El Alba Cooperative Steering Committee
Lourdes Lozano
Lourdes Lozano was born and raised in Coahuila, Mexico. She has resided in Aurora for the past 19 years and is a proud member of the Resident Leadership Council composed of residents who work to provide answers to community issues and support small business owners.
Lourdes has a beautiful family and honors her family heritage by naming her food services business Lozano’s Food LLC, in honor of her father. Lourdes’ father was a hardworking man who influenced her to become the entrepreneur she is today.
Lourdes’ goal is to consistently offer the best food service experience to all of her catering clients. She cares deeply about family, friends and neighbors, and gives her heart and talent freely to help build a strong community.
Josphat Matini
Josphat Matini immigrated to the United States in 2007 as part of a visa lottery program. He offers a catering experience that started back in his home country of Kenya. In 2018 he obtained his Tri-County license and acquired a food truck that he and his family operate in Aurora.
Msosi Kenyan Cuisine specializes in Samosas, Chapatis, Pilau, Chicken Stews and Mandazi. Josphat Matini and the Msosi Kenyan Cuisine are ready for you to enjoy their tasty Kenyan food choices! He is honored to serve on the El Alba Committee to represent food based entrepreneurs in the region.
Reid Hettich
Reid Hettich has been the pastor of the Mosaic Church of Aurora since 2014. He has been a Wesleyan pastor since 1977.
His calling is to serve others and to reach out in caring, compassion and love to all, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. He serves on the Board of Aurora Community Connection Family Resource Center.
He is the chair of Aurora Key Community Response Team (AKCRT) and vice chair of the Aurora Wellness Court Advisory Board
Hilda Gehrke
Hilda Gehrke is a Social Coach, Facilitator, Trainer and Interpreter who migrated from Mexico in 1996. Hilda graduated with a B.S. on Psychology from Regis University in 2016 and completed her training as an Ontological Coach from Newfield Network, INC. in 2017; obtained her certification as a Certified Newfield Coach (NCC) in 2018.
Hilda has facilitated multiple coaching sessions for organizations like, the Community Campus Partnership’s Aurora Small Business Group and Latinos Age Wave Colorado. Leading coaching / training curriculum on community leadership with Adelante Jefferson County.
Hilda is also an accredited Family Leadership Training Institute Facilitator (FLTI). She combines her personal experiences with her professional experiences as a manager, leader, and interpreter to provide highly interactive and introspective training.
Mateos Alvarez
Mateos Alvarez is highly experienced in grassroots organizing, outreach campaign strategy, and implementation, facilitation, and training. He has assisted many resident leaders to work on issues at the local, state, and national level that include Healthcare, Education, Public Safety, Affordable Housing, Labor, and Immigration.
Mateos worked in the U.S. labor movement as an external organizer, then as a Political Organizer, and ultimately as the elected President of a major metro Denver Union. Mateos also spent twenty years as a lead community organizer and community development consultant for various community organizations and non-profits.
Mr. Mateos Alvarez is the founder and President of JUMA Development and Consulting Services and is currently the Executive Director of the Dayton Street Day Labor Center.
Gabriela Jacobo
Gabriela Jacobo is a bilingual Community Connector for the Resident Leadership Council (RLC) in North Aurora. The RLC is an affiliate of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
Gabriela brings 20 years of non-profit experience to the board. Her experience comes from a variety of positions she has held with a diverse number of for-profit and non-profit community organizations. Her specialty is working with resident leaders across race, class and language settings with a focus on leadership development and community organizing.
Ms. Jacobo brings an open mind and heart to her work. She is a native of Mexico, and she moved to metro Denver in the year 2000.
Jiayi Liew
Jiayi Liew is originally from Singapore. She has a BA in Biochemistry from Iowa State University and MA of Public Health from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Currently, Jiayi is a lead clinical research coordinator with the Department of Transplant Surgery at Anschutz. Previously, she worked with multiple global public health organizations including WHO, CDC, and CDPHE.
She strives to become a Physician Assistant and get her Doctorate in Public Health to help underserved communities locally and globally by enabling access and enhancing quality of healthcare for these communities.
El Alba’s Collaborators
Resident Leadership Council
CU Anschutz Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Community Engagement
Community Connector
Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition
Board of Directors & Director of Day Labor Center
Mosaic Unlimited
Pastor
Aurora City Council
Councilmember Ward I
City of Aurora
Small Business Development Center
The Denver Foundation
Strengthening Neighborhoods Program
Jason Wiener P.C.
Cooperative and Social Enterprise Attorneys