From the vibrant landscapes of New Mexico and now calling Kansas City home, the talented artist Dulcinea Herrera embarked on her creative journey since she was a child. Drawing inspiration from her rich blend of Argentinian, Mexican, and Mescalero Apache heritage, she skillfully weaves a visual narrative that celebrates the resilience and strength of people of color.

Dulcinea's artistic repertoire is as diverse as her cultural roots. Her work effortlessly traverses the realms of abstract art, vivid still-life paintings, innovative website design, and captivating digital design. With a passion for exploring the multifaceted dimensions of art, she invites us on a mesmerizing voyage through her world of creativity.

Edgar J. Palacios is a visionary leader dedicated to driving positive change in education and empowering the Latino community. As the Founder of the Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC) and Revolucion Educativa (RevED), he combines his passion for education and his commitment to increasing Latino representation in the field. He works to create the necessary conditions for the advancement of Latino youth. Edgar's educational journey includes earning an MBA from Rockhurst University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His expertise in nonprofit management was honed at Georgetown University.With his loving family by his side – wife Laura, and their three children, JoJo, Ella, and Isabel – Edgar calls Kansas City, Missouri, home, where he continues to be a beacon of inspiration and change for the Latino community and beyond.

I'm Lesli Barraza, a dynamic Creative Marketing Specialist who thrives on graphic design and specializes in social media marketing strategies. My journey into this world began early when I discovered a deep passion for graphic design, photography, and social media. This passion prompted me to pursue individual courses and training to refine my expertise in these areas. Today, I'm the proud owner of RevUp Media, a marketing company specializing in creating powerful digital marketing campaigns for businesses.

Alex, the Founder and CEO of Con Ganas Consulting Group, is a seasoned strategist specializing in planning, data analysis, and project management. He leads the firm with a commitment to delivering customized, results-driven, and culturally curated solutions that empower multicultural businesses to take the reins of their success. Alex is determined to infuse diversity, creativity, and innovation into the firm's core ethos. The guiding principle at Con Ganas is 'giving it your all,' a philosophy Alex embodies as he navigates the unique challenges and opportunities of multicultural entrepreneurship to help businesses not just survive, but thrive.

Maria Izquierdo, at just 20 years old, serves as the Creative Director and COO of Con Ganas Consulting. More than an entrepreneur, Maria is a visionary community builder committed to fostering diversity, inclusivity, and cultural unity. She believes her role transcends corporate boundaries, and thus tirelessly works to ignite meaningful change through cultural enrichment and community development. Con Ganas Consulting, under her co-leadership, has become a transformative consultancy firm that specializes in empowering Hispanic businesses with tailored solutions for growth and community impact.  

Ms. Rojas is an accomplished C-suite executive turned entrepreneur, having built enterprises both in for-profit environments, and for economic, political, and social change. In 2017, she transferred her development skills and extensive network to co-lead Tico Productions and Tico Sports LLD, a company established by her and her husband in 2014. The enterprise is a full-service, multimedia production and bilingual marketing company that developed a Spanish-language broadcast and community engagement platform for professional sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs.

Edgar Galicia, at age 57, with two children and new life projects ahead, Mr. Galicia’s personal values are as strong as ever and he is ready to continue placing his knowledge and experience to the service of the community as the Executive Director of the Central Avenue Betterment Association. This position at C.A.B.A. enables him to stay involved in his community and apply all his life experience in the betterment of the Kansas City, Kansas downtown and Central Avenue area.

Always up to something and constantly coming up with new ideas, Veronica knew she wanted to start a company at some point in her life. Veronica is passionate about helping others reach their goals and aspirations. A natural cheerleader-like friend makes her the person you want to share your dreams with if you want to be held accountable! We’re glad to have her leading the mission of ParaMi and to encourage each one of us to dream big.

Iván Ramírez is the Director of Community Engagement for Revolucion Educativa and Latinx Education Collaborative. Iván is a visionary creative who aims to elevate the stories in our communities that go unheard. In his work, Iván has created spaces in which our narratives create a sense of belonging. Ivan is passionate about developing the leadership capacity of underrepresented students. A champion of the Latino community with over ten years of experience in education, mentoring, student activities, and building a sense of belonging. Ivan looks forward to creating the necessary conditions for Latinx student advancement. 

Erik is the Executive Director of Student and Community Engagement at Olathe Public Schools Throughout his career, Erazo has created various programs for students. His two flagship programs are the Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club and The Spot which target at-risk youth by providing mentorship and encouraging students to maintain their personal identities while removing negative activities. Currently, these programs boast a 100% graduation rate.

Veronica Chavez is the CEO and Founder of Palomino's Salsas & Tamales, where she has leveraged her 20 years of experience in the food industry to build a successful business. Veronica's dedication and hard work have led to numerous accolades, including being named the Salsa Showdown Champion in Kansas City from 2012 to 2015 and receiving the New Small Business of the Year award in 2014 from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Veronica Alvidrez - Always up to something and constantly coming up with new ideas, Veronica knew she wanted to start a company at some point in her life. Veronica is passionate about helping others reach their goals and aspirations. A natural cheerleader-like friend makes her the person you want to share your dreams with if you want to be held accountable! We’re glad to have her leading the mission of ParaMi and to encourage each one of us to dream big.

Silvia Marin - Every team needs a fighter and a people’s champ! Silvia is happiest when she is serving others and loves boosting other women. A creative and social spirit at heart, Silvia is our in-house photographer, part of our marketing team, and our communications and events manager. She’s also our LIVE video favorite- you’re gonna love Silvia’s vibes. Catch her in our IG and Facebook LIVE Chats!

Nayelly Serrano - With an eye for detail and a wonderful sense of style Nayelly puts her talents to action as our brand director and product developer. Nayelly has always loved fashion but now she also enjoys how her creations bring joy to others. Nayelly loves the entire creative process, she enjoys working with our suppliers and vendors to create new products for you. Nayelly’s sassy spirit can be difficult to please so you can blame her for our high-quality products. We thank her for making sure the rest of us, repeat after me… stay, on, brand.

Erika Reza - You know that one person who always seems to know everybody else? That’s Erika. Her spunky personality and her magical ability to build relationships are a winning combination for a social media and marketing manager. Her love for hip-hop dancing and her enjoyment of keeping up with current trends and pop culture help her as well as our social media content creator. We’re lucky to have a friend and teammate like Erika, one who constantly pushes us to step outside of the lines and explore new territory.

Marisa Gonzales is a Mexican-American Visual Brand Strategist and Website

Designer. She grew up predominantly in a Caucasian community where she spoke Spanglish and defined her culture as a mixing pot of customs from her culture and theirs. Because of this, she quickly realized that everyone has a unique story to tell about their world. And it's the reason she loves connecting with others through storytelling. Her journey is filled with twists and turns that include becoming a graphic designer and working for Hallmark Cards, a physical therapist assistant (where she loved listening to patients' stories), and now - the CEO and founder of Marisa Gonzales Studios, LLC. where she works with women-owned, minority businesses, and nonprofits. Here is where she mixed her passion for art and storytelling, using her unique approach of intuitive visual storytelling, accessibility approach, and SEO to engage your website, and visitors, for more connections & conversions. Her chronic health conditions have propelled her to create a business that holds space for her (in a way that corporate didn't) and her freelance partners so she can provide the best service possible for her clients.

Gabriel Muñoz is the local director of ESHIP Kansas City. The ESHIP Communities program is a community-driven approach to building entrepreneurial ecosystems that foster inclusion, relationships, collaboration, and social capital across networks of entrepreneurs and those who support them. He is also the Founder of the Young Latino Professionals of Kansas City and a Founding member of Starlight Theater Young Professionals.

Flor has over a decade of experience in creating, implementing, and managing summer music festivals and concert series that exalt the contributions of purposefully excluded communities, Lizbeth is a Nonprofit Management Consultant for PGM start-up organizations. Their contributions include Yoga con Amor KC and the Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano.