Mujeres de la Tierra

Carmen Sandoval Fernandez, Chair

Carmen is an innovative professional with extensive experience in the legislative and public sectors. She currently serves as the Director of Public Policy with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, where she oversees various policy areas.

Strongly committed to community service, Carmen has served on numerous Boards including the Girl Scouts of the USA, Travelers’ Aid Society, Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Commission and the Chicano Federation. She has been an active member of the Chula Vista Rotary Club since 1993.

Carmen received a Masters of Public Administration and BA in Public Administration from San Diego State University.

Josephine F. Garza

Ms. Garza has much experience in the field of leadership and youth development, and has worked with youth, youth workers, and community-based youth organizations to design and implement programs and training models that were culturally appropriate for the field of youth development nationally and internationally.

Ms. Garza holds a BA in Elementary Education with two certifications one in early childhood education, and the other in bilingual education.  She also holds an MA in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in cross-cultural counseling and communications, both degrees are from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Angela Sambrano, Advisor

Angela is the President for The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) executive committee, representing Centro de Recursos Centroamericanos-Los Angeles (CARECEN).  NALACC seeks to improve the quality of life for Latinos and Latino immigrants in their communities both in the United States and in countries of origin. NALACC seeks to build transnational leadership capacity and increase immigrant civic participation, so that immigrants can advocate effectively for public policies that address the root causes of migration, as well as addressing the challenges faced by immigrants in the United States. NALACC aspires to become an entity recognized for its ability to articulate the challenges faced by transnational immigrant communities, as well as viable solutions to those challenges.
 

Brenda Stevenson Cone, PhD., Vice-Chair/Historian

Brenda currently serves as the Chair and Professor of Afro-American Studies Department for UCLA’s Interdepartmental Program.  Brenda’s fields of interest include African American History, U.S. Southern History, and Family History. Dr. Stevenson Cone is currently working on two research projects: Fanny's Kin: Slave Girls and Women in the American South, 1619-1865 and "All Our's Daughter:" Latasha Harlins, Female Violence and Racialized Justice.

Jean Garrett, Secretary/Treasurer

Jean is a longtime member of the Audubon Society, and served as president of the Santa Monica chapter for several years. She is a longtime avid bird watcher and environmental activist in the Los Angeles area.  She is a former president of the 99’s, a prestigious women’s pilots association in the state of Washington.  She graduated with a Bachelors in English from UCLA and later received her teacher’s credential from Cal State Fullerton. She is affiliated with the CPA firm of Klein, Mandleblatt, and Associates, Inc.

Adán Ortega, Jr.

Adán Ortega, Jr. has devoted most of his twenty-year career as a senior government affairs executive in strategic communications.  He is considered one of the most effective organizational crisis managers in California. 

Mr. Ortega has pioneered early outreach efforts on nutrition and water quality in California Latino communities.  He is credited with creating the current momentum in California for outdoor water conservation through the multi-faceted promotion of "California Friendly" plants and efficient irrigation equipment in cities, new construction and homes developed for the family of Southern California water agencies.  He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Whittier College.