Fanny Guadalupe is from Mexico City. She graduated from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional as a certified public accountant and earned a Certificate of Anthropology of Art from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of Social Anthropology (CIESAS). As an immigrant, Fanny has developed a great interest in valuing the cultural diversity of Mexico in the United States; as such, she is the creator of projects that actively involve members of the community with the main purpose of acknowledging their individual cultural values and practices.  Fanny formerly served as a community liaison, translator, and interpreter at the Natural History Museum of Utah. She currently participates on the diversity and inclusion committees for other organizations such as The Nature Conservancy of Utah.  Fanny is part of the National Leadership Project for Peer Alliance, Gender and Equity managed by the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Silvia Norman is the former Vice President of Latino Banking for Wells Fargo Bank. She is a native of Argentina and grew up in Salt Lake City. Silvia graduated from the University of Utah. She has been in banking for more than 30 years. Silvia is a generous and long-time supporter of the Latino community. Silvia serves as our Board Treasurer. Silvia serves on our Fundraising and Governance Committees.

Lourdes Cooke worked as VP/Human Resources for KSL Radio/Television for several years as well other organizations in Utah.  Lourdes received her Bachelors of Science degree from Southern Methodist University in Psychology and participated in many executive management and leadership programs. Lourdes has enjoyed serving the community of Utah in several capacities.  Presently, participates in the Human Rights Committee for the County’s Office of Diversity Affairs.  Lourdes was a very proud member for the State of Utah Governor’s Health Commission.  Also served as Citizen’s Compensation Advisory Committee.  Lourdes has also been in other boards such as the Utah's Hispanic Council, Guadalupe Schools and Catholic Community Services.  Lourdes has taught Spanish at Westminster College and Bonneville Elementary School.  Lourdes grew-up in Mexico City and has a double citizenships – Mexico and the USA.   Lourdes has two children and two grand-children.  Lourdes desires to continue growing, learning and running.

Jorge Rodriguez is an artist, public school teacher (Art and English) and radio host. Jorge is a graduate of Utah Valley University with a BFA in Visual Arts and Communication. He has turned his passion for the Latino community into Park City, Utah’s only radio show in Spanish, Cada Domingo, on a public radio station, KPCW. (Park City is a wealthy ski community with a large population of Latino workers, most of Mexican origin.) His show is one of the few radio shows in Spanish in Utah that delve deeply into cultural,  as well as social and political issues affecting the Latino community. Jorge has been a key player in joining community organizations in Park City to promote the appreciation of Latino cultures and the contributions of Latinos to the area.

Will graduated from medical school at UCLA in 1966. He did a residency in anesthesiology in San Jose, California. He worked as a anesthesiologist in Twin Fall, Idaho, in Boston Massachusetts, and in Salt Lake City. He has worked with surgical teams, including cleft lip and palate. His practice includes Mexico with Interplast, and Guatemala with Operation Smile. In retirement, he has been going back to Guatemala once a year with Faith in Practice as a medical interpreter. For that reason, he tries to keep up his abilities in Spanish by reading and watching films.

Gloria was born in California, but have spent most of her life living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father was fro Mexico and her mother was first generation US born to parents from Guanajuato, she attended Salt Lake City public schools, graduating from West High, and receiving a BA degree from the University of Utah. Gloria is very active in the Hispanic community as a volunteer for churches, book clubs and Artes de Mexico en Utah. AS a Chicana, Gloria has provided a meaningful point of view to our program materials. It was her father who introduced her to the history of Mexico, from the pre-Columbian peoples to 20th Century conflicts. His influence helped her acquire a love of history, not just Latin American, but of the world and, this is what peaked her interest in Anthropology, human culture and society, through the archeological record and human behavior.

Yuri Jenson has a strong background in family and community engagement, parent mentoring and social work. She has experience working with a broad range of stakeholders in both public and private sectors to coordinate educational and recreational activities for families. Yuri is a proud U.S. citizen who emigrated from Mexico. When she started her journey in this country in 2008, she realized how much help is needed for those who represent minorities. Because of this, she has been taking greater responsibility each year, helping immigrant, refugee and isolated families learn how to advocate for themselves through education, collaboration and community engagement. Currently, Yuri serves as the Chair of the Wasatch Latino Coalition and works for Wasatch County School District.

Brandy is a respected leader in Utah for domestic violence prevention, crafting tailored education for faith leaders, law enforcement, healthcare providers, journalists, and professionals. With 2,000 volunteers, she educated a quarter of Utah's population on domestic violence dynamics and resources, including dating violence prevention in schools. Selected by Western Community Policing and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, she authored law enforcement curriculum covering 8 states. Over 20 years, Brandy advocated for domestic violence funding and legislation, notably adding dating violence to the Violence Against Women Act. As chair of the State Domestic Violence Council, she spearheads diversity initiatives and authored the Domestic Violence Related Death Report. Brandy excels in motivating professionals and community groups to understand victims' perspectives and provides public speaking and writing expertise.

Andrea Silva is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. She is a highly talented professional  with a degree in Communications and a Master's in Marketing from the TecMilenio University . She has developed her career in advertising, cultural project management and as event planner. Her talents also extend to photography, design, digital illustration, and painting. 

Andrea is responsible to manage our social media accounts, developing and executing marketing strategies, creating and publishing content, engaging with the audience, analyzing metrics, and reporting on performance. She is known for her carisma, creative thinking and ability to communicate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. Her knowledge and talent are evident in the promotion and execution of our programs. Andrea enjoys discovering daily aspects of her own culture and many others, which is where her passion for traveling was born.

Vicky is originally from Chiapas, Mexico. She moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2003 and earned her BA in Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of Utah. She has a Master's in “Advanced Studies in Hispanic and Latin American Literature” from the University of Barcelona. 

Her development as a visual artist has been for the most part self-taught. Artistic expression in its various forms has always been a part of her life ss the daughter of a Tseltal Maya mother and her father’s archaeological background. She has experienced various aspects of ancient and living Maya traditions. Her maternal grandparents were her first guides in using art as a tool for the preservation of ancestral knowledge and culture. 

​

Aside from being a full time teacher and artist, she is the Project Manager of the project “Born from Corn” which focuses on sharing with educators and community members the importance and relationship between culture, nature and sustainability through an Indigenous lens.  Her art and community work focuses on continuing ancestral stories and knowledge and on the relationship between food and social justice. She pays special attention to how the diaspora changes accessibility to our ancestral foods and the importance of preserving the cultural memories and practices that migrate with us.

Catherine is an experienced educator with a degree in English and History Education. With 10 years of experience in the field, she has worked with various organizations, including Artes for 5 years. Catherine has demonstrated her creativity and expertise by developing educational materials for a diverse range of clients, such as the Natural History Museum, Latino Behavioral Health, Construct Education, and the Salt Lake City Library.

Mexican born in Ciudad Juárez in the state of Chihuahua, beginning to write at the age of 13 after reading a poetic anthology that included, Manuel Acuña, Amado Nervo, Sonets of Almafuerte and the always excellent poetry of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Over the years polishing writing through empirical studies of the different poetic currents, from what was used in ancient Greece in Homer's books, to modern poetry, such as Marwan, Edel Juárez and Jaime Sabines. Since 2022 Manuel Aaron Garcia is the Poetry and Literature Coordinator for Artes de México en Utah, leads our poetry group Escritores de Utah and is a member of the advisory board of the Community Writing Center.