Skip to content
Mobilization

UCLA LPPI and ASU CLAPR Honor Graduates of Inaugural Latino Data Hub Action Lab in Arizona

Throughout the four-month program, 11 passionate Arizona-based community leaders honed their data analysis and policy advocacy skills through a series of training sessions led by UCLA LPPI research staff, culminating in the presentation of transformative capstone projects this October.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: lppipress@luskin.ucla.edu

UCLA LPPI and ASU CLAPR Honor Graduates of Inaugural Latino Data Hub Action Lab in Arizona

LOS ANGELES (October 31, 2024) – The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) and Arizona State University’s Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research (CLAPR) proudly announce the successful completion of the inaugural Latino Data Hub Action Lab in Tempe, Arizona. Throughout the four-month program, 11 passionate Arizona-based community leaders honed their data analysis and policy advocacy skills through a series of training sessions led by UCLA LPPI research staff, culminating in the presentation of transformative capstone projects this October.

Launched in June 2024 with support from JPMorgan Chase, the Arizona Action Lab is a pioneering initiative to train Latino leaders to leverage data for equitable policy solutions in critical areas such as health, education, housing, and employment. Participants engaged in a hybrid curriculum that combined an initial in-person kickoff session with virtual workshops, equipping them to address pressing challenges in their communities through evidence-based advocacy.

Each capstone project utilized the Latino Data Hub to research and address pressing policy questions, ranging from the economic and social impacts of policies like occupational licensing for undocumented immigrants to the barriers Latinos face in accessing mental health services and education, showcasing the power of data-driven advocacy to address community challenges.

Congratulations to our first Arizona Latino Data Hub Action Lab cohort: 

  • Andrea Whiting, Co-Founder and President, Tomorrow We Vote
  • Fátima Luna, Chief Resilience Office, City of Tucson  
  • Genesis Arizmendi, Assistant Professor, College of Science at the University of Arizona
  • Jonatan Giudice, Director of Curriculum, Strategy, Fundraising, Trans Queer Pueblo – Semilla de Liberación
  • Jose Patino, VP of Education & External Affairs, Aliento
  • Mario Montoya, Research Analyst + Coalition Consultant, Aliento
  • Matthew Sotelo, Director of Leadership, Valle del Sol
  • Paul Padilla, Director of Market Intelligence, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • Selina Barajas, Founder and Co-Owner, Luna y Sol Cafe
  • Valentina Restrepo Montoya, Executive Director and CEO, Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services
  • Victoria Villalba, Data & Research Manager, Instituto

###

About UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute
The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute is a non-partisan research institute that seeks to inform, engage, and empower Latinos through innovative research and policy analysis. LPPI aims to promote equitable and inclusive policies that address the needs of the Latino community and advance social justice. latino.ucla.edu.

About ASU Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research
The mission of CLAPR is to foster and support thoughtful, objective, and innovative research on the political and policy circumstances of the nation’s Latina/o-Hispanic population, thereby creating a fuller, deeper understanding of politics and governance in the United States.  This mission entails facilitating and disseminating research that emphasizes, but is not limited to, empirical and normative theoretical perspectives, historical context, institutional dimensions, and public policy issues which are especially germane to the Latina/o-Hispanic population while also having broad significance for American society and politics.

About JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America (“U.S.”), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $4.1 trillion in assets and $337 billion in stockholders’ equity as of March 31, 2024. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.