As we dive into the heart of the Avanzando Liderazgo Program (ALP) '24, we are thrilled to bring you a monthly blog series that shines a spotlight on the incredible members of our 2024 Cohort. These dynamic individuals have embarked on a transformative journey, dedicating themselves to personal development, leadership growth, and community upliftment.
Join us each month as we introduce you to three outstanding members who are making waves within the ALP '24 community. Through shared experiences, Latinx-centered curriculum, and a commitment to cross-ethnic solidarity, these leaders are shaping their narratives, overcoming hurdles, and realizing their ambitions.
As we celebrate their achievements, you'll get an inside look at the comprehensive training, coaching, and community connections that make ALP a unique and impactful program. From virtual and in-person sessions to hands-on organizing components, our Fellows are harnessing the tools needed for their leadership journey.
We invite you to be inspired by their stories, discover the power of leveraging cultura, and witness the collaborative growth that defines the ALP ecosystem. Stay tuned each month as we unfold the narratives of resilience, ambition, and community-building that characterize the ALP '24 Cohort.
Together, let's celebrate the achievements of these remarkable leaders and amplify the impact of ALP in shaping the future of Latinx leadership in Minnesota!
Meet Nora Montañez Patterson
Nora Montañez is an Afro-descendent Indigenous Peruvian director, actor, singer, educator and playwright based in Mni Sota Makoce, on the ancestral lands of the Dakota and Anishinaabe. She was raised in Paterson, NJ and holds a BFA from Florida Atlantic University. In Minneapolis, Nora has performed at Theatre Latte Da, Pillsbury House Theatre, Children’s Theatre, Jungle Theater, The Guthrie Theater, Theatre Mu, Mixed Blood and many others. Nora has directed various productions for Minneapolis Public School’s, Saint Paul for the Conservatory Performing Artists, Pillsbury House Theatre’s Chicago Avenue Project, Project Opera at Minnesota Opera and Exposed Brick Theater. Nora was a GreenRoom Staff Facilitator at the Ordway Center as well as the Casting and Producing Associate at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis and is currently the Founder/Executive Director of ALMA (Alliance of Latine Minnesota Artists). Nora was a 2018 Next Step Grant recipient, a 20/21 Many Voices Mentee at the Playwrights Center, a 21/22 Creative Support Grant recipient and the 21/22 Artist-in-Residence with the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota. Nora was one of the artists in 2023 honored in Yo. Un Latino en Minnesota by MLatino Media.
Meet Julissa Fuentes-Roberts
Julissa, a Minnesota native and accomplished real estate agent, now resides just a stone’s throw from her childhood home with her husband Caleb, and two dogs Olive and Luna —a scenario that might have surprised her high school self. Back then, her focus was on connecting with her Hispanic heritage through travel, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) teaching certification, and international business studies abroad.
Her journey into real estate began as a buyer and investor. In 2015, after a stint in Peru completing her college degree from Saint Mary’s University and La Universidad del Pacifico, Julissa returned to Minnesota, initially planning to rent an apartment. However, her mom's suggestion to move home and save for a duplex led to her closing on her first investment property, a duplex, within nine months.
Seeking a career shift and aiming to enhance her skills as an investor, she ventured into real estate, obtaining her license in 2017 and transitioning into the field full-time in 2018.
Today, as the proud Co-Owner and President of CML Group, brokered by Keller Williams Classic Realty NW where Julissa not only works with clients but also takes joy in developing newer agents. Additionally, as the incoming Vice President of NAHREP (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals) Twin Cities Chapter, she contributes to the organization's impactful mission to advance sustainable Hispanic homeownership by empowering the real estate professionals who serve our community, advocating for supporting public policy, and facilitating relationships among industry stakeholders, real estate practitioners and other housing industry professionals.
Outside of real estate, Julissa also helps run a small culture travel group called SaND Travel with her father and sister where they curate trips to Central and South America that are centered around making deeper and lasting local connections that transcend language barriers.
Meet Antonio Espinosa
Antonio is the founder and Executive Director of Art from the Inside. Art From the Inside creates the opportunity for incarcerated artists to have a visual voice through engaging, community-centered exhibitions of their art. After serving for almost 20 years as a corrections officer at Stillwater prison in Minnesota, Antonio launched this project to bring hope and healing inside the walls. While still in uniform, he co-facilitated men’s support groups, coordinated cultural events and served on advisory boards and committees for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. In 2021, he received a Bush Fellowship for his transformative work elevating the voices of the incarcerated through community-centered exhibitions of their art. In 2022, he became a policy fellow in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and created a bill for supportive arts programming in Minnesota’s state prisons which was signed into law during the 2023 legislative session. He is driven to build toward a larger transformation in the justice system and in the community.