Maciel Jacques

Maciel has worked in the immigration legal services field for over 20 years, having worked at private immigration law firms, serving as Director of Legal Services at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Managing Director of the Immigrants’ Rights team at Centro Legal de la Raza before moving to Native American Health Center as their Director of External Affairs.  She was also instrumental in the creation and growth of Stand Together Contra Costa, the first rapid response network for Contra Costa County.  She has led hundreds of free community events where immigrant communities were provided with free legal application assistance, legal screenings, Know Your Rights information, family preparedness, and immigration policy updates. 

Maciel was born in Oakland and raised in Fruitvale.  She has focused her career on investing in and advocating for community empowerment and facilitating opportunities for immigrant and underrepresented communities. She has worked with the Native American community in Oakland, as she is half Yaqui. She has volunteered and fundraised for Big Brothers Big Sisters, San Francisco Food Bank, and the East Oakland Boxing Association. Maciel was also a member of the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Carlos Moreno from 1996 – 2017 where she taught dance and also toured Mexico with the professional company.  Maciel currently serves as the Board Chair for the East Oakland Boxing Association which is a youth development wellness organization dedicated to empowering underserved youth in East Oakland.  She holds a BA in Political Science with a concentration in Public Affairs & Administration from Cal State East Bay.