Reyna Lopez

Reyna Lopez

Reyna Lopez is Executive Director, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN). She is on the board of the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation.

Bio

Bio verbatim from the Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste website:

Reyna is a leader and proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico, who came to Oregon in the late 80’s following the migration of farm work in the Marion County area. She is currently the President/Executive Director of PCUN, which was started by farmworkers and is now one of Oregon’s longest standing Latinx led organizations. Reyna grew up in Salem, Oregon and graduated from Willamette University with her BA in Political Science and Sociology. For over a decade, she has been a fierce leader and advocate for the Latinx community, receiving the Immigrant Award from the American Association of Immigration Lawyers of Oregon, Willamette University’s Young Alumni of the Year Award, Portland Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, Young Visionary of the Year Awards from Ecumenical Ministries, and the Rey Espana Aguila Award from Latino Network for her work in social justice causes, campaigns, movement and coalition building. Today, she is leading national efforts through her work on the Center for Popular Democracy Action Board, the Equitable Food Initiative, and the Farmworker Justice Board of Directors.

Reyna’s passion for organizing and community is reflected throughout her career from her position as Civic Engagement Director at Causa, where she led the Yes on 88 Campaign, Oregon’s first bilingual-bicultural ballot measure campaign! She founded the organization’s New American Voter’s Project and worked tirelessly to win Tuition Equity – a fight that took over a decade – for Oregon’s Dreamer population. In recent years, Reyna was the Outreach Director at Our Oregon, where she managed the Fellowship Program and organization’s base building efforts for Oregon revenue reforms. As well as working towards gender justice at Family Forward Oregon as the Organizing Director where she developed organizing programs for Paid Family and Medical Leave, and nationally focused campaigns to fight back from harmful cuts to safety net programs.

Gretchen Kafoury Award

Verbatim from the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation website:

"PCUN, FHDC’s Reyna Lopez Recognized with Gretchen Kafoury Award by Housing Oregon"

"Every year, Housing Oregon selects leaders across the housing and community development sector who have worked tirelessly to build up their communities. This year, FHDC’s Board Secretary, Reyna Lopez, was recognized as the fearless activist she is and for the role she played in advocating for and implementing the Oregon Worker Relief Fund. She was this year’s recipient of the Greth Kafoury award. As an elected official who always stood up for what is right, Gretchen Kafoury had a profound and lasting impact on our state and its people.

The Oregon Worker Relief Fund (OWRF) is a historic initiative supported by stakeholders at all levels to invest in immigrant Oregonians who were excluded from federal relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. FHDC served as a fiscal administrator for the OWRF, distributing tens of millions of dollars in resources to more than 37,000 individuals who do not qualify for State or Federal relief funds and social services.

Leading the way was none other than FHDC’s Board Secretary and PCUN’s Executive Director, Reyna Lopez. With a fierce vision for the redistribution of wealth, protection for all workers, and that “Si Se Puede” outlook, the OWRF created a safety net for immigrant essential workers who experienced exacerbated inequities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The success of the OWRF resulted in the fostering of deep coalition partnerships, utilizing community-led design serves as a stepping stone for policy advocacy and community organizing that can be replicated across domains and jurisdictions to transform systems to be more equitable, inclusive, and effective.

CPD Action & Center for Popular Democracy

Reyna Lopez is on the CPD Action Board of Directors as of February 21, 2023. CPD Action is the sister organization of the Center for Popular Democracy.