CHAPTER DIRECTOR

Melissa Ortiz got her start in technology the way many millennials did, by editing the CSS on her Myspace as a teen. Out of high school she wanted to be a social worker however due to age restrictions in the state, she had to put that career choice on pause. In that time she became a parent to three amazing children and spent several years raising her family.

She re-entered the tech arena in 2018 when she attended a full stack coding bootcamp. While attending the bootcamp, she was also involved with other organizations supporting women in STEM and helped organize a cross border Startup weekend while working as a freelance web developer. In 2020 she attended a conference where she discovered her passion was actually in cybersecurity and dove into learning head first.

Currently, she is working on her Cybersecurity/Networking Associate of Applied while working as a Help Desk technician and volunteering at the Cyberwarfare range. In her spare time she hangs out with her family and practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram as thetechielatina.

CHAPTER, OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Jill Bratton has extensive experience as a passionate K-12 educator. Her work and studies have centered on Latinx students and their caregivers, specifically those from low SES backgrounds, first generation college attendees, and other non-traditional students. Jill has held teaching positions from kindergarten to adults where she championed equity based practices and used her passion to seek out or create opportunities for underrepresented groups, specifically in STEM fields. Jill has experience with and thrives on working with a myriad of audiences, moving seamlessly between educational institutions, community organizations, and the business world.

CHAPTER, TREASURY

Please email info@raicescyber.org if you are interested in volunteering