Miguel Angel Acosta joined the Earth Care team in the summer of 2017 to launch Poder Familiar - our parent leadership program which he'd been dreaming up for some time. A long-time ally and role model, Miguel now co-directs the organization in our shared leadership model. Miguel was born in Chicago but made in Mexico. He has been the Director of El Colegio Sin Fronteras, a social enterprise focused on community education, training and capacity building for healthy communities, as well as a Principal Associate at the Center for Relational Learning, an international consulting firm based in Santa Fe, NM which focuses on building family-community-school partnerships.  Prior to that he served on the Board of Education of Albuquerque Public Schools where he helped establish The Community Schools Partnership with the City, County and Business Community and he worked for many years at the University of New Mexico where he was instrumental in establishing the Freshman Year Experience programs in the College Enrichment Program, Undergraduate Studies and across the campus. He has more than 40 years of experience in advocating for educational opportunities and community development for underserved populations.  Miguel Angel’s work with youth, families and communities ranges from teaching in alternative high schools, developing youth leadership programs, developing and teaching in adult basic education programs, working in violence and substance abuse prevention, restorative justice, community health initiatives, recruitment and retention work in higher education, community schools, personal, family and community coaching, school-led community revitalization and as a public servant and elected School Board Member.  His family came out of Jalisco, Mexico, and first migrated to Chicago around 1919.  His father, Miguel, participated in the Bracero Program as a farm worker in California and later toiled in a Chicago factory until he could work no longer.  His mother, Luz Maria, worked as a seamstress in Chicago as had her mother before her, and was a community and jobs activist.  They are now resting in peace together back in Jalisco.  Miguel has two sons, Jose Miguel, 29, and Miguel Angel 35, an awesome granddaughter and future scientist and soccer star, Isabela, and a grandson Emilio who has plans to be a superhero.  He is patiently supported in all he does by his loving partner, Analicia, who also shares three grandsons with him. Elijah, Isaiah and Dominic.