Our Staff
Maria Brenes, Ext: 127Executive Director
Maria Brenes, Executive Director, earned her Master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has worked with InnerCity Struggle since 2002. Maria began her involvement in community organizing as a high school student growing up along the U.S./Mexico border with immigration issues and continued as a student activist at UC Berkeley on Affirmative Action and Et...
Henry Perez Ext:107Associate Director
Henry Perez, Associate Director, earned his Master's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles' Graduate School of Education and Information Studies where as a student activist he worked to recruit undergraduate students of color. Henry also worked as a community organizer in West Los Angeles where he organized residents to be involved in shaping policy around com...
Jazmin Casas Ext:109Media Justice Organizer
Jazmin Casas, Media Justice Organizer, is a Garfield High School graduate class of 2010 and a former United Students member. Jazmin currently attends East Los Angeles College. She plans to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley, where she will major in Mathematics.
Hector Flores Ext:113Director of Education & Communications
Hector Flores, Director of Communications and Education Policy, is a graduate of Cal State Long Beach with a major in Sociology and Chicano/a Studies. Hector was trained by the California Faculty Association (CFA) and by Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE). He entered InnerCity Struggle as an organizer in 2006 and would later become the Co-Director o...
Lydia Avila Ext:103Director of Community Organizing
Lydia Avila, Civic Engagement Coordinator, is a graduate of Occidental College with a major in Urban and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining InnerCity Struggle, Lydia was a community organizer for East LA Community Corporation, where she worked with Boyle Heights' residents to fight gentrification by advocating for equitable land-use and planning policies. She was born, ...
Maryann Aguirre Ext:101Administrative Associate
Maryann Aguirre, Administrative Associate, is a Lincoln High School graduate class of 2008 and a former United Students member. As a United Students member, Maryann was a spokesperson for the organization and as a student interned with the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Currently, Maryann supports the Human Resources and Accounting Departments. Maryann is resident of Boy...
Jasmin Pivaral Ext:110Academic Services Coordinator,
Jasmin Pivaral, Academic Services Coordinator, is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. She has extensive experience developing college preparatory programs focused on supporting first generation and historically underrepresented youth. She currently manages ICS' academic programs and leads the overall vision for ICS' holistic approach to youth development.
Jeannette Reynaga Ext:111Youth Organizing Coordinator
Jeannette Reynaga, is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies and Globalization/Human Rights. At Berkeley, she focused on recruiting and retaining students of color from low-income and underprivileged backgrounds. She was raised in Lynwood and is currently the Youth Organizer at Roosevelt High School.
Adrian Landa Ext:117Community Organizer
Adrian Landa Guzman, Community Organizer, received his education from U.C. Berkeley. Along with his studies, Adrian was politically active, organizing with various movements and efforts that addressed the social ills of his community. At U.C. Berkeley, he interned at the Chicano/Latino Student Development Center that help foster community by hosting community events and provid...
Roberto Bustillo Ext:115Parent Organizer
Roberto possess more than 20 years of experience in community organizing, popular education, literacy in Spanish, outreach work and training. While working for Strategic Action for Just Economy (SAJE), he was part of team that organized and mobilized close to 150 tenants to combat slum housing generated by a powerful slumlords in Los Angeles County who owned 237 properties. H...