Our Board Members

San Valdez Burch - Board Chair

Jesús Gonzalez Castro - Board Vice-Chair

Tom Rhodes - Board Treasurer

Maira Oliva Hernandez - Board Secretary

Dr. Eric Ishiwata - Community board member (higher education, community programs)

Jose Luis Ramos - Community board member (business specialist)

Amy Hoeven - Community board member (community advocacy)

Our Staff Team   

Dr. Arpi Misha Miller - Executive Director

Arpi is the granddaughter of survivors of the Armenian Genocide and the daughter of a Middle Eastern refugee. She grew up in a large immigrant family and was immersed in faith-rooted work from a young age. After college, she lived and worked for three years in Highland Guatemala before returning to UCLA to pursue her doctoral degree in sociology with an emphasis in International Migration and Organizational Studies. During that time she worked closely with Salvadoran American community leaders from whom she received an education better than any university. Arpi has carried out large-scale qualitative research projects, contributed to numerous book projects, and is just wrapping up work on the Spiritual Exemplars Project at USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture. Her passion has always been being on the ground in engaged, collaborative, community-based work. She is a founding member of ISAAC, an advisor on Fuerza Latina’s Junta Directiva, and a longtime volunteer on Fuerza Latina’s community hotline.

Lorena Mendoza - Family Outreach Director

Lorena is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. She has twenty years of experience working with immigrant and low-income families in Larimer County through The Family Center. She is a founding, strategic leader of ISAAC’s Accompaniment Fund and has been with ISAAC in its incubation and development since day one. In ISAAC, she carries the bulk of outreach to individuals and families in need, she has a passion for adult education, and is a critical thought partner in how institutions and faith communities can best meet community needs in thoughtful, community-directed ways.

Jesús Castro - Adelante & Workforce Director

Jesús is a DACA recipient who came to the US as a child without his parents. He has worked with numerous community-based organizations, has special expertise in cultivating adult and youth leadership, and has a passion for advocacy, theater and the arts. Jesús has a curiosity to learn, loves creative and beautiful collaborations, and an absolute gift for connecting with people from all walks of life. He is a creative lifeforce in ISAAC and within the broader community. He returned to CSU in 2022 and is pursuing a degree in theater, and he continues to perform in community productions.

Ivan Mendoza Hinojos - Communications

Ivan recently graduated from Colorado State University with a dual degree in Spanish and Business Marketing. He is a 1.5 generation immigrant young adult with a passion for culturally and linguistically attuned communications, marketing, program development and evaluation. He began his time with ISAAC as a fellow in the Adelante Summer Fellowship Program, but quickly emerged as a key leader and visionary around the table. This fall, Ivan begins a Master’s program in CSU’s Impact Business Program, which prepares students to implement and manage sustainability initiatives that create lasting organizational change.