Meet Luis Ortega

Luis (he/they) is a multidisciplinary storyteller, facilitator, narrative strategist, and the founder and director at Storytellers for Change.

Over the last 14 years, Luis has worked with youth, educators, and cross-sector leaders to help them harness the power of narrative. His research and consulting work focuses on asset-based storytelling, racial equity, narrative change, healing, culturally responsive education, leadership, and organizational development.

His work, writing, and projects have been featured at the Harvard DACA Seminar, HBO’s “Where Do You Exist?” podcast, the Kauffman Foundation’s Disruptor Speaker Series, the Seattle Design Festival, and the Gates Foundation Discovery Center. Luis is a W K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network Fellow, the Co-Director of La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp, and the co-founder of the Expresión Storytelling Fellowship at the Latinx Education Collaborative.

Luis has a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Luis was born and raised in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and now lives in the unceded and ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Coast Salish people (Seattle).

Luis Ortega, Director & Founder, Storytellers for Change

Since time immemorial, stories have embodied humanity's power of meaning-making. They shape how we understand ourselves and each other. They influence our policies, institutions, and cultural norms. Storytelling is how we make sense of the world, create memory, establish, and sustain our beliefs, and express the realm of what is possible. In her 1993 Noble lecture, Toni Morrison said, "Make up a story… narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created."

Morrison's words are thought-provoking, and in the context of health and well-being, they should invite us to ask: What stories drive our approach to mental and emotional well-being? What stories inform how we practice connection and reconnection? What stories can we imagine, craft, and share to foster wellness and nourishment within our communities?

Through the lens of Healing-Centered Engagement (Ginwright, 2022) and asset-based storytelling, Luis will help us uncover how embracing our strengths and cultural assets can cultivate wellness, nourishment, hope, and joy in our lives. Join us on this journey to create meaningful, healing connections in a culturally responsive and inclusive way.