Temporary Board

Executive Director

As Executive Director of Working Partnerships USA, Maria Noel brings more than a decade of successful community, labor, and electoral organizing to Silicon Valley’s movement for a just economy. She is a fierce advocate for racial and economic justice, and her passion is grassroots organizing to build a multi-racial, feminist democracy for all.

Under her leadership, Working Partnerships USA has won campaigns resulting in better wages, working conditions, and access to union jobs for more than 10,000 subcontracted service workers employed on high tech campuses throughout the Valley. Maria Noel was instrumental in crafting and implementing policy campaigns to raise the minimum wage in eight Silicon Valley cities to $15/hr; pass the first-in-the-nation Opportunity to Work policy to increase access to work hours for part-time workers; expand tenant protections including just cause eviction and rent stabilization; and ensure access to affordable, universal healthcare for all.

Maria Noel began her career working for progressive elected officials, including then San Jose Vice-Mayor Cindy Chavez and the former California State Speaker Pro Tempore. She then worked for many years as a community organizer with Sacred Heart Community Service, and eventually joined the team at the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council where she won several regional tax campaigns and ballot measures. She joined Working Partnerships USA in 2012, and as Organizing Director she grew the organization’s community organizing and electoral campaign capacity to one of the largest field operations in the region.

She serves on the boards of PowerSwitch Action, the South Bay AFL-CIO and Movimiento Arte Cultura Latino Americana Board (MACLA). Maria Noel lives in Gilroy with her husband Carlos and their sons, Tadeo and Diago.

Development Director

Andrea mobilizes resources to advance grassroots power and racial justice in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities. She started out in marketing and financial management, working as an analyst and then Finance Director for several years before moving into professional fundraising roles with small and large organizations. In previous roles, she has directed workplace giving campaigns, university annual fund programming, a $5M capital campaign to pay off a building mortgage, grant writing for community development, and individual and major giving programs for public policy and racial justice organizations. She aligns her fundraising work to demonstrate the values and liberation of working to build powerful voices and leverage for workers, working families, and BIPOC communities as Development Director for Working Partnerships USA and on the Board of Parents Voices Oakland.

Resource Manager

Betsy currently manages Union Community Resources Manager where she works with union members facing obstacles to success by providing limited financial assistance and in-depth information and referral to community resources. She also provides students and graduates of the Trades Orientation Program with supportive services, information and referral, and job coaching. Betsy was born and raised in San Jose and has been politically active here since before she could walk. Her life is enriched every single day by the rich community she lives in. She wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, so struggles every day to make this valley more equitable. Betsy represents her union, Local 1101 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, as a delegate to the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. Although she was benched during the 2024 Primary Season, Betsy’s favorite team sport is GOTV.  Her favorite place to be is with her family.

Strategic Advisor

Bob joined Working Partnerships USA in February 1999. He currently works on health policy issues and is the designer of our signature healthcare achievement — the Children’s Health Initiative — which made Santa Clara County the first of the nation’s more than 3,000 counties to ensure health coverage to virtually every child. Bob has directed research culminating in strategic issue briefs that provide timely analysis of problems and present a range of possible and serious solutions. With his support, many of these policies have been adopted and enacted by the South Bay Labor Council, the San Jose City Council, the County Board of Supervisors, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Previously, Bob served as the Budget and Policy Director of the City of San Jose for eight years under Mayor Susan Hammer. He was instrumental in developing the Living Wage ordinance, Greenline policies, and crafting the annual city budget. He previously served as the Chief of Staff to Santa Clara County Supervisor Suzanne Wilson. He has an undergraduate degree from Princeton, a Masters in Political Science from Stanford, and a Masters in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.

Executive Assistant

Catherine Villaverde serves in multiple administrative roles at Working Partnership USA, acting as Executive Assistant to our Executive Director, while also providing support to our finance and operations teams. Catherine has extensive experience in coordinating large-scale projects involving hundreds of participants ranging from volunteers and community members, to high-level organizational stakeholders, labor leaders, and elected officials. In her time outside of the office, Catherine spends time with her husband and daughter, Serena, trying new foods and visiting parks.

Field Organizer

Cesar found his passion for organizing back in 2015, and hopes to keep advancing his career in organizing. His favorite quote is “Be Part and Feel Proud.” As lead Organizer, Cesar brings skills and determination to improve working conditions for thousands of Gig workers in the US. He is also focused on empowering gig workers and building strong coalitions that could bring the change gig Workers deserve in this country. Cesar graduated from Skyline College in 2014, where he earned two Associate in Science degrees. Cesar brings more than 8 years of experience in internal and external organizing, and has also worked in political campaigns in Nevada for the midterm elections and Presidential campaigns. helping elect Catherin Cortez Masto as the first Latina to serve in the US Senate in 2016, as well as Jacky Rosen and Governor Steve Sisolak 2018, and President Biden in 2020 with Unite Here. His latest political contribution came in the primary elections in San José, California in 2024 with the South Bay Labor Council. Cesar enjoys time with his two daughters and his wife, in addition to that enjoys watching sports like MMA and boxing. He hopes to come back to training Muay Thai sometime soon.