La Luz Center is very pleased to announce the
appointment of Claudia Mendoza-Carruth to its Board of
Directors.
Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she considers
herself as Colombian as she is American, with a touch of Brazilian.
She is a seasoned multicultural communications professional with more than 20 years of experience encompassing TV anchoring, cultural and communications
liaison to foreign executives and dignitaries at Intercontinental Hotels, Dow Chemical, Bechtel and
UNICEF. Her work evolved into a career as bridge between
the Latino and Anglo cultures.
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In Rio de Janeiro, as partner in a travel agency, she added Portuguese to her fluency in Spanish, English, and French-- and another country in addition to the 27 and
counting she has explored.
Claudia came to California in 1991 where she continued her media and communications career at Sacramento’s Small Business Exchange newspaper, as an on-air Spanish language radio personality in San Jose, and at PG&E where she created the diversity media relations program, receiving awards from San Jose State University
and New America Media.
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In 2006 Claudia and her husband Kevin Carruth moved to Sonoma, where she established MC(2), a business
providing translation, interpretation and community outreach services to clients in the wine industry, public policy, medical and government fields.
A film enthusiast, Claudia is working with the Sonoma International Film Festival to develop a Spanish language
cinema program. She has served on the boards of the
Hispanic Charity Ball in San José, the San Francisco Latino
Film Festival, and New America Media.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join the Board of an
organization I have long admired. As a Latina who has been afforded so many professional and personal opportunities in this country, it feels only natural to contribute in my own community. I look forward to the journey.”
The Carruth's are now a “Sonoma Board Household” with Kevin on the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board
(Sonoma Valley Hospital) and Claudia at La Luz.
La Luz is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting our Sonoma Valley neighbors, who contribute to the economic, cultural and social well being of our community. La Luz provides English language training, teaches computer skills, distributes food, hosts medical services, offers crisis counseling, and supports events that celebrate the richness of our multicultural community.
