lIka Vega is the Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice of United Women in Faith. She holds a B.A in Sustainability, Culture, and Social Justice and a B.A. in Business from Southwestern University and a M.Sc. in Innovation, Human Development, and Sustainability from the University of Geneva. As part of her postgraduate studies, she worked on mainstreaming sustainability policies and educational resources collaborating with different UN and international organizations including the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights and the 2050Today initiative in Geneva.
She is a graduate of Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas. Since 2010, Ilka has been a community organizer on transborder initiatives in the United States and Mexico. In her role as Community Engagement Specialist at HOPE, she assisted in the humanitarian response for asylum seekers, and guided advocate and interfaith delegations, including the International Sanctuary Movement and the Poor People’s Campaign through the realities of the borderlands. Since 2016, she has attended the UN climate change conferences and provided policy briefings for US lawmakers and faith communities with Texas Impact and Climate Action Network. For the past five years, she has served as part of United Women in Faith’s Charter for Racial Justice Support Team, and authored a number of transformative education resources, addressing social and environmental issues through a faith perspective.