Cecilia “Cece” Gonzalez Herrera (she/her) is the Advocacy Coordinator for Voting Rights at LatinoJustice PRLDEF (Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund). Originally from Venezuela, Cece relocated to Central Florida seven years ago. With a rich background in advocacy, Cece has tirelessly worked on a variety of issues, including voting rights, immigration reform, gun violence prevention and humanitarian aid.

She has extensive experience as a political organizer, working on high-profile campaigns and grassroots efforts to engage underrepresented communities. Cece has led strategic advocacy initiatives, built coalitions and mobilized volunteers across Florida all while promoting inclusive policies and ensuring that marginalized voices are heard. She is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Central Florida, where she is working on her thesis exploring the impact of banned books and censorship.

Cece is a dedicated community advocate, actively volunteering with local organizations like the Global Shapers Orlando and leading initiatives such as the Little Free Diverse Libraries promoting access to literature across Central Florida. She has worked with Global Shapers to fund and build free little libraries stocked with banned books in underserved areas. The first Shaper library was installed last fall at Zebra Youth, an Orlando nonprofit that provides services to any young person experiencing homelessness, bullying, isolation from their families, and physical, sexual, and drug abuse with a special focus on the needs of the LGBTQ+ population. 

As a Steering Committee Member for Giffords Florida, she works on efforts to reduce gun violence, and her participation in the U.S Global Leadership Coalition Next Gen Fellowship underscores her dedication to global development and diplomacy. Cece is passionate about giving back to the community that welcomed her, whether through running a 5k with Track Shack to raising funds for charity, supporting local minority-owned businesses or fighting to ensure that everyone has fair access to the

ballot.

Ricardo Negron-Almodovar was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has more than nine years of experience working with the Florida nonprofit sector, with an emphasis in nonpartisan voting rights advocacy.

He currently serves as the Florida Senior Campaign Manager for All Voting is Local, a multistate nonpartisan voting rights organization, and is the co-founder and chair of Del Ambiente, an organization that promotes the holistic development of LGBTQ+communities in Florida.

Negron-Almodovar has a master’s degrees in education and in public administration and a juris doctor. In 2015, he moved from Yauco, Puerto Rico, to Orlando, Florida. During his first year in Florida, he taught English to adults and became involved in civic engagement efforts to register new voters.

He survived the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. He has since worked to empower LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities, focusing on advocacy in support of Hurricane Maria survivors, language access, common-sense gun legislation and the protection of voting rights.

Carla Rivera was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She moved to Florida in 2016 and afterward completed her undergraduate studies at UCF in public administration and intelligence and national security and a dual master's degree in Public Administration

and Criminal Justice with multiple different minors.

She has worked in higher education and local and state government where she has implemented ways to pay for education and innovative programs to assist the community. She is currently the Legislative and Policy Manager at Alianza for Progress, focusing on youth mobilization, and government affairs, campaign organizing and many other duties. Her experience allows her to be a voice to ensure that the Latino community is heard.

She was awarded the Tomorrow’s Leader Today award in 2022 by the Young Professionals of Osceola County.

Carla also served as a legislative and district aide to Florida Representative Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, over a three-year period.

Samuel Vilchez Santiago, originally from Venezuela, came to the United States at an early age, escaping political persecution from Venezuela's authoritarian regime. He is a nonprofit leader and advocate who has dedicated his professional career to fighting to protect the rights of Floridians.

He has served as the Florida State Director at the American Business Immigration Coalition, the Human and Civil Rights Nonprofit Manager at ActBlue, and the Florida Campaign Manager at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, among others.

He is also a board member at Alianza Center, the HOPE Community Center, and the Venezuelan American Caucus. He served as a member of the Orange County Charter Review Commission in 2020, becoming the youngest member of a county board in Orange County. 

Through these roles, Samuel has helped to effectively design and implement policies that have improved the quality of life of those around him, including protecting in-state tuition access for Dreamers in Florida, the designation and redesignation of TPS for 800,000 Venezuelans, the creation of the humanitarian parole program, and the critical environmental protections to clean water and Split Oak Forest. 

Samuel has also worked to advance Democratic values and candidates at the local, state and federal levels. He currently serves as the chair of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee and as a Member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), being the first Gen-Z person to hold both leadership roles. In 2018, he led a successful youth-run campaign to elect Johanna López to the Orange County School Board, who became the first Latina member of this board.

Samuel graduated as valedictorian from Colonial High School in 2015 and obtained a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford. He is a recipient of President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award, the Congressional Youth Award, and the Eisenhower Fellowship.

Kirstin Delgado is a veteran journalist with a career spanning 14 years. She believes compassion is the cornerstone of good storytelling, leading to insightful and compelling reporting. She’s the first person in her family to graduate from college and did so with honors, graduating cum laude from Hampton University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.

Over the years, her work has not only informed the public but also sparked important conversations on critical issues. She anchored and helped produce an hour-long special that gave viewers in Central Florida an in-depth look into the power outages plaguing Puerto Rico and held top leaders to account, five years after Hurricane Maria. 

Her commitment to her craft is exemplified in her book, “Be a Journalist, They Said: What it actually takes to be a reporter,” which delves into the nuances of the journalism industry and offers a critical examination of its evolution and the challenges faced by modern journalists.



She’s also been nominated for three Emmy Awards, underscoring her ability to deliver compelling and impactful stories that resonate with audiences and peers alike.