Recognized for her leadership by the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, Catalina Sánchez Frank received its 2026 Advancing Women Experience Grant, honoring leaders promoting gender equity across Oregon. She became the first female executive director of the Latino Community Association in January 2025, bringing more than a decade of experience advocating for immigrant communities in Oregon, including serving as vice chair of the Oregon Secretary of State Translation Advisory Council.

At LCA, Sánchez Frank leads a bilingual team acting as a trusted bridge for Latine families across Central Oregon, connecting community members to immigration legal services, housing, workforce and health resources, and culturally rooted programs that foster belonging and opportunity. She also serves on regional advisory groups focused on health equity and community wellbeing.

A Bend resident since 2015, Sánchez Frank immigrated with her family from Colombia during a period of civil unrest. “I am deeply honored to receive this grant and to represent the extraordinary women who pour their hearts into mission-driven work,” she said.

Read more Soul of Central Oregon profiles.