Immigrant community retention specialist interviewed for Spokane Climate Resiliency Board

Eliza Quezada appeared before the Spokane City Council on June 15 to speak to her application for the Climate Resiliency & Sustainability Board. Quezada said she immigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lives in District 3, works at Spokane Community College as a retention specialist, and has experience in nonprofit leadership, dispute resolution and public‑health equity work.

Quezada told the council she would bring the perspective of immigrants and other underserved residents to board discussions, particularly on how climate impacts intersect with public health and vulnerable populations. She emphasized community engagement, culturally appropriate outreach, and working with the county health district to identify at‑risk populations.

Council members thanked her for applying and asked follow‑up questions about how her background in equity work would link with climate planning. The council indicated it looked forward to her potential service and concluded the interview with standard next steps for board appointments.