Our Mission: To strengthen the working class’s talents and skills through training and capacity building and boost sustainable economic processes.

Our Vision: A prosperous working class

Values & Methods

WORK 

DIGNITY   

Since our founding in 2002, we have developed and supported well-qualified workers who want to fill vital roles in our economy. Partnering with employers across the Denver Metro area, we provide workforce development training and direct access to jobs.

COMMUNITY 

El Centro offers “wraparound services” addressing the many factors that shape a positive working experience for both employers and employees. These include trainings on emotional intelligence, and strategizing around the particular challenges that immigrants face in the workplace. Our top priority is to ensure all members are treated with respect through dignified working experiences.

Member-workers are equipped with the tools of community organizing so they can build the necessary power to influence policy decisions that directly impact them and their families. Trainings and organizing actions promote the development of leadership skills so workers can lead the charge in advocating for their rights.

History

In 1998, an injured day laborer was found abandoned on the street with severe brain damage. He had fallen off a roof while working.  His employer, who had picked him up at a street corner, abandoned him in the dark of night to avoid responsibility. Concerned about the prevalence of worker exploitation and dangerous working environments Denver’s day laborers face on a daily basis, community supporters came together to create a safe indoor place for day laborers to gather.

With support from the City of Denver, a run-down warehouse space at 2260 California Street was rehabilitated with help from the workers themselves and El Centro opened its doors in 2006 as Colorado’s first and only Worker Center.

Board of Directors

  • Cec Ortiz

    Board President
    Philanthropist, Colorado Community Leader, Consultant at Colorado Latino Age Wave

  • Lynn Minnaert

    Lynn Minnaert is the Dean of the School of Hospitality at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.  Her research interests include social tourism, family tourism, the social impacts of the Olympics and social legacy initiatives in the meetings industry. Her research has attracted funding by a range of organisations such as the Economic and Social Research Council, the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, regional tourist boards, and Meeting Professionals International. Prior to joining MSU Denver, she held teaching and leadership positions at Edinburgh Napier University, New York University, the University of Surrey, and the University of Westminster.


  • James Walsh

    James Walsh is a Political Science Professor at the University of Colorado Denver, where he has taught for the past 29 years.  Walsh specializes in the history and politics of labor, immigration, and the Irish Diaspora.  Walsh is also the founder of the Romero Theater Troupe and the Colorado Labor Education Collaborative. His many years of research into the history of Irish immigrants in early Colorado led to the construction of the Leadville Irish Pauper Memorial in 

    2023.

  • Stephanie Felix-Sowy

    Stephanie Felix-Sowy is the President of SEIU Local 105, the largest healthcare union in Colorado, uniting over 8,500 janitors, healthcare, airport, and security workers across the Mountain West. From Greeley, Colorado, and a graduate of Colorado State University, she has spent the last 18 years fighting to raise wages and standards for working families in Colorado and across the country.

  • Lindsay Fred

    Lindsay Fred brings 20 years of experience in Sales, Commercial, and Finance leadership to our Board. Her background in strategic planning and financial strategy supports our organization's mission while promoting financial health and operational efficiency. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. Born and raised in Venezuela, Lindsay has a deep understanding of the immigrant journey and the opportunities for growth and success in this country. She is a passionate advocate for empowering and advancing the Hispanic and Latino community.

  • Angeline McCall

    Angeline McCall is a nationally recognized reporter at 9NEWS, known for her bilingual storytelling on immigration and other issues that impact marginalized communities. She has been honored as a finalist for the prestigious DuPont-Columbia award and as a 2024 Reporter of the Year finalist with the National Press Photographers Association. Her work at 9NEWS has also covered politics, the housing crisis, environmental concerns and homelessness policy.  Angeline is originally from Chicago and holds an undergraduate degree in journalism. Her career has included stops in North Dakota and Michigan, but Colorado has now been home for five years.