Meet Our Team
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Andrea Loya
Executive Director
andreal@casadepazcolorado.org
Andrea, a proud daughter of immigrants and an immigrant herself, was born in Mexico City. Her family made the journey to the United States when she was just 3 years old, initially returning to Mexico in pursuit of establishing a business there. However, faced with numerous challenges, they ultimately chose to pursue the American dream.
Breaking barriers, Andrea became the first in her family to attend college, earning a BS from MSU Denver with a minor in Non-Profit Studies. With a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry, .
Majority of Andrea's work experience comes from working hand in hand with people and their personal experiences, fueling her passion for Casa de Paz's mission of breaking boundaries and borders. As the Executive Director for the past two years, Andrea continues to embody her commitment to serving others while balancing the joys of motherhood with her daughter, a loving husband, and their two dogs.
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Alondra Flores
Executive Assistant / Operations Manager
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Alondra has called the U.S. her home since she was a child. For several years, Alondra worked in the legal field as a paralegal for immigration and criminal defense attorneys in the Denver metro area where she saw the daily legal struggles that her community faced. In 2012, she campaigned alongside organizers working to obtain enough signatures for a ballot measure to allow undocumented immigrants access to a driver’s license in the state. After a brief pause to focus on her family, Alondra began to volunteer with Casa de Paz in early 2021, intrigued by the love and compassion that Casa de Paz gave to the undocumented immigrant community. With the support of her husband and children, Alondra graduated in the Fall of 2022 from the University of Colorado Denver. Alondra is a crucial part of Casa and her skills, love, and compassion, keep Casa running.
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Idalia Salina
Welcome Team - Program Coordinator
Idalia is from Guerrero Mexico. She loves to spend her free time with friends. She enjoys being at Casa because she gets to connect with people from all over the world.
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Bella Muscara
Welcome Team - Program Coordinator
Bella is originally from Newtown, Pennsylvania and now lives in Denver. Bella became motivated to work alongside immigrants while earning her B.A in International Studies at the University of Denver and during her past internship at Casa de Paz, and has since loved the opportunity to do so!
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Gabrielle Levy
Social Media Manager
Gabrielle’s passion for working with immigrants comes from her experiences working as a substitute teacher. After transferring to the University of Phoenix in the spring of 2022, Gabrielle sought hands-on opportunities to learn from the immigrant community. Gabrielle originally came to volunteer with Casa de Paz for two weeks in the summer of 2022, and here she is all of these months later, a new resident of Colorado. At Casa de Paz, Gabrielle enjoys listening to the stories of our guests, seeing families reunited over FaceTime, and sharing laughs and tears over a home cooked meal. Gabrielle does it all and we are so lucky to have someone like her be a part of this team!
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Martin Osorio
Welcome Team - Casa On Wheels Companion
Martin is from Guadalajara, Jalisco. In his free time, he likes to fish. He has been in the states since he was 14 years old. He enjoys his time at Casa with the guests.
Board of Directors
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Claudia Villa
Chair of the Board of Directors
Claudia is an immigration attorney in Denver. A daughter of immigrants, her family’s sacrifices and hard work helped her achieve her American Dream as she became the first in her family to attend college, earning a business degree, followed by law school. Understanding the sacrifices and hardship of immigrant families set her ultimate professional course. She now works to assist other immigrants in becoming permanent legal residents and US citizens so they too may achieve their American Dream. She is proud to be part of an organization that works to welcome immigrants to the U.S.
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Maria Caro
Secretary/Volleyball Director
Maria is Volleyball international’s director and our board secretary. She has been a part of Casa De Paz for over a decade, and her hard work and dedication to our volleyball league has helped our organization grow throughout the years. Maria has a passion for helping others. Growing up with immigrant parents, Maria constantly helped her parents overcome the obstacles they encountered due to their language barrier. Furthermore, Maria has always used this passion towards other immigrants to help them in any way possible. Maria considers Casa de Paz to be a blessing because it allows her to continue doing what she loves - helping our immigrant friends and families!
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Dr. Cynthia Armendariz - Maxwell
Cynthia was born and raised in Chicago. As a second-generation American on her father’s side and a third-generation American on her mother’s side, Cynthia grew up in a family striving to achieve “the American dream,” and dedicated to social justice. Cynthia began her career as an educator in the Chicago Public School system in 1985. Spanning almost 40 years, she had the honor to serve in both urban and suburban school districts, as a general education teacher, bilingual teacher, district administrator and school principal. She also had the honor to serve on many Illinois State Board of Education councils and committees, and was an Adjunct Professor for Aurora University.
Cynthia retired in 2023 in order to move to Denver to care for her mother due to Alzheimer’s. Since relocating to Colorado, Cynthia has greatly enjoyed volunteering weekly at Casa de Paz and Project Worthmore, and each month for the High Line Canal Conservancy. Cynthia has been an advocate for social justice since shaking the hand of Mr. César E. Chávez in the 1960’s, when he came to her family's Chicago apartment for a United Farm Workers Committee meeting. She is grateful for the opportunities to continue supporting refugees, immigrants, and English learners through volunteerism at these crucial Denver organizations.
