Patricia Ann Zavala

Patricia is from Austin, Texas and received her BA in Global Studies and Spanish from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2008. As the daughter of Peruvian immigrant, she is deeply committed to racial and economic justice. For over five years she worked at Workers Defense Project, an advocacy organization that uses legislative and legal action to improve working conditions for low-wage workers. She worked as the Director of the Employment and Legal Services program, which she expanded to the statewide level.

In addition to her role as a program director, she served as an active member of the Steering Committee of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition. Patricia is pursuing two mater’s degrees in Public Affairs and Latin American Studies from The University of Texas. Her research focuses on how agrarian peasants’ movements are influencing international climate policies to address environmental and economic inequality. She participates in her local community as an activist, community organizer and interpreter.