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About us

SOMOS.tech is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering an inclusive community for Hispanic, and Latinx, individuals and allies in the technology sector. We bridge the gap between aspiration and reality, providing resources, mentorship and networking opportunities to support a lifelong journey in tech. 

We officially launched on 9/15/22 with the idea of making it easier for those in tech to build a community that transcends across companies and economic barriers, in-person and virtually. We are a proud veteran and minority volunteer led 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All our members are volunteers, and donations go straight to the community and its programs, as we have no paid employees. 

EIN 92-0398538

About the founders

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SOMOS.tech was founded by three individuals from very different walks of life who all found their way into the tech industry, united by a shared belief that community is the cornerstone of innovation and change.

Joey Cruz came from a military background, having proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. Nathalia Dunlap transitioned into tech after graduating from college, while Erika Oviedo brought her experience from the financial world. Despite their different paths, each founder experienced the challenges of navigating the tech landscape without a strong sense of belonging and decided to change that for others.

When asked what inspired them to create SOMOS.tech, each founder shared their personal motivation:

  • Joey Cruz: “The feeling of belonging and a sense of community is so powerful. I want to make that feeling one click away to help anyone find their community where they can feel like they belong.”

  • Nathalia Dunlap: “I wanted to keep the next generation from feeling the way I did. We all deserve to have a seat at the table and the knowledge on how to get there.”

  • Erika Oviedo: “I started it because I know how hard it can be to navigate the tech industry when you don’t see many people who look like you. I wanted to build a community where we can find support, share opportunities, and lift each other up as we grow in our careers.”

Together, Joey, Nathalia, and Erika built SOMOS.tech as a space where anyone, regardless of their starting point, can access resources, mentorship, and a supportive community to thrive in tech.

Why the name SOMOS.tech?

The word SOMOS is Spanish and Portuguese for "we are" and tech to represent that we are tech.  This idea came from having a conversation with Nathalia Dunlap, who co-founded SOMOS early in career network in the Employee Resource Group at Microsoft where she led the creation of a community for Hispanic and Latinx employees.

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Why the Astronaut?

First, there was a race to the cloud—cloud computing transformed everything. Now, with AI, Quantum Computing, and new innovations, the race goes beyond the clouds.

At SOMOS.tech, we see ourselves as explorers of the next frontier—pushing boundaries, breaking barriers, and ensuring tech is inclusive and limitless. The astronaut symbolizes curiosity, courage, and the drive to pioneer what’s next. 🚀✨

Our mission

At SOMOS.tech, we empower Latinos, Latinas, Latinx, and Hispanic professionals in tech along with our allies to reach their full potential. By leveraging the power of AI, fostering community-driven collaboration, and offering innovative resources and mentorship, we create clear pathways for aspiring and early-career technologists to succeed in the technology industry.

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Our Team

Our team members come from varying backgrounds - from U.S. military veterans to skilled Developers, Designers, Product Managers, and Startup professionals and are all un-paid volunteers. 

Our board members

Joey Cruz

CEO & Co-founder

Principal Product Manager at Microsoft

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

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Nathalia Dunlap

COO & Co-founder

Senior Product Manager at Tanium

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Maho Pacheco

Chief Technology Officer

Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft

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Brunella Mori

Chief Strategy Officer

Business Program Manager at Meta

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Maria Young

Chief Product Officer

Principal Product Manager at Microsoft

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Our engineering team

Juliana Destro

Director of Data Science

Principal Data Scientist at Microsoft

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Fernando Serna

Director of Engineering

Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft

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Amy Rodriguez

Product Designer

Research Assistant at University of Michigan

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Jimena Talamantes

Product Manager

Development Assistant at EarthCorps

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Jorge Ramon Vazquez

Data Scientist

Support Engineer at Microsoft

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Our operations team

Erika Oviedo

Director of Analytics & Co-founder

Finance Manager at Microsoft

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Sandra Perez

Director of Product Marketing

Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft

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Juana Estrada

Director of Community Strategy

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Justin Ridings

Responsible AI Lead

Software Engineer at Microsoft

U.S. Army Veteran

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Raquel Avalos

Director of Social Media

Global Communications - Content & Platforms at Delta

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Angélica Roberts

San Francisco Chapter Lead

Senior Product Designer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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Faby Zuñiga

Los Angeles Chapter Lead

Emerging Talent Recruiter at Netflix

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Fernando Morales

New York Chapter Co-Lead

Research Engineer at U.S. Department of Defense

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Pablo Martinez

Seattle Community Program Manager

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Bryan Lliguicota

New York Chapter Lead

Data Scientist at TIFIN

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Jackie McPherson

Seattle Chapter Co-lead

Program Manager at Microsoft

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Want to help the community? Find open roles in the nonprofit or consider donating. We are a volunteer led nonprofit, so all donations go straight to the community. 🫶🏽

Thank you to the creators

We want to acknowledge the teams that have come together to help the community by volunteering their time to create innovative and impactful applications and programs for the community.

Starting with our logo creators, Kal Walker & Jonathan Nava

Starting in tech

Software Engineers  

Fernando Serna

Gina Castromonte

Tatiana Pardenilla Santos

Maho Pacheco

Joey Cruz

Designer

Macarena Morelli

Product Managers 

Anesat León-Guerrero

Dallas Green

Mentorship program

Software Engineers

Derek Gomez

Gina Castromonte

​Fernando Serna

Data Scientist 

​​Juliana Destro

Jorge Ramon Vazquez

Caio Silva

Product Managers 

​Joey Cruz

Designer

Erica Medina

Macarena Morelli

Scholarship program

Program Managers

Iris Azzam

Nathalia Dunlap

Resume builder

Software Engineers

​Yi Liu

​Fernando Serna

​Maho Pacheco

Data Scientist 

​Erandeni Juarez Lopez

​Juliana Destro

Emmanuel Victorio

Josh Cubero

Product Managers 

​Liz Torres-Ramirez

Designer

Macarena Morelli

Thank you to our past contributors

We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has played a role in shaping SOMOS.tech into what it is today. Your dedication and contributions have been invaluable. A special thank you to our founding team, past volunteers, board members, and strategic advisors—your vision and support have been instrumental in our journey!

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