community and want it to be a welcoming place that serves all community members.”
Jeff Baker works as vice-president of Craft3 in Bend, an organization that makes loans to nonprofits, start-ups, and homeowners. He grew up in Southern Oregon, and attended the University of Oregon and the University of Montana. He worked for a national bank in Seattle and then traveled the country as a corporate trainer. In 2007, he and his family moved to Central Oregon, where he serves on the board of Mosaic Medical. Jeff wants his three children to “see the work their parents do and the causes we stand for and not cower to inequality and racism.”
About Latino Community Association
Since 2000, the Latino Community Association (LCA) has been empowering Latino families and children and building bridges across cultures to create a more resilient Central Oregon. In partnership with caring individuals, businesses, community organizations and public agencies, LCA remains committed to ensuring full participation of Latinos in our communities. Programs of LCA include: Workforce Education and Training, Family Empowerment, Healthy Families, Youth Rising and Cultural Enrichment. Its services impact more than 8,000 people every year. For more information or to join LCA, visit www.latinocommunityassociation.org or call 541.382.4366.
