Alma’s background and professional experience in economic and community development have been the perfect combination of characteristics to lead the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC).
Born and raised in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Mexico, Alma grew up bilingual and bicultural. Alma went to high school in East Los Angeles and went on to attend UCLA.
While Alma originally thought she would pursue a career in medicine, she kept thinking about how her mother helped Latino families find housing, employment, and other support in Southern California. Her focus eventually turned to female day laborers in her native Los Angeles, and she ended up earning her bachelor’s in Chicano/a studies from UCLA. Later, she earned her master’s from MIT in city planning with an emphasis on housing, community, and economic development. Her final thesis explored the social networks of immigrant Dominican women and how they obtained housing, daycare, and employment in Roxbury, Mass.
With her studies complete, Alma worked for Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and Roxbury Community Development Corporation in microenterprise development and technical assistance. She then served as the Downtown Manager for the City of Framingham, Mass., where she oversaw downtown commercial revitalization efforts. After moving to Oregon, Alma spent two decades working for the cities of Portland, Beaverton, and Milwaukie in economic policy, planning management and community development. Relocating to Minnesota several years ago, Alma served as community and economic development director for the City of Golden Valley before joining LEDC.
Alma is married to her high school sweetheart and is a mother to two children. Additionally, Alma invests time in her community by serving as a board member for both Minnesota Catalyst Alliance and REACH CDC.