Mayra grew up in East Los Angeles, and currently lives in Pasadena, CA. She serves on the pastoral staff of Lake Avenue Church, a large congregation that has been at the same location for over 120 years. She has spent the past 18 years leading in her local community and casting vision for Kingdom-neighbor-loving. Her love for the local and global church fuels her speaking and teaching focus on issues related to leadership, race/ethnicity, gender, faith, justice, and the Church. Mayra spends lots of time mentoring and learning from younger leaders in her church and community. She serves on various local and national boards and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). She is married to Chris and they have four children ranging in age from 7 to 29. Besides Jesus, Mayra loves her community, the challenging and sacred call of pursuing justice….and….shoes.