MANDA MACAL

Amanda Macal was born in Guatemala in 1938. She studied to be a Secretary at the school of Art, Drama, and Commercial at the University Popular in Guatemala. Ever since she was little, she enjoyed acting and has worked in many plays as an actress. In 2010, she was recognized as an Outstanding Women by La Opinion in Los Angeles CA. As a member of Generaciones en Accion, she wishes to leave a legacy of power among the elderly, so that instead of isolating themselves they come together like family to accomplish their goals and dreams and share their wisdom with all generations.

PATRICIA VELIZ MACAL

Patricia Veliz Macal is an acclaimed facilitator, certified coach (Newfield Network & ICF), and motivational speaker known for designing transformative seminars on leadership, communication, self-confidence, and community organizing. Trained in Cultural Biology by Matríztica and Goldvarg Consulting, she specializes in relational and human transformation.

She created the HIV/AIDS prevention play La Decisión and the purpose-driven seminar Designing Your Life. From 2004 to 2009, she co-coordinated the Los Angeles Committee for the Health Initiative of the Americas (UC Berkeley), organizing annual bilingual health fairs with Latin American consulates and grassroots groups. She also co-chaired ALIANZA in 2005 and 2007, a major Spanish-language HIV/AIDS conference.

In 2009, she founded the Pico Union Women’s Group to promote leadership and empowerment. Her passion for storytelling led to Los Hilos Que Tejen (2015), created with her mother Amanda and daughter Carla, highlighting 22 resilient immigrant women’s voices. In 2019, she published Los Hilos Que Tejen en el Corazón del Hombre Inmigrante, sharing 22 powerful testimonies from immigrant men. 

In collaboration with Generaciones en Acción and LA County DMH, she developed a mental health guide for older adults (2021) and co-created the laughter- and gratitude-based theater project Si te Ríes, Gozas (2024). In 2025, she is producing the documentary The Beauties of Los Angeles, honoring five elder immigrant women (ages 72–86).

Patricia holds degrees in Communication Sciences (Universidad Francisco Marroquín) and Dramatic Arts (Universidad Popular, Guatemala). Her mission is to help others reconnect with their inner power and become agents of change.

Honors & Awards:
– Writer of the Year, US Guatemalan Committee (2017)
– Community Hero, Alianza HIV Latino Caucus (2011)
– Innovation Award, Ibero-American Coaching Congress, Peru (2010)
– Outstanding Woman, La Opinión (2007)
– Successful Woman, Margarita O’Farrill Charm School (2000)
– Recognitions from Planned Parenthood LA, Hathaway Family Center, Winter Gardens School
– Best New Actress (Actriz Revelación), Patronato de Bellas Artes, Guatemala (1984)

CARLA MACAL, Ph.D., MSW

Dr. Carla Macal is an interdisciplinary anti-colonial feminist scholar dedicated to community engaged research addressing the intersections between state violence and intergenerational healing. She received her PhD in Geography at the University of Oregon in 2024. Her dissertation research was supported by American Association of University Women and the UO Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies. Her journey through the academy began at the University of California Irvine and she is currently a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego’s Department of Literature. Dr. Macal will begin a tenure-track appointment at Occidental College in the Department of Critical Theory and Social Justice Fall 2025. She is the creator of Ixoq Arte, an herbalist project preserving ancestral Indigenous knowledge.