José A. Álvarez works for the County of San Diego Communications Office and offers enterprise-wide coordination for interpretation and translation resources, best practices and collaboration among County groups, departments and the community. He is working on the implementation of the County’s Inclusive and Equitable Language Plan which requires departments to develop communications that are culturally responsive, trauma informed, easy to read and accurately translated. The Plan requires that County departments provide interpretation and translation services in eight languages: Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Persian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. José a native Spanish speaker from México and studied the language in high school, majored in Spanish Literature in college and graduated with honors. He was a reporter and translator for Spanish publications in Chicago and San Diego and has 20 years of experience in bilingual (English/Spanish) public relations, marketing, social media, crisis and emergency communications. He has also been a spokesperson for various industries, including government, higher education and non-profit organizations.