Lourdes E. Alvarado-Ramos, “Alfie”, serves as the Director of YOUR Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.  The Department is the statewide advocate for our veterans and their families’ earned benefits and services.

Alfie was born in Puerto Rico and retired from the US Army as Command Sergeant Major after serving 22 years in the US Army.

As Director, she is a member of Governor Inslee’s Cabinet and chairs the Washington State Military Transition Council.  In this capacity, her agency leads statewide efforts for the seamless transition of service members and their families to Washington State’s communities.  She is Executive Sponsor for the Latino Leadership Network and the Governor’s Challenge Team to end Veteran Suicide.

Alfie is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator and alumni of Harvard University’s Executives in Government program. She has awards that include the Army Legion of Merit, YWCA Women of Distinction, Governor’s Distinguished Management Leadership Award and the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary’s Leadership Award.  She lives in Olympia with her wife San Juanita, two dogs, 10 chickens and 3 ducks.

As the Chair of the Latino Leadership Network (LLN), I will continue to work to build community, advance leadership of Latinos in state government, and provide growth opportunities for LLN members. I have served on LLN leadership since 2018. Over that time I contributed to the group’s charter, established the Best Practices committee, and helped navigate the shift to a virtual world with COVID-19. I feel that despite the recent pandemic challenges, the LLN comunidad has grown and created impact.

I believe that LLN represents an opportunity to commune and learn from other Latino state employees. Latinos are often underrepresented at our agencies and that can lead to a sense of isolation. By creating shared spaces in our general membership and committee meetings, we empower and support each other. As Chair, I will seek to build on the work of our past leaders and provide opportunities for future LLN leaders. I will support the work and growth of our committees and how they create additional opportunities for participation. I would appreciate your consideration and the opportunity to be your LLN Chair.

Monica Andrade-Hupp is a Department of Health Project Manager with a history of managing large hospital projects and events in health care and community settings. She is a 2020 graduate of California State University Fullerton with a Bachelor’s in Sociology. She is passionate about project management and the profound social impact projects can have on communities, policies, and systemic change. An advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion for all people of color, Monica hopes to inspire others to do the same, beginning with her four children. Monica celebrates her heritage by sharing her grandparents’ stories and making her grandmother’s tortillas.

Being a member of the Latino Leadership Network has been a wonderful experience for me. I joined our LLN to preserve a connection to my culture after moving to Washington from California, but I gained so much more than that. Through this supportive BRG, I have been welcomed to join the Board as our Events & Conferences committee lead, engage in my passion for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity, and contribute to our collective professional growth goals.

When I was notified I had been nominated for Co-Chair, I happily accepted. I see this as an opportunity to expand on the tremendous growth our current leaders have cultivated and to do even more for LLN as we head towards the horizon of what comes next for us. It is an incredible honor to be the LLN Co-Chair and you can count on me to continue looking for ways to enhance our LLN experience. Please reach out if you have suggestions for content you would like to see us provide in the future.

Martha Arana has worked in a diverse array of jobs ranging from banker in the private sector to financial professional and currently is a Public Benefits Specialist 4 with DDA. She also has her own business as a financial professional and loves helping families achieve their financial goals. Born in Michoacan, Mexico, Martha is a first generation immigrant with a Bachelor’s at St. Martin’s University in Sociology & Cultural Anthropology and an Associate’s in Business Administration from South Puget Sound Community College. She is married with four children and celebrates her Mexican heritage through leading a local Aztec dance group. Martha also volunteers her time with the North Thurston Public Schools District where she’s part of the Parents Leadership Group and her goal is to contribute to a more equitable public education and help the Latino/a/x High School students be ready for college.

Nancy Gutierrez is the Communications Administrator for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Before joining the public sector, she was a reporter and layout editor for the country's largest chain of Latino-owned, bilingual newspapers. During her time as a reporter, she was recognized for her ongoing coverage of toxic emissions in predominately Latino communities, pointing to the disparities in responses by leaders.

Nancy received a master's in Strategic Communication from Washington State University and a bachelor's in broadcast and digital journalism with a photography minor from the University of Southern California.

Vanessa Rojas is a first generation college graduate with a Bachelor's of Psychology and a Master's in Public Health. Vanessa was born in Lima, Peru and immigrated to Miami, Florida at a young age. She started her career in the Public Health Sector at the Florida Department of Health as a senior health educator, focusing on ending the HIV epidemic. There she also served as the Government Chair for Iniciativa Hispana, a collaborative group of community partners formed to reduce the incident rates of HIV/AIDS. 

She joined the Washington State Department of Health in November 2020 as the Community Engagement Specialist in the Public Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics, Surveillance (PHOCIS) office. Vanessa is passionate about connecting underserved communities to information and resources needed to make behavioral changes and improve health inequities. Vanessa is the Chair for Membership and Outreach and will strive to promote LLN at various state agencies and expand on networking opportunities for both professional and personal growth.

Vanessa celebrates her Peruvian heritage by upholding family traditions, dancing salsa, and cooking famous Peruvian dishes like Ceviche and Lomo Saltado!

Indira Melgarejo (She/Her/Ella) works for the Office of Financial Management (OFM) as the Business Resource Group Coordinator. Indira moved to the US in 2018 and started working with the state in 2019. She is originally from Venezuela, where she worked for over a decade as a University Professor and in private practice as a Clinical Child Psychologist.

Indira holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Rafael Urdaneta University, Venezuela, and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from the same university.

She attends the LLN board meeting as an advisor to the BRG. Among other things, she acts as the liaison between BRGs and State HR leadership.

Her hobbies include dancing to Caribbean music, playing Cuatro, reading, and outdoor activities with her spouse and child.

Nohemy Solórzano-Thompson is the first-generation American daughter of a Mexican mother and a Nicaraguan father. She is currently the Human Resources Liaison and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program Manager for the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind (DSB). Before DSB, she was a DEI Learning Design and Delivery Professional with the Department of Enterprise Services (DES), where she collaborated in the creation of inclusion and belonging trainings and professional development opportunities for WA state workers.

Prior to state service, Nohemy worked in higher education for seventeen years, where she led intersectional inclusion initiatives and taught courses on Hispanic Literatures and Cultures.

Since February of this year, Nohemy serves as the Admin for the Latino Leadership Network and is also an active member of other BRGs including RAIN (the Rainbow Inclusion Alliance LGBTQ+) and DIN (the Disabilities Inclusion Network).

Nohemy and her spouse are the proud guardians of a rescue dog, Celi, who loves running on the beach. Nohemy also loves to talk about movies, all of them, from world cinema to art-house to Marvel CU.

Jovita Ramirez is an experienced senior administrative assistant with vast experience in the medical and law enforcement fields. Her career spans more than 22 years in state service. Her mission in life has been to empower the underprivileged and help her local community. She shares her culture to counteract myths and labels to help people understand that we are not very different. Throughout her career, she has worked to bring more diversity into the medical and law enforcement fields as well as state employment. Jovita’s favorite ways of celebrating her Mexican heritage are through her cooking, Mexican music, and supporting non-profits that maintain and protect the Mexican/Latino culture. She is a supporter of arts, dance, music and theater activities that promote multi-cultures and cultural knowledge.

Steve Camerer works in Talent Acquisition at LNI. He enjoys being a matchmaker, matching job seekers to their dream jobs and also helping to facilitate a more inclusive recruitment process. He was born and raised in Yakima, WA. This is where he strengthened his resolve to be an ally to the Latino community. As co-lead of the DEI committee, he is keenly interested in raising awareness in issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and wishes to see more and more individuals participate in DEI learning and events in the future.

On June 30, as part of Pride Month events, LLN and RAIN (the WA State LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group) organized a lunch and learn panel entitled “The Power of Identity: The Intersectionality of the LGBTQ+ and Latino/a/x/e Community.” Abigayle Coleman was one of the speakers and shared this poem as part of their presentation.

Intersect - A Poem by Abigayle Coleman

Abigayle Coleman is a 21 year old, mixed race, disabled, nonbinary, queer person who works for Office of the Attorney General. They identified as She/HER/THEY/THEM and is currently engaged to their fiancée. She loves poetry, animals, walking at Cannon Beach, and advocating for others. She grew up as a Coastie Brat and continues to carry the values and experiences she obtained to this day. Abby hopes to become an Immigration and Family law attorney one day. They are extremely thankful for the friendships they have made so far within the AGO and the state. This poem is about their lived experiences and the ways they have been discriminated against for their identities.