Michel Infante
Board President
Michel Infante was born in Torrance, California and was raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. He and his family immigrated back to the U.S. in June of 1999 and settled in Summit County, Colorado. Michel holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Northern Colorado (B.A. Sociology and B.A. Spanish) and is currently pursuing his MSW at Metro State University. Michel previously worked as a research assistant at Texas A&M University conducting field research on jornaleros and the Latinx immigrant population.
Yirka Platt
Program Coordinator
Yirka Platt was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She came to the U.S for the first time in 2008 as a J-1 student to work for the winter season. In 2015, she decided to immigrate and settle in Summit County. Yirka holds a bachelor 's degree in psychology from Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón in Lima, Peru and is currently working towards her Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Denver. Yirka previously worked for the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) in different programs such Family Support, Colorado Community Response and ALMA. She transitioned to the SMART program at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office as a case manager focusing on providing support to those who struggle with mental health challenges and serving the immigrant, latino community.
Javier Pineda
Program Coordinator
Javier is a young DACAmented citizen, and works full-time in Summit as a paralegal. He was born in Patzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico, and in 2006, after years of being separated from his father, his family moved to Breckenridge, Colorado to be reunited. After graduating Summit High School as a decorated student and Student Body President, Javier attended the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs to pursue a degree in Political Science with the hopes of attending law school. Unfortunately, without in-state tuition, or a social security number to work, Javier was not able to continue his studies at UCCS. Javier is a senior at Colorado Mountain College and hopes to graduate with a Bachelors in Sustainability Studies. He is also a community leader passionate in bridging the outdoor community with the immigrant community. Some of his other ventures include being a board member for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and Peak Health Alliance. In his free time, if any, he enjoys biking, hiking, camping and split boarding.
Yerania Reynoso
Program Coordinator
Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, Yerania has lived in Colorado for about 8 years and currently lives in Leadville. She has worked at Father Dyer Church and is now full time with Mountain Dreamers.
Yerania enjoys outdoor activities with her family. She has two children, 13 and 7 years old. One of her passions is getting to know the beautiful places that Leadville offers for hiking, biking, or just going to the lake. She would like her Hispanic immigrant community to feel included in the decisions that affect everyone and that they enjoy the resources that are offered, and feel welcome in schools, parks, jobs, etc.
Carol Saade
Board Member
Carol Saade is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants. She grew up in the DC area and moved to Summit County in 2010. In 2016, she joined a public affairs firm based in Frisco, CO, managing various public and government relations accounts, including working on state and federal immigration reform. She has been serving on the Breckenridge Town Council since 2020 and also serves on the boards of several local and statewide organizations. Her past international experience includes working at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva, Switzerland, and also working for a small public health organization in Dakar, Senegal. She earned a BBA in Economics from James Madison University.
Peter Bakken
Director
Originally from Texas, Peter arrived in Summit County in 1997 from Flagstaff, AZ. For the next 18 years he worked in the restaurant business in Breckenridge. In these years he worked with many members of Summit’s immigrant community. He got to know them as friends and respect them as individuals. During this time he served as a volunteer on the board of directors of the Family & Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) nonprofit. In the fall of 2015 he joined the staff of the FIRC as Director of Programs. In 2019 he co-founded, along with several other community members, the Mountain Dreamers immigrant advocacy group.
Brayan Daniel
Board Member
Brayan Daniel has been living in the Summit County community since the age of 9. Originally from Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico, Brayan is a Dillon Valley Elementary, Summit Middle School, and Summit High School graduate. DACA gave Brayan the opportunity to attend and graduate from Colorado Mesa University with a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology.
During his college years at Mesa County, Brayan served as lead staff for the Riverside Educational Center, as a Veterans’ Affairs Advocate for the Mesa County Workforce Center, and was an International Student Program mentor. Brayan is also a Rocky Mountain Psychological Association researcher and was the former research assistant for the Department of Business at Colorado Mesa University.
Most recently, Brayan is the former Program Coordinator for Summit Middle School Pre-Collegiate.
Some of Brayans’ favorite hobbies include snowboarding and coaching wrestling.
Perla Gurrola
Program Coordinator
Perla is from Durango, Mexico. She came to Colorado in 2000. She was educated in Eagle County from elementary school, middle school and high school, and then attended college at Colorado Mountain College. She became a Dreamer (DACA recipient) in 2013, and with that she was able to get her early education teacher certificate. She has been working with Eagle County schools for 8 years.
She really likes to spend time with her family, in nature, and also to travel to know new places.
One of her goals is to help people and be a resource for her community.
Zuleyma Arias
Board Member
Zuleyma Arias is a member of the Summit County community. She was born in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. She moved to the U.S when she was 1 year old, when her mother migrated to Summit County after becoming a widow. Zuleyma attended Silverthorne Elementary, Summit Middle School and graduated from Snowy Peaks. She is the first in her family to attend college, currently enrolled at Colorado Mountain College to obtain her bachelor’s degree in social work. Zuleyma worked for Summit County’s WIC (Women, Infants & Children) program for 5 years and has recently moved to Mountain Mentors to support youth. Zuleyma has a passion for helping and being a voice for the immigrant community.
Susanne Lorenz
Board Member
Susanne was burn in West Berlin during the Cold War. Her family had been displaced from East Germany by the Russians and her dad persecuted for being part Jewish. She obtained a degree in Social Services Administration, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to San Diego State University. Her studies included Women’s Studies and Border Issues and Migration. She has worked and volunteered for various NGOs servicing refugee populations in Central America, Germany and USA. For 30 years she operated an adventure company offering hiking trips in US National Parks, that she recently sold. She now lives full time in Summit County.