Karla Castaneda
Executive Director
Karla joined Voz in 2022, bringing a wealth of experience in program management, community organizing, and strategic partnership building. Originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, she migrated to the United States at age four and is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). With a background that spans work with the Governor's Office, regional government, and various private sector organizations, Karla has dedicated her career to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that create lasting, transformative change.
Karla’s journey with Voz is deeply personal. Sharing many of the same experiences as the community she serves, including being undocumented/DACAmented, Latine, and having faced housing insecurity and poverty. She is a strong advocate for day laborers and immigrant workers. Her commitment to building a sustainable, equitable future is rooted in her own story and her dedication to community-driven leadership. Outside of her work, Karla enjoys outdoor adventures with her three dogs—two mini schnauzers and a big rottweiler, who always keeps her on her toes!
Annica Maxfield
Annica joined Voz in 2019 and is a proud lifelong resident of the Portland metro area. A first-generation college graduate, she holds degrees in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Arizona. Her background includes grassroots organizing, political education, research, curriculum development, and fundraising.
At Voz, Annica works alongside day laborers and immigrant workers to build programs rooted in worker leadership, political education, and collective action. Over the years, she has facilitated leadership schools, supported worker-led campaigns and organizing efforts, and helped develop programs that respond to the changing needs of immigrant communities.
For Annica, this work is deeply connected to her own family history. She is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and comes from a long line of farmworkers, coal miners, and carpenters. Their experiences with migration, labor, sacrifice, and solidarity have shaped how she understands both the dignity of work and the power people build when they stand together.
Her commitment to immigrant justice is also rooted in her own life. Immigration detention, deportation, and family separation have directly impacted her immediate family, giving her a firsthand understanding of how immigration policy can reshape relationships, futures, and the meaning of home. That experience has deepened her commitment to building communities where immigrant workers and families have the power, safety, and support to determine their own futures.
Essly Diaz
Essly Diaz joined Voz’s team as a Program Manager in the summer of 2025. Essly brings a deep commitment to fighting for equity, especially for BIPOC and immigrant communities. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, she moved to Oregon more than a decade ago. Her parents migrated from El Salvador and maintain strong cultural roots. Growing up surrounded by people of color from diverse backgrounds, Essly discovered early on her passion for supporting her community.
Her experience spans working with students, unions, and the broader labor movement. She has led membership operations and contributed to development, communications, and campaign work. Essly’s dedication to immigrant and worker rights is deeply informed by witnessing her parents’ struggles as they navigated a new country. She remains committed to building an equitable future for people of all backgrounds.
In her spare time, Essly enjoys being with her two dogs, Max and Sunflower. Max is a 13-year-old Shih Tzu mix she’s had since he was a puppy, and Sunflower is a 10-year-old terrier mix who began as a foster pet before being adopted into her family.