My name is Tanya Cole and I am thrilled and excited to be the Witness for Peace Southwest Regional Organizer. I have been a long time admirer of the aim and mission of Witness for Peace.

Much of the experience that has prepared me to work for Witness for Peace was acquired at Global Exchange in San Francisco. During my years at Global Exchange as the Latin America delegations coordinator, I organized over 30 delegations to nine different countries in Latin America.

I studied for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Latin American Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara where I first discovered political activism as a lifetime dedication and mission. I was raised in four states and over a dozen cities and I am a mix of my mother's feisty Honduran heritage and my father's sweet southern gentle charm. My main squeeze is my 9 year old boy who is a beautiful blue eyed soccer player and jiu-jitsu wrestler. I also have two dogs and three cats. Sí es una locura. I also still find time to mover mi cintura a los ritmos de la salsa and whack tennis balls really hard. I am fortunate enough to have traveled to 12 countries where I have had amazing experiences. I have danced marimba with masked guerilla Zapatistas in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico; listened to Fidel Castro lecture on the global economy in Havana, Cuba; walked through the notorious favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; met survivors of torture and dictatorship in Buenos Aires, Argentina; witnessed thousands of Nicaraguans wait 10 hours in a line to vote; listened to the stories of maquila workers in Tijuana, Mexico; been humbled by Venezuelans who carry their constitution in their pockets; and marched with a million people through the streets of Los Angeles for immigrant rights.

This is an exciting time to be working for political change in U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America. With the courage and partnership of our partners in the region we are seeing a real change finally taking place. Victory is on the horizon. Onward with the righteous struggle for peace and economic justice!

Tanya can be reached by email or by phone (805.421.9708)