10/10/2026
The WE Foundation wants to recognize 2 of our 3 newest Board Members: Miguel Loeza and Diana Avila - for being part of our organization, and being discovered by the WE Foundation through Los Cien's BRIDGE (Building Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Governance Excellence) Program!
The Press Democrat recently wrote an article on the BRIDGE Program, noting it's "designed to equip participants with essential governance skills to serve on local boards and government commissions" and "prepare and seat Latino leaders on local nonprofit boards and government commissions to close the gap between the county’s Latino population and representation on its many governing bodies."
WE are excited to have welcomed Miguel and Diana to our Board of Directors this year, increasing our board size from 4 to 7 members (Miguel and Diana join our newest board member, Kelly Olson)! Together, WE look forward to strengthening our investments in Windsor's public schools!!
To close out this shout-out, below are Miguel and Diana's quotes from the article (you can read the full article by clicking the link below):
Miguel Loeza, a 41-year-old Windsor resident who works in youth and family mental health, said he always wanted to join decision-making groups but growing up struggled to see himself in public leadership due to cultural barriers.
Loeza heard about BRIDGE from his supervisor at the nonprofit Sonoma CAN, where he serves as director of family health and well-being. He saw the training as a chance to turn his advocacy into action.
“To invest and learn about the importance of being a Latino,” Loeza said. “I can be shy at times. It’s also my ‘cultura.’”
Loeza, who holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in counseling psychology, said being part of the BRIDGE cohort helped him reevaluate his heritage and gain confidence while serving as the only Latino at a decision-making table.
“I had to find my voice and actually be myself in these settings, whoever’s there,” he said.
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For Diana Avila, an early education program specialist for the Sonoma County Office of Education, leadership is not about titles, money or ethnicity.
“It’s about the connections we make,” she said.
The 29-year-old Windsor (resident) said she has always felt a calling to support underserved and marginalized communities. The BRIDGE program helped focus her mission as a member of Corazón Healdsburg’s executive board.
“It’s incredible to see how involved I am on this board,” she said. “And hopefully take on that leadership hat in a year or two where I could be the board chair.”
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Los Cien’s BRIDGE program, launched in 2025, seeks to forge and empower a new generation of leaders for board seats with civic groups and offices within local government.
