970-340-8501
OUR STORY
Voces Unidas de las Montañas was founded in May 2020 by local Latina and Latino leaders and is the first Latino-created, Latino-led advocacy nonprofit in the central mountain region of Colorado.
Founder Alex Sánchez and founding board members Beatriz Soto, Janeth Niebla, Jasmin Ramirez and Blanca Uzeta O'Leary created the organization to elevate the voices of Latinas and Latinos, create opportunities where Latinas and Latinos can advocate for themselves, and increase Latina and Latino representation and participation in decision-making tables.
The central mountain region of Colorado includes, but is not exclusive to, Summit, Lake, Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield counties.
Learn more about our primary work -- leadership, advocacy, and civic engagement. Being the first Latino-created organization also means that we serve as a trusted community resource.
Voce Unidas de las Montañas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, affiliated with Voces Unidas Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.
OUR VISION AND MISSION
Here at Voces Unidas, we envision a mountain region where Latinas and Latinos are thriving, engaged and leading in all of our communities.
We do this by creating opportunities where Latinas and Latinos advocate for themselves, actively participate in all civic institutions and take leadership roles in all decision-making tables.
OUR VALUES
PRIDE
We are unapologetically Latina and Latino, and we take pride in who we are, what we represent and our contributions to the cultural, civic and economic fabric of our valleys.
SELF-EMPOWERMENT
We believe in self-determination and unleashing the power within each Latina and Latino.
COMMUNITY
We work with our own community to create the change that we want to see for ourselves and our families.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
We fight to end unjust and inequitable social constructs that keep Latinas and Latinos from wealth, opportunities and power.
TESTIMONIALS
“I love that Voces Unidas is a Latino organization for Latinos. This is a fairly new organization that has opened the door for leaders to be empowered and it feels like our voices are finally being heard. Especially with COVID, Voces is working so hard in so many ways in all our valleys to make sure every member of our community is being helped no matter immigration status."
Cecilia Rios -- Local Community Leader & Latino Network '20-'21 Cohort
“I support Voces Unidas because it's a powerful Latino-led non-profit organization that has tirelessly fought for our Latino community to be heard and represented locally. They are always working to make sure that we have a voice in major discussions that affect our communities. They have been leading discussions on language justice and advocating to ensure our valley's residents have the tools they need to be involved, informed, and considered."
Junior Ortega -- Local Community Leader & Latino Network '20-'21 Cohort
“Voces Unidas has been an awakening for me. I never knew that I could be part of changing systems that affect me and my community. The values of the organization align with mine, and they help amplify my voice and help elevate my leadership to support my community."
Elizabeth Velasco -- Local Community Leader
THE TEAM
Program Coordinator (part-time)
Latino Network | Charlas con Líderes
970-340-8503
Interested in joining the team? Check out the jobs section.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Voces Unidas de las Montañas
BEATRIZ SOTO
Chair
Beatriz Soto is a founding board member of Voces Unidas and now serves as Chair of the Board of Directors. A national leader in environmental and climate justice, Beatriz currently leads the Protégete program of Conservation Colorado. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Beatriz moved to the Roaring Fork Valley when she was in high school, graduating from Basalt High School in 1999. Beatriz has an architecture degree from the Instituto Tecnologico de Chihuahua and is a LEED-certified professional who continues to design high-performance buildings in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork valleys.
DUSTI GURULE
Secretary | Treasurer
Dusti Gurule joined the Board of Directors in late 2020 and currently serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of the board. She is an accomplished leader with more than 25 years of nonprofit, public service, and community organizing experience. Dusti has founded and led many nationally-recognized progressive non-profit and political organizations and served as an Obama appointee with the U.S. Department of Labor for six years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and COLOR Action Fund, two state-wide organizations doing work in the Roaring Fork Valley.
BRISA CHAVEZ
Board Member
Brisa Chavez joined the Board of Directors in May of 2021.
CLAUDIA FRAGOSO
Board Member
Claudia Fragoso joined the Board of Directors in August 2021. She is originally from Mexico City, where she graduated with a political science and public administration degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) before moving to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1997. Claudia has been organizing and advocating for the immigrant community in the Mountain Region since her early days in the valley. She currently serves as the regional manager of an Aspen-based company that employs thousands of Latinas and Latinos throughout Colorado in the hospitality, landscaping and construction fields.
Voces Unidas de las Montañas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It should not be confused with our affiliate, Voces Unidas Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit organization.
HONORING THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE
As a social justice organization, we respectfully acknowledge the Ute People, who have stewarded the lands of the Colorado River, Eagle River and Roaring Fork valleys throughout the generations.