Armida Valles, Board Chair, was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She holds a B.A. in healthcare administration from Texas State University, where she also excelled as a collegiate track athlete. Currently, she holds a position as a business development manager in the managed care industry. Her professional career includes having held positions such as ombudsman for the Office of Injured Employee Counsel, and compliance analyst for a national carrier. She has utilized her public and corporate experience to improve managed care reform, including workers compensation. Armida’s family is from Mexico and her father was part of the first ever de facto Bracero Guest Worker Program. She believes in directly involving oneself with one’s local community and has held volunteer positions such as the director of the English as a Second Language Program and youth director here in Austin.

Hector Hernández, Treasurer, is originally from El Salvador, and has lived in Austin for the last 27 years. Hector came to the U.S. as a refugee after fleeing El Salvador’s civil war after many of his classmates were killed by the military regime. He has been actively involved in his church and social service organizations in Austin. He came to Workers Defense Project to serve as a volunteer and to assist other immigrants in their educational endeavors.

Silvia Martinez, Secretary, was born in Guanajuato Mexico. She came to the U.S. years ago to create a new life for her family. Now married with three children, Sylvia is an active member of the Austin community. She serves as a volunteer at her church, at a local support group for mothers to help their children with school, Con mi Madre, local book donation agency Book Spring, and WDP. At the Workers Defense Project Sylvia has spent two years volunteering, took the leadership development course, began working with the Grupo de Crecimiento, and now serves on the board of directors.

Yvonne Montejano is a researcher at the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and a recent graduate of the University of Texas Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs. Prior to her graduate studies, Yvonne engaged in community organizing and policy education on trade and migration issues with the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker social justice organization. Yvonne’s family is from Mexico. Her parents migrated to the U.S. thanks to the efforts of Yvonne’s bracero grandfather. It is this background that shaped her interest and work on social justice issues. Yvonne has volunteered with numerous organizations including Workers Defense Project, Inmigrantes Latinos en Accion, and the Texas Fair Trade Coalition. She enjoys reading, cycling, yoga, and spending time with her nieces.

Sixto Jaimes joined the board of directors after graduating from WDP’s leadership development course. Sixto came to WDP when he and a group of thirty co-workers were not paid for several weeks of work in landscaping. He is a trained workers’ rights educator with WDP. His wife and children are also active leaders in the organization and the community. Sixto also attends Cristo Rey Catholic Church.

Armando Guerrero is originally from Mexico where he worked in business administration. At age 22 Armando came to work in the U.S. with the hopes of finding more secure economic opportunities. In the U.S. Armando has worked the last sixteen years in construction in six different states. Through Armando’s work experience he saw first-hand the effect of exploitative working conditions in Texas and decided to become involved in Workers Defense Project to end the unjust treatment of construction workers. Armando is a worker member of WDP and has played a fundamental role in helping the organization win the passage of its rest breaks ordinance that now protects nearly 50,000 construction workers in Austin that previously did not have this right. Armando is also the proud father of two children.

Jose “Chito” Vela III is a local attorney with his own law practice. Prior to beginning his own practice, Chito worked for the Texas Attorney General’s Office and in the Texas Legislature as general counsel to a state representative. He is originally from Laredo, Texas and has strong ties to the Texas-Mexico border. His views on immigration and labor were shaped by growing up miles from the border and traveling extensively in Mexico, where his family is from. Chito has two young children and enjoys being active in politics and community affairs. He is also a graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Victoria Gavito is an associate attorney at the labor and employment law firm, Glenda Pittman and Associates, where she works on a diverse set of cases supporting organized labor and individual employees. Prior to joining the progressive workers’ rights firm, Victoria served for four years as legal director at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. CDM is a U.S. non-profit located in the heart of Mexico, because it is nearly impossible for Mexican migrant workers to fight the problems they face in the U.S. workplace without a source of support for those battles in their home country. Victoria’s published article on CDM’s binational model, The Pursuit of Justice is Without Borders: Binational Strategies for Defending Migrants’ Rights, was published by Human Rights Briefing and can be found at http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/14/3gavito.pdf?rd=1.  Before working with CDM, Victoria was a New Voices Fellow and Yale Initiative for Public Interest Law Grantee to work as Employment Rights Counsel for the Central Texas Immigrant Workers’ Right Center, the predecessor to PDL, then housed at the Equal Justice Center in Austin, Texas. Through this program, Victoria helped recover over $550,000 in unpaid wages for low-wage immigrant workers in Central Texas.

Martin Ruiz is from Mexico City where he was actively involved in various progressive causes, from the student union movement to women’s rights. Martin originally came to WDP after not being paid for his work in landscaping, and became actively involved in the organization. For the last two years he has served as the organization’s leadership development course teacher, and also served in the organization’s construction worker committee. He recently joined the board of directors at WDP, because he wants to support the organization as it grows to ensure it is strategic in how it involves worker leaders.