CPS 2023 Annual Meeting

Consultant, Latino Health CareDiabetes Training and Technical Assistance Center Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

For more than twenty years, Soto has dedicated her career to being a leading advocate for Latino immigrant equality, inclusion and health equity in Colorado and throughout the nation. From working with teen parent programs and serving on the Colorado Vaccine Equity Task Force, to promoting health equity at the American Diabetes Association, Soto has pioneered a wide range of programming designed to empower marginalized communities. 

Her advocacy efforts have appeared in publications throughout Colorado, as well as NPR, Time magazine, the American Public Health Association’s Public Health, Religion and Spirituality Bulletin, and a new documentary from the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition. And her success in leading and managing evidence-based prevention programs serving new immigrants has been recognized at both the state and national levels: 

• 2022 Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Health Equity, Colorado Public Health Association
• 2022 Community Faith Award, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene 
• 2022 DEI Champions in Advocacy Award, Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Southeast Express and Colorado Spring Military Newspaper Group
• 2022 Equity in Immunization Award, National Coalition for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships
• 2022 Big Shot of the Year Award, Immunize Colorado
• 2022 Victor Smith Memorial Award, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
• 2022 Heroines of the Pandemic Award, Pikes Peak Women
• 2021 Accolades, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet
• 2021 Accolades, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper
• 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Best Practices Award, National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP)
• 2016 People Who Make a Difference Award, Wells Fargo
• 2015 William Funk Award for Building Stronger Communities, Colorado Nonprofit Association
• 2014 Unsung Heroine Award, Latinas First Foundation
• 2012 Kathy Hill-Young Community Spirit Award
• 2012 40 Under 40 Award, Denver Business Journal
• 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award
• 2007 and 2006 Colorado Rockies Leadership Award Finalist
• 2006 Excellence in Education Award, Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• 2006 Layperson of the Year, Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved 
• 2005 Dia de la Mujer Latina “Courage and Valor” Award, Latino/a Research & Policy Center

Her work and achievements continue to inspire other immigrant hopefuls and newcomers in Colorado and across the globe. A Channel 22 documentary chronicling her journey navigating systems in the United States and becoming successful in a new country, Mexicanos Exitosos, aired in both Mexico and Spain. In 2021, Soto’s innovative programming and community-based intervention strategies earned one of Colorado’s most prestigious honors when Colorado Governor Jared Polis proclaimed September 20, 2021 as “Julissa Soto Day”.  Since then, Julissa’s efforts have led to the vaccination of more than 18,000 Latino adults, youth and children, as well as the distribution of more than 90,000 COVID-19 tests and 40,000 masks. 

Today, Soto is proud to continue to provide consulting and education services to partners and agencies throughout Colorado and the United States as CEO and founder of Julissa Soto Latino Health Equity Consulting. She serves on the Health Equity Commission for the Colorado Department of Public Health and is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Co-Chair of the Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), which provides guidance on health equity and outcomes. She also serves on the Suicide Prevention Commission for Colorado representing the voices of suicide attempt survivors - and particularly those facing multiple disparities.

At the national level, Soto currently serves on the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) steering committee. She also serves as a Cultural Advisory Board member for Vaccinate Your Family, a national nonprofit organization that strives to protect people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. In this role, she shares her extensive health equity expertise to aid in the development of outreach plans to increase pediatric COVID vaccine uptake in marginalized communities. In addition, Soto is an active member of the National Hispanic Medical Association and serves on the KIPP Colorado Public Schools Board of Directors. In 2022, she also became a member of the Legislative Leadership Network for the Colorado Catholic Conference, where she combines her faith and health equity advocacy. In her spare time, Julissa is proud to partner with Young Invincibles as a mentor empowering young adults to enhance their voices, impact and economic opportunities.