Who We Are
Jolt Is Led By Latinos Who Have Fought, Marched And Organized For Our Community. We’ve Come Together To Build A Movement In Texas That Challenges The Status Quo And Innovates Civic Participation In One Of The Largest States In The Country.
Senior Staff
Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia is the Executive Director of Jolt Action and the Jolt Initiative.
The daughter of Mexican-American migrant parents, Gloria grew up working alongside her
parents and siblings to build a janitorial business that became a source of great pride for the entire family. The pride and strong work ethic she developed during that time have fueled the drive and foundation she has used to build her personal and professional life.
In the past, Gonzales-Dholakia has served as an adjunct professor at St. Edward’s University and
Austin Community College, Executive Director of a local education foundation, and Executive
Director of a foundation striving to help people with physical challenges live life to the fullest. In
2018, she became the first Latina to be elected as a school board trustee for the Leander
Independent School District, a position she continues to hold.
Gloria remains active in the community as a civic leader for multiple Texas State House Districts, the City of Austin, and Texas Public Schools. She is an active member of area business chamber organizations.
Gonzales-Dholakia has earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. She and her husband have three sons.
Jackie Bastard
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Jackie is a first generation college graduate. She attended the University of Houston Downtown where she obtained a B.S. in Criminal Justice and then obtained a M.A. in Criminology from the University of Houston Clear Lake.
Jackie is excited to be part of Jolt, an organization that empowers, equips, and mobilizes individuals to speak up not only for themselves but for those who are afraid to do so for fear of reprisal.
Jenn Longoria
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
Jenn Longoria is a Rio Grande Valley native of Edinburg, Texas with over a decade of experience managing national, statewide, and city-wide campaigns. She specializes in TX-based campaign field programs and data management.
Drawn to organizing by her belief that every voice deserves to be heard, Jenn’s commitment to empowering communities of color has led her to champion voter registration, as well as train volunteers and staff from progressive organizations across the state in data management and volunteer recruitment. Prior to joining JOLT, Longoria served as the Texas Deputy Director for the Biden 2020 Campaign and as Texas Director for Elizabeth Warren for President.
Jenn currently serves on the Advisory Board for Battleground Texas and lives in San Antonio with her husband and their 4-year-old Dachshund/Beagle pup, Ellie.
Angel Vidal
Communications Director
Jen Ramos
POLITICAL SPECIALIST
Jen Ramos was born and raised in Laredo, Texas. She is an activist, organizer, campaign staffer, and communications professional with over a decade of experience in the political arena, most recently working in the office of State Senator Judith Zaffirini.
In her tenure, she has worked on over a hundred campaigns across the state, with three statewide campaigns under her belt. As a communications professional, specializing in intersectional messaging and bilingual outreach, Jen has been quoted by NPR, Time, Washington Post, and the Texas Tribune. Her work has been published by Progress Texas and Teen Vogue. As an activist and organizer, Jen has fought for election reform, immigration reform, pay equity, and fighting for common-sense gun legislation as a domestic violence survivor.
She currently resides in Austin, Texas with her dog and cat, Roscoe and Reba. When she is not working, Jen enjoys baking, going two-stepping, and is an award-winning karaoke champion.
Austin Staff
Minerva Villa
TRAINING AND CURRICULUM SPECIALIST
Minerva Villa is a first-generation college graduate born in El Paso, Texas. She graduated in 2009 from Texas Tech University with her B.F.A in Acting and shortly thereafter discovered her passion for education. Minerva has been an educator for twelve years in both Texas and New York City as well as an active member of the performing arts community in Austin, where she has been both an actress and a director. At home, Minerva has a precious dog named Luna and creates clay jewelry in her free time.
In 2019, Minerva decided to act on her personal love for education and returned to grad school to earn her Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne.
After twelve years of serving in the education system, she has learned about the inequities rooted within our community and she is excited to be part of an organization that helps to unearth those deep roots. Daughter to two Mexican immigrants who have fought their entire lives to help her become a better version of herself, she is excited to be able to pass that drive and fire on to others in her role as Training and Curriculum Specialist.
Matthew de la Cruz
FOUNDATIONS GIVING MANAGER
Matt started as a grant writer and was promoted in 2021 to become the FOundations Giving Manager at Jolt. Prior to working at Jolt, he had been working in translation services and publishing. He began to get involved with Jolt as a volunteer in 2019 after moving back to Texas. A native Austinite, Matt is committed to building the power of Latinos to affect change in Texas and be fairly represented in our political system. He is a strong supporter of Jolt’s core belief that in order to empower the Latino community, we must change the narrative and uplift the voices of young people.
Cindy Delacruz
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANCE
Executive Assistant at Jolt in Austin Texas. Cindy is a first-generation Tejana from Austin. Cindy worked in the medical field for 13 years. In her free time she enjoys crafting and event planning. She has a cat named Piki Delacruz. Cindy is excited to join the Jolt team and support the Executive Director.
Erick Soberanes
DIGITAL CONTENT SPECIALIST
Erick Soberanes is a graduate from Texas State University, studying Art & Design as well as Computer Science. As a first generation Mexican-American, he finds inspiration through learning more about his cultural roots and creating Tex-Mex flavor. Erick is passionate about educating the public through exciting digital mediums that hope to inspire and connect emotionally to our Latinx community. He currently resides in Austin, Texas and has joined Jolt as a Digital Content Specialist.
Keaton Peters
MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST
Keaton Peters joined Jolt as the Multimedia Specialist in November 2021. Keaton grew up in a small town along the California-Nevada border, and he moved to Austin, Texas in 2019 after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been involved in many voter outreach campaigns for environmental nonprofits as well as electoral candidates throughout the 2020 Election and 2021 Senate Runoff Election in Georgia. He has also worked on many local campaigns since moving to Austin, and is the co-founder of the environmental news source, Branch Out. When not working, Keaton also enjoys making music, playing basketball and spending time with his cats.
Jessica Garcia
REGIONAL ORGANIZER
Jessica is a first-generation college graduate from Houston, TX. They graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Political Science and published research examining laws to determine whether female representatives in Latin American legislatures are more likely to represent the needs of underserved communities. While at Texas A&M they also advocated alongside the undocumented community in Bryan and College Station. Prior to Jolt they were a digital organizer with Workers Defense during the 2020 elections. Jessica is passionate about empowering and educating underserved communities on issues that pertain to them and is excited to join Jolt in their mission to civically engage the Latinx community in Austin.
Dallas Staff
Cristina Dolores Garrido
REGIONAL MANAGER
Cristina is a first-generation Mexican-American, born in San Antonio and raised in Fort Worth. In 2012, she became the first in her family to go to college. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts, she came back home to North Texas. Since then, Cristina has been an active member of the Dallas-Fort Worth community. She holds leadership positions in youth-led, progressive organizations, and has volunteered and been a staff member on several political campaigns, including local, state, and congressional.
Cristina’s hands-on experience in organizing and her personal passion for justice for Latinx communities drew her to Jolt. She understands the complexities of our communities, and hopes to uplift the disenfranchised. Cristina is excited to be a part of the mobilization of young Latinx communities and help raise our voices.
Hector Andrès Maldonado
REGIONAL ORGANIZER
Hector Andres Maldonado earned his Bachelor’s in Environmental Science at Santa Clara University in California. He is a Dallas native with roots in Bolivia and Guatemala. His experience organizing communities span across the USA, Mexico and South America with his most recent experience serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mexico. Hector is passionate about engaging people on environmental justice, food sovereignty, and sustainable pre-hispanic agriculture. He finds inspiration in agrarian movements across the Americas and is looking forward to working closely with Jolt in its mission of mobilizing civic engagement across the Latinx community in Fort Worth.
Suzanne Miller
REGIONAL ORGANIZER
Suzanne (Suzie) Miller earned her Bachelor’s in Communications in Media Studies with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Since she moved to Collin County in 2019, Suzie has been actively organizing young leaders across the DFW area to use their voices at the polls and go out to vote. Suzie is passionate about fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, and is now excited to fight for representation of the Latinx community across Texas.
Jonathan Inga
REGIONAL ORGANIZER
Jonathan is a first-generation college graduate from Dallas, Texas. He graduated cum laude with his Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Dallas in the fall of 2020. During his last semester of college, he was selected for the Bill Archer Fellowship program, which allowed him to finish his schooling and intern for the U.S House of Representatives in Washington D.C. Prior to joining Jolt, he worked as an Organizer for Texas Working Families Party where he helped advance progressive politics in Dallas-Fort Worth. Jonathan also interned in his Congressman’s district office in Dallas, Texas during this time, where he gained valuable knowledge of his community. A lifelong resident of Dallas, Texas, Jonathan is eager to work with community members to further the progressive movement in his community. Jonathan’s mother is of Mexican descent and his father is an immigrant from Lima, Peru. At home, he is engaged to his Fiancé, Leah, and is a dog dad to their fur baby, Kira.
Houston Staff
Zoila Cabera
LOGISTICS COORDINATOR
Zoila Cabera serves as Logistics Coordinator at Jolt. Prior to joining Jolt, Zoila Worked at Job Corps as an Outreach Admission Counselor, and also worked as an HR Generalist. In December 2018, she graduated from San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, with an associate’s degree in accounting. She was born from immigrant parents and is the first in her family to graduate from college. She is passionate about helping the Latino community specifically, empowering Hispanic women.
Maria Tolentino
REGIONAL MANAGER
Maria is a proud Texas native, Chicana, and first-generation Mexican-American. She is the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers and daughter to immigrant mother from Monterrey, Mexico. Maria has been in the non-profit sector for 16 years working with underserved communities, single-parent households and at-risk youth to remove barriers while developing employment and educational opportunities. She is a proud mother of five and a hobby sugar artist/baker for local and national charities. Through her personal experiences of the injustices facing the Latinx communities and political issues that were near and dear to her heart, she was drawn to become involved with Jolt. She wants to be a voice of empowerment and become a force for positive change in the Latinx community. She hopes to encourage, educate and mobilize the Latinx community to use their voting power for positive change in addition to advocating for those who cannot vote.
San Antonio Staff
Natalie Marquez
REGIONAL MANAGER
Natalie Marquez is a Rio Grande Valley native. Natalie is an electoral organizer with experience at a local, congressional, and statewide level. Natalie has prior campaign experience with Beto ‘18, Warren ‘20, Davis ‘20, and Nirenberg ‘21. She’s passionate about mobilizing Latinx youth and helping create the next cohort of leaders.
Fernando Aguilar
REGIONAL ORGANIZER
Fernando Aguilar graduated from Texas Tech University with his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 2016. Since graduating from Texas Tech, he has worked on various campaigns centered around progressive grass root activism. Working to increase voter turnout within a diverse community has been a focus of his work for the last two years. Currently, he lives in San Antonio TX with plans to attend graduate school to earn his masters degree.