We are excited to share that in 2023, three of our Leaders of Color Alumni will be running for public office in upcoming elections!

These leaders will bring extensive community and professional experience as State Representatives in Louisiana and City Council in Stockton, CA. As alumni of our program, each of these candidates has received 70 hours of training across all six dimensions of civic engagement as defined by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). While in the program, each fellow engages in issues that are impacting our communities right - from legacy admissions, to book bans, to college credit pathways - while also diving deep into the historical issues that shape our systems and structures today. 

Meet our alumni leaders who are up for election:

‍

Ravis Martinez 

Candidate for Louisiana State Representative District 44 

Ravis K. Martinez is a proud Lafayette, Louisiana native who wears many hats in his service to the Lafayette community. Ravis sits on a host of local boards and currently works as Executive Vice President & Chief Strategist for Pride Opportunity Developers (The POD Group), which is a partner with the Northway EDD that is focused on bringing investments, jobs, and opportunities to North Lafayette, Louisiana. He joined POD after a strong career as an entrepreneur and strategy expert with over 25 years of experience in operations management, real estate, non- profit, campaign management, strategy and consulting.

Ravis is a strong education advocate who understands that supporting our education community is a long-term commitment that is focused on providing every child a high-quality public education that listens to the perspectives and experiences of teachers, while focusing on bringing innovation, technology, and opportunities to help every child reach their full potential.

Ravis has a B.S. Degree from the University of Louisiana – Lafayette where he served as Student Body President & Student Member on the Board of Supervisors. He is currently completing requirements for a master's degree from Southern University and A & M College – Baton Rouge in Public Policy. Ravis is a U.S. Marine, a twenty-five-year active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Leadership Louisiana alumnus, Leaders of Color, Lafayette Library Foundation, President of the NAACP – Lafayette Branch, and GirlDad to three beautiful daughters. To donate visit. 

Daryl Joy Walters

Candidate for Louisiana State Representative District 4 

Daryl Joy Walters is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas and a specialized certificate from Yale University’s Women’s Campaign School. Also she holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton, Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Joy knows that she stands on the shoulders of giants and leaders, who have paved the way for her success. It is for these reasons that she fights passionately for the under-represented and the underserved in our communities. Daryl Joy Walters is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, initiated in the Alpha Iota Chapter. Also Joy is a faithful member of the Mount Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, where Dr. Harry Blake Sr. is the Pastor. To donate visit. 

‍

Mario Enríquez.

Candidate for Stockton City Council District 4

Mario Enríquez is a proud resident and committed advocate to Stockton and the Central Valley - a region. He is running for Stockton City Council because he knows the importance of working with and for the community in creating effective solutions. Mario is a proud son of immigrant parents, a first-generation college student, and a public servant who is prepared to bring fresh, new ideas to help tackle our biggest issues in our community.

In 2010 after graduating from University of the Pacific, Mario moved to Washington to work for UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza), the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization focusing on building a pipeline of Latinx youth leadership. This opportunity was much in part thanks to his internship with El Concilio in the Stockton office. Mario wanted to continue to advance his leadership training for Stockton so in 2013, Mario was selected as a National Coro Fellow in Public Affairs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – the nation’s oldest leadership development program. Coro focused on exposing young professionals in the nonprofit, government, and business sectors and acquired their decades-long training on consensus-building and adaptive leadership.

In 2016, he completed his graduate studies at a Top 10 public policy school at the University of Southern California. Eager to learn the policy-making process, Mario returned to Washington where he was selected as a Post-Graduate Fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Mario has had the unique lived experience to travel the world, live in various cities, all with bringing best-practices and solutions right back home in Stockton. In his current professional role, he serves as the Director of the Center for Identity & Inclusion and a professor in leadership at University of the Pacific - his alma mater. He is ready to bring a bold, fresh perspective to the region and to the people of Stockton and District 4. To donate visit.