Board of Directors

Jose "Joey" Ramirez has been a board member of CRP since November of 2018. Joey is a Sacramento born and raised Entrepreneur and Artist who specializes in Graphic Design and Marketing. Joey has extensive experience working in the community implementing community-based programs and organizing an array of fundraising efforts from art shows, festivals, car show block parties and securing corporate and private donations for local nonprofits. Joey has served as the president for the board of directors for the Washington Neighborhood Center, a historic youth center in downtown Sacramento and is also a newer member of the Royal Chicano Air Force, a historic California-based based art collective that was instrumental in the Chicano Art and Activist movement of the '70s and '80s. To date, Joey continues his work in the community and is an active advocate for the youth and the arts in Sacramento.

Norma Koch has served on the Community Resource Project, Inc. Board of Directors since July of 2015. She is currently retired but continues to be an active voice within the community. As a Board member she brings extensive knowledge of Medi-Cal and Medicare benefits, record management and auditing, and the community’s needs. Norma has worked for the State of California as an Associate Governmental Program Analyst, Staff Service Analyst, and Program Technician. In her career she was an instructor for Adult Post-Secondary Education teaching Information Technology & Medical Billing. She also volunteers for HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling Advocacy Program) for health care. Her passion for those in the low-income community continually pushes Community Resource Project Inc. to be in the forefront in meeting the community’s needs.

Hermán grew up in South-Central Los Angeles. After graduating from college, he gathered over 20 years of experience in government and non-profit work in southern and northern California. Herman is the founder and lead community organizer at the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition. He also serves on the board of the Latino Leadership Council and social justice ministries with the Sacramento Catholic Diocese. He is happy to call the Sacramento Valley home.

Cynthia Moreno is a former award-winning journalist and bilingual communications professional with over fifteen years of experience working in different capacities for different media outlets in print, radio and television across California. Cynthia has worked in the government, private and nonprofit sectors with a special focus on public relations, media relations, crisis communications, internal/external and strategic communications. She has also worked in the areas of promotions, marketing, and the legal profession. As a former California governor's appointee, Cynthia worked with various state departments and agencies, including the governor's office, independent foundations, community organizations, interested partners, stakeholders and individuals to develop and lead successful outreach and media campaigns in hard-to-reach multiethnic, multilingual, underserved and underrepresented communities throughout California. She also specializes in Spanish-language bilingual communications with a focus on messaging, branding, and social media. Prior to her work as an appointee, Cynthia was a Communications Consultant in the California State Assembly where she provided communications expertise, direction, counsel and guidance to Assembly leadership and their staff. She also worked in the California State Senate as a Communications Director.

Cynthia has been a New York Times Fellow through the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, was featured on the cover of Comstock Magazine as one of Sacramento's young, emerging leaders in 2017 and was named the Sacramento Business Journal's top 40 under 40. She was given the prestigious 'Spirit of Latina' award through the Chicano-Latino State Employees Association, the 'Community Service Award' for outstanding journalism by the Cruz Reynoso Bar Association. Cynthia has won dozens of National Association of Hispanic Publications Awards and the prestigious McClatchy President's Awards for her journalistic writing. In 2011, she was selected to represent California through the Mexican government's prestigious 'Institute for Mexicans Abroad' (IME) program and was a Rotary Fellow to South Korea.

Cynthia is currently a Communications Officer at Sierra Health Foundation and a bilingual communications strategist with SociosPR, an award-winning multicultural public relations, communications and outreach agency in Sacramento where she is the account manager for Visit Sacramento, where she has been helping the organization craft their Spanish-language outreach strategies to the Latino/bilingual/multicultural communities of the region and around the globe. She is a proud graduate from the University of California, Berkeley where she holds a bachelor's degree in legal studies.

Mr. Delgado his lived in the Yuba-Sutter community for almost 47 years. He grew up in Chico and is a graduate of Chico Senior High School and received his Associate of Arts Degree from Butte College. Mr. Delgado has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the California State University of Chico.

Mr. Delgado has worked and volunteered in the Yuba/ Sutter area in various capacities, as a Family Counselor, Yuba-Sutter Veterans Stand Down organizer, Radio Announcer, School Counselor, and English as a Second Language Teacher. Mr. Delgado is a team player, he is passionate about working with diverse populations, and has the ability to prioritize work and delegate duties. After close to forty years as an Educator and serving the people of California Mr. Delgado retired from the California Department of Education. He worked in the Adult Education and the Specialized Secondary programs.

Antonio Silva, has served on the Community Resource Project, Inc. Board of Directors since June of 2014. Antonio Silva is semi-retired but still works part time as a Special Projects Director. He is a Vietnam Veteran and Past Founder & Executive Director for Central Valley Opportunity Center. He has worked as a community advocate and grassroots organizer in rural communities in Madera, California and was the Housing Director for California Human Development (CHD) headquartered in Santa Rosa, California.

Antonio brings considerable expertise in affordable housing, small business development, and community economic development. He places great emphasis in his work on assisting the low income farm worker community throughout Northern California and Hawaii. As a board member at Community Resource Project, Inc. Antonio continues to impact its growth and outreach into the needs of the community.

Mariana Corona Sabeniano serves as a Chief of Staff in the California State Senate. Mariana has over thirteen years working on legislation and advancing policy on a variety of issues, including education, health, women’s issues, etc.

Mariana is actively involved in the Sacramento community. She currently serves as the Chair of the Sacramento Latino Community Roundtable and Vice Chair of Metro EDGE. Mariana enjoys her work with the Latino Economic Council of Sacramento County to help advocate for issues impacting the latino community in Sacramento County. Additionally, as a board member on the Natomas Schools Foundation, Mariana helps the Foundation raise funds for scholarships to support graduating seniors. She also enjoys giving back to her alma mater, Sacramento State, through her involvement on the Sacramento State Alumni Association, Board of Directors.

Mariana grew up in Arbuckle, California with her five siblings to immigrant parents from Mexico. Mariana is the first one in her family to attend and graduate from college. She earned her BA from Sacramento State and a Masters of Science in Law from McGeorge School of Law.

Luis La O joined the Community Resource Project, Inc. Board of Directors in January of 2023. He is currently a Relationship Manager at Tri Counties Bank and primarily focuses on Commercial Lending. Luis has been in the banking industry for over 8 years, with the majority of his career having been in Retail Banking and Management. His current responsibilities include managing relationships with commercial clients in assigned business segments and/or geographic areas by creating, monitoring & developing strategic business plans for both existing or prospective clients. He identifies business opportunities by learning the prospect’s business, company or industry and their needs, and maintains an awareness of competitive products, practices, rates, and changes in market areas. Luis has earned multiple awards during the course of his career, including Tri Counties Bank’s W.I.S.E. Champion award for providing service with solutions and winning the President’s Club award 3 years consecutively. Luis is excited to bring his experience and skills to CRP to continue to assist its communities.

Luis was born in Havana, Cuba and moved to the US in 1996. Luis grew up in the Sacramento area and currently resides in North Highlands with his wife and son. Luis‘s hobbies consist of traveling, spending time with family, and working on home/car projects. When he isn’t doing any of his hobbies, you’ll find him playing a friendly game of pick-up soccer. 

Erica Jaramillo is co-founder of the Greater Sacramento Fair Housing Council. Erica has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from University of San Francisco. She brings with her over ten years working in the public sector serving underserved and historically marginalized populations. Erica works for Sacramento County Behavioral Health as a Homeless Initiatives Program Planner. She spent nearly three years working at the California State Treasurer's Office and five years working for Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance assisting low income families with public assistance benefits, specifically Homeless Assistance and the Housing Support Program.

Erica was born and raised in Sacramento and has spent the last 7 years organizing and educating renters in her hometown as a member of the Sacramento Tenants Union, where the focus has been improving the quality of life, preventing displacement, providing education on tenant's rights, and increasing affordable and public housing. Through STU, Erica has engaged members in conversations on how to safely, strategically and collectively develop a vested connection to the places we call home. It is through this work and hearing from the impacted voices, she became a fierce advocate for Fair Housing. 

Erica has served on several boards and commissions including Sacramento County's Human Services Coordinating Council and Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD), where Erica played a key role in developing and writing the Community Benefits Agreement between the City of Sacramento and SIWD. Erica currently sits on the board of the Community Resource Project and is Vice Chair of Sacramento County's South Sacramento Community Planning Advisory Council. 

Yolanda Bazan Benson is the President of Government Strategies, Inc., a lobbying, public relations and consulting firm in Sacramento.  Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Yolanda served as Deputy Secretary for Jobs, Economic Development and International Trade at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH), appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, responsible for the following policy issues: jobs, building standards, broadband council, labor, transportation, healthcare, economic growth and international trade.  As the largest Agency in state government, BTH Agency oversees 13 departments and 48,000 employees, including Caltrans, DMV, California Highway Patrol, Department of Managed Health Care, Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Real Estate, Department of Managed Healthcare, among others. Her responsibilities included overseeing the California Small Business Board, the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, helped to develop the California Economic Development Partnership (CEDP) and other outreach to other state agencies, communities, local, regional and statewide organizations and entities working to promote job growth and retention throughout California. Ms. Benson also wrote the California International Trade Partnership (CITP) for the State. Ms. Benson served as the principal lead regarding border issues and developed strategic partnerships with Baja California and British Columbia. She continues to serve on the Steering Committee of the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership.  Top priorities included biotechnology, high-tech, life sciences, goods movement and renewable energy technologies. 

Prior to moving to the Agency, Ms. Benson served as a Deputy Legislative Secretary in the Office of Governor Schwarzenegger working directly with the Governor on legislative priorities regarding issues such as base realignment and closure, building standards, consumer affairs, corporate governance, economic development, energy, housing, international trade, transportation, telecommunications, outsourcing, public sector labor and retirement issues, as well as international trade. 

Ms. Benson’s diverse background and experience includes the legislative arena, public relations, governmental policy, ethnic, coalition development and grassroots advocacy. Her communications skills include working with Spanish media.   Prior to working in the Schwarzenegger Administration, Ms. Benson was a legislative advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce representing more than 16,000 businesses in California.  She was responsible for various policy issues regarding the protection of jobs, and the creation and retention of jobs in California, including Proposition 65 and other civil litigation issues.  Ms. Benson’s experience also includes a variety of positions in state government, including working for several members of the California State Legislature and as a legislative director for the Department of Toxic Substances Control in the California Environmental Protection Agency serving under Governor Pete Wilson.   

As a legislative advocate for numerous diverse organizations and companies, she was responsible for effective communication and implementation of successful strategies for numerous clients. Her understanding of both the public and private sector brings a unique perspective and understanding on how to approach issues and for “getting the job done.”  She has represented numerous clients in the energy, renewable energy, freight and goods movement, financial services, small business, healthcare, non-profits and telecommunications.  

Having worked for three Governors her experience and knowledge are unsurpassed.  Ms. Benson serves as a board member and leader for several entities, including, but not limited to, the California Community Colleges-Economic and Workforce Development Program Advisory Council, Latino Journal, PRSA Foundation, CORO, and the California Utility Diversity Council at the California Public Utilities Commission. She is considered a statewide leader on various policy priorities including economic development, broadband, goods movement and other strategic initiatives in knowledge based industries for jobs and community development. Yolanda holds a Bachelors Degree in Human Resources from Golden Gate University.