Alejandra St. Guillen, a Mission Hill native and former executive director of the Latino political organization Oiste?, took up her post as interim director of the City’s Office of New Bostonians (ONB) last week.
The office helps immigrants access City services, language learning and training. It also helps develop the mayor’s immigration policy, St. Guillen told the Gazette last week.
The “small, dedicated staff” of ONB will work on being “more out there, bringing more services to the community,” she added.
It is unclear how long a search for a permanent director might take.
“It has been an extreme honor to serve in this role and I move on knowing that we have made great changes together, have had a tremendous impact on the political landscape and have advocated on behalf of the issues most vital to our communities,” she wrote in a farewell email
Meanwhile, Jamaica Plain resident Juan Leyton will take up the post of Interim Director at Oiste?
“We think he’ll be a great asset to the organization,” St. Guillen said. “My main concern in taking the [ONB] position was finding a replacement [at Oiste?].”
St. Guillen is known for her service with political groups, including the locally active La Alianza Hispana. She currently lives in West Roxbury.
The St. Guillen family became prominent in Mission Hill for its activism following the infamous 2006 murder of Alejandra’s sister, Imette, by a New York City bar bouncer. The family established a scholarship at Boston Latin School, which Imette attended, and Alejandra worked for the creation of the Francis Street Park in her memory near the family home.
Alejandra St. Guillen. (Courtesy Photo)