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From the land of pura vida, Costa Rica, and a family of poets, educators, activists and
entrepreneurs, Renata Soto adopted the U.S. South as her home almost three decades ago. She began her social impact career right out of college in Atlanta, GA, and has honed her social entrepreneurial spirit in Nashville, TN, for the last 25 years.
Renata is founder and president of Mosaic Changemakers — her Pahara Aspen venture. Mosaic, established in 2020, has the single aim of weaving a better South by boosting changemakers of color at the forefront of social change and building a dynamic regional network grounded in collaboration
and solidarity.
Before Mosaic, Renata led Conexión Américas, the nonprofit organization she co-founded in 2002 to serve Tennessee's Latino and other immigrant communities. There, she led the vision to create Casa Azafrán and Azafrán Park, two groundbreaking community development projects located at the gateway to Nashville’s international district that are recognized as models for nonprofit innovation, collaboration and placemaking. Even President Obama took notice and in 2014 visited Casa Azafrán to host a nationally televised town hall on immigration policy.
After 17 years at Conexión Américas, she spent the following two years as a fellow at Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative.
As a volunteer, nationally, Renata served for 10 years on the board of directors, and as chair from 2015-2018, of UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. Currently she serves as board chair of its sister organization, UnidosUS Action Fund, which works to expand the influence and political power of the Latino community. In addition, she served on the White House Hispanic Initiative Commission after being appointed by President Biden in 2022. Locally, Renata recently co-chaired Imagine Nashville, a citywide visioning and action planning process.
Renata is a Fellow of the 12th class of the Pahara Fellowship.
Fellowship Program
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