ADVOCACY
IMPACT
COMMUNITY
At Tzunu we craft stories and develop
strategies that don’t just inform,
but inspire, engage and create social change.
ADVOCACY
Nora PreciadoNora Preciado is a passionate, visionary social justice leader with almost two decades’ experience advancing immigrant rights. Most recently, Nora directed Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she advised the mayor, his staff, city offices and stakeholders on policy and programs relating to Los Angeles’ immigrant residents. As an immigrant, she approached the work from both a personal and professional perspective.
Before that, Nora worked 11 years at the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), rising from staff attorney to supervising attorney focusing on impact immigrant rights litigation. From 2009 to 2012, she taught as an adjunct at Loyola Law School. Before that, Nora worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU), first in the Orange County office where she began her career, and then at the Los Angeles office, handling constitutional rights cases involving immigrants.
Nora is a member of the advisory committee for the National Immigration Litigation Alliance and the Mexican American Bar Association’s immigration committee. She has a law degree from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, a BA in political science from U.C. Davis, and is a proud community college alum. She lives with her family in Orange County.
Katia LopezKatia Lopez is a first-gen, Chicana, lifelong resident of the Coachella Valley (currently residing in the beautiful City of Coachella). Having grown up in a low-income and mixed status family, helped ignite her passion to serve and uplift all communities facing health and educational barriers.
She received her B.A in Anthropology and Political Science in 2017 from the University of California, Irvine. She is a Spring, 2016 alumna of the UC Center Sacramento program, which “educates California’s future leaders in the craft of politics and policymaking, while making the expertise of faculty of the nation’s leading university available to decision-makers in the legislative and executive branches of government.”
Upon graduating UC Irvine, she returned home and began interning for Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. Since her internship days, she has continued serving the community, first as a Health Navigator for a Federally Qualified Health Center, Clínicas de Salud del Pueblo, then as a COVID-19 Contact Tracer for the Riverside County Public Health Department.
She is an active member in her community. She is a Delegate representing the 56th Assembly District and is part of the Coachella Valley Young Professionals Network which works to connect young working professionals in her community. She enjoys working on political campaigns and has helped on several throughout the Coachella Valley both as a consultant and a volunteer.
In her personal time, she enjoys live music, Disneyland/California Adventure, and trying new restaurants.
Jorge MadridJorge Madrid is a Senior Advisor at Tzunu Strategies, leading a portfolio focused on cities, climate and energy policy, and philanthropic strategy. His career spans 15 years as a bridge builder between government, philanthropy, NGOs, and communities on the front lines of climate change. His expertise ranges from local and regional economic strategy, policy development and implementation, energy and transportation, urban planning, and the arts.
He approaches all of his work with curiosity and a deep respect for the history and lived experiences of his partners. Previous to this role, Jorge worked at the Energy Foundation, where he launched a city-based accelerator program as part of the American Cities Climate Challenge.
Jorge helped 25 cities (including Los Angeles and San Diego) meet -and exceed- targets set in the Paris Climate Accord. Previously, he served as the California Climate and Energy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund, and before that was an analyst with the Center for American Progress, and a staffer on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. In 2015, Jorge was published in the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, and recognized for his scholarship on helping Latino/Latinx communities capture the full benefits of clean energy technologies. Jorge started his policy career as a Graduate Fellow with Los Angeles Mayor Villariagosa’s Office of Economic Development, and a Richard Polanco Public Policy Fellow with the CA Latino Legislative Caucus.
Proudly born and raised in East Los Angeles, Jorge is now raising two young boys with his wife in the community where he grew up. He earned a Master of Urban Planning and Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and completed an Executive Program in Climate and Energy Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Juan TorresJuan Carlos Torres has over two decades of legislative experience and political know how. He worked in both the State Senate and Assembly, including in each houses’ leadership offices. Most recently, Mr Torres served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Speaker Anthony Rendon. In that role, Juan was responsible for floor sessions, international delegation trips, Speaker’s appointment to boards and commissions, among other duties.
He was instrumental in adopting strategies to secure passage of key legislative priorities for the Assembly leadership. Juan also served as Chief of Staff to various legislators, including the Assembly Majority Leader, Assembly Rules Chair, the Chair of the CA Legislative Latino Caucus. He was also charged with legislative confirmation hearings for the CA State Senate Rules Committee. Juan has played an important role in achieving historic policy milestones in CA, including the first ever environmental justice law in CA law, the first investment for urban parks in a park bond, the creation of the largest urban conservancy in CA and the adoption of in-state tuition for undocumented students for colleges and universities. During Speaker Rendon’s tenure, key policies in labor and worker protections, climate change, environmental protection, criminal justice reform, housing and immigrants rights were adopted in the CA Legislature, with Mr Torres at the center of many of these victories. Mr Torres is a strong advocate for equity and adopting policies to help disadvantaged communities. He helped lead the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work in the Assembly, including the hiring of the Legislature’s first ever Equity Advisor. Mr Torres previously served on the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project Board and is currently on the statewide YMCA’s Youth and Government Advisory Board of Managers.
Juan holds a B.A. in Political Science and Chicano Studies from Loyola Marymount University. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, he grew up in Long Beach and is a proud first generation immigrant and was the first in his family to graduate from a university. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, Traci and their two daughters.
Veronica OrozcoVeronica’s career has been driven by her belief that every story deserves a human touch. Whether writing for a high-profile event with elected officials or crafting outreach for nonprofit initiatives, her expertise in storytelling, visual design, and digital marketing brings these narratives to life.
As the Director of Communications at Tzunu Strategies, Veronica oversees policy and engagement priorities, shaping communications strategies for clients focused on social impact and environmental justice. Dedicated to driving meaningful change in her community, she earned her Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge in 2021.
With over 20 years of experience, Veronica has led public relations, content strategy, and digital outreach for major healthcare organizations like PIH Health, AltaMed Health Services, and Providence Health; higher education institutions such as Pepperdine University; and public agencies like the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Beyond her professional work, Veronica is passionate about giving back to the next generation. She serves as a career coach with Foster Nation, guiding young adults who have aged out of the foster system, and is a long-time supporter of Corazón de Vida, an organization dedicated to helping children in orphanages in Baja California.
Arturo CarmonaFor nearly two decades, Arturo has used his leadership and experience to bring people together on important challenges impacting communities across the nation. Arturo has emerged as a communications expert, public spokesperson, political strategist, policy analyst, and community organizer with an established expertise in the evolving political, cultural, and demographic trends in the US. He is recognized as a change-agent, strategic communicator, community leader, and coalition builder.
His leadership, management, and strategic communications skills have made him a recognized leader and spokesperson on behalf of the Latino community and working families across the US. He has appeared in many news stories, interviews, and political discussions through outlets such as MSNBC, ABC, CNN, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Univision, Telemundo, USA Today, NPR, La Opinion, and many others. Hispanic Magazine honored him with the Hispanic Achievement Award and called him “one of the most influential leaders in the country.”
As an established communications and public affairs policy leader, Arturo serves as the Managing Partner of Tzunu Strategies and heads the Latino Media Collaborative. He represents several international, national, and regional corporations, organizations, campaigns, and foundations in the US and Latin America. His recent experiences include serving as the current Sr. Strategy Advisor to ImpreMedia – the largest Latino print, digital, and news organization in the US – as well as serving as a Digital Media and Strategic Communications Advisor to the Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for President campaign (Mexico) and the Deputy Political Director for the Bernie Sanders for President campaign. He currently sits on numerous boards and has served in a number of roles including working in the California State Legislature, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Executive Director of Presente.org and as the founding Executive Director of the Council of Mexican Federations (COFEM).
Arturo loves to travel with his family in his free time and loves to take his daughter to tennis and theater classes.
Armando CarmonaArmando Carmona is a community strategist that works to uplift Latinx voices and causes impacting communities of color. Homegrown in the Inland Empire, Armando witnessed the strength and resilience of communities of color amidst challenges and obstacles. He trains spokespeople for local and national outlets, produces stories, and provides strategic connections to news teams across the country and in Latin America.
As a partner at Tzunu Strategies, Armando leads on media, content & campaign strategy. Armando develops strategy for regional, state & national campaigns through earned & paid media. As Communications Director for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, a leading immigrant rights organization in Southern California, he oversees & develops a grassroots approach to media engagement.
Armando has extensive experience working with national grassroots immigrant-led movements & will continue to engage on issues impacting Latinos. Armando has served as a community spokesperson. His perspective on immigration & Latino issues has been featured on CNN, Univision’s Al Punto CA, Telemundo, ABC, La Opinion, NPR, and many more.
Sarah WintersSarah Winters is a communications leader with over two decades of experience spanning industries and continents. An Australian native, she has lived and worked in South Africa, the UK, and the United States, bringing a truly global perspective and deep cultural sensitivity to her work.
In her role as Vice President of Communications at Tzunu Strategies, Sarah works closely with the Executive Team designing and guiding the implementation of creative strategies that shift the narrative, engage public policy, and advance social change. She oversees communications department accounts and staff, managing several accounts personally.
Over the course of her career, Sarah has crafted brand and communications strategies for a diverse range of initiatives from international sporting events to game-changing advances in sustainable architecture and design. Her portfolio includes leading public relations for prestigious hospitality groups and destinations such as Park Hyatt, One & Only, and Napa Valley; managing high-profile endorsement deals for brands like Pantene and Head & Shoulders with international superstars Selena Gomez and Sofia Vergara; developing design narratives and communications strategies for industry leaders such as Google, Netflix, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and shaping brand identities and go-to-market strategies for dynamic startups ranging from ultra luxury to community-centered goods and services.
A passionate advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Sarah actively supports initiatives that drive meaningful change. She is also committed to mentoring the next generation of leaders, dedicating time to various mentorship programs.
Paola AvendanoPaola Avendano is currently a proud resident of the Inland Empire, specifically from San Bernardino, CA. She considered herself a lifelong learner who cares about contributing to the region by supporting communities of color in efforts to achieve social mobility and economic advancement, all the while helping to change the narrative one day at a time.
She has a well rounded background in the fields of nonprofit, government relations, and external affairs. These professional experiences have equipped her with a diverse set of skills in relationship building, program management, strategy development, community/campaign organizing, event planning, social media coordination, and research.
As a first-generation graduate, she received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside, and participated in the 2016 UCDC Internship Program located in Washington D.C. She is currently a Forté Foundation MBALaunch Fellow, a program designed for women committed to pursuing an MBA which provides access to business education, professional development, and a supportive community throughout the process. In addition, she serves on the Downtown Revitalization Advisory Committee for the City of San Bernardino, the Advisory Council for the Center Against Racism and Trauma (C.A.R.T.), and has been a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters over the past year.
Outside of work, Paola enjoys committing to her fitness routine, finding local volunteer opportunities, and traveling when possible.
José CarmonaJosé Carmona brings over two decades of policy and advocacy experience working at the local, regional, and state level. Most recently, Mr. Carmona served as California Program Director for the Energy Foundation, where he supported environmental, environmental justice, workforce development, and clean energy industry organizations in the establishment of some of the state’s most recent clean technology and climate initiatives, including the establishment of the state’s 2030 carbon reduction targets and the setting of California’s 100% clean energy goal.
Prior to joining the foundation, Jose served as Chief of Staff to the Assembly Majority Leader and Vice-Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, Assemblymember Victor Manuel Perez. In that role, he advanced energy-related legislation, including a three-year extension of the Self- Generation Incentive Program; expedited permitting and siting of projects within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan; and secured funding for renewable energy workforce training in low-income and high unemployment areas of California. Before this role, José was the Advocacy Director for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, the Clean Power Campaign, and V. John White & Associates, where he tracked, analyzed, and lobbied for clean energy and climate legislation on behalf of renewable energy affiliates and environmental nonprofit organizations.
Jose has extensive legislative advocacy experience in the California State Senate and Assembly where he advocated for the passage of California’s landmark climate change law, AB 32, the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and the California Solar Initiative, in addition to regulatory implementation work at the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, California Independent System Operator, and the California Public Utilities Commission. Jose also served as the lead energy advocate for the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee from 2006–2008.
Jose holds a B.A. in Social and Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law from California State University, Chico.
Alexis EdelsteinAlexis Edelstein was born in Argentina; however, he immigrated to the United States at the age of three. He has lived across the United States, including Los Angeles, but has made his way back home – living and working in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Besides his work at Tzunu, he sits on the board of River Federal for Club Atletico River Plate.
He holds numerous degrees including a B.S. in Marketing from Arizona State University, a certificate in Hispanic Marketing Communication from Florida State University, as well as an MBA in International Management, Specialization in Marketing and Latin America from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Throughout his 25 years of marketing experience, Alexis has had the opportunity to work in both multicultural and international divisions with companies such as P&G, Wrigley, Red Bull, Epson, and UPS. Alexis specializes in branding, marketing communications, market research, and innovation.
Alexis turned his focus to politics, when in 2015, he was elected as a delegate for the Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential Campaign where he took on additional responsibilities as a media surrogate. He leveraged his marketing expertise with his passion for politics to lead up multiple local campaigns in Los Angeles, and most recently he headed up marketing for a 2020 presidential campaign. His political experience has also landed him on major outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, CNN Español, NPR, and Democracy Now.
Jorge GarridoJorge develops and implements public affairs campaigns for major national and international clients, ranging from blue chip corporations, established technology and financial institutions to nonprofits and foundations. His expertise within public affairs includes crisis management, government relations, coalition advocacy, community outreach, and communications.
In Jorge’s previous roles as Managing Director at Mercury LLC and Actum LLC, he provided government affairs and strategic counsel to various public agencies throughout southern California. He specialized in the policy areas of local government, telecommunications & utilities. Jorge was responsible for developing innovative strategies centered on legislation, crisis, and mergers and acquisitions.
Jorge has worked closely with civil rights organizations, ethnic advocacy organizations, and business interests groups to implement community outreach programs to a wide cross-section of community residents and businesses, and secured cooperation among different communities of color and language-specific demographics.
He volunteers his time by serving as a board member of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), Families in Schools (FIS), Children’s Fund, and YMCA of East LA. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Jorge lives in Los Angeles, CA, with his two kids, Camila and Cristiano.
Clo LandoisClo Landois has extensive experience in project management and Human Resources, specializing in business management and communications. As an Account Executive at Tzunu, she is committed to contributing her vision and skills to ensure excellent project management and client satisfaction. Prior to Tzunu, Clo has worked for major companies and made significant contributions to their success in the area of public relations thanks to her discipline, professionalism, empathy, and ability to connect on a human level. She strives to create a sense of well-being in the workplace and social environment and seeks to make positive contributions to underserved communities.
Clo graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Psychology. Since then, she has acquired additional training in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Palliative Psychology, and Organizational Psychology. During her studies, she excelled in providing support to children with disabilities, as well as in the pediatric cancer ward of terminal patients. Her focus has always been on helping vulnerable individuals.
Clo was born in and currently resides in Monterrey, Mexico.
Alejandro SolisAlejandro Solis brings five years of legislative and regulatory advocacy experience in the areas of environmental justice, labor, public health, cannabis, energy, and the nonprofit sectors.
As a policy coordinator for Comite Civico del Valle, an environmental justice organization based in Brawley, California, Alejandro helped implement state and local air quality regulations to benefit the most disadvantaged communities in the Imperial Valley, bridging civic participation, public health, local government and state agency engagement.
As a legislative advocate for California Advocacy, a governmental relations firm based in Sacramento, Alejandro represented a myriad of clients including International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the United Cannabis Business Association (UCBA), California Medical Association (CMA), in addition to non-profit organizations such as Homeboy Industries and La Cooperativa Campesina de California.
Alejandro is currently the lead legislative advocate for Tzunu Strategies, a public relations and governmental relations firm based in Los Angeles and Sacramento. He is responsible for lithium development, clean energy and transportation, and Salton Sea restoration issues.
Alejandro Solis was born and raised in Brawley, California and attended California State University, Chico where he studied Political Science and Engineering.
Myckialia ThomasMyckialia Thomas has extensive experience in the fields of HR and operations, specializing in organizational development and strategic management. As Operations Manager at Tzunu, Myckialia brings a wealth of expertise and a diverse skill set which she utilizes to optimize internal processes, streamline workflows, and foster a collaborative work environment, supporting the firm’s capacity to achieve the highest possible client satisfaction.
Before joining Tzunu Strategies, Myckialia embarked on a dynamic career path, working in the business management, public accounting, and digital marketing fields. This background provides a strong foundation in strategic decision-making, people management, and organizational development, which has proved invaluable in her role as an operations leader.
Driven by a passion for social change and lifelong dedication to community and cultural progress, Myckialia seeks to now make impactful contributions to disadvantaged communities.
Myckialia was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee where she studied Business Administration and Organizational Management. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Teresa BordenTessie Borden is the U.S.-born daughter of Cuban refugees who, like so many others, arrived here seeking better opportunities. She has worked in immigrant rights since her days as a newspaper journalist in Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, and Mexico, where she was a foreign correspondent. Through this work, she saw the clash between the foundational narrative of the U.S. as a nation of immigrants, and its actual treatment of them.
After the failure of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill of 2006, Tessie decided to work for immigrant rights as an advocate rather than as a reporter duty-bound to give equal time to the anti-immigrant right. She moved to Los Angeles and has pursued this path since 2014, working as a communicator for immigrant rights organizations across the sector, including CARECEN, CLUE and ImmDef. Most recently she spent five years at CHIRLA, where she rose to deputy director of communications.
At Tzunu, Tessie hopes to develop a strong media relations team to provide better communications and media exposure for social justice organizations across Southern California.