970-340-8501
OUR STORY
Voces Unidas de las Montañas was founded in May 2020 by local Latina and Latino leaders.
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The organization 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.​​ ​
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Voce Unidas de las Montañas is a member of the Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable and an affiliate of the national Latino civil rights organization, UnidosUS.
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Voce Unidas de las Montañas is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is affiliated with Voces Unidas Action Fund, an independent 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.
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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.
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 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 in May of 2021. She was born in Guachochi, Mexico and was raised in Colorado. Brisa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado Mesa University with a focus in communication, literature, and English. She serves as a connector for communities of color and is passionate about equity work. Brisa has worked in public health for over 18 years. She is committed to empowering and elevating marginalized voices, and spends time volunteering with various community groups. Brisa was recently appointed to the State Board of Human Services in 2021.
CLAUDIA FRAGOSO
Board Member
Claudia Fragoso joined the Board of Directors 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 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) nonprofit organization. Our advocacy and electoral work is nonpartisan. We do not support or oppose candidates for elected office. While we do engage voters during elections, our focus is on educating voters on policy issues and increasing voter participation in elections, regardless of how they vote. When we advocate, it is based on our stance on specific policy issues or driven by our social justice-centered values.
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This organization should not be confused with our affiliate, Voces Unidas Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit organization. This other organization makes independent decisions about their work to support their mission.
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.