Malvina Gregory’s work as a community organizer spans over twenty-five years and multiple nations. From activist to interpreter, her life’s work has consistently focused on uplifting the voice of the marginalized, which includes organizing roles in Portland’s Organization to Win Economic Rights (POWER), Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC), Maine People’s Alliance, a women-owned grower’s collective in Nicaragua, Centro Latino Maine, and most recently Presente! Maine. 

She began her multilingual career as Preble Street’s first Multicultural Caseworker, providing casework support to Portland’s homeless Spanish-speaking populations. She later became a professional interpreter, working in the hospitals and courts. She served as Director of Catholic Charities’ Language Partners interpreting program and is now the Director of MaineHealth Interpreter & Cross-Cultural Services. Malvina is a strong advocate for language justice, contributing to the establishment of standards and training for medical and legal interpreters in the State of Maine. She played a crucial role in founding the Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) Interpreting Program and the Maine State Courts’ interpretation program.

Malvina is also an author, having written a book about the Latinx immigrant experience, “Pablo’s Story,” published by Maine People’s Resource Center. She translated another, “Latino Voices in New England” by David Carey Jr. and David Atkinson. Her dedication to immigrant and language justice has won her awards, including the Maine People’s Alliance Rising Tide award and a Special Commendation from the State of Maine Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Late Deafened.

She lived for seven years with her family in her husband’s hometown in rural Minas Gerais, Brazil. Together, they revived the family farm - raising cattle, clearing land, and selling produce at a market stand. Malvina currently lives in Portland, Maine with her husband and daughter. In her free time she knits, writes poetry, dabbles in multiple art forms, and quests for gorgeous perennials and creative ways to grow as much food as possible from her 0.12-acre yard.