Originally from El Salvador, Sonia is the Executive Officer for the Office of Latino Affairs, Iowa Department of Human Rights. In this role Sonia advocates and serves as an ongoing resource for Iowans of Latino heritage, government agencies, businesses and other organizations by coordinating and participating in economic, social and cultural efforts statewide. She has been doing grassroots work with the Latino Community in Iowa for almost 20 years assisting victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, working in dropout prevention with Latino youth in high school and college, with Latino families who are involved with the Department of Human Services helping them reach their goals and in her last position as the Regional Director at Proteus, she worked to help migrant and seasonal farm workers in Iowa reach their educational, health and personal goals.