Luis Marcos belongs to the Q'anjob'al Maya Nation and serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, Co-Founder of the Maya Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Ambassador to the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska appointed by the Confederated Government of the Akateko, Chuj, and Qanjobal Maya Nation. Luis relocated to the United States in 1989 during the genocide committed against the Maya Nation by the State of Guatemala. Since then, Luis has been involved in community organizing, preserving Maya culture, and strategically advancing Maya self-determination and self-government.
Luis' work and the work of the Q'anjob'al Maya Nation in Omaha and Q'ajob'al Maya Territory is to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by following an evidence-based process called Native Nations Rebuilding (NNR). NNR is informed by more than 30 years of research by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED) and the Native Nations Institute (NNI) of the University of Arizona on sustainable economic development.
Gus is a permaculture leader teaching sustainable practices throughout Nebraska. He works to elevate projects that focus on issues related to healthy food accessibility, land stewardship, and entrepreneurship in low-income communities. His academic background is in anthropology, sociology, archaeology, and permaculture.
Gus is a former general contractor and certified permaculture designer integrating permaculture design consulting and landscaping into community efforts. As an advocate for those who seek assistance with self-sufficiency, he displays and educates on the limitless entrepreneurial opportunities that create abundance throughout entire communities.
Lizandra Mateo Lorenzo (Maya Q'anjob'al), Executive Assistant
Lizandra works in our Omaha, NE community center and home office. She provides critical day-to-day support for Maya Q'anjob'al community and leadership in Omaha Territory.
Lucero Gonzalez Alvarado (Maya Q'anjob'al), Program Manager, Maya & Indigenous Human Rights Program
Lucero is also taking on additional responsibilities pertaining to the roles of Grants Coordinator and Hiring Liaison for CMPI. Lucero holds a Masters Degree in Human Rights Practice and is a social worker. Her six years of experience in social work and cultural knowledge is critical to our family reunification project work with Maya and Indigenous families separated at the U.S. - Mexico border region. Prior to joining the CMPI Team as a full-time Program Manager, Lucero spent two years working on Human Rights Research with the United Nations, working with Skylight (https://skylight.is), and as a CMPI Human Rights Program partner. As a Maya Q’anjob’al woman, she is honored to be part of a lineage of strong, kind, empathetic, and resilient women who came before her. We are so grateful she chose to bring her talents to CMPI!
Jenny E. Fimbres-Gonzalez, Community Support & Social Services Manager
Jenny has worked for over 18 years in the non-profit sector, with a bilingual proficiency in Spanish. Her primary focus has been on serving the undocumented community, where she has held various roles such as advocate, case manager, DOJ Accredited Representative, and supervisor. Additionally, Jenny has an extensive background of over 16 years working with survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Jenny's parents are from Mexico and she is originally from Oceanside, California. She moved to the Omaha, NE area at the age of 14. Jenny attended Kaplan University and Bellevue University. Married to an EL teacher at Ralston Public Schools, Jenny and her wife share their home with two fur-babies. She is extremely close to her family, and is the oldest of 7 and has 6 nieces and 2 nephews. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, attending to her nieces/nephews activities and playing soccer. Jenny currently helps manage the Women's Futbol Club of Omaha and recently became a board member for the Nebraska State Soccer Association. One of her favorite quotes that guided her into the field of social services is- “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return." -unknown
Lucas Pedro, Maya Q'anjob'al, Urban Agriculture Manager
