Alexandra Alonso is the Executive Director at Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization (CLLARO), founded in 1964 as LARASA (Latin American Research & Services Agency). She was born in Florida and grew up in Colorado but always had the strong influence of her Cuban and Colombian family. She is passionate about advocating for the Latino community, equitable education, and eliminating the stigma around mental health. Alexandra studied Spanish Language and Literature with a minor in Leadership Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Before joining the CLLARO team, Alexandra worked as the Internship Coordinator at The Denver Post and began her journey as a CLLARO volunteer. As a CLLARO Capitol Fellow, she spent 2016 the legislative session at the Colorado Department of Higher Education working efforts to close student opportunity and attainment gaps around the state. She then became CLLARO’s Program Manager, focusing on equity in education for the Latino community, specifically around the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act in Colorado. During her time as Program Manager, she advocated for underrepresented students State Board of Education meetings, planned a state-wide ESSA convening, presented the work of the Equity in Colorado Coalition to a national audience at the Leadership Conference Education Fund in Houston and sat on two spoke committees for CDE’s Colorado’s ESSA state plan development.
Music and dancing are an integral part of Alexandra’s life. In her spare time, you can usually find her at a karaoke spot with her husband, singing at the dinner table with family or dancing at a Zumba studio.
What are you looking forward to as a fellow of TLC?
“I am looking forward to learning from a powerful group of leaders in Colorado and to having important conversations about moving our communities forward together.“