Meet Our Board
Alejandra Sanchez
Board President
Alejandra Sanchez joins Casa Latino Unidos with a passion of helping underserved communities. She brings her experience as a Bilingual/Bicultural Clinic Health Navigator, where she worked directly with providers to ensure access to medical, mental, and dental treatments for the uninsured and underinsured population. Her focus is to engage patients in their care plan and help patients navigate the healthcare system. Alejandra hopes to help eliminate health care disparities and build healthier communities.
Cristian Reyes
Vice President
Cristian Reyes works at Oregon State University College of Engineering as the Coordinator for Outreach and Recruitment. Cristian earned a bachelor and master’s in public health from OSU; he was the first in his family to attend college and earn a graduate degree. Cristian is passionate about creating pathways that allow underrepresented communities to access educational, health, economic resources. Cristian has a lot of experience working in education and helping Latinx, migrant, and first-generation youth apply to colleges and universities.
Elizabeth Peña
Treasurer
Elizabeth is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. She graduated in Tourism, and is mother of four children; the two oldest have already graduated from university, and the two youngest are in high school. She has worked at Peoria Gardens Inc. for 27 years. Elizabeth considers herself an extreme value leader and has participated in helping the community as a course facilitator, including Taking Control of Your Health and Educa e Inspira. In the past, Elizabeth has led a women’s group at a church in Albany, and she has participated in several projects with the OSU Extension Family and Community health Program. She has also been involved with the School District in policy programs. Elizabeth prides herself as a positive person and believes that a good attitude improves everything.
Juan Guzmán, PhD
Secretary
Juan Guzmán, a retired educator, comes to Casa Latinos Unidos with a strong background in the educational needs of disadvantaged, disabled, racial, and ethnic minority youth. Experiences in public school teaching and administration, university teaching, government service, and federally sponsored migrant education have allowed broad experiences in program development, staff training, and parental involvement. Juan has served as a consultant and has been on committees and advisory boards at the local, state and national levels. He is a veteran, having served four years in the U.S. Air Force. Since his retirement, he has been active as a volunteer in the Corvallis community.
Marcianne Rivero Koetje, PhD
Board Member
Marcianne has been with the Corvallis School District since 2003. She is now the School District Multilingual Programs and Equity Coordinator. Marcianne earned her Master’s in Teaching at Oregon State University and her PhD in the LEEP (Leadership Equity and Educational Policy) program. She is passionate about the advocacy of the Latinx community as well as the empowerment of Latinx students, educators, and families.
Monica Olvera, PhD
Board Member
Monica is in the faculty of Oregon State University, working in the Human Development and Family Studies (HFDS) program. She has a BA in Spanish from Oregon State University (OSU), an MA in Spanish Literature from the University of Oregon, and a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) also from OSU. Monica is the faculty adviser for the student club Here to Stay at OSU, a club that advocates for DACA students, undocumented students, and students with mixed immigration status families. She likes to spend time with her family, ride horses, and perform Mexican folkloric dance with her children in her spare time.