Board of Directors
Ana Montes, Board President (2022-Present)
Ana M. Montes is currently the Organizing Director at The Utility Reform Network. She worked for 12 years as the director of technology and consumer education at the Latino Issues Forum. She has created innovative models for bringing technology to low income and minority communities, developed community civic engagement in limited English-speaking communities and managed statewide consumer education projects geared towards Latino and Asian communities. A published poet, Montes has also worked as a teacher of La Raza Studies at San Francisco State University, and as an editor and columnist with El Tecolote.
J. Scott Weaver, Board Treasurer (2022-2023)
J. Scott Weaver, Board Treasurer is an attorney specializing in tenants’ rights. He was in private practice for over 30 years and is now a Supervising Litigation Attorney at the Eviction Defense Collaborative. With longstanding ties to the Mission, he has been involved in many anti-gentrification efforts. He has been an Accion Latina board member since 2005.
Dennis Jaramillo, Board Secretary (2022-2025)
Dennis Jaramillo solves complex business problems with cross-functional teams in large organizations by simplifying and automating processes to improve the employee and customer experience. He also volunteers with organizations to mentor Latinos in college to prepare them for life after graduation. He believes in the power of culture, music, art and storytelling to heal and strengthen communities, and is excited to support Accion Latina’s work in our community.
Ana Montes, Board Member (2022-2025)
Ana M. Montes is currently the Organizing Director at The Utility Reform Network. She worked for 12 years as the director of technology and consumer education at the Latino Issues Forum. She has created innovative models for bringing technology to low income and minority communities, developed community civic engagement in limited English-speaking communities and managed statewide consumer education projects geared towards Latino and Asian communities. A published poet, Montes has also worked as a teacher of La Raza Studies at San Francisco State University, and as an editor and columnist with El Tecolote.
Juan Gonzales, Board Member, Founder of El Tecolote Newspaper (2022-2025)
Juan Gonzales is the founder of El Tecolote. He is department chair of journalism at City College of San Francisco where he teaches courses in news writing, investigative reporting, feature writing, public relations, copy editing, and newspaper production. Gonzales also serves as adviser to the awarding-winning campus newspaper, The Guardsman. He is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges, the San Francisco Neighborhood Newspaper Association, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, Consortium, the California college Media Association, and the Associated Collegiate Press. He also a board of director for the San Francisco Press Club. Gonzales received his master’s degree in mass communications from Stanford University, a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Francisco State University, and an associated degree in journalism from San Joaquin Delta Commnunity College. He is also a former general assignment reporter for United Press International and the Associated Press.
Katynka Martinez, Outgoing Board President (2022-2023)
Katynka Martinez is Professor of Latina/Latino Studies at San Francisco State University where she teaches media studies and communication courses on topics such as film, television and journalism. She received her Ph.D. in communications from the University of California at San Diego and has published original research on topics such as Latina/Latino media representations, and the diverse ways in which youth use new media/technology. The students in her Latina/Latino Journalism class research the history of the U.S. Latino press and they also contribute articles, photography and artwork to El Tecolote newspaper.
Brooke Oliver, Board Member (2022-2025)
Brooke Oliver specializes in representing the intellectual rights of visual artists and for twelve years served as a co-chair of the Visual Arts & the Law Conference. Brooke has been called “a folk hero of copyright law” for her role in landmark court decisions that protect visual artists via the Visual Artists’ Rights Act. In addition, Oliver protected the trademark “Dykes on Bikes” for the LGBQT community, helped Burning Man secure 501(c)(3) status, and upheld the right of game developers and artists to draw freely from public domain Greek mythology. Oliver also resolved publicity rights action by the estates of music legends Jerry Garcia, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Barry White and Miles Davis.
Oliver has been recognized with the Cesar E. Chávez Legacy Award, the Teddy Witherington Award for Outstanding Service to the LGBT Movement, and received the Certificate of Honor, City and County of San Francisco, for outstanding leadership and community engagement with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community.
Patricia Flores, Board Member (2022-2025)
Patricia Flores manages science communications at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropy focused on solving challenges such as eradicating disease, improving education, and supporting communities in the Bay Area. With experience in both journalism and in community organizing, Patricia is committed both personally and professionally to empowering Latino communities, particularly in ensuring communities of color are prioritized in the reporting and dissemination of local news. Patricia received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
STAFF
Imelda Carrasco– Executive Director, Acción Latina
email: Imelda@accionlatina.org
Erika Carlos – Editor-in-Chief, El Tecolote
email: editor@eltecolote.org
Kari Vides – Business Manager, El Tecolote
email: advertising@eltecolote.org, managing@eltecolote.org
Rebeca Flores – Cultural Arts Manager, Acción Latina
email: rebeca@accionlatina.org
panish language content creator for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Paul S. Flores – Paseo Artistico Producer, Acción Latina
email: paseoartistico@accionlatina.org
Katie Beas – Spanish Copy Editor, El Tecolote
email: katieb@eltecolote.org
Johnny Garcia – Distribution Manager, El Tecolote
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered over the last year
*Allison Martinez *Coral Figueroa *Imelda Carrasco *Monique Mosqueda *Valeria Olguin *Janeth Membrero *Alondra Correa Almanza *Arturo Gomez *Jessica Ramirez *Claudia Cortez *Dulce Salgado de Palmisano *Valentina Mantilla *Cristina Vergara *Cecilia Quintana *Sage Mace *Mayra Pedroza *Carlos Barón *Pamela Harris *Robert Jalon *Jessika Karlsson *Madeleine Bair *Adriana Camarena *Eduardo da Silva *Vitta Oliveri *Luisa Restrepo *Mabel Jiménez *Chelis Lopez *Michael Middleton *Kelly Rodriguez Murillo *Gabriela Alemán *Alejandro Galicia Díaz *Aaron Levy-Wolins *Arturo Mendez *Jasmine Diarte *Raven Sanchez *Hilda Ayala *Arturo Ayala *Katie Beas *Jose Luis Caicedo *Adriana Morga *Jacqueline López *Karlos Rene Ayala *Natasha Dangond *Constanza Hevia *Kyler Knox *René Alvarez *Desiree Rios *Destiny Arroyo *Beth LaBerge *Adelyna Tirado *Jason Brown *John Carson *Russell Morse *J. Scott Weaver *Jocelyn Carranza *Emma Marie Chiang *Rodrigo Jardón Galeana *Emmely Benitez *Nestor Castillo *Kirk Stevenson *Ekevara Kitpowsong *Estivaly Moreno *Nestor Garcia *Yuri Ugarte *Kathryn Wren *Drago Renteria *Mark Jason Quines *Lara Kaur *Dane Pollock *Izzy Alvarez *George Eduardo Barahona *Julian Espinoza *Amanda Peterson *Natalie Alemán *Amarah Hernandez *Brianna Kalajian *Daniel Valencia *Cynthia Blanco *Alexandria Carabajal *Teresa Carrillo *Ama Cortes *Stephanie Diaz-Cornejo *Ian Firstenberg *Sadie Gribbon *Gabby Grijalva *Cris Jimenez *Miguel Lozano *Estaphany Monge *Pamela Alejandra Padilla *Henry Salazar *Emmanuel Tapia *Italo Tapia *Gustavo Reyes *Maria Garcia-Hernandez *Leslie Hicks *George Khoury *Ella Ramrayka Rogers *Max Paik *Calindra Revier *Fernando A. Torres *Sirron Norris *Chris Carlsson *Tongo Eisen-Martin *LisaRuth Elliott *Sarah Lapidus *Lito Sandoval *Gino Abrajano *DeLara Armijo *Maria Burboa *Emmely Benitez *Lupe Cisneros *Francisca Icaza *Gardenia Zuniga-Haro *Jessica Sabogal *Robin Evans *Judy Goddess *Remigio Madrigal *Gabrielle Bojorquez *Jessica Delatorre *Eva Martinez *Marissa Perry