meet our board members
JCIRA Board members come from different backgrounds, but they share a commitment to human rights, recognizing and respecting the dignity and humanity of every person.
“If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time…. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
– Lila Watson
See this tribute to Larry Jensen, our former board chair who contributed so much to JCIRA and the community.
Check out this fascinating piece on JCIRA's founders to whom we owe a great debt.
Our Current JCIRA Board
“If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time…. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
– Lila Watson
See this tribute to Larry Jensen, our former board chair who contributed so much to JCIRA and the community.
Check out this fascinating piece on JCIRA's founders to whom we owe a great debt.
Our Current JCIRA Board
- Jonathan Avila, Treasurer
- Julia Cochrane, Secretary
- Kathleen Holt
- Roberta Lindeman, Co-Chair
- Carlos Osorio, Jr.
- Libby Palmer, Co-Founder (non-voting)
- Francisca Ramirez
- Adriana Sixtos
- Jean Walat, Co-Chair
Welcome to our New Board Members!
Francisca Ramirez Aquino (left), a JCIRA volunteer, has helped at several events, teaches a beginning Spanish class and is in the JCIRA Women’s Justice Circle. She is from the Dominican Republic and has six children, the youngest 16 years old. Francisca is committed to giving back to the community however she can. She works as a housekeeper and caregiver and is learning to become a certified interpreter/translator. Francisca lives in Port Townsend.
Johnathan Avila (center) moved to Port Townsend with his family 3 years ago. He came to the US from Mexico at the age of 3, owns a furniture restoration business and is experienced with accounting software and statistics. He is enthusiastic about wanting to support the work of JCIRA. Jonathan and his wife parent three school age children.
Adriana Sixtos (right) is an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Sequim. She has experience in community organizing and is active in the JCIRA Women’s Justice Circle. (See her biography below.)
Not pictured: LeeAnn McMillen, whom we also welcome.
We will post more biographies of our new members below soon.
Johnathan Avila (center) moved to Port Townsend with his family 3 years ago. He came to the US from Mexico at the age of 3, owns a furniture restoration business and is experienced with accounting software and statistics. He is enthusiastic about wanting to support the work of JCIRA. Jonathan and his wife parent three school age children.
Adriana Sixtos (right) is an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Sequim. She has experience in community organizing and is active in the JCIRA Women’s Justice Circle. (See her biography below.)
Not pictured: LeeAnn McMillen, whom we also welcome.
We will post more biographies of our new members below soon.
Learn More About Our Board Members:
Julia Cochrane, Secretary
Housing the unsheltered has been Julia Cochrane’s mission her entire life. From young adulthood, she has sheltered young people—over 40 in Port Townsend alone—and helped people of all ages to find a home. She was a founder of Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County, and over the years has worked for and advocated for affordable and homeless housing on state and county task forces and in local organizations, work she continues. Julia moved to Port Townsend from Manhattan after experiencing repeated crimes, including an attempt on her life. “I moved nearly 3,000 miles for a safe place to live. Isn’t that what immigrants want? They are fleeing violence or unlivable conditions and just want a better life. Everyone should have that right.”
Kathleen Holt
Kathleen Holt retired to Jefferson County nearly 14 years ago, after a successful career as a mediator and organizational consultant at the University of Wisconsin. She arrived at a tense time. “That was when the Border Patrol was stopping vehicles on Highway 104, holding up traffic for long stretches of time, ruthlessly searching for undocumented people,” she says. Drawing on her commitment to justice, reinforced by her master’s degree in social work and her extensive background in conflict resolution, she knew she had to do something. She joined Indivisible and JCIRA, where she continues to play an important role. Today, Kathleen is pleased to be part of JCIRA’s important work and appreciates the support of the community. “Now, we’re set to do even more,” she says.
Roberta Lindeman, Co-Chair
Roberta Lindeman brings her extensive background in education and leadership to JCIRA. In college, she engaged in the women’s movement, then moved to Seattle, where she became involved in the Tenants Union and began teaching. She traveled in Cuba, Mexico, and throughout Central America, including teaching English and translating for two news agencies in Nicaragua for two years during the Sandinista Revolution. She was a union leader throughout her nearly 40-year teaching career. For 18 years, she taught in a Seattle high school program for primarily Latino immigrant students, preparing them for college and connecting them to the community, while celebrating their culture. “I learned from these young people and their families about the difficulties when you're undocumented and living in this country,” she says. “That motivates me.”
Carlos Osorio, Jr.
Carlos brings experience, valuable insights, and a commitment to social justice to JCIRA. Born in Columbia, he came to the U.S. when he was five. Now a U.S. citizen, he grew up undocumented. After high school and graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked for Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated restaurants in New York and elsewhere and started a Speakeasy that was featured in publications and on the Travel Channel. During those years he also gained experience in grassroots organizing. When he came to the Olympic Peninsula, he found a satisfying job teaching baking and pastry-making at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center, giving training, motivation, and hope to residents. Today, he works in healthcare and continues his work on behalf of marginalized people.
Adriana Sixtos
What's it’s like to be a stranger in a country where you don’t speak the language or understand the culture? Adriana Sixtos knows. It’s the reason she wants to help immigrants now. Adriana spent most of her early years in Guanajuato, Mexico. As a child, she suffered from violence, but instead of giving in, she became stronger. Her inspiration was her grandfather, and he and her grandmothers helped her overcome her ordeals. She always loved learning and earned good grades, and now, as a mother, she encourages her own sons both in pursuing their studies and in helping others. Adriana has lived 17 years in Sequim, and when she heard about JCIRA, she was excited about volunteering. “I know what it’s like to struggle with filling out applications and missing opportunities because you aren’t aware of how to apply for jobs,” she says. “I love that JCIRA not only provides immigrants with economic support, but also information and personal support. I am very thankful for that and happy to be part of it.”
Jean Walat, Co-Chair
Jean Walat came to Port Townsend in 2000. With a master’s degree in environmental sciences from Rutgers, she worked as city planner on environmental issues and later became the program director for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. When she retired in 2015, with the Trump candidacy looming, she felt she had to counteract anti-immigrant sentiment. Jean brought her years of activism in the LGBTQ community, in women’s rights, and in environmental groups to JCIRA. She notes that her grandfather was an immigrant from Poland, and her father was a first-generation American. “I see their same work ethic in local immigrants now,” she says. Her work with JCIRA reflects her beliefs: “We can have a more just society. We just have to keep working for it.”
Julia Cochrane, Secretary
Housing the unsheltered has been Julia Cochrane’s mission her entire life. From young adulthood, she has sheltered young people—over 40 in Port Townsend alone—and helped people of all ages to find a home. She was a founder of Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County, and over the years has worked for and advocated for affordable and homeless housing on state and county task forces and in local organizations, work she continues. Julia moved to Port Townsend from Manhattan after experiencing repeated crimes, including an attempt on her life. “I moved nearly 3,000 miles for a safe place to live. Isn’t that what immigrants want? They are fleeing violence or unlivable conditions and just want a better life. Everyone should have that right.”
Kathleen Holt
Kathleen Holt retired to Jefferson County nearly 14 years ago, after a successful career as a mediator and organizational consultant at the University of Wisconsin. She arrived at a tense time. “That was when the Border Patrol was stopping vehicles on Highway 104, holding up traffic for long stretches of time, ruthlessly searching for undocumented people,” she says. Drawing on her commitment to justice, reinforced by her master’s degree in social work and her extensive background in conflict resolution, she knew she had to do something. She joined Indivisible and JCIRA, where she continues to play an important role. Today, Kathleen is pleased to be part of JCIRA’s important work and appreciates the support of the community. “Now, we’re set to do even more,” she says.
Roberta Lindeman, Co-Chair
Roberta Lindeman brings her extensive background in education and leadership to JCIRA. In college, she engaged in the women’s movement, then moved to Seattle, where she became involved in the Tenants Union and began teaching. She traveled in Cuba, Mexico, and throughout Central America, including teaching English and translating for two news agencies in Nicaragua for two years during the Sandinista Revolution. She was a union leader throughout her nearly 40-year teaching career. For 18 years, she taught in a Seattle high school program for primarily Latino immigrant students, preparing them for college and connecting them to the community, while celebrating their culture. “I learned from these young people and their families about the difficulties when you're undocumented and living in this country,” she says. “That motivates me.”
Carlos Osorio, Jr.
Carlos brings experience, valuable insights, and a commitment to social justice to JCIRA. Born in Columbia, he came to the U.S. when he was five. Now a U.S. citizen, he grew up undocumented. After high school and graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked for Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated restaurants in New York and elsewhere and started a Speakeasy that was featured in publications and on the Travel Channel. During those years he also gained experience in grassroots organizing. When he came to the Olympic Peninsula, he found a satisfying job teaching baking and pastry-making at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center, giving training, motivation, and hope to residents. Today, he works in healthcare and continues his work on behalf of marginalized people.
Adriana Sixtos
What's it’s like to be a stranger in a country where you don’t speak the language or understand the culture? Adriana Sixtos knows. It’s the reason she wants to help immigrants now. Adriana spent most of her early years in Guanajuato, Mexico. As a child, she suffered from violence, but instead of giving in, she became stronger. Her inspiration was her grandfather, and he and her grandmothers helped her overcome her ordeals. She always loved learning and earned good grades, and now, as a mother, she encourages her own sons both in pursuing their studies and in helping others. Adriana has lived 17 years in Sequim, and when she heard about JCIRA, she was excited about volunteering. “I know what it’s like to struggle with filling out applications and missing opportunities because you aren’t aware of how to apply for jobs,” she says. “I love that JCIRA not only provides immigrants with economic support, but also information and personal support. I am very thankful for that and happy to be part of it.”
Jean Walat, Co-Chair
Jean Walat came to Port Townsend in 2000. With a master’s degree in environmental sciences from Rutgers, she worked as city planner on environmental issues and later became the program director for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. When she retired in 2015, with the Trump candidacy looming, she felt she had to counteract anti-immigrant sentiment. Jean brought her years of activism in the LGBTQ community, in women’s rights, and in environmental groups to JCIRA. She notes that her grandfather was an immigrant from Poland, and her father was a first-generation American. “I see their same work ethic in local immigrants now,” she says. Her work with JCIRA reflects her beliefs: “We can have a more just society. We just have to keep working for it.”
Photo credit: Banner photo of wall graffito "No One is Illegal" by Miko Guziuk on Unsplash.
