As a community navigator, Berliz Morales will be serving as a bridge between Latino/Hispanic serving organizations and the U.S. Forest Service. She will be supporting community-based organizations and non-profit organizations in Puerto Rico in identifying funding eligibility and resources needed to apply for grant funds.
Prior to joining the Hispanic Access Foundation team, she worked as an extension agent and outreach specialist in Puerto Rico Sea Grant and the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS). During this period she collaborated with multiple community-based organizations and government agencies to establish co-management agreements in protected areas, develop educational campaigns to prevent beach drownings, provide technical support on interactive weather platforms, as well as on tools related to climate change.
Why she works for Hispanic Access…
"After working for more than a decade with communities around Puerto Rico on various environmental issues and projects, she witnessed the great potential that exists in community-based organizations and at the same time the great challenges they face in order to enhance their capacities. She found in the Hispanic Access Foundation an example of how we can build bridges between opportunities, resources and communities and achieve positive changes in our society and our environment."
In her spare time…
“She enjoys spending time with her family, watching detective dramas, having coffee breaks with friends and mountain biking.”
Her favorite book…
“Even though she doesn’t have one at the moment, she wishes to read Agatha Christie novels someday. She also likes photography books, such as “Bajo las Olas” by Héctor T. Ruiz, which shows the wonderful coral reefs of Puerto Rico.”
A person she finds inspirational…
“In her personal life, she finds inspiration in her family. She admires the great sense of empathy that her parents have and the way they contribute to making this world a better one by helping the people around them with the resources they have at their disposal. Likewise, they are a source of inspiration because with hard work they have been able to achieve their goals and overcome adversity. This has served as an example for her to continue achieving her goals and give an example to her son to follow.
In her professional life, she admires the great work that community organizations do to make this world more resilient through research, community engagement and education. She certainly admires that they “ponen la acción donde ponen la palabra.”