When Susan Montalvo-Gesser applied to be the Director of Catholic Charities in Owensboro, she confidently said even though it was controversial to the diocese she would lead the organization to help marginalized communities and provide immigration services.
The only response from the interviewing team was, “Well, we could reconstitute the board to do so.”
From that moment on she knew that serving with the organization would allow her to combine her passion for the Catholic church and the Latino community in Owensboro.
Growing up in Owensboro, Montalvo-Gesser said there were only a few Latino families in town aside from her own. However, when she came back, that was vastly different.
“I came back and there were suddenly people who looked like me and could speak Spanish, and that was really cool to see,” she said.
While it was nice to see everyone, she said she still saw the marginalization of that community. Montalvo-Gesser said she feels Owensboro has become a better and more welcoming place for the Latino community, but still “Owensboro has a long way to go.”
When she first arrived back in her hometown, Montalvo-Gesser recalled that she was a part of the Hispanic Alliance of Greater Owensboro which was focused on helping local Hispanic and Latino residents. During a meeting, they talked about how beneficial it’d be for a Latino lawyer in the community.
So she took the LSAT, went back to school, and began a federal clerkship. From there, her law career took off.
Montalvo-Gesser ran the first Latino law clinic in Owensboro, worked at Sts. Joseph and Paul Catholic Church, had a private practice, and became the first Latina to serve on the Kentucky Bar Association Board of Governors.
Montalvo-Gesser has made it a priority to always be busy helping clients. Whether it be immigration law or even domestic violence, she was always trying to ensure the community was informed and represented well.
All that work lead her to her current position as Director of Catholic Charities. After she joined the staff, the organization created an immigration legal services department.
With a small staff of two, they served Owensboro and Bowling Green immigrants. They hosted Know Your Rights presentations throughout the Latino areas in Western Kentucky, among other places.
“It’s really about informing people of what their rights are, what would happen if there was an ICE raid, what to do if you are eligible for an immigration benefit,” Montalvo-Gesser said.
Now, the work she does transcends the Latino community. She said her services are now open to Afghan refugees and other immigrants who come with refugee status.
“We’ve been doing a lot of asylum applications for Afghans. Also, the Temporary Protected Status was just made available for Venezuelans. So we’ve been doing quite a few TPS for Venezuelans,” she said.
Now as one of the largest advocates in the community, Montalvo-Gesser said the success stories she hears about the many people she’s helped are her proudest moments.
“That’s the most rewarding thing,” she said. “There are a lot of things I’ve done first — first Latina getting the Athena Award, First Latina on the Board of Governors for the Kentucky Bar — but none of it means more than witnessing one of the people that helped graduate from college or other stuff. That really makes me really proud and happy and makes me want to cry.”
