Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor leaders and civil rights activists in American history, dedicating her life to justice, equality, and community empowerment. At 95 years old, she remains an active force for change as Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF), headquartered in Bakersfield, California.

Raised in Stockton, California, Huerta was deeply influenced by her mother’s compassion and activism. As an elementary school teacher, she saw firsthand the struggles faced by farmworker families, prompting her to take action. She became an organizer with the Community Service Organization (CSO), where she met Cesar Chavez. Together, they founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later evolved into the United Farm Workers (UFW).

Huerta played a pivotal role in the historic 1965 Delano grape strike and the subsequent international boycott, which won unprecedented labor protections. As lead contract negotiator for the UFW, she secured major victories, including bans on harmful pesticides, rest breaks, access to clean drinking water, and healthcare benefits.

Over the years, she has been arrested more than 20 times during peaceful protests. In 1988, she was severely beaten by police during a demonstration, leading to reforms in San Francisco’s police policies.

Huerta's activism extends beyond labor rights. She has been a fierce advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and political representation. Her work with the Feminist Majority’s 50/50 campaign in the 1990s significantly increased women’s participation in politics. She is also credited with coining the iconic phrase “¡Sí, se puede!” (“Yes, we can!”), Later popularized by President Obama.

In recognition of her lifelong dedication, Huerta has received numerous honors, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues to inspire new generations to engage in grassroots activism and build more just and equitable communities.

Having grown up in an urban neighborhood Marilyn learned early on about the impact of giving back to the community, volunteerism and paying it forward. Her parents migrated to the U.S. from Puerto Rico in the early 1950’s and instilled the importance of “la Familia,” culture, our language and being involved in “La Communidad.”

She earned her B.A from the University of CT. in Storrs, CT and later an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. Marilyn has worked in the corporate arena for more than twenty years where she has held numerous management positions within the airlines, pharmaceutical, education, financial and health insurance industries. As an entrepreneur, she led Ethnic Marketing Solutions for 9 years, an agency that focused on strategic marketing for companies interested in learning about and tapping into multicultural markets.

As a recognized multicultural marketing professional, Marilyn has led numerous companies and businesses through strategic marketing and branding strategies that help grow the business.

Arantxa Loizaga is the anchor of “Noticias Telemundo En La Noche,” Telemundo’s late-night newscast airing Monday through Friday at 11:35 p.m. ET/10:35 p.m. CT. She also co-anchors “AHORA 360” alongside José Díaz-Balart, a primetime streaming newscast that airs Mondays through Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Noticias Telemundo AHORA, the network’s 24/7 FAST news channel.

With over 15 years of experience in the field of journalism and 20 years in the TV business, Loizaga, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and Laurel Award recipient, has done extensive coverage of significant events such as the immigration crisis, natural disasters, and national and international political events, as well as conducted interviews with U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Most recently, Loizaga interviewed First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the White House.

efore transitioning to Telemundo, Loizaga was the news anchor for Univision’s national weekend newscast edition for over seven years. While there, she covered major breaking news stories, including coverage of the El Paso massacre, the Santa Fe High School massacre, El Chapo’s arrest and the capture of the Caballeros Templarios leader, as well as multiple natural disasters and much more.

Previously, Loizaga worked as a news anchor and reporter for Univision San Antonio and Telemundo San Antonio. During her time in San Antonio, Loizaga covered local news, entertainment and community and political affairs, she also worked as a production assistant. In her native Mexico, she started her career on TV when she was 18 years old, hosting two TV shows for the network Television Mexiquense.

Loizaga, who is a passionate animal lover and currently has six rescued dogs, studied an Associates Degree at Northwest Vista College and an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Ms. Mendez is the President of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus (NDWC). She is Chief External Affairs Officer of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the Public Access Cable Television facility in Manhattan.

Ms. Mendez is an author, the first woman of color to hold the position of President of the National Organization for Women, New York State (NOW-NYS). Ms. Mendez has over 30 years of experience working on issues affecting women, some of which include equal pay for equal work, reproductive justice, gay & lesbian rights, equal high-quality education, affordable childcare, affordable housing, and economic, racial, and environmental justice. Among her track record, worked for eight years with the honorable David Dinkins as Manhattan Borough President and the Mayor. She served as special assistant to the New York City Commissioner of Human Rights, and for five years, she was legislative assistant and community liaison at the district office of Representative Charles B. Rangel.

Zenaida served as one of the Women of Color Resource Center Delegates to the World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, a delegation headed by the renowned activist Angela Davis.

Zenaida became active in social justice as an advocate for tenant rights in New York City’s Hell Kitchen neighborhood in the mid 1980s. Specialty in program development and implementation, management and strategic planning, fundraising, marketing and public relations. Worked in many political campaigns as a political strategist and campaign consultant, earned media strategy building, and get-out-the-vote plans for city, state, and national elected officials.

Zenaida have served on the Board of Directors of the West Harlem Environmental Action, the Dominican American National Roundtable, the Committee for Hispanic Family and Children, the National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence, the New York women’s in Film and Television (NYWIFT), she is currently serving on the board of Directors of the Harlem GLBTQ Center in NYC.

Zenaida received many awards for her work, among them the Jewel Ryan White Award for cultural diversity from the Alliance for Community Media, The NYC Council Hispanic History Month Distinction, NYC Dominican Parade, in 2022 Zenaida was awarded the Medal of Merit as an outstanding Dominican woman living abroad ( Diaspora ) by the President of the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Women in Santo Domingo.

Zenaida Mendez was born in the Dominican Republic and is the proud mother of Dora, Clarissa, and Rocio, and grandmother of Naomi and Mateo. She is a proud graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York, Graduate School of Public Affairs.

Nora Duncan has extensive experience in Connecticut’s nonprofit sector and Executive Branch with expertise in advocacy, government relations, nonprofit management, volunteer engagement and strategic communications.

As AARP Connecticut’s state director, she has led successful campaigns to increase health care access, protect people from consumer fraud, open access to workplace retirement savings to nearly 600,000 Connecticut workers, enhance workplace flexibility for Connecticut family caregivers, and make communities more livable.

Nora represented over 1,000 nonprofit organizations as Public Policy Director at the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits where she helped secure approximately $270 million for staff cost of living adjustments, passed juvenile justice reforms and negotiated state contracting reforms that protected the interests of the nonprofit sector. She joined the Legislative Affairs Team in the Office of Governor M. Jodi Rell where she negotiated the nation’s most comprehensive mortgage crisis relief legislation, UConn Health Center expansion and criminal justice reforms.

Yanely Espinal is a Brooklyn-born ball of energy! She's an educator with a gift for storytelling and a passion for explaining financial concepts in a straightforward way.

While working as an elementary school teacher, she decided to change her financial life by paying off $20,000 of debt in just 18 months. In 2015 she started MissBeHelpful, a YouTube channel that now has over 4 million views, to help others learn the money skills she never learned in school. Her book, Mind Your Money, was released in May of 2023 and quickly became an Amazon Bestseller, with thousands of copies sold in the first month.

Yanely is the Director of Educational Outreach for Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit working to ensure that every high school student gets a full semester of personal finance education. She's also the host of Financially Inclined from Marketplace, a video podcast for teens about money lessons for living life your own way!

Damaris DeLeon is a community professional, caregiver advocate, and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience supporting families and older adults. She serves as a Respite Care Manager at the North Central Area Agency on Aging, helping caregivers access essential resources and support through the National Family Caregiver Support Program.

She began her career with the agency in 2005 and later became a Certified CHOICES Counselor, guiding individuals through health insurance and care options. In addition to her nonprofit work, Damaris is a commissioned Notary Public in Connecticut and has experience in event marketing and brand representation.

She is passionate about advocating for caregivers and making a meaningful impact in her community.

Jennifer De Leon is the award-winning author of several books, including the YA novels, Borderless, featured on the TODAY show, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, and White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing, which won the Juniper Prize from the University of Massachusetts Press. She is a tenured professor of Creative Writing at Framingham State University and faculty member for the Newport MFA Program at Salve Regina University, and a former Boston Public Schools teacher. Jenn is also the founder of Story Bridge, a company that helps individuals harness the power of story to reach personal, workplace, and community-wide goals. Connect with her online @jdeleonwriter

Maria Matos is a respected community leader and advocate dedicated to strengthening civic engagement, education access, and economic opportunity across Connecticut. Originally from the Dominican Republic, she brings a global perspective and deep cultural understanding to her work. She currently serves as Chief Advocacy Officer of the Alliance for Connecticut Charter Schools (ACCS), where she leads statewide efforts to elevate community voices, advance education policy, and expand access to high-quality learning opportunities.

Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and brings a strong analytical and strategic mindset to her advocacy work. With over a decade of experience building partnerships among nonprofits, government leaders, and grassroots organizations, she has led initiatives that have helped register hundreds of voters, promote voting rights, and increase civic participation in underrepresented communities.

Her work focuses on empowering everyday people to understand their power, engage in civic life, and build pathways to stability and growth.

As a proud immigrant and mother, Maria leads with authenticity, cultural pride, and deep commitment to community-driven change. She brings practical insight and heartfelt leadership to conversations about building stronger, more inclusive futures.

Dr. Marisa Moro-de-Casillas was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She graduated Cum Laude from her medical school Anahuac University in Mexico City.

She moved to the USA to complete neurology residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH and a Movement Disorders Fellowship through Brown University, Providence, RI.

She currently works as a movement disorders neurologist at the Chase Family Movement Disorders Center, Hartford HealthCare, and serves as the Director of Experience and Equity.

Her passion is to improve access to care and education for Hispanic and Latino patients and their families suffering from movement disorders.

She is the founder of the CFMDC Spanish Clinic, one of the very few Hispanic Movement Disorders clinics in the USA. Her work has been recognized by several non-for-profit organizations, including The Davis Phinney Foundation. In 2024, she was instrumental in the success of the first educational community event for Hispanics with Parkinson’s Disease in Hartford, “Cerebros Saludables, Comunidades Saludables”.

She launched and serves as physician co-lead for “ SOMOS Physicians and Providers Network” at her Institution.

She lives in CT with her husband Sergio, and her daughter Isabella.

Stephanie Thomas was sworn in as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State on January 4, 2023. With a distinguished 30-year career advising and problem-solving for nonprofit organizations, running her own business, and serving as a State Representative of the 143rd District (Norwalk, Wilton, Westport), Secretary Thomas brings a unique blend of business expertise and a passion for civics to public service.

Since taking office, Secretary Thomas has led the implementation of significant election reforms in the state, including the roll-out of early voting and a new centralized voter registration system. In September 2023, she secured a historic investment of $25 million to replace the state’s aging tabulators, marking Connecticut’s first voting machine upgrade since 2006. During her term, Secretary Thomas will also institute the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut and automatic voter registration at several Connecticut agencies.

A former small business owner, Secretary Thomas has worked to pass business-friendly legislation, and she has created a monthly e-newsletter that aggregates funding and training resources in one place to save business owners’ time.

Secretary Thomas believes that a healthy representative democracy relies on regular and active participation in civic life by all. To promote robust civic engagement, she has met Connecticut’s communities in their own spaces, thereby cultivating a nonpartisan dialogue between the people and their government. She has travelled to barbershops and salons around the state as part of her Connect & Cut series, held civic trivia events at local libraries, encouraged businesses and nonprofits to be civic ambassadors through her innovative CEO (Civically Engaged Organization) program, and put the power of civics into the hands of the public by providing plain-language, civics resources at Civics101.ct.gov. Secretary Thomas made history as the first Black person to be elected Secretary of the State of Connecticut. She has dedicated time to serving on many boards and strategic planning committees, and she has been an active volunteer in her community. She holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from New School University. She and her husband are proud residents of Norwalk, Connecticut.