Marina is a second-generation Mexican-American, and disability advocate. She grew up on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino County, California, between urban working class and suburban middle class neighborhoods. Her experiences, intersectional identities and the deep roots of love planted within her by her antepasados, fuels her work as a Community Development specialist. 

Marina is a founding and current board member of THRIVE Santa Ana, the City of Santa Ana’s first community land trust. She also sits on the board of the California Community Land Trust Network to connect and amplify the impact of community land trusts across the state, from rural to urban communities.

Prior to joining California Walks, Marina was the Community Building Coach at NeighborWorks Orange County. She partnered with place-based and interest-based resident groups to facilitate community-led solutions that promoted  resident leadership, self-determination, and collaboration. In 2015, she co-founded Orange County’s first ActiveTransportation Leadership Program, where she engaged over 150 residents, including youth, women, and people of color in the local planning and design processes for Complete Streets projects. She has presented her community-based work across the state, including the California Bike Summit in 2015 and Orange County’s Active Transportation Forum in 2016. She is also a League Certified Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists. She enjoys biking, hiking, dancing, spicy food and exploring spaces that have historically excluded Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities.

Marina is excited to join the California Walks team as the Community Programs Manager for the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program. In her new role, she is committed to continue her work shifting traditional community engagement to resident-led initiatives that are driven by residents who have experienced the most harm. This work starts with acknowledging her own advantages and misunderstandings, and recognizing our collective liberation is bound to one another.