In this role, Shelby also manages grants totaling over $3.5million. Michelle Mercado oversees TNTPs consulting work in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, with a focus on helping educators, schools, and school systems expand access to opportunity for students. He has been married to his wife Betty, and has two children, Cynthia, 35, and Maximiliano, 30, both married. in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught university courses in journalism, literature, composition, and creative writing for three years via a fully funded Teaching Assistantship. dedicated over 10 years leveraging relationships to resource quality educational opportunities for youth and families. The light she shines is to make sure her community stays connected to the current issues and supports pathways to bridge the gaps of information. Myrla was on the lookout for her soul mate in Married At First Sight Season 13. Myrla Feria is introduced on Married At First Sight as a leadership coach. Oneofthe Fellows reflected on the weekend sharing, This fellowshiphas cultivated a valued space for reflection and connection with other passionate, driven professionals. Dr. Yohana I. Quiroz was born in Honduras and was raised in el barrio de La Mission, a predominantly Latino neighborhood located in San Francisco, California. Soniris recently completed her Masters in Science in Education with a concentration in Teacher Leadership from Walden University. Latinos for Education is mobilizing a network of skilled Latino education leaders, who make sure the voice of Latino students and families is not only heard but also factored into decision-making in schools, communities and education institutions throughout the U.S. Our Aspiring Latino Leaders Fellowship and Latino Board Fellowship programs accelerate the careers of Latino professionals while providing them with the training, connections and support they need to succeed and create change. Prior to this role, Nakisha served as the Assistant to the Vice President on the Teacher Leadership Development Team at Teach for America. In addition, Erasmos grandparents in Brazil and Honduras were illiterate, thus being an educator and fighting on behalf of Black and Brown families is more than a job, a title, or a passion project, its his calling. Originally from Peru, he was raised in Venezuela and came to the U.S. as a teenager. My name is Eduardo Garces. Serving as an educator in Bostons community of learners Armandos mission is driven by the notion that education is a gateway to freedom and effective education is about the actions we take to promote behaviors that bring equity of opportunity and equity of access to the students as well as the actions we take to disrupt the behaviors that create inequality in our community. In Boston, MA, Armando has engaged in teacher development in the area of secondary mathematics education and instructional coaching. Joshua went on to work for Samsung Electronics America. She earned a PhD in Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) in 2015. He, was previously Chief Growth & Impact Officer and originally joined as, VP of Strategy and Programs in 2017 after five years at Johns Hopkins as Boston Executive Director and later Regional Director overseeing 14 schools across the northeast in the largest randomized control trial of school reform in American history (Diplomas Now i3 Study). in opera performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College,and a B.S. She trained site coordinators on the effective administration of student surveys and student assessments. Paola is a licensed mental health professional who has dedicated her life and career to improving the lives of children and their families. Her experience connecting community members to critical resources drives her work outside of the office. Prior to joining Rocketship, Janine served as Regional Director for the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), advocating for high quality public schools in an increasingly hostile environment. In addition, she has served as a resource for multiple teams and regions who have leveraged her experience and resources in support of their leaders. The foundation of college preparation from Upward Bound, Communication and Culture from Clark University and Transforming communities from American University and volunteering for Lawrence Communityworks led to an overall passion for social change with a focus of empowering families, promoting values based HR practices in the workforce and connecting neighbors in under-resourced communities. In her role,Adrianaleads thedevelopment function for the organization, includingdevelopmentstrategy and operations, and builds partnerships to advanceLatinos for Educationsmission. from the University of Houston main campus. With the understanding that their attitude will decide their level of success in life, I want to motivate Latino and other minority kids to have a strong conviction in achieving their academic and professional goals. As the daughter of immigrants, she has always been taught to value and understand the importance of education. She currently resides in the Spring/Klein area with her husband Luis and their three kids: six-year-old LJ, four-year-old Lilah and one-year-old Leon, and their dog Max. She also enjoys gardening, watching movies and spending time with her family, friends and four dogs. Claudia received her Bachelors in Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University and her Masters in Educational Leadership from Concordia University. His leadership style is adaptable and proven in multi-national organizations, with sensitivity to organizational and social differences while delivering results. Seeing the amount of work and advocacy that needed to be done, she later enrolled at Boston University, to pursue her Masters of Arts in Leadership, Policy Advocacy for Early Childhood Education. in Interpersonal Communications from The University of Texas at Austin. Throughout her career, she focused on ensuring high quality and equitable instruction for students, and the school districts she led saw improvements in student performance and success. As a classroom teacher in an affluent suburban district, she witnessed first-hand the educational inequities experienced by students of color and their families, which prompted her to leave the classroom to pursue other leadership roles. Born in the East End of Houston and raised in an immigrant community, Bilma is acutely aware of and passionate in addressing educational inequity in minority communities. is passionate about supporting an inclusive community of Latino leaders from diverse backgrounds. Felicia has worked for over 20 years in college access, leadership development, and strategic planning for higher education institutions and non-profit organizations. It was not long that she was able to serve as the Bilingual Skills Specialist and Campus Testing Liaison at her former campus for a year and a half. She was heavily involved in LEEs efforts, as she traveled to Baltimore, Colorado, LA, New York, and Philadelphia, to deepen her skill sets in community organizing, & political involvement. As a beneficiary of philanthropy, Benjamin and his family have begun to pay that gift forward by starting the Cabrera Scholarship; a scholarship directed at supporting BIPOC students who are searching for post-secondary financial assistance. In 2020 they launched the first-ever LGBTQ+ initiative for the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) at the local and national level, since then they have been serving as the Director for ALPFA Pride at the Boston chapter. As an undergraduate student, I became an advocate for social transformation and had the opportunity to work in Head Start classrooms with the nonprofit, Jumpstart. Italia Cea grew up with value given to speaking multiple languages and expressing her culture. Joining the fellowship continues her lifelong obligation to serve others and rise above adversity, which was instilled by her mother (Janie), a retired educator in K-12 and higher-ed. In this role, she manages the growing teams internal operations for the organization to effectively work toward its mission. She also had the privilege of being selected as one of 23 leaders, the only Latina, from across the country to found a KIPP School. Lora graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 2003 with a Bachelors in Education. Nancy Jimenez Zigler is the Director of Programs and Partnerships at the Jandon Center for Community Engagement, based in Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. we are intentionally cultivating Latino leadership and not leaving. After I started working to help support my family after a tragic accident that left my father quadraplegic. In 2012. received the Commitment to Excellence Award, Presidents Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. A lifelong believer in the power of education to be one of the great equalizers of our society, Benjamin hopes to collaborate with like-minded colleagues as he expands his knowledge of the systems that create education structures in order to bring a voice of equity and a heart of inclusion into the evolution of Americas classrooms. Her background in education includes elementary, middle school and high school experience. She also helps set, and continuously align her organization around key strategic priorities, driven by an understanding of the needs of the communities they serve, the ever-changing non-profit landscape, the organizations internal core capabilities. She has 14 years experience in education where she served as a bilingual paraprofessional, Bilingual Teacher, a Language Instructional Specialist, Instructional Officer, and now a Director. There he learned more about his Mexican heritage through his relationships with his students and their families. Dr. Carmona received his ED. A first generation Puerto Rican, Maribel grew up at the intersection of multilingualism and special education, engaging with extended family in Puerto Rico, monolingual peers in the suburbs of CT and family members with various communication impairments. I want students to come to school and have the BEST elementary experience through academic learning, extracurricular activities, and supportive interactions from all educators they encounter. ADVERTISEMENT After making the tough decision to leave the classroom, Vicky was able to intersect her love for education with her passion for coaching teachers working with the Crescendo Education Group, mentoring teachers across the country in equitable grading practices. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas-Permian Basin and a Bachelor of History- Mexican-American Studies from the University of Houston. When becoming a mother, her passion to advocate grew. Pasadena ISD is one of the largest school districts in Texas with over 80% Latino students. All views and opinions are my own. He then moved to corporate communications and was the communications and press director for two different Colombian state entities. In 2015, Mayor Annise Parker also declared Texas Salsa Congress Day for Houston, Texas. In addition, Dr. Rojas also served as the Bishops Warden at Saint Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Temecula, California. Building relationships with students is my favorite part of the job because it allows me to learn from them. Following her involvement with LEE, Kelly beat a Chelsea School Committee incumbent of 10 years, by being elected by her beloved community to serve as the youngest School Committee official ever elected in her district, while also attending graduate classes at Boston University. Before being a Curriculum Instructional Specialist, Lora was a U.S History teacher for 17 years in a Title I school in Houston ISD. 9 followers 3 connections She is currently at YES Prep Thrive, the districts DEAP school, as the Director of Thrive/Principal of Thrive. He moved to the US not speaking English. During my high school years, I had one amazing teacher who saw the potential in me and challenged me to see it for myself. Ciro Valiente is the Manager of Marketing and Communications at Latinos for Education, where hebringsover 10 years of experience in communications, video production, broadcasting and marketing. 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