About CLLARO

BVA 2022
Our results

Take a look at the big impact we have made

200k
Humans impacted
50k
Collaborators
120+
Assisted
120+
Assisted communities

Our Story

On March 13, 1964, Lena Archuleta, Charles Tafoya and Bernie Valdez joined the President and Executive Director of the United Fund to sign the first agreement in the nation between a United Fund (now Mile High United Way) and a Latino 501(c)(3) organization: the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA). LARASA was established to address the needs of Latinos in education, youth motivation, job development, training and employment, health and welfare, housing, and community resources.

LARASA's vision was to create an agency where people from all ethnic and racial groups could work together to improve the conditions under which Latinos lived and worked with the belief that when you improve the lives of Latinos, you improve the lives of all Coloradans. Over the years, the board of directors and staff operated a wide range of programs in response to needs identified by and for Latinos in the Denver Metro areas and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of Colorado.

Toward the end of the 20th century, LARASA became increasingly committed to training new generations of future leaders within the state's racial and ethnic minority communities. In 2007, LARASA changed its name and became the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, and Research Organization (CLLARO).

2024 Members of the Board of Directors

Board Officers Chair - The Honorable Federico Peña, Senior Advisor, Colorado Impact Fund Denver

Vice-Chair - Mr. Luís Jorge Castañeda, Founder & Owner, Castañeda Law, Denver, CO & Phoenix, AZ

Secretary - Mr. Fred Galves, Attorney, Orona Garcia & Duran Law Firm

Treasurer - Mr. Evan Smith-Acuña - Assistant Vice President, FirstBank, Aurora

2024 Board Members

Mr.True Apodaca - Founder and Principal, True Strategies Colorado, Denver

Mr. Mark Cordova - President, Centennial Bolt, Denver

Mr.Mike Cortés, MSW, MPP, PhD - Scholar In Residence and Special Community Member, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work

Ms.Cristal De Herrera - Attorney, Aviation, Denver

Ms.Iris Lozano - Attorney, Labor & Employment, Sherman and Howard, Denver

Mr.Bruno Meli - Vice President, U.S. Bank, Denver

Dr.Celeste Montoya - Associate Professor, Women and Gender Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Mr.Elvis Rubio - Government & Community Affairs Officer, Dept. of HousingStability, City and County of Denver

CLLARO at a rally
Our story

Why did we start Cllaro?

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Our mission

Empowering Latinos through many avenues.

CLLARO’s mission is to empower Latinos through leadership development, advocacy and policy research to strengthen Colorado. CLLARO’s vision for the future is a State of Colorado where Latinos can thrive and reach their fullest potential.

Our Directory

Colorado’s Latino community faces pressing civil and socioeconomic issues: the Latino achievement and wage gap, educational challenges, inadequate political representation, rising inflation and economic challenges, and more.

To us, there is no difference between the Latino immigrant of yesterday and the sixth-generation Latino of today. We all aspire to and should have the same opportunities as the rest of our fellow residents, and the future of CLLARO is promising.

The future of CLLARO is one where we proactively engage in partnerships with our communities and universities to again invest in high-quality research and policies, working alongside elected leaders and institutions to build a new agenda for Latino prosperity.

The future of CLLARO is one where we actively work towards the hiring and election of Latinos in leadership positions, and proactively identify opportunities for our state’s institutions to diversify and embrace fresh perspectives.

The future of CLLARO is bright, and we are looking to our history and our beginnings as LARASA to guide us.

Colorado’s Latino community is viably self-sufficient, yet with increased funding and representation, there are no limits to what we can collectively achieve.

CLLARO is dedicated to tirelessly advocating for our community. Thank you for your support!

Mario Carrera
Mario M. Carrera

Our Board Members

Our bilingual and bicultural staff are acutely aware of Colorado’s local Latino community. Get to know them!

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