Our Story

How did Equis come to be?

We believe the future of American democracy is inextricably linked to our ability to massively increase civic participation among Latinos in this country.

We launched Equis in 2019 to address this challenge.

We set out to create a better understanding of Latinos, innovate new approaches to reach and engage them, and invest in the leadership and infrastructure for long-term change and increased engagement.

Latino, Latinx, Latine, Hispanic?

In an effort to embrace the many cultures and complexities within our community, Equis utilizes at least all four nouns to further articulate the diversity and nuance of the Hispanic diaspora in the United States.

What do
we do?

Equis seeks to be a resource that develops actionable recommendations for practitioners seeking to engage the Latinx voter. We work collaboratively with partners and allies, lead with learning and research, and support building programs that address the deep-rooted issues that prevent Hispanic and Latino communities from achieving their full potential and influence.

Meet the Team

Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of Research | He/Him
Carlos Odio
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Carlos oversees the research and overall strategy for Equis.

Previously, Carlos was an advisor to progressive funders on strategies around civic engagement, advocacy and politics. For more than five years, he acted as Executive Director for the Florida Alliance, a state donor collaborative that helped fund campaigns for democracy reform, civic participation, and legislative accountability, among others.

Formerly, he was Director of Special Projects for New Organizing Institute, leading experiments on candidate recruitment and online campaign training. He was a member of the DNC Platform Drafting Committee in 2012.

Carlos served in the White House Office of Political Affairs, acting as a liaison for Latino leaders and an advisor on political issues in the southern and western regions, after working as Deputy Latino Vote Director for the 2008 presidential campaign.

Before joining the campaign, he managed communications for AlleyCorp, a group of New York-based internet start-ups that included Business Insider and Gilt Groupe, and GALA, an arts non-profit in DC.

At American University, he majored in Spanish Studies, focusing on Latin American literature. Carlos is from Miami, FL and currently resides in West New York, NJ with his wife and two daughters.

Chief of Moonshot Strategies | She/Her
Jess Morales Rocketto
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Jess Morales Rocketto is currently at Equis Research as Chief of Moonshot Strategies – leading their efforts on new, bold, and long-term efforts to build Latino political power.

Jess was previously the Director of Civic Engagement for the National Domestic Workers Alliance & Executive Director of Care in Action and the Co-Chair of the Families Belong Together Coalition. She is a co-founder of Supermajority and Poderistas.

She is also an alumna of Hillary for America, the AFL-CIO, Obama for America, and the DNC.

Co-Founder and President | She/Her
Stephanie Valencia
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Stephanie Valencia is a national leader and innovator at the nexus of politics, technology, and leadership development.

She is the co-founder of Equis, a set of organizations working to create a better understanding of Latino voters and investing in new approaches to reach and engage them while building the infrastructure and leadership bench to advance this important work. She has spent her career working in Congress, the White House, Google, and advised entrepreneurs like Reid Hoffman and Penny Pritzker.

She serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood for America Action, Community Change Action, and is a founding member of Poderistas, with Eva Longoria & America Ferrera.

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Alexis Acevedo
Director of Partnerships and Program Implementation | He/Him
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Melissa Ballas
PTC Coordinator | She/her
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Lu Baroni
Targeting Associate | They/Them
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Michael Caballero
Senior Director of Business Operations | He/Him
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Natalia Campos Vargas
Deputy Research Director, Messaging | She/Her
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Ian Castro
Political Database Manager | He/They
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Ino Chavez
Operational Excellence Coordinator | He/Him
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Maria Isabel Di Franco
Research Director | She/Her
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Nery Espinosa
Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Communications | She/her
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Clara García
Deputy Director of Research | She/Her
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Melissa Garcia
Partnerships Manager | She/Her
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Estefania Gonzalez
Research Coordinator | She/Her
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Sam Gonzalez
Sr. Director of Culture in the Moonshots, Culture and Media | He/Him
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Shazia Gonzalez
Targeting Associate | She/Her
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Izzy Gravano
Moonshots Associate | She/Her
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Alex Hagermoser
Development Director, Democracy & Media Moonshots | He/Him
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Juan Machado
Political Lab Manager | He/Him
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Yoli Magallanes
Vice President of Development | She/Her
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Marisela Maldonado
Sr. Director of People, Talent, Culture | She/Her
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Karina Marquez
Development Director, Latino Talent & Culture Moonshots | She/Her
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Karoll Marroni
Research Associate, Messaging | She/Her/Ella
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Drew Olsen
Senior Director of Targeting | He/Him
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Caitlin Opperman
Research Director | She/Her
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Héctor Portillo
Deputy Targeting Director | He/Him
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Tatiana Ramirez
PTC Business Partner | She/Her
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Liliana Rebolledo
Initiative Director | She/Her
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Elis Ribeiro
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer | She/Her
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Javier Rodríguez
Senior Analyst | He/Him
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Iridane Sanchez
Finance Manager | She/Her
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Rachel Stein
Chief Analyst | She/Her
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Isa Vidal
PTC Coordinator | She/her
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Our Values

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Embrace Truth & Complexity

We are bold, and do not shy away from big challenges and questions.

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Get
Stuff Done

We focus on impact while being action-oriented, balancing intention, speed and need.

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Drive
Innovation

We are the Gold Standard of Latino research, using digital experimentation, media monitoring, testing, and more.

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Foster Generosity & Inclusivity

We show up with compassion and care. We are not proprietary.

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Cultivate
Learning

We are an evergreen, curious team committed to growth.

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