Silvia Ortega

Silvia is one of seven children born to immigrant parents who came to live in Jurupa Valley in 1988. She rose from a humble upbringing to become the first in her family to attend college and earn a degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Hospitality Management, from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.

After college, Silvia decided to come back to her community where she grew up and became the first elected Latina to serve on the Jurupa Unified School District. Currently, she is the president of two educational boards and is committed to make an impact in the life of the most vulnerable students and families in our community.

For almost a decade, Silvia has worked in the nonprofit sector, earning certificates in Professional Life Coaching and Community Health Work from Loma Linda University Health and El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center. Through her work in maternal health, she became an integral part of the accreditation process for the Home Visitation Expectant Mothers Program. Also, she became the first graduating class to pioneer clinic- based community health work and established the first program in Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital NICU department.

Silvia has devoted her personal and professional life to her dual passions for health and education. She has learned that the root issues of our society all come from systems that influence communities to make poor lifestyle choices that result in a poor health and lack of education. She believes firmly that parents are their children’s first teacher and their home is their first school. Thus, part of the solution is the understanding that health begins as early as pregnancy and the foundation of a great education begins in the home.

Silvia finds joy in working side by side with community members to create strong and healthy foundations for children and families to thrive. She promotes and lives by her motto “Together, we can be the positive impact in a child’s life and impact future generations to come.”