About Us

Nitlapiani means “I am powerful” or “soy poderosa/o” in classical Nahuatl*. Our name reflects the resilience of our ancestors. Nitlapiani Consulting was founded by immigrant women in Texas who have dedicated themselves to their community and advocating for BIPOC and underrepresented populations.

Our goal is to help nonprofits and progressive campaigns advance their social justice and equity work by providing: campaign strategy services, facilitating retreats and workshops, conducting demographic analysis, preparing policy briefs and offering translation services.

*Name Reference: Soy ‘ni’ (see pg. 20). Poderoso/a Nahuatl direct translation is ‘tlapiani’. Nahuatl is a non-bianary dialect, to learn more about the origins or our name click here.

MEET THE TEAM

Selene and Caro are real life friends and both come from immigrant families. Their friendship journey began as organizers in the immigrant youth movement in 2010, and more than a decade later and with a wealth of knowledge, they have launched Nitlapiani Consulting.

COFOUNDER | CONSULTANT

SELENE M. GOMEZ, MPA

Selene began as an activist during college in advocating for in state tuition for undocumented students and since she has expanded her advocacy to include immigration, education, racial equity, criminal justice, voting and voter ID rights, housing, environment, LGBTQIA+, identification accessibility for non-citizens and foster youth.

Across twelve years, Selene has held different leadership and senior level positions in Vote Riders, Mi Familia Vota, and the U.S. House of Representatives D-23. Selene has deep outreach, recruitment and campaign expertise and sustains relationships with dozens of leadership organizations across the nation.

Selene obtained her Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M at College Station and her Master’s in Public Administration and Nonprofit Administration and Leadership Management certification from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is currently working in obtaining her PhD in Applied Demography from the University of Texas – San Antonio. Selene is fluent in Spanish.

COFOUNDER | CONSULTANT

CARO CANIZALES, MPA

Carolina is an experienced strategist, community organizer and program coordinator. She has successfully developed cross-movement coalitions and campaigns that seek to win protection for Black, brown and other communities of color, including immigrants.

In her 12-year experience in the immigrant rights movement, she earned strong facilitation, campaign strategy and planning skills. She values campaigns that center directly impacted people, and is passionate about building long-term infrastructure for nonprofits.

Carolina has served in senior leadership positions at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the United We Dream Network. She has led dozens of campaigns at the local and national level. She has a B.A. in Communications, a Master's in Public Administration and a Nonprofit Administration and Leadership Management certification from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is an alumni and former trainer of the Momentum Training Institute, and is fluent in Spanish.