Co-Founder, Executive Director, cdcoval@pueblounidopdx.org
Cam is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Cam’s university research focused on Chilean social policy reform. He was awarded the Mavrinac Award for Best Original Research Thesis in the Colby College Government Department.
Before starting Pueblo Unido, Cam served for AmeriCorps in East Multnomah County, where he led after-school enrichment classes and coordinated food pantries for immigrants, refugees, and low-income households. It was there that he met Pueblo Unido co-founder Francisco Rodriguez. After Francisco was detained by ICE without a warrant, Cam supported a mobilization that successfully secured Francisco’s release. Cam and Francisco founded Pueblo Unido PDX together to support other community members in the fight against deportation.
When he’s not working, Cam enjoys fly fishing, playing baseball, watching college football, and listening to rock n' roll. Cam’s middle name, Darrow, was given in honor of Clarence Darrow, leading member of the ACLU.
Operations Director, carla@pueblounidopdx.org
Carla is a daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first generation college grad. Carla grew up in Tigard, Oregon, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon in 2021 where she studied Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies and Legal Studies. Through her heavy involvement in Mecha, Carla became immersed in a mobilization against anti-immigrant policies, and advocacy for immigrants' rights. Putting forth a resistance to the criminalization, separation and deportation of immigrants is at the heart of her passions, and what brought her to Pueblo Unido. In the near future, Carla plans to attend law school, and ultimately plans to become an immigration attorney. In her free time, Carla enjoys spending time with her family, dancing, and going on hikes.
Director of Community Engagement, ealegria@pueblounidopdx.org
Elba Alegría is a proud immigrant from Santa Rosa, Guatemala. She grew up surrounded by coffee and sugar cane plantations. When she was eighteen years old, she immigrated to the U.S. with her two-year-old daughter searching for a better future. This experience allows her to appreciate and understand the Pacific Northwest Immigrant community, which she is honored to serve.
Senior Director of the Collective of Indigenous Interpreters of Oregon (CIIO), puma@pueblounidopdx.org
Puma Tzoc is an immigrant, Mayan K'iche 'interpreter, ceremony man, artist-craftsman, father and son. Puma is originally from GuateMaya (Guatemala) from the town of Nahualá, which was originally known as Nawal Ja’ (spirit of water). Puma began his interpreting work after witnessing the injustices experienced by detained people, and the growing need for support. He began interpreting in the New York City court system, for medical institutions, and for his community. He has received training with a focus on indigenous people’s rights, to use interpretation as a tool to call attention to indigenous social justice issues, culture and spirituality.
Puma founded Maya K’iche’ Interpreter in 2014 with the initiative to help his people in the United States, and raise awareness of indigenous languages as a form of indigenous resistance. He is also a co-founder of the collective U'k'astajib'al Nawal Ja '(The awakening of the Spirit of Water), a group of young people in Nahualá that seek to raise awareness, rescue and reintegrate the cultural and traditional values of their people through the arts, dialogue, among other mediums.
Puma resides in Portland, OR, and on his spare time, enjoys writing, dancing, running, and spending time with his family.
Associate Director of the Collective of Indigenous Interpreters of Oregon (CIIO), malin@pueblounidopdx.org
Malín is an educator, Indigenous interpreter, leadership development trainer, and grassroots organizer in the nonprofit world. Her experience is motivated by her background as a Maya Akateka immigrant from Guatemala and is based in Portland, OR.
Malín is a trusted community advocate, and speaks English, Spanish, and two Indigenous languages from the 25 different Mayan languages: Akateko, and Q’anjob’al. She has more than 16 years of experience working with Latinx and Indigenous communities, people from low-income backgrounds, and People of Color on projects and advocacy on environmental issues and affordable housing, and supporting families access food, immigration assistance, and other resources.
In her previous role as Leadership Development Coordinator for Verde, a non-profit for environmental community engagement, Malín spent 10 years training community members to become leaders. She also created partnerships with many other organizations in Portland to support collaboration for nonprofits, community centers, and cultural-religious events.
In 2021, Malín become involved with Pueblo Unido through the Collective of Indigenous Interpreters of Oregon (CIIO), where she provided Maya (Akateko and Q’anjob’al) interpretation services and reached many Indigenous communities who needed access to interpretation in Oregon and other states. Today, Malín continues to advocate for Indigenous communities in public schools, medical services, and immigration offices.
Outside of working hours, Malín fills her free time by volunteering or working small jobs, exploring outdoor activities, art projects and spending time with family and walking her dog, Mailo.
Yujwal Tioxh
Senior Director of Navigation, alejandra@pueblounidopdx.org
My passion for the immigrant community stems from my family background. Both of my parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Pueblo Unido’s mission hits close to home because my family has been separated for almost ten years due to deportation. I want to do what I can to help families stay together and be able to have access to the resources they need to feel safe and supported. I am a first-generation graduate from Portland State University where I studied international studies and public health. I have worked with underrepresented communities through MEChA and Intercambio and I hope to continue my education to serve the immigrant, refugee and indigenous communities. During my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends and taking my dog on walks.
Legal & Social Services Navigator, citlalli@pueblounidopdx.org
Citlalli grew up in Portland, OR and comes from a family of immigrants from Mexico. Growing up seeing her mother’s difficulties navigating the U.S immigration system inspired her to serve her community and advocate for immigrant rights. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Political Science and Spanish with minors in Legal Studies, Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies and Latinx Studies. During her time at the University of Oregon she joined Mecha, and UO Mujeres, and Wayne Morse Scholars program in order to connect with and support the Latine community on and off campus. By joining the Pueblo Unido team, she hopes to provide support and comfort to those in need. In her free time, Citlalli enjoys writing, reading, drawing, and binge watching her favorite shows. In the future Citlalli plans to return to school and become a lawyer.
Legal & Social Services Navigator, apazmendoza@pueblounidopdx.org
I graduated the University of Oregon in June 2023, majoring in Cinema Studies and concentrating my studies in Ethnic, Latinx and Latin American Studies. I hope to change the perspectives and educate people about the Indigenous people of Latin America through the creation of movies/tv shows. I grew up around Oregon and for a couple years in Mexico. My family immigrated from Mexico and I’ve seen them struggle mentally, physically and financially because of their immigration status. I’ve had a good amount of my family be sent back to Mexico so most of my family lives there. I hope that by being my true artistic self I am able to educate my family, my friends and my people about the hardships Indigenous Mexicans go through. Most of my work is based around helping people understand one another-- I hope to go back to school and pursue my PHD at Chicago University to be a professor of Mexican Indigenous (specifically P'urhepecha) Cinema Studies.
Legal & Social Services Navigator, lisbeth@pueblounidopdx.org
Lisbeth was raised in Southeast Portland and is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. She is a first generation college graduate of Franklin & Marshall College where she double majored in Government and Spanish. Most recently, she lived in Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar and taught English to high school students. She was drawn to Pueblo Unido because she values its commitment to support immigrants through a holistic approach. In the future, she plans on pursuing law school with a focus on immigration and public interest law and she hopes to continue her work empowering underrepresented communities in Oregon. She's also a lover of coffee and the Oregon coast.
Legal & Social Services Navigator, analleli@pueblounidopdx.org
Analleli is originally from a small town in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, recognized by its people as Ñuu Va’jo. She grew up in San Diego County where she attended the University of San Diego, receiving her BA in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Her passion and commitment to Indigenous immigrant rights was fueled by her involvement in Jardin Mixteco, a collective of Indigenous Mixtec San Diego residents and allies that work together to preserve the language, knowledge and culture of the Mixteco community. Through Pueblo Unido she hopes to learn about the needs and advocacy efforts of immigrant communities who live in the Pacific Northwest. Ultimately, Analleli envisions herself forming part of community building and organizing efforts with Indigenous migrant communities in Oregon in order to bridge the efforts across state and national borders. During her free time she enjoys exploring trails, writing, and watching documentary films.
Co-founder, President of the Board of Directors, unidopdx@pueblounidopdx.org
I come from a mixed status family. I was born in Mexico and was brought to the US at the age of 5. Have lived in Portland since 1996, I am a DACA recipient currently in removal proceedings in Immigration court. I've worked in schools since 2014 in different positions, working one-on-one with behavioral students and tutoring them. Currently, I work in the Reynolds School District. My positions allow me to coach elementary and middle school students after school in soccer and help run food pantries for low income families in our community.
I've been on multiple boards. I have served on Multnomah County’s Community Involvement, and City of Gresham's Housing Task Force where I advised Gresham City Council and made housing policy recommendations. Currently, I sit on the Rockwood Neighborhood Association board. I am Pueblo Unido’s co-founder and want to do everything I can to make sure we grow in the right direction. I advise our board to ensure we maintain Pueblo Unido’s original goals and vision. I want to see us continue to grow and help as many people as we can. I will always be a part of Pueblo Unido in one way or another and currently being on the board is where I feel I give my most.
Vice-President of the Board of Directors, jschlosser@pueblounidopdx.org
I grew up in North Dakota. I moved to Hawaii for college, where I majored in Marine Biology. Eventually, I attended Lewis & Clark Law School, and became an attorney. Now, I primarily practice criminal defense, and I specialize in representing non-citizens. My representation of non-citizens led to my involvement in immigrant rights advocacy, and working on immigrant protection legislation. I have a solid understanding of Pueblo Unido's originating focus - working to get detained immigrants released, and I was collaborating with Cam and Francisco (PU's founders) since the beginning of this great organization.
Board Treasurer, afranco@pueblounidopdx.org
I'm a Midwest Central American with dual citizenship in Panama. I grew up in Illinois, lived in Chicago for ten years, and moved to Portland in 2016. Academically, my background is in Anthropology (BA) and Urban Planning (MUPP). I have over a decade of experience in health research grant administration including positions at University of Illinois at Chicago and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. I am currently the Strategy & Sustainability Manager for the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence at OHSU. I'm grateful to be able to contribute to Pueblo Unido by combining my personal interest in supporting those navigating the inequity of the immigration system with my professional grant writing and management skills.
Board Secretary, twatler@pueblounidopdx.org
Teddy is from Long Beach, CA and his father’s family is from Honduras. He moved to Portland in 2017, began serving as a Pueblo Unido PDX volunteer in 2019, and joined the board in 2020. After entering the labor movement as a union delegate, Teddy worked as a union organizer and representative, first for healthcare workers in the Bay Area, and then for professional performers in New York. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago and is currently a J.D. candidate at Yale Law School.
At-Large Director, rvaldez@pueblounidopdx.org
Ramón Valdez is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Seeding Justice, a social justice funder focused on resourcing emerging grassroots organizations in Oregon. He has a background in nonprofit management, U.S. immigration law, and software development and has helped to design, implement, and manage rapid response humanitarian efforts focused on immigrant rights advocacy.
Ramón is passionate about community self-determination, people-centered storytelling, and closing the digital divide. He is a board member of the ACLU of Oregon, Asylum Clinic KC, and Pueblo Unido PDX.
At-Large Director, ilara@pueblounidopdx.org
Isabel is from Oregon, and both of her parents immigrated from Mexico. She has had a strong passion and devotion to the immigrant community because of her roots. She currently works in an immigration law firm as a legal assistant and hopes to attend law school to continue the vital work she believes in. Before her work in the immigration law field, she worked in the financial field for over six years. Isabel prioritizes community service and volunteer work with organizations and communities she is passionate about. She strives to learn more about supporting Latino and indigenous communities by fighting injustices and navigating immigration law.
At-Large Director, tduong@pueblounidopdx.org
Thuan was born in Vietnam, grew up in the Bay Area, and has lived in Portland, Oregon since 2002. Thuan worked as a researcher for 20 years, focusing on client experiences in public systems; this work shaped her perspective around equity and justice in these systems. She currently works as the Equity & Inclusion Manager at the City of Portland Housing Bureau. Thuan’s own experiences as a refugee is foundational to her understanding of immigration, incorporation, and identity. She joined the Pueblo Unido Board because she strongly believes in its mission, vision and programs and seeks liberation for all, regardless of where we are born.
At-Large Director, iracuello@pueblounidopdx.org
Ira is the Policy Advocacy Director at PCUN, Oregon's Farmworker Union based out of Woodburn, OR. He has experience in electoral campaigns, policy advocacy, community organizing, and coalition management. He played a crucial role in the passage of Oregon’s farmworker overtime law and the strongest heat and smoke worker protections in the country.
Ira believes in a world where everyone gets to live their lives with dignity, respect, love, and joy. In his spare time, he enjoys soccer, jaripeos, music, and spending time with his friends and family.
