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Our Story
Today, Voces Unidas is the go-to, multi-entity regional organization building and growing our community's power and influence in the central mountain region of Colorado because this is how we make Colorado's Western Slope more equitable.
We are sons and daughters of Latino immigrants who came to the region in search of opportunity and have made the High Country home.
Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 85-0993139), was founded in 2020 in Glenwood Springs by local Latina and Latino leaders. This charitable organization runs year-round organizing, advocacy, policy, research, leadership and nonpartisan voter engagement programs. Voce Unidas de las Montañas is a Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable member and an affiliate of the national Latino civil rights organization, UnidosUS.
In 2021, Voces Unidas Action Fund, a separate 5o1(c)(4) nonprofit organization (EIN 35-2757305), began operations to expand our reach and capacity to influence policy and win on issues. This nonprofit organization lobbies elected officials, and runs year-round electoral work to win on progressive issues and support aligned candidates for public office. Voces Unidas Action Fund is a member of the Colorado C4 Roundtable of America Votes.
Voces Unidas Political Fund and Voces Unidas Victory Fund, two independent 527 nonprofit organizations, also started in 2021, making Voces Unidas one of a few multi-entity organizations from rural Colorado that can influence policy change using the several political levers.
Latinos make up about 30% of the population in the High Country region and 25% of Congressional District 3, yet we are not equitably represented in decision-making bodies and in leadership roles. Voces Unidas was created 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. For us, having political power means being able to exercise our voice and agency to lead change in our communities, and having full access, opportunity and influence in all civic and political systems. We believe this is how we can make the central-mountain region and the Western Slope more equitable for Latinas and Latinos.
Voces Unidas organizes in Summit, Lake, Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield counties. We also engage voters in 15 Western Slope counties, covering House Districts 13, 26, 57; and Senate Districts 5 and 8. These legislative districts are part of Congressional Districts 2, 3 and 7.
Voces Unidas is headquartered in Glenwood Springs, with regional offices in Frisco and Avon. We also have a satellite policy office in Denver.
Our Family of Independent Organizations
We are several separate organizations, working independently to accomplish the larger mission of building community and political power for Latinas and Latinos to make the central mountain region of Colorado more equitable.
Voces Unidas de las Montañas
A 501(c)(3) charitable, nonpartisan organization that organizes, trains and mobilizes Latina and Latino leaders to create systemic change in their communities. This organization also engages and educates voters on policy issues and takes positions on ballot initiatives. Donations to this charitable organization are tax-deductible. (EIN 85-0993139)
Voces Unidas Action Fund
A 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit organization that lobbies for specific public policies and holds elected officials accountable. This organization engages voters and endorses candidates for public office. Contributions to this organization are not tax-deductible.
Voces Unidas Small Donor Committee
A registered small donor committee (SDC) in Colorado that makes direct contributions to candidates for public office. Max contribution from a natural person is $50 per year. Donations are considered political contributions. The first $50 of all eligible donations to VUAF go to the SDC. This committee is part of Voces Unidas Political Fund, a 527 nonprofit political organization.
Voces Unidas Political Action Committee
A registered federal and state political action committee (PAC) that makes direct contributions to federal and Colorado candidates for public office. Max contribution from a natural person is $5,000 per year for federal and $725 per 2-year cycle for state. Donations are considered political contributions. These two committees are part of Voces Unidas Political Fund, a 527 political nonprofit organization.
Voces Unidas Victory Fund
A registered independent expenditure committee (IE) in Colorado that makes independent expenditures in support of or against local candidates for public office. Donations are considered political contributions. VUAF provides significant financial support to this committee. This entity is both a committee and a 527 nonprofit political organization.
OUR WORK
ADVOCACY/ORGANIZING
Led from our regional offices in Frisco and Glenwood Springs, Voces Unidas de las Montañas organizes and mobilizes local Latina and Latino leaders from the central mountain region to change inequitable systems. We work on social justice issues like immigration, climate, transportation, housing, healthcare, public education, economic mobility, and more.
Voces Unidas also hosts advocacy trips to Denver and Washington D.C. for rural Latinos.
POLICY/RESEARCH
Voces Unidas de las Montañas publishes quantitative, nonpartisan research on the demographic trends, policy preferences and political values of Latino adults in Colorado to help inform policy conversations at the local, regional, state and federal levels.
Led from our satellite office in Denver, Voces Unidas de las Montañas and Voces Unidas Action Fund work directly with state and federal policymakers to ensure that current and future policies address our needs and wants as a community. Voces Unidas Action Fund has year-round presence in Denver to lobby for progressive legislation and monitor policy implementation.
LEADERSHIP
Voces Unidas de las Montañas supports the growth and education of Latina and Latino leaders through culturally and linguistically effective leadership programs. These programs place leaders in opportunities where they can lead in their own communities to create systemic change.
Voces Unidas Action Fund identifies, trains and supports the next generation of progressive Latina and Latino candidates for public office. Our focus is on creating a pipeline for local, regional and statewide elected office.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT/ELECTIONS
Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a nonpartisan organization, educates and mobilizes Latino voters in 12 Western Slope counties to increase participation in local and statewide elections.
Voces Unidas Action Fund engages progressive voters in 12 Western Slope counties to increase participation in local and statewide elections. We also endorse and support candidates for public office who are aligned with our mission and who will champion our issues.
WHERE WE WORK
THE TEAM
President and CEO
970-340-8502
[Grew up in El Jebel and lives in Glenwood Springs]
ESTEFANIA VARGAS
Office and Project Assistant
970-340-8629
[Lived in Silverthorne and Eagle]
VACANT
Communications
VACANT
Policy
ALAN MUÑOZ VALENCIANO
Regional Organizing Manager
Garfield | Eagle | Pitkin
970-340-8504
[Lives in Rifle]
MATEO LOZANO
Regional Organizing Manager
Summit | Lake | Eagle
970-340-8535
[Grew up in Silverthorne and lives in Leadville]
KATHYA GONZALEZ
Parent Organizer - Roaring Fork Valley
970-340-8516
[Grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley]
For media inquiries, contact Curtis Hubbard at curtis@onsightpublicaffairs.com or (303) 908-2378.
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 de las Montañas 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 of Voces Unidas de las Montañas 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 nonprofit and political organizations and served as an Obama appointee with the U.S. Department of Labor for six years. She is currently the President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and COLOR Action Fund, two state-wide organizations doing work in the central mountain region.
BRISA CHAVEZ
Board Member
Brisa Chavez joined the Board of Directors of Voces Unidas de las Montañas in May of 2021. She was born in Guachochi, Chihuahua Mexico, but was raised in Colorado. Brisa graduated from Colorado Mesa University and has worked in public health for more than 18 years in the Roaring Fork Valley. She serves as a Governor-appointed member of the State Board of Human Services.
CLAUDIA FRAGOSO
Board Member
Claudia Fragoso joined the Board of Directors of Voces Unidas de las Montañas in August of 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 senior executive of an Aspen-based company that employs thousands of Latinas and Latinos throughout Colorado in the hospitality, landscaping and construction fields.
While affiliated, Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, should not be confused with Voces Unidas Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Each independent organization does different activities in support of our missions.
Board of Directors
Voces Unidas Action Fund
Dusti Gurule
Chair
Dusti is a founding board member of Voces Unidas Action Fund and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. 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 nonprofit and political organizations and served as an Obama appointee with the U.S. Department of Labor for six years. She is currently the President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and COLOR Action Fund, two statewide organizations doing work in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Dusti also serves on the boards of Voces Unidas Political Fund and Voces Unidas de las Montañas.
Blanca Uzeta O'Leary
Board Member
Blanca joined the Board of Directors of Voces Unidas Action Fund in October 2022. Previously, she served as Chair of the board of our sister organization, Voces Unidas de las Montañas. Blanca is an attorney, licensed in Texas, with a political science degree and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas. An active community leader, Blanca serves in numerous public roles including Colorado's Judicial Nominations Commission and most recently on the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission. Blanca lives in Aspen and is a former chair of Pitkin County Democrats.
Alex Sánchez
President and CEO; Ex Officio Board Member
As the founding President and CEO, Alex holds a seat on the Board of Directors of Voces Unidas Action Fund as an ex officio member, with limited voting powers. An experienced executive and community organizer, Alex has led other nonprofits, managed his own political consulting firm, and has extensive corporate and government experience at the senior management level. Alex grew up in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico until the age of 9. When his family moved to the United States, Alex lived in El Jebel and attended Basalt schools as an English language learner.
Alex also serves on the boards of Voces Unidas Political Fund and Voces Unidas Victory Fund.
While affiliated, Voces Unidas Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, should not be confused with Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Each independent organization does different activities in support of our missions.
HONORING THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE
As a social justice organization, we respectfully acknowledge the Ute People who have stewarded the lands of the central-mountains region of Colorado throughout the generations.