Latino Task Force

The creation of a Latino Task Force is to help advance Extension’s mission “to teach, learn, lead and serve” the Latino residents of the state intentionally and effectively. The Latino Task Force is charged with creating an institutional space for professional development on Latino-specific needs, and foster long-term and strategic relationships with key Latino stakeholders, Latino businesses, service providers and advocacy organizations.

Mission

The Latino Taskforce will enhance the Extension mission by providing vision and initiatives to work alongside Latino communities across the state.

Vision

Extension will teach, learn, lead, and serve, connecting Latino families and communities with the University of Wisconsin, meaningfully and intentionally engaging with them in transforming lives and communities.

Measure of Success

Extension will progress toward parity for Latino residents in statewide programming.

Membership

Founding members include Extension staff, UW faculty, and key Latino community members, leaders, service providers and stakeholders. The task force will keep at least 12 active members with representation from each identified group, each serving a three-year term.

Leads:

Armando Ibarra

Associate Professor, Department of Labor Education/School for Workers, UW-Madison

Director, Chican@ and Latin@ Studies Program
Faculty Latino Specialist, Division of Extension
Affiliate Faculty, Labor Center at University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Community:

Jose Martinez	Vice President of Farmworker and Community-based Services, United Migrant Opportunities (UMOS) Member of Fox Valley Workforce Development Board Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association Board
Ananda Mirilli	Education Equity Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Member of the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education Restorative Justice Circle expert Native of Brazil
Mario Garcia Sierra	Customer Engagement and Community Development Manager, Madison Gas and Electric (MG&E) President, Board of Director, Centro Hispano of Dane County Freedom Inc. Board of Directors 2008-2017 Native of Guatemala
Bernie Gonzalez	Financial representative and real estate investor Community organizer at SOPHIA, focusing on mass incarceration, health care, transportation, housing and immigration issues Mexican immigrant U.S. Army veteran
Joyce Anderson	Retired special educator from Eau Claire, WI Board member and past VP of JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope) Founded and co-chaired JONAH Immigration Task Force Founded Advancing Hope Fund, a zero-interest lending
David Anderson	Retired Lutheran Pastor from Eau Claire, WI Past president and treasurer of JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope) Co-chaired JONAH Immigration Task Force Board member of El Centro de Conexion
Leslie Orrantia	Deputy Mayor, City of Madison Former Director of Community Relations, UW-Madison Involved with two Latino community-serving initiatives The Latino Equity Collaborative The Latino Consortium for Action

UW-Madison Division of Extension:

María Yolanda Peña	Regional Program Manager for FoodWIse, Division of Extension Recipient of UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award 2018 Chairperson for Extension Latino Employees Resources Group (LERG) Native of Colombia
Dan Veroff	Demographic Specialist, Applied Population Lab, UW-Madison Current areas of research are: Understanding the dynamics and demographics of diversity in Wisconsin Immigration and population change in rural Wisconsin
Dominic Ledesma	Interim Director, Office of Access, Inclusion, and Compliance, Division of Extension Doctoral work in the Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, UW-Madison Research interests include language rights, civil rights, language justice issues, linguistic and cultural diversity of the upper Midwest
Diana Hammer	Community, Natural Resource & Economic Development Educator, Fond du Lac County, Division of Extension Worked with Latino leaders starting a nonprofit and the Regional People of Color Business Association Served three years on Extension’s Civil Rights Leadership Team
Catherine Emmanuelle	Area Extension Director, Chippewa, Dunn & Eau Claire Counties, Division of Extension Previously served as Family Living Educator in Trempealeau County Has partnered with people and organizations to build family resilience through complex social issues

UW-Madison:

Lynet Uttal

Professor, Counseling Psychology, UW-Madison

Community-based researcher and clinical social worker
Develops projects that benefit immigrants and refugees, such as the Learning English and Living Biculturally Project
Member of the Formando Lazos Familiares Committee

Carolina Sarmiento

Assistant Professor, School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison

Affiliate with Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning and Chican@ and Latin@ Studies
Researches the intersection between urban development, governance, and the creation and destruction of cultural spaces in working-class communities of color

Position Paper

Latino Task Force position paper

Resources

Professor Ibarra’s community-based research explores needs of Wisconsin Latin@s

Latino Wisconsin: Needs Assessment and Family Integration, Realigning Mission Pt 1

Latino Wisconsin: Needs Assessment and Family Integration — Realigning Mission Pt 2

Associate Professor Armando Ibarra: Listening to Their Stories

Contacts

Armando Ibarra, Associate Professor and Latino Faculty Specialist, UW-Madison, aibarra@wisc.edu