Director of Statewide Policy, HOPE

María Morales is a proud daughter of immigrants and Latina from Orange, CA. She comes to HOPE after three years of service to the California State Legislature. Most recently, Maria served as a legislative aide for the office of Assemblymember Phil Ting (AD-19) during his tenure as chair of the Assembly Budget committee, working on various policy areas including human services, education and environmental issues. In her role, Maria was pivotal in securing $16.5 million in ongoing funding for foster youth supplemental housing in the state budget and successfully ushering over 10 bills to the Governor’s desk for a signature. Prior to that, she was an Assembly fellow in the office of Assemblymember Mark Stone (AD-29) where she helped secure $100 million in funding to develop in-state behavioral health services for youth with complex needs. During her time in Sacramento, Maria also served as the board treasurer for the California Latino Capitol Association Foundation (CLCAF) from 2021-2023 and was key in establishing a mentorship program for first-generation Latinx policy professionals. She started her professional career at HOPE as a research and communications fellow in 2019 and is an alumna of the University of Southern California.

Miryam Villarreal is a multimedia anchor and reporter for Noticiero Telemundo 48 in the Bay Area. As part of the Telemundo 48 team, Miryam reports breaking news and top stories that matter most to the Hispanic community in the region.

She was previously the anchor for Noticiero Telemundo California, the local station serving the Spanish-speaking community in Northern California and the Central Valley.
Before joining Noticiero Telemundo California, Villarreal worked as a news anchor and reporter for Noticias WINK / WUVF from 2018 to 2022. She also worked as a radio host and traffic reporter for 96.9 WINK FM from 2019 to 2020. As a college student, she interned at Telemundo Chicago in 2016.

Villarreal was recognized by the Florida Association of Black Journalists (FABJ) as a finalist for Best Writer for her “Raíces Hispanas” (Hispanic Roots) report, which highlights cultural preservation through food.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication from Saint Xavier University with a concentration in Psychology.

Villarreal is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).

Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez represents the 43rd Assembly District, that consists of portions of Los Angeles County, including the whole City of San Fernando and the communities of Rancho Cascades in the Northwest, Sylmar in the North, Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City, and Sun Valley in the middle, and Valley Glen.

Raised in the Northeast Valley, Assemblymember Rodriguez was raised by immigrant parents who instilled in her the values of service and social justice.

Professionally, Rodriguez has focused on lifting families out of poverty, including her work on homelessness prevention as part of the LA Mayor’s Homelessness Services Team. As Deputy Director of Community Development Strategies, she oversaw LA’s Guaranteed Basic Income pilot, Child Savings Accounts, and initiatives to empower vulnerable families.

Elected to the San Fernando City Council in 2020, Rodriguez became Mayor, spearheading policies for public engagement, economic development, and homelessness prevention. In the Assembly, she will focus her efforts on supporting policies that drive economic stability and growth, investing in education and career training, combating climate change, and addressing California’s housing crisis.

Assemblymember Rodriguez has an Associate’s Degree from LA Mission College and a Bachelor’s in Economics from San Diego State University. She lives in San Fernando with her husband and two children.

Erica Cabrera is a Central Valley native, HOPE Leadership Institute Alumnus, Class of 2013, the HOPE Board Chair. She currently works for Pacific Gas & Electric as a Central Coast-Central Valley Local Government Affairs Manager servicing Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, & Tulare Counties. Erica earned a Master of Arts in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Fresno Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Fresno. She has 10 years of experience working in local and state government; which includes serving as District Director for former Assemblymember Henry T. Perea.

Executive Director, Government Relations for Kaiser Permanente

Senior Program Officer, The Gates Foundation

Max Espinoza is a senior program officer at The Gates Foundation, where he focuses on building the political and public will for economic mobility and education reforms that close equity gaps in states across the United States. Max currently leads the foundation’s policy and advocacy efforts in California, and previously supported statewide foundation funded advocacy initiatives in Georgia and Kentucky.

Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Max was senior vice president of education programs and policy at Scholarship America, a national non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, MN, where he provided leadership for the organization’s education programs and established its policy, advocacy, and research agenda. Max began his career in California’s state capital, where he served for 14 years in various key roles, including as a senior advisor to legislative leadership and as an executive leader at the California Student Aid Commission. During his time at the California Student Aid Commission, Max successfully revamped the state agency’s support services to students and schools in the multi-billion-dollar Cal Grant program, implementing responsive and technology-enabled student-friendly services. In the California state legislature, Max worked as the principal consultant on higher education for the Assembly Budget Committee and was a policy advisor for multiple Assembly Speakers (Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Karen Bass and John A. Pérez), shaping state policy and fiscal priorities that advanced equity in postsecondary education access and attainment.

A first-generation college graduate from a working-class immigrant family, Max holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA. At UCLA, Max was a campus and statewide student leader, twice elected by the undergraduate student body as the Academic Affairs Commissioner and serving as the UC Student Regent on the systemwide University of California Board of Regents.

Based in Southern California, Naomi is the Chief Program Officer for the Career Ladders Project. She provides strategic leadership on dual enrollment including legislative, regulatory and policy advising, legislative briefings, advising systems office in dual enrollment issues and content for professional development, organizational research agenda, and co-authored multiple dual enrollment publications. She provides leadership for multiple large-scale K-16 Collaboratives focusing on equitable pathways inclusive of dual enrollment. She is the organizational lead for CLP’s Ability to Benefit work, a policy opportunity to provide access to federal financial aid for adult college students without a high school diploma or equivalent. She is an adjunct professor of Education at Compton College. Previously she was the Career Pathways Director at El Camino College and served many years as a middle and high school teacher and principal. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy from Pepperdine in 2018, earned her MA in Teaching and Teacher Education (2005) and her BA in History (1996) and her Secondary Teacher Credential (1996) all from the University of Arizona.

Assistant Vice Chancellor for State and Federal Relations, California Community Colleges

Dr. Linda Vazquez is a first-generation college student, one of six children, and a former undocumented immigrant. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of State and Federal Relations for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Dr. Vazquez has 20 years of experience working in higher education and advocacy. In her roles at Cal State Fullerton and Rio Hondo College, she worked as community ambassador, student advisor and scholarship coordinator. She facilitated financial aid and college application workshops for students, and organized parent engagement workshops on the road to college. She has helped hundreds of students navigate the assessment, financial aid, enrollment and matriculation process. Through these roles, she learned how complex the college-going process can be for first-generation college students, which inspired her to pursue a degree and career in education policy. Dr. Vazquez also served as Senior Public Affairs Director for the Campaign for College Opportunity, where she led cross-sector coalitions and efforts for the successful passage of several historic community college student success policies, including the Student-Centered Funding Formula, equitable placement, and funding for Dream Resource Liaisons.  Now in her role as Assistant Vice Chancellor, she helps lead the state and federal legislative portfolio for the largest system of higher education in the nation.  

Dr. Vazquez holds a Political Science B.A. from California State University, Fullerton, with minors in Spanish & Chicano/a Studies and an M.A. in Leadership, Policy, and Politics from Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her doctorate in Organizational Change & Leadership at the University of Southern California. 

Michael Wiafe is an Assistant Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom working on education cradle-to-career, including the efforts in creating a Master Plan for Career Education. Previously, he was at the Inland Empire Community Foundation focused on building a vibrant Inland Empire region encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, as well as an adjunct Professor at the University of Redlands. Passionate about socioeconomic mobility, his start in policy was in his years as a student leader and advocate, at one point serving as President of the Cal State Student Association representing the over 480,000 students on the 23 campuses of the California State University (CSU). Michael is the former host of the CSU’s podcast, “Higher Ed Rewired,” and cofounder of PolicyWise Podcast, a program of Youth Leadership Institute in partnership with CA FWD. He is an African immigrant and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Diego State University and a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley where he was a Head TA for Professor and former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich.

Dr. Normelena Rios is a dedicated obstetrician-gynecologist who brings a deep commitment to patient-centered care and a passion for women’s health. A Bay Area native, she pursued her education and medical training in Southern California, earning a double bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Hispanic Studies from Scripps College. During her undergraduate years, she had the enriching experience of studying abroad in Spain and volunteering in a hospital setting, which further solidified her desire to pursue a career in medicine.

Dr. Rios earned her medical degree from the University of Southern California, where she trained primarily at the Los Angeles County Hospital. She then returned to the Bay Area to complete her OBGYN residency with Kaiser Permanente at the Santa Clara Homestead Campus.

Since 2011, Dr. Rios has been a valued member of Kaiser Permanente’s Diablo Service Area, beginning her work in Pleasanton and currently serving patients in Dublin. She divides her time between her clinic, labor and delivery, and performing surgeries at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Dublin, Walnut Creek, and Antioch. She also serves as the Dublin Medical Center physician champion for the Family Violence Prevention Program.

Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Rios is proud to serve the Latinx community both locally and through medical missions abroad. Her clinical interests include adolescent medicine and minimally invasive gynecological surgery. She chose to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology because of the unique opportunity to care for women throughout all stages of life and values the strong relationships she builds with her patients.

Dr. Rios lives in the Tri-Valley area with her husband and two children. Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking large meals for loved ones, spending time outdoors with her family, and traveling. Her favorite local destination is South Lake Tahoe, where she enjoys lake activities in the summer and snowboarding in the winter.

She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.

President of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to advance child health equity through policy, research, and community engagement. She was nominated by Governor Newsom to serve on the Covered California Board of Directors and the Early Childhood Policy Council and by Attorney General Rob Bonta to serve on the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (BHSOAC). Previously, she served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama-Biden administration, including at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Office of Minority Health, and the Office of Health Reform. She also served as a Legislative Assistant in the US Senate and House of Representatives. A native of California, she graduated from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California at Berkeley.

Shantay Davies-Balch is a recognized leader in Black maternal and infant health equity, healthcare policy, and community-based advocacy. As the Founder, President, and CEO of BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center (BWPC), she has led efforts to improve birth outcomes for Black families through culturally responsive care, strategic policy initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaboration. With a career spanning over two decades, Shantay has been instrumental in addressing disparities in maternal and infant mortality. She has led initiatives to reduce preterm birth, increase access to perinatal care, and advance systemic reforms that prioritize Black maternal health.

Beyond policy and advocacy, Shantay is deeply engaged in civic service. She founded the COVID-19 African American Coalition, co-chairs the Central Valley Black Reparations Fund, and was a driving force behind Fresno’s first Black Maternal Health Week. She also established the Davies-Balch Hope Scholarship Fund to support Black scholars in health-related fields. Her expertise has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, the Ella Hill Hutch Award, and Fresno’s Top 40 Under 40. She has also received a Certificate of Recognition from U.S. Senator Kamala Harris for her contributions to maternal and infant health.

Shantay’s research and thought leadership are reflected in her peer-reviewed publications, addressing critical issues in maternal health disparities and healthcare system improvements and has co-authored multiple studies. Shantay holds an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration from Fresno Pacific University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She earned her MBA from Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School, specializing in healthcare management, and served as an administrative research scholar for the Business in Government (BIG) Initiative.

A dedicated advocate, educator, and change agent, Shantay remains committed to ensuring that Black mothers and babies receive the high-quality care and support they deserve. Her work continues to shape local, state, and national strategies aimed at improving health outcomes and achieving equity in perinatal care.

Dr. Angela Ocampo is a Senior Research Consultant at EVITARUS and a Professor of Mexican American and Latino Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in the study of race and ethnicity in U.S. politics, with a specific focus on the Latina/o/x community. She teaches courses on political behavior, representation, immigration and citizenship, Latina/o/x politics and social science methodology. Dr. Ocampo’s current book project Truly at Home? Social Belonging and Political Engagement in Times of Exclusion, received the 2019 American Political Science Association’s Best Dissertation Award in Race, Ethnicity and Politics. Her research has been published in leading journals such as Social Forces, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups and Identities, The Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, The Forum, and Latino Studies. She is a Co-Principal Investigator of the 2024 Collaborative Multi-racial Post-Election Survey (CMPS), a groundbreaking multiracial/ethnic and multilingual post-election study of political preferences and behaviors among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. She has received two Ford Foundation fellowships, and research funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), UC-MEXUS and the American Political Science Association’s Warren E. Miller Fund. Dr. Ocampo has worked extensively on quantitative and qualitative research design and survey implementation. Her expertise includes quantitative and qualitative research design, bilingual survey creation, translation for Latina/o/x populations, and multicultural focus group moderation.

Chief Executive Officer, HOPE

As the CEO of HOPE for 23 years, Helen Iris Torres has strategically built a Latina leadership and advocacy infrastructure in California, composed of thousands of civically engaged Latina leaders serving in elected and appointed office, as business, philanthropic and community leaders. She has created robust pathways to leadership for Latinas in high school to Latinas across the United States, resulting in over 1,600 leadership positions being filled by Latinas. Helen was raised by a single mother outside of Detroit, Michigan. She is a first-generation college graduate. Her passion to fight for women’s rights stems from witnessing the sexual and racial discrimination her mother faced daily.

Secretary of Government Operations, California Government Operations Agency

Nick Maduros was appointed Secretary of Government Operations by Governor Gavin Newsom in March of 2025, elevated to the role after serving as Director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).

During his tenure at CDTFA, Maduros administered 42 tax and fee programs for the State of California. Together with his team of 4,000 tax professionals, he was responsible for collecting more than $96 billion in public revenue annually. Maduros focused on fairly and efficiently administering CDTFA’s many tax programs. Through better use of data and operational improvements, Maduros and his team cut the cost per dollar of revenue by 25% and held spending more than $100 million below authorized levels in each of the last two fiscal years.

Prior to his appointment at CDTFA, Maduros served in the Obama Administration as chief of staff of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). At the SBA, he managed a team of 3,000 employees in 70 offices, an $871 million annual operating budget and the agency’s $120 billion loan guarantee portfolio. Under his leadership, the SBA achieved record highs in small business lending, growing the agency’s flagship loan program by 25% to $24.1 billion, and met the women-owned government contracting goal for the first time in history.

Earlier in his career, Maduros worked as an attorney and advised leading nonprofit organizations and corporations on a range of public policy challenges. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School. A native of Stockton, California, he now lives in Davis with his wife and three young daughters.

Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, Latina Futures, 2050 Lab

Sonja Diaz is a trailblazing civil rights attorney and policy advisor, renowned for her work advancing meaningful access to social mobility for the nation’s new majority. As Co-Founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, she champions a vision where Latinas have equal access to leadership roles, contributing to a thriving society for all. Previously, Diaz co-founded and directed the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, the UC system’s first think tank dedicated to Latino policy issues. Over seven years, she built a robust research hub attracting top Latino policy experts and secured over $40 million for critical research. Diaz advises state legislators nationwide and collaborates with civil society groups to enhance evidence-based governance and cross-sector collaboration. A prominent on-air political analyst, she regularly shares her insights on electoral politics on platforms like NBC Los Angeles, KTLA 5, and Spectrum News. Before her academic leadership roles, Diaz served as policy counsel to Vice President Kamala D. Harris during her tenure as California Attorney General and played a pivotal role in directing voter protection programs in Virginia during the crucial 2016 election. Diaz is a proud product of California’s public schools and holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley, M.P.P. from UCLA, and B.A. from UC Santa Cruz.

Chief Technology Community Officer

Lili Gangas is the Chief Technology Community Officer at the Kapor Foundation, a private foundation at the intersection of technology and racial justice, providing research and thought leadership, operating programs, supporting strategic partnerships and investments to increase diversity across the tech ecosystem–from K-12 education through entrepreneurship and venture capital – aiming to level the playing field in tech.  Lili co-leads the Kapor Center’s Equitable Tech Policy Initiative with a focus on inclusive technology policy with special interests in closing digital divide, scaling new tech workforce models, advocating for responsible emerging technology such as AI as well as providing foundational support across civic engagement issues and tech enablement of civic organizations.  Lili’s tech fellowships include Omidyar Network’s Digital Luminaries and New America CA focused on tech for good and currently serves on the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee.

Before coming to the Kapor Center, Lili was an Associate Principal at Accenture Technology Labs, Sr. Associate at Booz Allen, Sr Multi-Disciplined Software Engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. Lili holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Lili is also the co-founder of 2x Emmy NorCal award winning LTXConnect.org – a platform elevating rising Latinx/e voices at the intersection of culture, innovation, inclusion, and opportunity, through partnerships, programs, and technology.

Vice President Community Affairs for California Resources Corporation

Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Parra has more than 35 years of extensive legislative and political experience. She spent ten years, working for U.S. Congressman Cal Dooley (retired), was elected to the California State Assembly (2002-2008), and appointed to a high- level position within the Business, Transportation and Housing agency by Governor Schwarzenegger. In 2023, Parra was appointed as Vice President of Community Affairs for California Resources Corporation. She is responsible for engaging community stakeholders to help further strengthen CRC’s local partnerships and enact regional Community Benefits Plans for CRC’s carbon management business Carbon Terravault.

Prior to this, she served as Executive Director of the California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL) at the Kern Community College District, State Government Affairs Manager for Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Adjunct Professor at California State University Bakersfield and the campaign manager for the Measure J Campaign for the Kern Community College District, a $500M school bond that passed with a 2/3 vote. Parra is a alumni of the 1999 Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Hispanias Leadership Institute (HLI) and continues today to support HOPE’s mission and events.

Parra has received several recognitions by community and academic institutions including the Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by U.C. Berkeley, was inducted into the first class of the Highland High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Parra is a founding member of Latina Leaders of Kern County, and has served on the Stop the Violence, Mother’s Against Senseless Killing, Central California Community Food Bank, Self-Help Enterprises, advisory boards.
Parra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

Luz Castro is the Associate Director of Policy at Inclusive Action for the City, where she leads the organization’s worker justice, immigrant safety net, and financial systems policy portfolios. Inclusive Action is a nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to serving underinvested communities and building thriving local economies by expanding access to transformative capital. Motivated by a desire to understand the impact of policies on her everyday life, Luz began her career in the offices of Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Rep. Linda Sanchez. In her previous role at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), she spearheaded their federal policy portfolio and initiated CHIRLA’s national All In for Registry campaign, aiming to create a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals through an update to the immigration registry. In the 117th and 118th Congress, Luz was instrumental in introducing one of the most straightforward and comprehensive legalization bills: Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929. This bill proposes updating the immigration registry statute, allowing immigrants to qualify for green cards after residing in the U.S. for at least seven years. Luz also led efforts to successfully double the funding for the USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant in Congress. With deep expertise in immigration and economic justice, Luz has extensive experience in advocacy, civic engagement, and organizing. She is a member of the Latinas Lead California Young Professionals Network and an alumna of the HOPE Leadership Institute.

Tara Lynn Gray was sworn in on April 26, 2021, as the 5th Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. She serves as the voice for California’s 4.2 million small businesses in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Under Director Gray’s leadership, the California Office of Small Business Advocate is helping to bring about Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for All through further development of the state’s small business ecosystem and by ensuring that questions about equity and inclusion are the starting point for all the state’s small business programs. Gray has administered fourteen different programs at CalOSBA and directed nearly $5.3 billion in state resources.

Gray’s first model of economic development was learned in her grandmother’s beauty shop. Her grandmother instinctively understood the social, emotional, and financial needs of her client base. It is here Gray learned how important access to credit is for small businesses and patrons. By extending credit to longtime customers, her grandmother kept money circulating in the Black community and built a wide community of trust. She also imbued her granddaughter with her sense of compassion and indelible determination.

Running her own business for two decades, working with two small business development centers, and running a business association and a foundation has given Director Gray the requisite experience and expertise to advocate for small businesses.

Immediately prior to her appointment by Governor Newsom, Director Gray led the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce (FMBCC) and Chamber Foundation (FMBCF) as CEO. In her adopted city of Fresno, Director Gray engaged, educated, and empowered small businesses across California’s Central Valley. She led several regional initiatives including “Betting Big on Small Businesses Owned by Women and People of Color” on behalf of the Fresno DRIVE Investment Plan, the Clean Shared Mobility Network, and employment and training programs to advance economic mobility.

Closing opportunity gaps, the role of women and BIPOC business leaders, and small business procurement are recurrent themes in her advocacy work. Gray holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, a master’s in Christian studies, and a doctorate in healthcare administration.