Ana Ruiz
Bilingual Office and Database Coordinator
As a first-generation Latina raised in Healdsburg, Ana witnessed and experienced first-hand the needs within her community. However, it was not until taking ethnic studies courses in college that she became empowered and more motivated to pursue a meaningful career that allowed her to serve her community. She has a B.A. in Economics with a minor in American Multicultural Studies from Sonoma State University
Amanda Hernandez
Economic Impact and Resiliency Manager
Amanda was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California. She was fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend Gonzaga University where she majored in psychology. While there she learned the value of community and of embracing your roots. Upon completing her degree she returned to Sonoma County to give back to the community that had given her so much support in reaching her goals. Amanda has worked as an advocate for youth and young adults in the judicial system by providing intervention and prevention programming, worked with immigrant families, and helped in developing programing to support continued education and small business growth. After discovering a passion for working in nonprofits, she returned to school and obtained her MA in nonprofit management from Regis University. Since then Amanda has been dedicated to serving families similar to her own.
Araceli Gutierrez
Resource Center Advocate (COVID-19)
Araceli was born in Salinas, California "The Salad Bowl of the World" to Mexican immigrant parents. As a first-generation college student she can relate to the challenges many face in pursuing an education. She received her BA in Communications Studies from San Jose State University. For the last four years she has worked in education, primarily working with students with learning disabilities. She taught as a high school special education teacher, and also worked with adult students, teaching English as a second language.
Diego Gonzalez
Programs Associate
Diego was born in Uriangato Guanajuato, Mexico and has lived in the United States since the age of 5. He is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and is currently studying English Literature and Philosophy and San Francisco State University. He has also coached soccer in Sonoma County (including Cloverdale, Geyserville and Healdsburg) for ten years and hopes to one day become a high school teacher or college professor.
Dominique Petersen
Development Manager
Dominique is an expert at sustainable fundraising, with years of experience building relationships with donors. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Agency Management from Sonoma State University. She’s originally from Hollister where she grew up volunteering through 4-H. She and her siblings are all first-generation college graduates and she’s honored to share the meaningful impact of our programs on individuals, families and our community with our donors.
Erica Gurierrez
Operations Assistant
Erica was born in Willits, California and grew up splitting her time between the United States and Tepatitlan de Morelos in Jalisco, where she attended high school. Most of her adult life was spent in Willits, where she was active in her community as a small business owner. Seven years ago, she moved with her family to Sonoma County and she now lives in Healdsburg, where she plans to stay and raise her five children. Erica managed Corazón's Free Store after the Kincade fire in 2019 and discovered a growing passion for serving the community.
Glaydon de Freitas
Chief Executive Officer
Glaydon believes deeply in the dignity and worth of every human being. These values have always been an integral part of who he is, instilled in him by his father, who gave Glaydon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at age six and pored over every article with him. He is a lawyer with expertise in immigration and international law and a skilled strategic planner. His childhood was split between the megacity of Sao Paulo and a remote region of the Amazon where the nearest grocery store was a five-hour drive away. He is trilingual, speaking Portuguese, Spanish and English fluently.
He came to the United States to study law at the University of Houston and was a United Nations fellow at the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights. More recently, Glaydon served as the head of strategic planning for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) in Houston, Texas.
Glaydon is inspired by the writing of Vinicius de Moraes: Life is the art of encounter, though there are many “disencounters” throughout life. He looks forward to many encounters with the Healdsburg community in the coming years.
Holly Fox
Marketing and Communications Manager
Holly is a digital marketer with a passion for true stories about incredible people driving powerful changes in our community. She grew up in Santa Rosa and has lived in Healdsburg for the last eight years, but she spent much of her twenties living and working as a reporter in Europe. Since returning to Sonoma County, she has helped many local small businesses and nonprofits share their stories through social media. Holly also is the former chair of the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District, which spearheads the marketing of Healdsburg as a premier wine country destination.
Liz Ramirez
Resource Center Advocate (COVID-19)
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Lizbeth immigrated to the United States at the age of five. Growing up in Healdsburg in an immigrant family gave her insight into the needs and resilience of the Latinx community in Sonoma County. Lizbeth graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A in Sociology and a minor in International Migration Studies. During her time in undergrad she designed and conducted research centered on immigrant integration and the effects of gender-based violence on women’s migration from Latin America.
Lizbeth Perez
Programs Manager
Lizbeth was born in Mexico City and has resided in Healdsburg since 2001. Lizbeth comes to Corazón with a variety of professional experience in the wine and hospitality industries. Lizbeth is passionate about her community and has experience working in Mexico as a Social Worker and Adult Educator. Lizbeth has first hand experience with the challenges of being an immigrant including language barriers, lack of understanding of community systems and requirements, cultural differences, struggling for affordable housing and feeling isolated in her search for better opportunities in life. In 2008 when her first son started kindergarten at Healdsburg Elementary School, Lizbeth got involved with the English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) where she has been a member for many years helping other parents develop leadership skills to make their voice heard asking that Healdsburg Schools meet the needs of all of our children. Lizbeth is a part-time student at SRJC, studying to become an accountant. Lizbeth is thrilled to join the Corazón Healdsburg team where she looks forward to providing community support similar to what she is so grateful to have received, allowing her to fulfill her passion of serving community.
Lori Rhodes, Ph.D.
Program Director, FirstGen College Counseling
Originally from New Jersey, Lori relocated with her family to Healdsburg in 2015. She has spent over 20 years in education and began teaching in Los Angeles with the Teach For America program. Since then, Lori has worked in public, independent, and charter schools in New York, Connecticut, and California, most recently as Principal of Healdsburg High School. Lori earned her Ph.D. in education from Stanford University and founded FirstGen College Counseling in support of historically underserved students at Healdsburg High School. Lori directs the FirstGen program and is a professor of educational leadership at Sonoma State University.
Marcy Flores
Programs Manager
Marcy Flores was raised in Geyserville, California and has been active in the Sonoma County community and school districts for the past 10 years. Her passion for working with the Latinx community came after her active involvement and political activism with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.). Soon after, she became part of the Hispanic Chamber Young Professionals committee to help develop the next generation of leaders. Volunteering her time to instruct Ballet Folklórico classes, she stays rooted and connected to her culture by teaching students through the art of dance.
Marcy has a degree in Chicano and Latino Studies and Early Childhood Education from Sonoma State University and seeks to empower and educate the local community. Marcy's work will be focused around our youngest clients ages 0-18 and will be managing our Moms to Moms program, infant/toddler early childhood education, Kinder2College and FirstGen College Counseling programs.
Vanesa Valdivia
Programs Coordinator
Originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, Vanesa moved to Sonoma County when she was 12 years old. She is currently attending the Santa Rosa Junior College and plans to transfer to San Francisco State University to study international relations and political science. At SRJC she’s worked in administration and as a cultural liaison, and, as co-chair of the Dreamers Club, she helped open the first Dream Center at a California community college. The Dream Center offers legal, financial and medical resources for undocumented students.
Working with Vital Immigrant Defense Advocacy and Services (VIDAS), Vanesa has helped students with their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewals and connected local residents with low-cost immigration services all over Sonoma County. Vanesa also volunteers with Project Quetzal, helping kids in rural Guatemala with their Spanish. Vanesa first started with Corazón Healdsburg as a contractor during the Kincade Fire, helping with applications and data entry and officially joined the team in January, 2020.
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