Aspen Global Innovators Group
2026 Class of Healthy Communities Fellows- South Texas
South Texas Leaders Selected for National Aspen Fellowship
The Aspen Global Innovators Group has announced the 2026 Healthy Communities Fellows, recognizing leaders from across South Texas, including the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo. This cohort highlights changemakers addressing critical issues such as diabetes prevention, mental health, food security, and access to care. Selected fellows will receive leadership development and communications training to expand their impact and elevate community-driven solutions. As part of a national and global network, these leaders are helping build healthier, more resilient communities from within. Together, South Texas fellows, including those from Laredo, represent the strength and innovation of locally rooted leadership driving meaningful change.
Meet Our South Texas Fellows
Moises Arjona Jr., CEO of Unidos Contra La Diabetes, leads a collective‑impact movement in the Rio Grande Valley, drawing on his own lived journey with obesity and diabetes while strengthening deep community partnerships to reduce new cases of type 2 diabetes through a multigenerational approach.
With nearly a decade advancing public health along the U.S.–Mexico Border, Moises champions equity‑driven solutions that strengthen outcomes for vulnerable communities. His work brings partners together, aligns regional efforts, and drives measurable progress in diabetes prevention and awareness.
Moises is also the founder of Leading The Way Forward, LLC, where he supports organizations in designing strategies, building capacity, and accelerating community transformation. Known for his strategic leadership and problem‑solving mindset, he is committed to creating healthier futures through culturally grounded, community‑led action.
Marcella Juarez is an innovator, local farmer/rancher, and 12th generation Tejana working to build a local food system in Laredo, Texas. After witnessing food insecurity in her community, she dedicated her life to using the ranch that has been in her family for over 160 years to provide Laredo with fresh, local, and healthy food. Marcella co-founded Palo Blanco Farm & Ranch with her family and together they steward the land and grow food sustainably. Their work aims to better the health of the local environment, community, and economy. Her favorite part of her work is reconnecting with the land, representing young BIPOC farmers and leading by example.
Ray Sanchez is a bereaved father, a dad who held his daughter through a fight no child should ever face, and who knows the fear and uncertainty of walking into a children’s hospital room hundreds of miles away from home. Ray serves as a voice and a shepherd for children affected by pediatric cancer and blood disorders, and their families in Laredo, TX. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Smiles From Heaven, he walks alongside families as they navigate their journey while working to break down the barriers that make it harder for families to access care. He partners with community leaders and works across local, state, and federal levels to help bring care closer to home and expand access to newer, less harsh treatment options, so no family ever has to hear the words he once did: “There is nothing else we can do for your child.”
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY FELLOWS
Cassia Herron | Founder and CEO, Herron Inc; Co-Founder, Louisville Community Grocery
Attica Scott | Director of Special Projects, Forward Justice
Christopher 2X | Executive Director and Founder, 2x Game Changers
Lauren Muir | Co-Owner, Martin and Muir Counseling
The Fellowship is supported by:
Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Valley Baptist Foundation, Knapp Community Care Foundation, Humana Foundation, and Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana.
