WASHINGTON, DC—Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF) Founder, President and CEO Maite Arce, a leader at the intersection of Latino advocacy and conservation, has joined the nonprofit funders’ network Rachel’s Network as an advisor.
Maite guides HAF in its mission to build bridges that connect Latino communities with the opportunities and partners they need for a better life. A significant portion of the organization’s work is devoted to supporting young Latinos who want to work in natural resource fields, and bringing Latino voices to important policy discussions around national monuments, environmental justice, and water quality, among other issues.
During Maite’s time at HAF, the organization has helped Latinos flex their muscle on conservation issues, engaged community partners at more than 400 community events, engaged youth and families in stewardship and outdoor recreation, united thousands of faith-based leaders, and designed communications and advocacy campaigns that contributed to the designation of six national monuments.
“Clean air, clean water, conservation, and climate change are priority issues for Latinos. Maite is ensuring that these voices are heard and heeded,” said Rachel’s Network President Fern Shepard. “Initiatives like Latino Conservation Week are conveying the vital role that Hispanics hold in the environmental movement.”
Prior to joining the HAF in 2010, Maite served as vice president of operations for the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options, increasing Latino parental involvement in education and public policy participation among Latino faith and community leaders.
“People of diverse ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds, including Latinos, are more likely to be the first to experience environmental hazards and climate change impacts. At HAF, the people are our priority because solving complex environmental issues requires the active support of regular people you see in a community daily,” said Maite. “Rachel’s Network helps strategically align and elevate highly promising work of women in the field of conservation to give hope for a healthy natural environment for all in the future.”
Rachel’s Network Circle of Advisors are women environmental leaders who provide high-level expertise and keep Rachel’s Network members connected to nonprofits that share our goals. This esteemed roster includes Debbie Walsh, Director, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University; Dr. Jane Goodall, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute and Gombe Stream Research Center; and Terry Tempest Williams, Author, Naturalist, and Conservationist.
————————————————————————————
Rachel’s Network, a nonprofit organization named in Rachel Carson’s honor, promotes women as impassioned leaders and agents of change dedicated to the stewardship of the earth. The Network builds productive alliances among members and offers services that empower them to lead.
Hispanic Access Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that connects Latinos to partners and opportunities to improve lives and create an equitable society.