Board of Directors
Advisory Board
Marta Martinez Olivera
Marta Martinez Olivera
Marta Martinez grew up in a Farmworker family, working side by side with her siblings and parents in the fields of Skagit Valley. She always dreamed of going to college. After graduating from high school, Marta could only afford her first quarter of community college because, at the time, she was not eligible for financial aid. Through the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Marta became eligible for financial aid and completed her Associate’s Degree in Human Services at Skagit Valley College.
Marta is the Program Coordinator at the Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center and oversees the Plaza Communitaria Adult Education programs.
Susan Wells
Susan Wells
Sister Susan Wells, SNJM belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. For nearly five years she served as the Director of the Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center in Mount Vernon. She has worked in solidarity with Immigrant communities in Skagit Valley, Yakima Valley, Tacoma, and California for nearly 20 years.
She brings her passion for serving the Indigenous migrant community members to the Community Advisory Board of IRIS. She is currently working for the Washington State Department of Health.
Yadira Rosales
Yadira Rosales
Yadira Rosales serves as the Associate Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Skagit Valley College. As the daughter of immigrant, farmworker parents, and a first-generation college student, she sees her role to expand educational opportunities to all students who are often marginalized and underrepresented in education. The power of education is life-changing, it has the potential to change generations and provide opportunities for advancement that too often are denied to many. Creating a more just environment takes all of us, it takes us to stand for injustices and to work towards an equitable community.
Yadira lives in Mount Vernon with her husband and her three children.
Donor Relations
Julie Pryor Barr
Julie Pryor Barr
Julie Pryor Barr is a human services professional with 40 years of management experience. She has a long-term interest in multiculturalism and has done extensive international travel including Mexico, Central America, and Africa. She volunteered with asylum seekers at the U.S. Mexico border in 2018 and has been an active IRIS volunteer since 2019.
“I give to IRIS NW because it helps bridge the gap between the challenges immigrants face and the resources needed to help them achieve self-sustainability. During this process, cultures, families, and communities intersect in a way that allows them to find common ground and be enriched by their differences.”