Isabel serves as an Associate Program Officer at Better Way Foundation. She brings more than a decade of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that center family well-being, community voice, and equity.
Prior to joining Better Way, Isabel served as a Research Scholar, where she managed the Family-Based Justice Center, a national training and technical assistance hub supporting localities, states, and Tribal Nations in developing alternatives to incarceration that keep families together through comprehensive, community-based services rather than incarceration of parents or primary caregivers. She also participated in the Next100 cohort as a Policy Entrepreneur, focusing on policy solutions impacting children of incarcerated parents. Earlier in her career, Isabel was the Deputy Director of the American Indian Criminal Justice Navigation Council, where she led the development of a new nonprofit in Oklahoma dedicated to supporting incarcerated Native Americans during reentry and reconnecting them with their families and Tribal communities.
Isabel has held several leadership and advisory roles, including Chair of the Campaign to Keep Families Together; member of the Research & Data Advisory Committee for NEO Philanthropy, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Evaluation Consultant for the National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement.
Her work has been recognized nationally and within her community. She was selected by the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute as a 2018 Champions for Change recipient, by Mvskoke Women’s Leadership as the 2019 College Student of the Year, and by the Mvskoke Youth Council as the 2020 Youth Visionary for her leadership in promoting civic engagement.
Isabel holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration from Northeastern State University and a master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Rural and Underserved Populations from Oklahoma State University. She is a citizen of the Mvskoke Nation and of Mexican descent and lives on her reservation in west Tulsa, Okla. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to state fairs, mentoring young people in her community, and exploring new hiking spots.
Reach out to Isabel at icoronado@betterwayfoundation.org.
