Alma Villegas brings over 25 years of experience in facilitation, advocacy and skill-building. She has a long history in organizational development, programming, and community engagement in the private and public sectors, specifically focusing on evaluating policy and practices. A seasoned advisor, her areas of expertise include conducting racial equity audits, organizational needs assessments, strategic planning, racial equity framework co-creation and development, multicultural and multilingual community engagement, one-on-one and group coaching, and operations and project management. Prior to becoming a consultant, Alma held multiple positions in Finance, Operations, Policy Advocacy, and Program Development for several nonprofit organizations. She has worked with organizations like Global to Local, Stand for Children, Community Schools Collaboration, Social Justice Fund and Seattle Arts & Lectures. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse range of stakeholders including partnering with other Black, Latinx, Native Indigenous, and other BIPOC consultants on various consultancy projects. She received her training in facilitation at the Institute of Creative Development and a Spanish-language interpretation certificate from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. She formerly served on the City of Tukwila Equity & Diversity Commission and the City of Tacoma’s Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (CIRA).

An advocate for community with English as their second language, Alma has partnered with many agencies to help them go beyond translation of information to develop communication materials that are multi-cultural and multi-lingual with community-centered co-creation processes as the centerpiece.

She has developed and implemented several community liaison models of engagement building bridges between diverse populations, non-profit organizations, cities and other government agencies. In 2014, Alma was awarded the Washington State Planners Association Award for a new Innovative Community Engagement Program, The Community Connectors Pilot in partnership with the City of Tukwila. Later duplicated with the City of Burien & Sea Tac.

Partner Consultants

Eliza is the founder of Carrington Connect. She is a racial equity and community engagement strategist with experience in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. She specializes in assessment, training, evaluation, and project management, and combines this expertise with a critically informed drive for equity, inclusion, and social justice. As a multi-racial/Asian South Seattle local, she also brings a deep appreciation for the diversity of our region to her strengths-based approach to workforce development. Translating big-picture strategy into tangible action, she has supported teams through growth and innovation by focusing on personal relationships as a driver for change.

Gayle is the founder of EVOLVE Life Coaching. EVOLVE Life Coaching helps companies and governmental organizations maximize employee effectiveness through emotional intelligence leadership training and coaching. Gayle is a Seattle native. She graduated from Roosevelt High School, attended the legendary Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, and then transferred to the University of Washington, where she received a B.A. Degree in Political Science.