Latine Faculty and Staff Alliance

Meetings and Events

• Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration!
  
  • October 4, 2023 from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
    
  • Rangos Ballroom #2, Cohon University Center
    
  • RSVP via email
    
  • Food, beverages, music and great conversation! Open to all faculty and staff!

To become a member of the Latine Faculty and Staff Alliance, please submit a membership form so you can be informed of upcoming meetings and events. There is no cost associated with membership and no time commitments. Members can attend as many meetings and events as they would like. Individual membership in ERGs is strictly voluntary and open to all individuals who are interested in promoting diversity, equity and inclusiveness. Refer to the ERG benefits and guidelines for more information.

Resources

• LinkedIn Learning Online Courses (CMU login required) — A variety of courses are available for English language learners and non-native speakers of English; type "ESL" in the search bar to view options. You can also view courses in Spanish; click on the globe icon at the top right of the page to change the language.
• Latino/Hispanic Book List — Recommended fiction and non-fiction reading, curated by the Latine Faculty and Staff Alliance co-leads 
• Latino Community Center — Empower, advocate with, and celebrate Latinos in Allegheny County.
• Latin American Cultural Center — Experience the art, history and culture of Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Casa San José — Celebrate Latino culture; welcome immigrants; and embrace inclusion, dignity and respect.
• Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation — Dedicated to improving the lives of Hispanics in the region, increasing the Hispanic population, supporting existing and new Hispanic businesses, and increasing Hispanic investments in the region.

Leadership

Yazmin Peña, Co-Lead

Yazmin Peña (she/her) is a document manager for the Office of International Education. She graduated from Allegheny College with a BS in psychology and minored in Spanish. Yazmin was born and raised in New York City and identifies as Afro-Dominican / Dominican American. As a co-lead for the Latine Faculty and Staff Alliance, she hopes to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for Latine CMU community members and allies, as well as bring a fresh perspective to the group. She is passionate about travel, languages, inclusivity, and teaching others about her heritage, and is looking forward to learning and growing in this new role.

Christian Alexis Olmeda, Co-Lead

Christian Alexis Olmeda is the manager of SCS Computing's Communications and Outreach team. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology and audio production. He currently serves as co-chair on the SCS Dean's Staff Advisory Committee. Chris holds an MFA in creative writing and writes in both English and Spanish. Chris was born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. His love of Puerto Rico and its rich culture inform his work as a writer and ultimately motivated him to help establish our Latine employee resource group, as an inaugural co-lead. His goal is to build meaningful representation and build community through strong relationships between Latine employees and faculty across CMU, for years to come.

Francisco Molina, Member Liaison

Francisco Molina is the senior director for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity within Enterprise Risk Management. He has over 20 years of experience in business resiliency, operational risk and program management. Francisco holds a BE in industrial engineering, an MS in administration, and a Ph.D. in information science. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He believes in supporting and building a welcoming community and creating awareness to eliminate long-standing stereotypes and misconceptions.