City’s Office of Equity and Inclusion Welcomes New Immigrant & Refugee Affairs Liaison
July 27, 2021
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Mayor Tim Keller announces the appointment of Beatriz Elena Valencia as the new Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (OIRA) Liaison. OIRA is part of the City’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.
“Albuquerque has a long tradition of supporting and welcoming immigrants and refugees,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “These families are our neighbors and contribute to the success of our city. The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs plays a critical role in connecting these communities with a full range of resources. Our refugee and immigrant families deserve strong champions and we welcome Beatriz Valencia to this role.”
Valencia previously served as the CEO and founder of Everyone Ingenuity, a bilingual marketing consulting company. She was also previously a Community School Coordinator with Albuquerque Public Schools primarily in Albuquerque’s International District.
She earned her undergraduate degree at the Universidad del Atlántico in Colombia and her master’s in science at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
“I will continue coordinating and leveraging resources and efforts toward gaining capacity to support COVID-19 vaccination and improve the health outcomes of our immigrant and refugee population in the city,” said Valencia. “I also plan to continue to advocate and support language access so that our immigrant and refugee communities have access to programs and services without delay.”
Valencia succeeds Mariela Ruiz-Angel in the role. Ruiz-Angel is now the Director of the City’s Community Safety Department.
“We are happy to welcome our new Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Liaison Beatriz Elena Valencia to the Office of Equity and Inclusion team,” said Vicente Quevedo, Deputy Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. “Beatriz brings a wealth of knowledge and experience focused on resource advocacy for local immigrant and refugee communities in Albuquerque. Beatriz is well suited for the role of OIRA Liaison which is charged with facilitating the successful integration of immigrants and refugees into Albuquerque’s civic, economic, and cultural life.”
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The mission of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is to improve the lives of all immigrants and resettled refugees who are living in Albuquerque. The Office was established in 2016, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to coordinate efforts to better serve immigrant and refugee residents. Please visit: https://www.cabq.gov/office-of-equity-inclusion/immigrant-refugee-affairs for more information.