KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Jose Gonzalez is a professional educator with training in the fields of education and conservation. He is the founder of Latino Outdoors. Jose plays with design, words, science, and education—engaging in the interdisciplinary intersections of how we view and engage with the world. Jose navigates through a self-created identity of a "Green Chicano" in a professional sense. In particular he is weaving through the roles of Conservationist/Environmentalist, Chicano, and Educator.

POETIC PERFORMER

Alejandro Jimenez is a formerly-undocumented immigrant, poet, writer, and educator from Colima, Mexico, living in New Mexico. His work centers and touches on cultural identity, race/ethnicity, immigrant narratives, masculinity, memory, and the intersection of them all. He was featured in TIME Magazine as one of 80 Mexican artists shaping contemporary Mexican culture. His work, and personal story, are the subject of a short documentary for the PBS series, American Masters: In The Making, which highlights emerging cultural icons. He is the 2021 Mexican National Poetry Slam Champion, he is a two-time National Poetry Slam Semi-Finalist (US), multiple time TEDx Speaker/Performer, and regional Emmy-nominated poet.

PANELIST

Vanessa is a mountain athlete and environmental sociologist who focuses on the intersection of people and nature. As an immigrant and woman of color herself, Vanessa recognizes the systemic barriers that purposefully keep BIPOC out of outdoor spaces. Taking up space in the outdoor community feels revolutionary.

Vanessa’s favorite activities are trail running, mountaineering, skiing, foraging, and swimming in really cold lakes. She speaks up against systemic racism, colorism, anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity in the Latinx community and beyond. Vanessa is involved with multiple environmental sociology projects including food sovereignty, education and decolonization and grizzly bear coexistence.

PANELIST

Bianka is Queer, Black, & Huastec Mexican, and credits her tenacity to being born and raised in Chicago. Winner of the 2023 Ark Valley Pride: Community Superhero Award, her passions include conservation, stewardship, and the rematriation of land. She completed her undergraduate studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a BS Natural Biology & Ecology and is currently perusing her Masters in Environmental Management with a focus on Sustainable & Resilient Communities from Western Colorado University.

Her goal is to transform others into lifelong learners and to see more BIPoC and Queer people pick up the passion for the outdoors along their journey. In her free time, she indulges in reading, reptiles, roller derby, and activism. She believes that by reconnecting people to the land by whatever means (recreation, STEM careers, gardening, ect...) we can rebuild the generations long relationship that has been drastically changed by eco-colonialism.

PANELIST

Trevor Taylor (he/they) is a trail worker and community builder. Whether it’s building new trials, teaching outdoor skills, or challenging issues of access and inclusion in conservation, they approach their work with an emphasis on the collective, building and restoring relationships with the land and the people they work with. When not in the field or the office, they enjoy fly fishing, reading, and drinking tea. They self-identify as a biracial, non-binary, Buddhist, cowboy and currently live and work in Salida, Colorado.

PANELIST

Dom is the co-founder of The Colorado Food Cluster, which provides healthy and tasty food, economic opportunities, and enrichment activities to over 40,000 students across the state of Colorado. Dom currently serves as the Director of Partnerships where he is working with local food vendors to supply culturally diverse food and beverage products. Dom is extremely passionate about outdoor activities in the mountains, so in his spare time, he loves the solitude of weekends in the mountains building Oso Adventure Meals and is an avid fly fisherman.

PANELIST

Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, Yerania has lived in Colorado for about 8 years and has lived in Leadville for about 10 months. She currently works at Father Dyer Church & Mountain Dreamers.

Yerania enjoys outdoor activities with her family. She has two children, one 13 and 6 years old. One of her passions is getting to know the beautiful places that Leadville offers for hiking, biking, or just going to the lake. She would would like her Hispanic immigrant community to feel included in the decisions that affect everyone and that they enjoy the resources that are offered and feel welcome in schools, parks, jobs, etc.

PANELIST

Emma Brown is 23 year old horse trainer and fly fishing guide for various shops and outfitters in Colorado. She provides fly fishing trips and horseback riding for folks in and around the front range area with her business, EB Outdoors. EB Outdoors focuses on creating access for the BIPOC community to equestrian sports, and serves as a foundation of horsemanship for all. Brown also serves on the DEI Board for Colorado Trout Unlimited. Brown is an avid outdoorsman, and can be regularly found working her horses and cattle at her ranch in Longmont, CO.

EMCEE

Yanitsa is the Admissions Coordinator and Digital Marketing Manager for the High Mountain Institute's Gap program. Yanitsa grew up in Mont Belvieu, Texas– a small city outside of Houston. She graduated college from Texas A&M University in 2021 where she studied Political Science & U.S. Government, with a focus on Latinx Immigration. After graduation, she joined Teach for America, where she was placed in Birmingham, AL and taught high school Spanish. After working in the classroom, Yanitsa is committed to the call for educational equity. She is passionate about becoming more knowledgeable of the ways in which the outdoors provide an infinite number of venues towards holistic healing and emotional well-being.