Staff

Ecuadorian DACA recipient, Evelyn Andrade has spent her whole life finding ways to express her creativity and love for problem solving. Her visionary perspective landed her an internship with Alianza Americas as an administrative assistant but Evelyn’s leadership and ideas soon proved her title wrong. Today, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) School of Design and has worked with organizations, restaurants, conferences, grocery stores and private clients on projects including signage, event materials, furniture restoration, and logos. As of March 2020, Evelyn has joined the Alianza Americas team as their Technology Coordinator. Apart from her design work, Evelyn is the key point of contact for Alianza’s staff and members for technology training. Beyond her experience in industrial, graphic, UX, and website design, her upbeat personality and ability to adapt and learn quickly has positioned her well for her new role where she is helping advance the reach of Alianza’s mission by enhancing their communication and visual outreach.

Zorayda Avila is originally from Zacapu Michoacan, and now lives in Chicago. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from the Universidad de Morelia and a certificate in sexual education from the Instituto Mexicano de Sexologia in Mexico City, as well as a graduate degree in Citizen Integration Politics from the University of Valencia. Prior to joining Alianza Americas, Zory served as executive director of "Casa Michoacan," a cultural and education center in Chicago. She is a board member of the Network of Mexican Leaders and Organizations, and a member of Colectivo de Mujeres Trasnacionales. Zory's interests include: mental health and human rights, with a particular focus on building women’s leadership and strengthening the capacity of immigrant women as community leaders.

Dulce Dominguez is originally from Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico and immigrated with her family to the United States at the age of 2 years old. Dulce is now a DACA recipient and has worked in her Lake County Community as an organizer and advocate for immigrant families. She is a co-founder for a grassroots initiative in Northern Illinois known as the Center for Immigrant Progress, working to engage Latino and Immigrant Youth to gain leadership skills and advocate for immigrant rights. She first joined Alianza Americas in 2018 as part of her graduate internship in policy and research. During her time as an intern she spearheaded two research projects focused on the health and safety of outdoor immigrant workers. Dulce obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Master's Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. As the Development and Communications coordinator Dulce is charged with leading our fundraising goals to continue growing Alianza's impact.

Laura Rivas got her Bachelor Degree in Social Communication at the Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas” (UCA), of El Salvador, in 2014. She began working in the online journalism and social media field, which she used as an introduction to study and experiment more about the excel of digital marketing and its effectiveness with brands and organizations. Her first approach to digital advertising was in the ad agency Molina DDB, where she worked digital strategies as Social Media Manager for three years with regional and international brands as restaurants, hardware stores and gas stations. She was part of the first semester of the Culture Ministry in 2019, from the beginning of President Bukele government, who made social media his main communication channel. In June 2020 Laura took part of the communication team in Alianza Americas to work with social media, where she's looking forward to applying what she has learned and to achieve the principal role in social communication, transmitting every message and applying the right tools to improve the communication in all digital ways.

Helena Olea currently serves as Associate Director for Programs at Alianza Americas. She is an international human rights lawyer with advocacy and litigation experience before intergovernmental bodies and governmental agencies. Helena is an attorney authorized to practice law in Colombia, with an Ll.M. from the University of Notre Dame. She has over 12 years of teaching and research experience on human rights, migration, refugees and gender. She has also worked for non-governmental organizations in Colombia and in Chile. Helena has dedicated her professional life to the human rights of migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, and women, combining advocacy and academia.

Mony Ruiz-Velasco is a human rights advocate, immigration lawyer, organizer, and the Associate Director for Network Power at Alianza Americas. For more than two decades, Mony has worked to combine organizing, advocacy, and legal efforts on behalf of immigrant rights and social justice. Before joining Alizanza, Mony was the Executive Director of PASO – West Suburban Action Project where they advocated for local and statewide policy change, provided legal services, and organized local communities for systemic change. Mony also worked at the National Immigrant Justice Center for nearly thirteen years, where she became the legal director. Mony has provided legal counsel and representation to thousands of immigrants and their families focusing on women, LGBTQ immigrants, survivors of crimes and other vulnerable populations. Mony actively organizes and collaborates with community leaders regionally and nationally on anti-deportation and anti-criminalization campaigns. She advises and assists legislators and their staff regarding policy and legislation at the federal, state, and local levels. Her work includes the Violence Against Women Act, the Illinois Trust Act, RISE Act, VOICES Act, and previous efforts on immigration reform. She is currently on the board at NIJC and Equality Illinois and the advisory board for Define American and the Chicago Community Bond Fund. She previously served as the Board President at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights. In 1999, she graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Mony grew up in Mexico and in South Texas. Mony is queer, her parents are Mexican immigrants, and she is the proud mother of three beautiful children.