Panel Discussion | A Multijurisdictional Discussion on Language Access: Challenges and Successes

Engage in a multijurisdictional dialogue about the challenges agencies face and learn about successful practices, and innovative and collaborative solutions to ensure meaningful language access. There will be Language access professionals representing City of Portland, Washington County, Trimet and Regional Public Health Communications.

Pilar Montejo hails from Colombia, South America, and after residing in Mexico for eight years, she made Portland, Oregon, her home 16 years ago.

Currently, Pilar works as a Regional Public Health Communicator, serving Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Clark counties, with a focus on culturally specific communities. In this role, she supports communication efforts and facilitates collaborative interjurisdictional work.

Since 2018, she has been actively engaged in the Emergency Management field. Notably, she played a pivotal role in Multnomah County’s COVID-19 Emergency Operation Center, acting as a liaison between Faith and Community-based organizations, culturally specific communities, and government agencies.

Pilar has had the pleasure of facilitating engaging Intercultural and Business Communication programs at Portland State University. She extends her expertise further by providing comprehensive relocation services training for expats transitioning both to the United States and Latin American countries. She has worked as an independent Intercultural Communication and Organization Development consultant and facilitator. Additionally, she served as a community engagement liaison and business communication facilitator for various private and public organizations.

Pilar's extensive professional background includes collaboration with universities, government entities, and private organizations. Her diverse experience spans working with expats, immigrants, refugees, and international students. Pilar is deeply passionate about areas such as Intercultural Communication, Personal Leadership, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Resilience, Public Health Communication, Emergency Management, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Customer Service, Training, and Development.

Her academic journey encompasses studies in Industrial Engineering in Colombia, a Master's in Organizational Development in Mexico, and obtaining Graduate Certificates in Intercultural Training, as well as in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Portland State University.

Tatiana Elejalde is an experienced systems change strategist, language access subject matter expert, and trainer who has worked for over 20 years as a language access and civil rights/immigrant rights advisor across sectors including city, county, state, and federal government, health and human services, behavioral health, education, and non-profit. Tatiana is specialized in policy and procedure analysis, developing tailored strategies for systemic change, and community collaboration, to assess institutional barriers to access. Tatiana uses a justice and anti-discrimination framework approach in her work. She is passionate about creating institutional and systems change to improve outcomes for communities, specifically for immigrant and refugee communities. 

Tatiana is from Medellin, Colombia. She immigrated with her parents to the United States in her youth and later her family also immigrated to Japan for a time during her high school years. Her multicultural and multilingual life lead to her love of all cultures and languages. Tatiana has lived experience with language barriers, discrimination, and the exclusionary and othering tactics of institutions and systems that impact people’s lives. Racial justice and language justice is her life’s work.

Toby Lyons is bilingual in Spanish and English and has 15 years of experience working directly with monolingual Spanish speaking families and other immigrant communities. She was trained as an interpreter in her hometown in Virginia and then went on to receive her master’s in social work from Portland State University. She spent the next eight years working as a bilingual Wraparound Care Coordinator and Coach for Multnomah and Washington Counties. From this experience, she became an expert at bringing teams together to come up with creative solutions to make sure children and families’ needs are met in a culturally and linguistically responsive way.  In 2023, she became the Washington County’s first Language Access Coordinator, working to increase compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ensure meaningful implementation of the County’s language access policy and procedures.