Our Story
About Voces Unidas
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Voces Unidas is the go-to, multi-entity regional organization building Latino power and influence to make Colorado’s Western Slope more equitable and just.
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We are the sons and daughters of Latino immigrants who came to the High Country and Western Slope in search of opportunity — and made it our home.
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Who We Are
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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. We run year-round programs focused on community organizing, advocacy, policy, research, leadership development, and nonpartisan voter engagement. Voces Unidas de las Montañas is a proud member of the Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable and an affiliate of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization.
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In 2021, we expanded our reach through Voces Unidas Action Fund, a separate 501(c)(4) nonprofit (EIN 35-2757305) that strengthens our advocacy and political power. The Action Fund lobbies elected officials, advances progressive policy priorities, and runs year-round electoral work to support aligned candidates for public office. It is a member of the Colorado C4 Roundtable of America Votes.
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That same year, we launched Voces Unidas Political Fund and Voces Unidas Victory Fund, two independent 527 organizations that allow us to engage voters and influence elections directly. Together, these entities make Voces Unidas one of the few multi-entity organizations from rural Colorado equipped to drive change across multiple fronts — from grassroots organizing to policy to electoral politics.
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Why We Exist
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Latinos make up roughly 30% of the Western Slope's population, yet we remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making. Voces Unidas was created to change that.
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We exist to elevate Latino voices, create opportunities for self-advocacy, and increase Latino representation in civic and political life. For us, power means having the voice, agency, and influence to lead change in our communities — and full access to the systems that shape our lives.
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Where We Work
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Voces Unidas works year-round across 15 counties in Colorado’s traditional Western Slope, including:Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Ouray, San Miguel, Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Lake, Summit, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Moffat counties.
Our organizing focuses on the I-70 corridor — from Mesa County to Summit County — home to the largest concentration of Latinos on Colorado’s Western Slope.
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Our regional footprint spans Senate Districts 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and House Districts 13, 26, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, and 62 — representing the geographic and political heart of Colorado’s Western Slope.
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We are headquartered in Glenwood Springs, with regional offices in Frisco and Avon, and a policy office in Denver, connecting rural Latino voices to statewide and national decision-making.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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WHERE WE WORK
The Team
Executive Office
Advocacy Programs
970-340-8504
Policy
970-340-8502
Emergency Hotline
970-340-8586
Operations and Finance
Partnerships
970-340-8504
Elections
970-340-8502
Media Relations
970-340-8502
Development and Grants
Research
970-340-8502
Case Management
970-340-8586
General
970-340-8501
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.
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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.
President and CEO
As the founding President and CEO, Alex serves on the board as an ex officio member. 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ORIGINALÂ 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.