About Me
I was first elected to represent Ward 7 in 2021, becoming one of the first two Latinas on the Somerville City Council, and am currently serving as Council Vice President. As Councilor I bring my lived and professional experience to advance equity and justice for our Somerville community.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I moved to Somerville in 2001 to attend Tufts University and fell in love with the city. Except for a brief time in Florida, I’ve lived here since graduating from Tufts University, moving around Somerville and getting a taste of its neighborhoods, including East Somerville, Spring Hill, Prospect Hill, and now Teele Square.
As the proud daughter of immigrants, I get my work ethic and resourcefulness from my parents.
My parents grew up in the tumultuous 1960s. My mom, Griselda, was born and raised in Sector Popular in the heart of Mexico City and immigrated to Los Angeles as a single mom with her family when she was 26 years old.
My dad, Fred, a child of Holocaust survivors, was born in a displaced persons camp after WWII. He worked in the civil rights movement in New York City as a teenager, first raising funds among high school students for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s voter registration projects in Alabama and Mississippi, then fighting to desegregate New York apartment buildings on behalf of Black and Puerto Rican families. My dad also worked as a shipyard welder in Oakland and Los Angeles for 15 years, and filed some of the first asbestos class action lawsuits on behalf of shipyard workers. He then organized the White Lung Association and was its national Secretary Treasurer, and later was elected chief executive officer of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America, Local 9, in Los Angeles.
My dad has been my political mentor, and I get my feminist roots from my working class Mom.
I graduated cum laude from Tufts University, and completed my MBA with honors at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business, with a certification in Leadership Development.
It has been the honor of my life to work with groups and organizations making the world a better place.
My first job out of college was as a community organizer and I have taken my organizing skills into my day to day work throughout my career.
Through my time with the national nonprofit Emerge and the National Democratic Training Committee, I recruited, trained, and supported thousands of women and people of color to run for office. I am also a small business owner, running women’s leadership workshops, trainings, and retreats with my business, Spark Sisterhood.
I also went on to work with local and statewide nonprofit organizations to train staff, boards, and other stakeholders on how to lead through a lens of inclusion, equity, and justice. This has included crafting comprehensive plans to enable the largest progressive organization in Florida to diversify staff and deepen their impact with community partnerships. I also authored a plan in Boston for the Mayor’s Office of Food Access and led a collective impact process with Boston’s Health and Human Services Department on overcoming the challenges with keeping families in their homes.
Prior to my election to the City Council, I led Somerville’s Immigrant Services Unit, part of the city’s Covid-19 response work in 2020 and 2021. By bringing together a collaborative group of city workers, school staff and community partners, our team developed new ways to deliver much needed resources to our immigrant families and was able to support those community members hardest hit by the pandemic.
As an avid runner, I bring the strength and stamina needed to advocate for Somerville!
Inspired by the resilience of the running community following the 2013 Boston Marathon, I began running days after the tragic attack. Today, I’m a 4x marathoner, and a 2018 Boston Marathon finisher!
I currently live between Davis and Teele Squares with my husband Mark and our cat Pumpkin. You’re likely to see me out at Hodgkins-Curtin Park, jogging the community path, or shopping and eating at one of Somerville’s amazing local businesses! My husband and I are also expecting our first child in spring 2023 and looking forward to introducing him to all of Somerville’s amazing festivals and community events!
