Camp Fire Alaska | Light the Fire Within

Francisco Mercado

Regional Supervisor of School Programs

 

Cisco was born in New York City and has been in Alaska since 2011. He started working for Camp Fire shortly after he arrived in Alaska and for the past eleven years. Cisco started as the assistant site director at Tyson and West Fairview sites. He was quickly promoted to the Site Director for both Tyson and Loussac community centers before moving into his current role. Cisco studied history and political science at Valparaiso University and received his master’s degree in both subjects from the University of New Orleans. Cisco spent a number of years teaching history and language arts to middle school students in New Orleans. Cisco really believes in building positive relationships with all kids in our program and believes a positive role model in a child’s life can have a tremendous impact on them. Cisco is very active in the community around racial justice and DEI, which he brings into Camp Fire to improve the lives of marginalize communities and people in and outside of Camp Fire. Outside of work, Cisco has amassed a great collection of comic books and manga, which he brings his passion of comics, anime, and manga with him wherever he goes.

The Camp Fire Alaska main office operates on the ancestral land of the Dena’ina people. Camp Fire Alaska runs programing on the lands of the Athabascan, Yup’ik, Chup’ik, Sougpiaq, and Inupiaq peoples. We value and thank them for their current and historic commitment to and protection of this land. We pledge to assist, in partnership, in the environmental stewardship of these lands. We strive to learn more about the history of the Native peoples of Alaska and the historic trauma they have suffered. We commit to being an active ally through activities, actions, and organizational decisions and practices. We understand that this is a dynamic process through which our Land Acknowledgement practices, and statement will evolve as we receive feedback from tribal partners and acquire a deeper understanding of and from the Native peoples of Alaska.