Our team

Elizabeth Barrios Gomez

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Fernando Antonio Gomez

Co-Founder & Chief Vision Officer

Elizabeth Barrios Gomez is a passionate parent, seasoned advocate, and respected leader in California’s disability rights movement. As Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC), Elizabeth brings more than a decade of tireless advocacy on behalf of underserved families navigating the state’s complex developmental disability systems. Her work is grounded in cultural humility, lived experience, and a deep commitment to equity and justice .Elizabeth is a graduate of the California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CA-LEND) program through USC’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She is also a graduate of the Partners in Policymaking training through Westside Regional Center, where she strengthened her foundation as a family leader and policy advocate.

1.She currently serves on the Local Advisory Committee (LAC) for the Self-Determination Program at Westside Regional Center and is an Ambassador for Disability Voices United. Her recent efforts include founding the Community Outreach Integradoras Program, a culturally rooted initiative addressing disparities in access and services within the California Regional Center system. Through this model, Elizabeth has helped build pathways for peer-to-peer navigation and empowerment in Latino and monolingual communities.

2.Elizabeth co-founded ICC alongside other parent and self-advocate leaders to unite grassroots advocacy efforts under a shared mission of cultural relevance, community capacity-building, and systemic change. Under her leadership, ICC has become a trusted statewide voice in the ID/DD space, influencing policy, expanding access, and mentoring a new generation of leaders.

3.Elizabeth earned her B.S. from Woodbury University. She lives in West Los Angeles with her husband and advocacy partner, Fernando Gomez, and their two sons—Oscar Antonio, a dynamic young man with Down Syndrome, and Diego Antonio. Her greatest inspiration comes from her family, and her vision is clear: to ensure that every family—regardless of language, culture, or zip code—has the tools, support, and respect they deserve.

Fernando is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in business development, multicultural marketing, and emerging technologies. His leadership spans roles as a network executive and in strategic marketing, global distribution, and affiliate relations across major corporations such as Univision/Galavisión, Bravo Networks, Microsoft (MSN Latino), France Telecom (Starmedia), impreMedia, and Maya Entertainment, where he served as Vice President of Emerging Markets. A nationally recognized expert in the Hispanic market and multi-channel media, Mr. Gomez has been a frequent speaker at both national and international conferences on media, diversity, and market inclusion.

He brings this same commitment to equity and inclusion into the disability rights movement.His advocacy includes appointments to the DDS Advisory Committee to the California Master Plan, to the OAH Lanterman Act Hearing Advisory Committee and appointed by Governor Brown to the Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Intervention. He has also served as Board Chair of Westside Regional Center, President of the Board of ARCA, and as a board member for the Special Olympics of Southern California.

Maria López

Co-Founder, Regional Manager – San Fernando Valley & SDP IF

Maria Lopez is a seasoned community advocate with over a decade of experience supporting families of individuals with disabilities. As a Latina mother of three, including two with autism, Maria leads ICC’s San Fernando Valley efforts with cultural insight and compassion. She is deeply committed to guiding monolingual Spanish-speaking families through the Regional Center system, offering trusted support, practical tools, and a strong sense of community. Her leadership empowers others to navigate with confidence and raise their voices for equity.

Rubi Saldana

Co-Founder, Regional Manager & SDP IF

Rubi Saldana is a dedicated advocate and proud mother of three, including two children on the autism spectrum. With over 14 years of experience, she co-founded ICC to help families—especially Spanish-speaking and underserved communities—navigate California’s complex disability service systems. Rubi leads with empathy, cultural humility, and lived experience, providing hands-on support, mentorship, and advocacy rooted in trust. Her work continues to drive equity and systemic change, ensuring no family is left behind.

Josefina Romo

Chief of Operations & SDP IF

Josefina Romo graduated from the University of Guadalajara with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law. Since joining ICC in 2019, she has served as Chief of Operations and an Independent Facilitator in the Self-Determination Program, combining her legal expertise with her lived experience as a mother of a young adult with autism and as a person with a disability. Her work focuses on empowering individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusion, and supporting families through person-centered services. She also serves on the University of Guadalajara Alumni Association board in Los Angeles and collaborates with the Mexican Consulate on community initiatives.

Dora Contreras

Regional Manager – Stockton Area & SDP IF

After a career in teaching and school administration, Dora Contreras found renewed purpose in 2018 as an ICC Integradora. Now serving as the Regional Manager for the Stockton area, Dora leads her team in supporting families across the Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC) catchment area. Her passion and dedication are rooted in community service, ensuring individuals with IDD and their families receive the guidance, advocacy, and culturally responsive support they need. Dora is a proud Grandmother to a young man served by the regional center system.

Syam Mohanty

Chief Technology Officer

Syam is an accomplished information technology professional with more than two decades of global experience designing, developing, and implementing innovative digital solutions for healthcare and enterprise organizations. As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC), Syam leads the organization’s digital transformation by integrating emerging technologies, automation, artificial intelligence, and scalable technology solutions into ICC’s advocacy and service delivery framework. His expertise in systems architecture, process optimization, and digital innovation is helping position ICC as a forward-thinking organization prepared to meet the evolving needs of California’s intellectual and developmental disabilities community. By modernizing workflows, building secure technology platforms, and leveraging data-driven solutions, Syam is helping move ICC into the 21st century—enhancing productivity, strengthening organizational capacity, and enabling more efficient, responsive, and impactful support for the individuals and families ICC serves each year.

Oscar Mercado

Director Community Programs

Oscar Mercado is a young Hispanic-American disability rights advocate, Director of Programs for the Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC), and Independent Facilitator dedicated to advancing opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. As a self-advocate with autism who receives services through California’s Regional Center system, Oscar combines his lived experience with a passion for person-centered planning, self-determination, and equitable access to services. A respected leader and role model, he represents ICC through public speaking, legislative testimony, statewide advocacy initiatives, and the development of marketing, educational, and promotional materials that amplify the voices of the disability community. Having successfully navigated educational, medical, and complex public systems,

Oscar brings authenticity, determination, and a strong commitment to empowering families while inspiring the next generation of self-advocates. He is currently pursuing his college education while continuing to expand his leadership and advocacy throughout California.

Néstor Nieves

Co-Founder & Manager Community Programs

Nestor Nieves is a self-advocate with autism and Manager of Community Programs for the Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC), where he empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families through leadership, advocacy, and community engagement. Inspired by his mother, longtime advocate Josefina Nieves, Nestor has become a respected leader in California’s disability community, serving on the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities and as Co-Chair of the Statewide Self-Determination Advisory Committee. As a participant in California’s Self-Determination Program, he is committed to advancing independence, choice, and full community inclusion for people with I/DD.

Alejandra Páramo

Integrated Community Collaborative - Admin

Alejandra works in an administrative role at Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC), where she has supported the organization’s mission for the past year. She assists with daily operations, maintaining records and documentation, scheduling meetings and trainings, supporting event logistics, preparing reports and invoices, managing internal communications, and coordinating with staff and families. Prio to joining ICC, Alejandra gained experience in nonprofit work and accounting in her home country, strengthening her organizational, financial, and administrative skills. This background allows her to effectively support ICC. Through her dedication and commitment to service, Alejandra plays an important role in advancing ICC’s mission of empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families through advocacy, education, and equitable access to resources.

Blanca Mercado

ICC community integrator & Director of the video production and editing department

Blanca Mercado is an attorney, video creation director, and dedicated advocate whose work is shaped by her experience as a proud mother of two children on the autism spectrum. Educated in Mexico, she built her foundation in law before beginning her advocacy journey. Co-founding a local community‑based nonprofit, where she discovered her passion for supporting families and elevating underserved voices.

Her greatest vocation has always been motherhood. Years spent caring for her son without services strengthened her resolve, deepened her compassion, and inspired her commitment to helping other families navigate complex systems with dignity and confidence.