Maria Louise Roman-Taylorson is the Vice President and Chief Operation Officer at the TransLatin@ Coalition. Maria has been a leader in social services for the transgender community in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Maria is a 50-year-old Puertorican Latina Woman who began her journey to self-discovery at age 19. Many doors would close in her path, but she was driven and determined to succeed. With this decision came empowerment and hardship. She has survived life on the streets and has overcome many of the issues her community continues to fight today. She has become an outspoken voice, an activist and a role model to the Transgender community.