A Message From Cynthia Sanchez, Executive Director
Dear Proyecto Pastoral Family,
After 16 years as Proyecto Pastoral’s Executive Director, I am writing to share the news that I will be transitioning from my role at the end of August.
Serving as the Executive Director of Proyecto Pastoral has been a dream opportunity for me. I have been blessed to work alongside the fierce, innovative, and passionate people who make up Proyecto Pastoral - staff, board, community founders and leaders, funders, and partners. I am filled with gratitude and awe in reflecting on the collective impact we have achieved together. Proyecto Pastoral has grown to be an anchor organization in Boyle Heights, and I am excited to see how it continues to grow under new leadership.
True to Proyecto Pastoral’s value of leadership development, our dynamic organization reflects the power in fostering the leadership of others. In this spirit, I am so excited to share that Raquel Román will become Proyecto Pastoral’s next Executive Director, effective September 1, 2021. Raquel has served Proyecto Pastoral and the Boyle Heights community in her role as the Guadalupe Homeless Project’s Director over the past 12 years, and more recently in her role as Proyecto’s first Director of People, Equity, and Culture, where she led the organization to bring us closer to our social justice values. Raquel is a staunch advocate for immigrant rights and is deeply dedicated to healing, social justice, and the Boyle Heights community.
Our staff and board remain steadfast in their commitment to our mission. I hope that I served as Executive Director with integrity and care that reflects my love for this extraordinary organization and community.
With Gratitude,
Cynthia Sanchez
From Board Chair, Brian Albert
For the past 16 years, Cynthia Sanchez has been a tremendous leader of Proyecto Pastoral, bringing her tireless love for the community and staff, and her unparalleled commitment to expanding our mission and capacities. Under her leadership, Proyecto has tripled its operating budget and more importantly expanded our reach and the number of people touched by our programs and enabling and empowering a backbone of support for the cutting edge Promesa Boyle Heights collaborative.
We want to thank Cynthia for the huge impact she has made on Proyecto and the Boyle Heights community!
We are also exceptionally fortunate that Raquel Román has agreed to accept our offer to be our next Executive Director. Raquel is someone who has a deep and abiding commitment to and compassion for the people of the Proyecto community, whose heart is second to no one, and whose leadership, empathy, and intelligence will serve Proyecto as we move into a new era of strength and struggle. The Board conducted a search focused on finding an Executive Director who would fully understood Proyecto’s unique role in and history with the community of Boyle Heights and who would stay true to the values of reciprocity and discernment that make Proyecto a most extraordinary organization. As the search progressed it became abundantly clear to the Board that no one else could more fully embody these values and whose leadership abilities we would be better suited to the challenges of the coming years. Raquel has worked to build trust and extend the impact of Proyecto in the community for more than 12 years and she is exceptionally well suited and beautifully prepared to step into this position. The Board was convinced that finding and nurturing brilliant and talented people from within the organization was the best way for Proyecto to build on the existing strengths of our community from within.
We are thrilled to welcome Raquel as our next Executive Director and eagerly await the future we will build together!
Best regards,
Brian Albert
