Latino Network

Latino Network is a community-based organization founded in 1996 by a group of Latino leaders in Multnomah County who saw the need to respond strategically to the many issues facing the community’s growing Latino population. From its origins as a grassroots network of community leaders, Latino Network has evolved into a stable and effective organization with successful programs in the areas of early childhood education, parent involvement in schools, community leadership development, and neighborhood-based civic engagement. Our mission is to promote social change by cultivating the power of the Latino community and our efforts extend to coalition-building and advocacy in the areas of education, health, and community justice. The Latino Network utilizes popular education philosophy and practice as a primary tool for organizing, consciousness-raising, and empowerment for social change. Our core belief in the right of all people to participate actively in the decisions that affect their lives is reflected in our organization’s participatory culture and structure. Successful candidates will demonstrate a management style that supports the mission, structure, methodology and philosophy of the organization.

BUDGET AND STAFF
The annual operating budget is $720,000 and supports a 12 member staff. The Executive Director is supported by a Deputy Director and program management team.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Management and Governance:

Oversee long-range planning and organizational development

Hire, train, and develop staff

Provide general program oversight

Facilitate multi-agency planning efforts and initiatives around policy reform

Ensure compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations

Financial Planning and Fund Development:

Develop and implement an annual plan to ensure foundation, individual, and other financial support for the immediate and long-term health and growth of the organization

Work with Board and staff to manage donor relationships and develop new areas of financial support

Finance and Operations:

Prepare and monitor annual budget

Ensure positive cash flow and viability

Develop and implement sound fiscal policies

Maintain close working relationship with Bookkeeper and Accountant

External Relationships:

Build alliances and sound working relationships with other Latino organizations

Develop and maintain good relationships with allies, partners, and key decision-makers

Convene community forums to gather input on needs and priorities of the community and act as liaison with community.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Bilingual English/Spanish; bicultural

BA/BS in Public Administration or equivalent experience

At least 10 years experience in community-based organizations as a volunteer, leader, and/or staff

Financial management and fund development experience

Experience working in social justice field

Experience in long-range community planning, with ability to see the "big picture" and identify key strategies

Proven ability to supervise, support, and develop staff and parent leaders

Committed to mission, highly motivated and creative

Knowledgeable about social change movements and Latino community issues

Understands and values the role of women in Latino community organizing

Able to work independently and multi-task

Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including computer literacy

Demonstrated ability to strengthen relationships and build coalitions between individuals, organizations and decision-makers
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Director/a Ejecutiva/o – Descripción de Trabajo

La Red Latina es una organización comunitaria fundada en el 1996 por un grupo de líderes Latinos 
en el condado de Multnomah quienes vieron la necesidad de responder estratégicamente a los muchos 
asuntos que enfrentan a la creciente población latina. Desde sus orígenes como una red de líderes 
comunitarios, la Red Latina se ha convertido en una organización estable y efectiva con programas exitosos 
en las áreas de la educación temprana, involucramiento de padres en escuelas, desarrollo de liderazgo 
comunitario, y participación cívica. Nuestra misión es la de promover el cambio social a través de 
cultivar el poder de la comunidad latina, y nuestros esfuerzos se extienden al construir alianzas y 
abogar en las áreas de educación, salud, y justicia comunitaria.La Red Latina utiliza la educación 
popular tanto en filosofía como en práctica, como herramienta principal en la organización, 
concientizacion, y empoderamiento de la comunidad para el cambio social. Nuestra creencia 

en el derecho de todas las personas de participar activamente en las decisiones que afecten a 
sus vidas se refleja en la cultura y estructura participativa de nuestra organización. Candidatos 
fuertes tendrán un estilo de administración que apoye la misión, estructura, metodología, y filosofía 
de la organización.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

April 29, 2008

The board of the Latino Network is extremely proud and happy to announce that our Executive Director, Maria Lisa Johnson was appointed today to be the new Director of the City of Portland’s Office of Human Relations by Portland Mayor Tom Potter.

The Office of Human Relations was created by City Council in March 2008 to advocate for the rights of all Portlanders, foster diversity and resolve issues rooted in bias and discrimination. It will also house the new Human Rights Commission, the Racial Profiling Committee and implement recommendations of the Immigrant and Refugee Task Force.

“We are grateful for Maria Lisa’s contributions to our community and this organization,” said Latino Network Board President, Amalia Alarcón de Morris. “We are proud to see her rise to this important position. We know that she will show the same level of dedication and commitment to her new post as she has to the Latino Network and we look forward to continuing to work with her in her new capacity.”

In 2007, Latino Network received the Mayor’s Spirit of Portland Award for outstanding service to the Portland community, an accomplishment that is directly related to the effectiveness of our programs and our organization.

Both in her role within the Network and prior to it, Maria Lisa Johnson has been a passionate advocate for the development of leadership among the grassroots communities of Portland. Over the last 8 years she has helped the Latino Network grow from a largely volunteer run organization to one with multiple staff and programs.

Ms Johnson has built alliances with leadership within the Latino community as well as other communities of color in the Portland area. She has raised the credibility and visibility of the Network and the community we serve among area policy makers and her work has created a solid foundation for the current and future work of the Network.

La mesa directiva de la Red Latina siente gran orgullo en anunciar que el Alcalde de Pórtland, Tom Potter, hoy ha nombrado a nuestra Directora Ejecutiva, Maria Lisa Johnson, como la nueva Directora de la Oficina de Relaciones Humanas de la ciudad.

La Oficina de Relaciones Humanas fue creada por la Cuidad de Pórtland en marzo del 2008 para abogar por los derechos de todos los que viven en Pórtland, para fomentar la diversidad y para resolver retos basados en prejuicio y discriminación. La oficina coordinara a la nueva Comisión de Derechos Humanos, el Comité de Perfilismo Criminal (detenciones policiales arbitrarias basadas en la raza del detenido) y estará a cargo de llevar a cabo las recomendaciones del Grupo de Trabajo de Inmigrantes y Refugiados.

“Agradecemos infinitamente las contribuciones de Maria Lisa hacia la comunidad y nuestra organización,” dijo Amalia Alarcón de Morris, presidenta de la mesa directiva de la Red. “Sentimos mucho orgullo al verla elevada a esta posición tan importante. Tenemos la seguridad de que demostrara la misma dedicación y nivel de compromiso en su nuevo puesto que demostró a la Red Latina y esperamos seguir trabajando con ella en su nuevo rol.”

La Red Latina es una organización de base comunitaria fundada en 1996 por un grupo de líderes latinos en el condado de Multnomah quienes vieron la necesidad de responder estratégicamente a los muchos problemas enfrentando a la creciente comunidad Latina. Desde esos orígenes, como red de líderes de base comunitaria, la Red Latina se ha convertido en una organización efectiva y estable con programas que han tenido mucho éxito en las áreas de educación pre-escolar, fomentando participación de padres de familia en las escuelas, desarrollo de liderazgo comunitario y compromiso cívico a nivel vecinal. Nuestra misión es la de cultivar el poder de la comunidad Latina para efectuar cambios sociales y lo logramos abogando y creando coaliciones en las áreas de educación, salud y justicia comunitaria.

En el 2007, La Red Latina recibió el premio “Spirit of Portland” del Alcalde por proveer servicio ejemplar a la ciudad de Pórtland, un logro que está directamente relacionado a la efectividad de los programas de nuestra organización.

Tanto en su previa experiencia como en el desempeño de su papel como Directora Ejecutiva de la Red Maria Lisa Johnson ha trabajado incansablemente por el desarrollo del liderazgo de comunidades de base en Pórtland. Durante los últimos 8 años, bajo su liderazgo, la Red, que comenzó como una organización coordinada por voluntarios, se ha convertido en una organización con personal estable y múltiples programas.

Maria Lisa ha formado alianzas con líderes en la comunidad Latina tanto como en otras comunidades minoritarias en Pórtland. Ha elevado la credibilidad y visibilidad de la Red y de nuestra comunidad entre los políticos en el área y su trabajo ha creado una buena base para el trabajo de la Red en el presente y el futuro.

Maria Lisa Johnson asume su nueva posición el 7 de mayo. Mientras tanto, la Red Latina permanece fuertemente comprometida a llevar a cabo su misión y sus programas. “Para la Red Latina, el éxito es el resultado de una combinación del talento de individuos y la fuerza comunitaria colectiva,” dijo el vice-presidente de la mesa directiva, Alan Hipólito. “Mientras que el talento de Maria Lisa ahora va a beneficiar a la comunidad entera, queda la fuerza de la comunidad Latina y el compromiso del personal y la mesa directiva va a guiar a la Red durante esta transición hacia la próxima etapa de nuestro desarrollo organizativo.” La mesa directiva y el personal de la Red Latina están trabajando en conjunto para implementar un plan de transición para la organización y para continuar los muchos proyectos que se están llevando a cabo actualmente con nuestros colaboradores y con la comunidad.

Sadie Feibel, Directora de Programas, has sido nombrada Directora Ejecutiva Interina durante esta transición. La Red Latina espera llenar ese puesto permanentemente a principios del otoño. Se mandará un anuncio a la comunidad tan pronto como comience formalmente el proceso de la búsqueda, el reclutamiento, y contrato del nuevo Director Ejecutivo.

On Friday, March 21, Mayor Potter met with members of the Latino community at the Baltazar Ortiz Center in Cully (6736 NE Killingsworth). The meetings were convened by Latino Network and hosted by Hacienda CDC. Instead of the traditional format featuring one-on-one meetings, Latino Network requested a community based meeting format - with participants discussing their concerns with Mayor Potter as a group.

The meeting began with three skits put on by some of the participants to communicate the challenges Latinos experience in the Cully neighborhood:

The opening play was about feelings of insecurity in Cully's Latino community. When there is violence in the community, some of the neighborhood residents feel afraid to call the police because the police might bring Federal Immigration enforcement officers with them to deport their friends and neighbors. They are also afraid to call the police about gang activity for the possibility that the gangs will retaliate.

The second skit was about the condition of the streets in the neighborhood. They feel streets are unsafe, particularly for children, because there are no sidewalks. The sides of the roads are dirty and strewn with litter, and the students are chastised by their teachers and teased by other kids for having dirty shoes after walking on the side of the road. The play brought up the need for more school buses and pedestrian crossings in the neighborhood.

The third play was about the fear mothers have for their children. They are afraid of the crime, the gangs, and the dirtiness of the streets in the community. They feel there is a lot of prostitution in the area, because there are few families and many single men. If the mothers call the police on gang activity, the gang members are already gone by the time the police arrive.

Participants discussed what they have been doing to improve the quality of life in the community: trainings to call 911, economic development and legal trainings. They presented their vision of the community to Mayor Potter: a library branch, more doctors and medicine, quality childcare, life without fear of gangs, fences without graffiti, cleaner streets, and a united front of neighbors to come together on community issues.

Mayor Potter expressed his appreciation for the skits and discussed the issues that they broached with the community vision. Some of the issues that emerged from that discussion: Spanish language capability and cultural competency of Portland police officers. The community felt that there are not enough Spanish-speaking officers, or enough Latino officers, who they feel comfortable working with or communicating with. The Mayor responded that it has been difficult to recruit in the Latino community, and asked that organizations like Latino Network help police recruiters find prospective officers.

The Mayor also discussed the upcoming police exchange program he plans to initiate with Portland's sister city, Guadalajara, Mexico. The Mayor also assured the community that the police, by State law, are not allowed to cooperate with Federal Immigration enforcement and the Mayor pledged not to allow Portland police to work with Immigration enforcement in any capacity.

Youth programming.
There has been work with Multnomah County programs and El Programa Hispano, but there simply isn't enough - even though the families have a lot of motivation. Residents are afraid of the gang problem escalating this summer. Mayor Potter also discussed the youth activities taking place for Spring Break (more information available here).

Clean and safe streets in Cully.
The Mayor talked about the history of Cully, and that sidewalks were not required in the neighborhood before Cully was annexed by the City in the 1980s. There was money set aside for a project called Cully Green Streets at one time, and Mayor Potter encouraged the community to lobby candidates for City Hall to commit to funding the Green Streets project.

Childcare.
Women in the Latino community would like to be more actively involved, but the lack of quality, available childcare is a barrier. Mayor Potter responded that the City does not have childcare programs, but that he would ask his staff to research whether other programs could connect with families in the Cully neighborhood.

Bus service to schools.
Residents complained that Portland Public Schools took away bus service to Rigler after re-districting. The Mayor discussed a project he is working on to get free TriMet passes to youth, which would be able to take them to school.

Members of the community present thanked Mayor Potter for visiting him. The evening was concluded with music and food provided by the participants.