BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The daughter of immigrants from Chihuahua, Mexico, Lisanna was born in and shaped by San Jose, California. She is also a first-generation graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she majored in Politics with an emphasis in Political Theory and completed her MBA at the University of the People.

Her professional and volunteer work has focused on creating educational equity. Namely, navigating students and parents through the American education system, coaching young Latino/a/x through tough career choices, and providing strategic management and creative solutions for everything from organizational growth to policy and advocacy to address educational disparities.  She has built successful educational programs from the ground up, managing marketing, internal and external recruitment, and strategic business plan implementation.

Lisanna is currently the Chief of Staff and Strategy Officer for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. She also serves as the Board President for Local Color San Jose, Board Treasurer for Latino Leadership Alliance, and a career coach for Career Launch Academy. 

She was honored as a 2023 Silicon Valley Business Journey Women of Influence award and was a 2022 graduate of the HOPE Leadership Institute.  Recently, Lisanna was elected to serve on the Community Stabilization and Opportunity Pathways Fund Commission for the City of San Jose.

Aundraya is a fourth-generation East San Jose native with indigenous familial roots in present-day Northern Mexico and the Island of Luzon of the Philippines. Before joining the Office of Immigrant Relations, Aundraya partnered with and in the Valley Palms community to co-design and implement a robust Valley Palms Unidos community platform prioritizing community wealth-building, improvements to the built environment, and violence prevention on the Eastside. She received her B.A. in Politics with minors in Legal Studies and Public Service & Community Engagement from the University of San Francisco in 2014 and is a proud alumna of Notre Dame High School. Aundraya is active in her community serving as the co-chair of the Anti-Displacement Workgroup of the East San Jose PEACE Partnership, Alumna Representative on the Notre Dame High School Racial Equity Task Force, and Partner on the Valley Palms Family Resource Center Site Leadership Team. She plans to continue pursuing her J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law and aspires to continue working towards innovative solutions that address the root-causes of inequity while uplifting the strength of community. When not working, Draya enjoys live music, reading, photography, trying new restaurants, going to A’s games, and planning her next trip! 

Mary immigrated at sixteen years of age from Jalisco, Mexico with her parents and siblings. Arriving in a country unknown to her with cultural and language differences, her journey would include overcoming these challenges. She learned English, attained her GED and started a small business, Immaculate Cleaning, LLC. Her path would include participating in programs with Santa Clara University’s, My Own Business Institute, and becoming a certified life coach. Her passion to uplift Latinas to start their own business led to the creation of Unidas Somos Mas Fuertes Business Association (USMF). USMF translates to  “Together we are stronger” and it is the driving mission of her business association. Most recently, she graduated from the Latino Leadership Alliance Program and the Stanford Leadership Summer Program.  She is also a 2022 cohort member at New Leaders Council and a graduate of the HOPE Leadership Institute. She resides in East San Jose, enjoys volunteering and spending time with her 2 sons. 

Erika Bustamante oversees Stanford’s state government affairs efforts. Before joining Stanford, Erika worked in the California State Capitol and was a 2012 California Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California Council on Science and Technology. Erika holds a BS in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from Stanford University. She serves on the board of the California Council on Science and Technology and was also a graduate of LLA Leadership Academy, Cohort 6.

Mayra Flores is a communications professional residing and working in San José, California. She is a proud San Jose resident, San José State University graduate, daughter of immigrant parents, and mother. Mayra has worked as a PR professional where she worked with legacy companies like McAfee, Micron Technologies and Anheuser-Busch along with tech start-ups like Grammarly. She spent a decade as an award-winning journalist in the South Bay, first at the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, The Mercury News and AOL’s Patch.

Melissa (she/her) is a first-generation Latina born and raised in East San José. She is the first in her family to graduate with her BA in Sociology with an emphasis in education from the University of San Francisco and holds a Master's degree in Justice Studies from San José State University. Melissa has dedicated her career to advocating for and contributing to equity-driven programs and initiatives for the well-being of San Jose families. As the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the School of Arts and Culture @MHP, Melissa is an integral part of the fund development team in supporting sponsorship and grant management, special initiatives, and strategic program growth. Melissa also serves as the Co-Chair for the Finance and Sustainability Workgroup for the East San José PEACE Partnership. When not working, Melissa enjoys watching San Francisco Giants baseball games with her loved ones and spending time with her pups.

Cris Ramirez, an accomplished educational leader and graduate of the Latino Leadership Alliance Cohort 13, is an equity-driven and visionary advocate for the success of underestimated students. In her role as the Eastside Education Initiative Director in San Jose, Cris has successfully developed and expanded a model program, making a significant impact on students, families, and awareness for education reform.

With a robust professional background, Cris excels in coaching, curriculum development, strategic partnerships, and program evaluation. Holding degrees from University of California, Santa Cruz, California State University, Sacramento, and California State University, Monterey Bay, Cris brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as a board member of the Latino Leadership Alliance.

Mayra is an organizational and team development consultant who specializes in community building and organizing.  Prior to becoming a consultant, Mayra was the executive director of a local grassroots organization supporting issues including housing, immigrants rights and environmental justice. Mayra holds a degree in Environmental Science and Management with a minor in Wildlife Conservation Biology from UC Davis. Additionally, she completed a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University. Mayra is a graduate of LLA’s leadership academy, cohort 13.