STAFF
Executive Director
Vacant
La Plaza is looking for a leader who is ready to guide a small, dynamic team doing work that truly changes lives in the Grand Valley. Since 1954, we have stood alongside migrant and immigrant farmworker families, and we are looking for someone to help lead what comes next. This is a hands-on role. You will mentor and champion our staff, guide fundraising efforts, oversee our programs, and represent La Plaza throughout Mesa County. If you love building strong teams and want your leadership to make a direct, visible difference, we want to hear from you.
Geri Manzanares
Office Administrator
A Grand Junction native, Geri Manzanares holds a degree in Social Science with a Business minor from Mesa State College. After 20 years in corporate buying with City Market, she transitioned to social services and spent 17 years working with Western Slope Head Start programs. Geri now serves as Office Administrator for La Plaza, supporting migrant and immigrant agricultural workers. Her passion for this work is deeply personal, rooted in her family history: her mother’s family migrated seasonally to work Western Slope fields, while her grandfather and uncle worked as sheep shearers across the region.
Amanda Perez
Community Engagement Coordinator & Interim Executive Director
Amanda Perez Herrera is a native and 3rd generation resident of Grand Junction on her mom's side, 1st generation on her dad's side. Graduate of Colorado Mesa University with an associate's social sciences degree and she have a Bachelor of Social Work. She loves traveling, spending time with her family, learning and trying new things and foods. She is excited to use her learned experiences and education to better serve her community. She comes from a family who values agriculture from the orange groves in San Luis Potosí to the fields of green chili peppers here in Grand Junction.
Anahi Perea
Community Outreach Worker
With over 12 years of experience collaborating with historically marginalized Mexican communities, including Indigenous groups, artisans, farmers, and fishers. She hold a background in Archaeology, specializing in art semiotics and pre-Hispanic mural painting. Her career has centered on researching and preserving tangible and intangible international cultural heritage. Currently in Colorado, her develop community engagement initiatives to enhance the well-being and visibility of Hispanic communities, particularly agricultural workers. Through their efforts, she promote intercultural dialogue, education, and the widespread recognition of these workers' vital social and cultural contributions.
Sandra Rodriguez
Community Resource Navigator
A Palisade, Colorado native with family roots in Durango, Mexico, Sandra Rodríguez earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Colorado Mesa University. Driven by a commitment to social equity, she advocates for empowering vulnerable populations. Sandra first joined La Plaza as an intern, finding a deep alignment between its mission and her personal values. Her background as the daughter of immigrants, combined with her firsthand experience working in local agriculture during her student years, provides her with a profound, empathetic understanding of the unique challenges, strengths, and resilience of the families and agricultural workers the organization serves daily.
Board of Directors
President
Vacant
Sonia Cardenas
Vice President
Sonia Cardenas was born in Granada Hills, California, and raised in Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico. She holds a degree in Marketing with a specialization in International Business and danced professionally with a folkloric ballet company for 15 years.
She advocates for political reforms to improve the quality of life for immigrants. Since 2008, Sonia has supported Latino, farmworker, and unhoused communities by connecting them to health resources, legal clinics, and language justice services. Following an increase in immigration raids in 2024, she actively locates detained individuals, connects them with legal counsel, and assists vulnerable families in preparing essential emergency deportation plans, necessary documents, passports, and apostilles.
Cailin Portra
Secretary & Treasurer
Cailin lives and works in the heart of the agricultural community of Palisade, Colorado. As a co-owner of Carlson Vineyards and a dedicated pediatric occupational therapist, she serves preschool and grade-school children with disabilities across the Mesa County School District. Her dual background in local agriculture and specialized healthcare gives her a unique, holistic perspective on community needs. Driven by the core belief that doing good brings good, Cailin is committed to utilizing her diverse experience to foster positive change, support local families, and contribute meaningfully to the continued growth, health, and long-term strengthening of the entire community.
Reona Beltran
Board Member
Born in Grand Junction, Reona Beltran holds a Bachelor’s in Human Resources from Colorado Christian University. Raised in a migrant family, her childhood working in fields across multiple states inspired her commitment to education and advocacy. Reona spent 30 years with Head Start and Migrant Head Start, key in securing a vital 2020 grant providing preschool programs across Mesa, Garfield, and Moffat counties. Currently with Mesa County School District’s Migrant Education Program, she serves on the Si Se Puede Committee, Western Colorado Migrant Rural Coalition, and La Plaza Board, dedicated to creating brighter futures for local families.
Thomas Acker
Board Member
Active in social justice and immigrant rights since moving to Colorado in 1999, Tom Acker holds a PhD in Spanish Literature and works as an interpreter and translator. He co-founded Western Slope Against Trafficking in 2013, joined La Plaza's board in 2024, and served on the Colorado Human Trafficking Council. Tom has dedicated years to conducting outreaches and researching working conditions for H2A herders across Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Through a National Institute of Justice grant, he currently collaborates on evaluating human trafficking prevalence along the southern U.S. border to help inform future federal immigration policies.
David Combs
Board Member
Originally from Minneapolis and a Valley resident since 1980, David co-owns a small business in Grand Junction. Holding a degree in Criminal Justice with a Sociology minor, his extensive background in human services fuels a deep commitment to community volunteerism. He actively serves on numerous local boards, including La Plaza, the Clifton Fire District, Crime Victim Compensation, and One Riverfront Trail. As President of Black Citizens and Friends, he organizes major cultural celebrations, while also engaging with the Black Parent Network and Colorado Mesa's Cultural Diversity Board. A dedicated family man, David is a proud husband, father, and grandfather.
Jody Tate
Board Member
Jody Tate is a retired School Counselor and Behavior Specialist with extensive experience supporting high-needs educational environments. Throughout her career, she focused on strengthening family systems, addressing trauma, and developing programs that foster healing, stability, and student success. Beyond her educational work, Jody and her husband have owned and operated a local orchard, The Peach Factory, for over 25 years while raising four children in Palisade. Deeply rooted in the local agricultural community, her lived experience fuels a strong commitment to building resilience, supporting families, and creating inclusive environments where individuals and the wider community can thrive.
Peg Martinez
Board Member
Peg works as a Client Services Coordinator in the language services field and has spent her career advocating for families across Colorado. Before moving to Fruita 11 years ago, she built a strong foundation in the Denver Metro area within schools, social programs, and social justice movements. From 2016 to 2019, Peg served as La Plaza’s Outreach Coordinator, building deep connections with local farmworkers and families. Now in her second term on the Board, she remains dedicated to empowering immigrants and migrant workers, supporting La Plaza's volunteers, and maintaining the trust of donors as the organization expands its community impact.
James Gilliam
Board Member
After a 50-year career as a mechanic, I retired to Fruita, Colorado. My journey with La Plaza began as a volunteer maintaining bikes and facilities when it was Child and Migrant Services. That experience inspired my deep commitment to supporting local agricultural workers and the organization's mission. In my first non-profit board role, I am advocating for a Universal Healthcare system in Colorado to ensure everyone, including H2A visa migrant workers, receives coverage. I am immensely proud of La Plaza’s staff and dedicated to providing them with the necessary tools to grow and make an even greater impact.
Peter Levon
Board Member
Peter has spent much of his life in and around Public Health related fields. He initially worked on assessing and fixing potential health impacts of hazardous waste sites and moved into working in information technology in various industries. Over the years he has worked on a number of social and voting campaigns to improve all of our lives. Peter moved to the Grand Valley over a decade ago and has worked to serve the people typically left out of decisions affecting them and to protect the folks who are the foundations of our economy and our food systems.
