Arely Anaya

Arely A. Anaya is a former Director of Development and Communications staff at FLAP and has volunteered with social justice efforts and in political campaigns to help uplift many issues that low-wage communities face in the workplace and throughout the society.

Arely is a proud graduate of Northeastern Illinois University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies. Arely is currently enrolled in the Geography and Environmental Studies Master’s Program at Northeastern Illinois University. She has also completed the Leadership, Equity, and Action for our Food System (LEAFS) Fellowship with Mercy for Animals. Additionally, Arely is the proud recipient of the 2024 Breaking It Down Emerging Leaders Award.

Arely developed her passion for helping low-wage communities after growing up seeing her single mother struggle financially and under unfair working conditions while employed in the food, homecare, landscape, and construction industries. Arely’s mother often shared stories with her and her siblings of being an undocumented farm worker in the 1980’s in Salinas, California and the injustices that workers still face. Those stories and the struggles she saw her mom in, inspired her to advocate and empower immigrant and low-wage workers.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, as FLAP’s Grant Writing Consultant, Arely supports the organizational growth and impact.