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Eleazer Reyna Ocampo – President
Elea is originally from Mexico, and has lived in Siler City since she was 7 years old. As a teenager, she participated in The Hispanic Liaison’s youth group and youth radio show called “Teen Shout”. Elea is bilingual, outgoing and friendly. She lives on a 12-acre farm in Silk Hope where she enjoys gardening, caring for farm animals, planting fruit trees, making medicine with medicinal plants and foraging for wild edible plants. During her free time, she is a pottery maker and plays her native “Son Jarocho” music of Veracruz, Mexico. She is earned a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from NC State University.
Judith Montenegro – Vice President
Judith is originally from Durango, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. at a very young age. She is the Program Director for Latinos in the South with the Latino Commission on AIDS. Judith graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Sociology. She has devoted her career to improving the quality and access to health care for Latinxs and immigrants. Judith lives in Chatham County.
Elizabeth Haddix – Treasurer
Elizabeth is a bilingual resident of Pittsboro. She is the Regional Managing Director for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Previoulsy, she served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at UNC-Chapel Hill and was on the staff of the UNC Center for Civil Rights. After graduating from Duke University in 1992, Elizabeth taught Spanish at Southwest Edgecombe High School. In 1998, she earned a J.D. from UNC School of Law and received a fellowship from the National Association for Public Interest Law, which she used to represent low-income workers as a staff attorney at the North Carolina Justice Center. She entered private practice with the firm of Edelstein & Payne in Raleigh.
Helen Mikul – Secretary
Helen has lived in Chatham County in 2009 and is happy to call Chatham “home”. She has worked as a certified nurse midwife at the Siler City Community Health Center since 2008. From 1998 to 2003, Helen provided midwifery care at the freestanding birth center in Chapel Hill of Piedmont Health Services. Previously, she worked in the midwifery department of Duke University Medical Center. Helen is fluent in Spanish, most of her patients at SCHC are Spanish speaking. She lived in Jalisco and Oaxaca in 1967 and 1972, then attended high school in Port Isabel, Texas, near Matamoros. Her high school experience served as an immersion program in Spanish. Helen has been a volunteer with the Hispanic Liaison and is honored to join as a board member. She looks forward to helping with the organization grow. Helen has 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, who are the light of her life. She lives on 10 acres with 3 dogs, 4 cats, 11 goats and 25 chickens.
Saira Estrada
Saira is originally from Sonora, Mexico, and has lived in North Carolina for 20 years. She is the Director of Outreach and Language Access for NCVAN (NC Victims Assistance Network). Saira has worked extensively with Latinx and other marginalized populations for the past 10 years. She is passionate about helping diverse communities advocate for and obtain meaningful access to services, especially those who were victims of crime. Saira lives in Durham.
Leslie Morales
Leslie is a native of Florida of Guatemalan heritage, and she grew up in Siler City. Leslie earned BAs in Psychology and Nursing with a minor in Latina/o Studies from UNC Chapel Hill. She currently works as a nurse at Duke University Hospital’s General Surgery and Trauma Stepdown Unit. Leslie plans to pursue a nurse practitioner degree in the future. In her free time, she loves to skate, watch movies and spend time with her adorable little niece.