Raquel Garcia-Alvarez is the Policy & Sustainability Manager and a steward at the Forest Preserves of Cook County. She co-leads Latinx stewardship days at Possum Hollow Woods to connect the local Latinx community to their natural areas. She is part of the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Committee and their work focuses on operationalizing racial equity within the Forest Preserves.  She has provided staff and partner agencies training on how to incorporate REDI into their work and why it is essential for natural areas practitioners. She is a board member of the Natural Areas Association and a 2023 Civic Leadership Academy fellow.  Previously, she was the Stewardship Program Coordinator, overseeing the Forest Preserves’ largest volunteer program with volunteers hosting over 1,300 stewardship days throughout the year.  She studied Animal Science with a Minor in Anthropology from UIUC, and a master's in Environment and Natural Resource Management from the University of Iceland. Raquel is from La Villita neighborhood, and her family is from Guanajuato, Mexico.