SPOTLIGHT RACE: Ana Ruiz Kennedy for WA-HD14
Ana was born in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and raised in Colima City, Mexico. Her dad served with distinction in the Mexican military, became a doctor and achieved the rank of Colonel. Her mom had her first child as she worked her way through medical school, she had her fifth child as she finished her residency program. Ana first came to Franklin County in 1998 and it became her home in 2009. She is the proud mother of her three beloved children, all of whom were raised right here in Pasco.
As Ana's children grew and were taught in the Pasco School District, she began to volunteer and find ways to become involved in serving at the School District who she view, had given so much to her family and community. She volunteered on the levy and bond campaign committee and the Pasco School District Facilities Task Force committee. She studied how our tax dollars are used to support the building of schools, maintaining its infrastructure, and supporting instructional and student services.
Ana has a track record of being a servant leader for over 15 years. Ana is grateful and humbled by all of the invitations over the years, to serve in leadership roles on a number of boards, commissions, and committees. She served as an Executive Committee member for the Somos Pasco Economic Development Strategic Vision, where she collaborated with economic development staff in our local governments and community organizations to develop a long-range economic development strategy for the City of Pasco. She was also a co-founder of the Pasco Taco Crawl and worked to get her vision come to fruition by leading the team who developed the Colima-Pasco Friendship Agreement with the State of Colima. She was also a member of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs and served on the Boards of Tri-Cities Community Health, Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Pasco Development Authority, Grace Kitchen, Progresso, Latino Community Fund, St Patrick’s Parish Council, Spiritual Exercises for Everyday Living, and the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties. She is a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities, Class XVIII.
Ana has a professional career of 24 years. Ana currently serves as the Business Liaison at Craft3, a Community Development Financial Institution. As a non-profit community development financial organization, our mission is to serve businesses, individuals, or non-profits who are unable to access traditional financing. Before her role at Craft3, she was in the Community Development Department at Numerica Credit Union, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Fiesta Foods, an agent at New York Life Insurance, and an interpreter at Pacific Interpreters.
https://www.anaruizkennedy.com/