National Latina Network

Patricia Celis González, Bilingual Content Coordinator

Patricia Celis González works as the Bilingual Content Coordinator for the National Latin@ Network. Prior to assuming this position, Patricia worked three years for the organization, contracting as a translator and interpreter. She also translated for several domestic violence, research, and social justice organizations, such as The National Domestic Violence Hotline, Futures Without Violence, the No More Campaign, loveisrespect.org., Lake Research Partners and Praxis International. She also served The Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC). Patricia has translated literary works as well as numerous materials for the health care field. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Journalism from Havana University and has a certification as ESL Instructor from the International Language Institute in Washington, DC. Patricia’s interests include access language, cultural competency, social justice and advocacy work in support of vulnerable populations. Patricia has lived in the U.S. since 1997, after migrating from Cuba.

Overview of responsibilities

• Ensure that written material is ready for publication by working with the NLN team to revise and provide feedback
• Document the work and activities of the National Latin@ Network
• Provide translation and interpretation services for the National Latin@ Network as needed.

Rosario de la Torre, Trainer & Family Advocacy Manager

Rosario de la Torre is the Family Advocacy & Refugio Manager for Casa de Esperanza, a role she has held for eleven years. Rosario came to the United States from Mexico in 1988 and is an experienced advocate in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault and victimization.  Rosario consistently demonstrates her communication and leadership skills within her team and across the organization. She has vast training, advocacy, court advocacy and crisis line management experience and is a highly respected and experienced advocate.

Overview of responsibilities

• Leads and manages culturally relevant  shelter and direct client services
• Provides trainings to advocates and practitioners

Rebecca De León, Communications and Marketing Manager

Although she's a lifelong Idahoan, Rebecca is proud of her Mexican heritage. Rebecca has experience working as an advocate for farmworkers, low-income populations, at-risk youth, and families as the Communications Director for the Community Council of Idaho. Prior to that, she worked as a journalist for various publications in Idaho, including as the Boise stringer for Bloomberg News. Additionally, she is involved in many local volunteer endeavors, most notably serving as Board President for the Idaho Leadership Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to conducting research and education to address discrepancies in policy, health, and education in minority groups. She has a deep passion for advocating with and on behalf of underprivileged populations, especially Latin@s, members of the LGBTQ community, and women and children. She received her Bachelor of Social Sciences in Mass Communication/Journalism at Boise State University, and she also studied immigration law with the ISAAC Project to become BIA accredited.

Overview of responsibilities

• Plan, initiate, and execute communication and marketing packages and activities to expand the National Latin@ Network's reach and impact.
• Responsible for written publications, online content, product promotion, and media relations.
• Maintain brand integrity and advance the agency's mission and priorities.

Sarah Fleming, Projects Specialist

Sarah Fleming serves as the Projects Specialist for the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities. A native of Boston, Sarah came to Minnesota to study at Macalester College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology before joining the National Latin@ Network in 2014. Outside of work, Sarah is involved in local grassroots organizing movements and political action in Saint Paul. Sarah is also a photographer and uses her photography to support local social justice movements. Sarah is studying to earn her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Minnesota.

Overview of responsibilities

• Provides administrative support for the Directors of the NLN & the Training and Technical Assistance Manager. 
• Provide technical support and coordination for the NLN Webinars, Blog Talk Radio sessions and Conference Calls. 
• Provide logistical support to conferences and other meetings. 
• Work closely with Communications Coordinator to support effective and timely communications

Martha Hernandez-Martinez, MPA., Research Associate  

Martha Hernandez-Martinez serves as the Research Associate for the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families & Communities. She is originally from Managua-Nicaragua, where she holds a License in Psychology from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. Her work experience in Nicaragua included providing services to victims of natural disasters and domestic violence, and research on men’s sexual health. In addition, she designed, delivered, and evaluated gender based education programs targeting health workers. Martha moved to the U.S. in 2002, and worked as a community organizer in issues of affordable housing, immigration, and education. Martha also holds a Masters in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Martha’s major interest and passion consist of issues related to the intersections of gender, social norms, intimate partner violence (IPV), healthy masculinities from a Global South perspective, and the impact of public policies on women’s lives (e.g., reproductive health, human rights, development policies). She is very proud of her working class roots that she believes keep her grounded and open to new challenges.

Overview of Responsibilities 

• Support the development and implementation of the evaluation toolkit  developed as part of the NLN Evidence-Based and Trauma- Informed Plan (Family Violence Prevention Services Administration).
• Support the research team’s work on the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative.
• Support original research and contribute to the production of research publications for the NLN, including applied research papers, articles, factsheets, and community-focused publications.
• Participate in the dissemination of NLN research, including presenting at webinars, conferences and workshops; writing for the NLN blog, e-newsletter, and other publications

Rosie Hidalgo, JD., Senior Public Policy Director

Rosie Hidalgo serves as the Senior Director of Public Policy for Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities (Casa/NLN). Rosie previously served as the Deputy Director for Policy at the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to working at OVW, Rosie had worked as the National Policy Director at Casa/NLN and served on the Steering Committee of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence where she played an active role in national advocacy efforts to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2013. Rosie previously worked at the National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence and as an attorney at legal services programs for low-income families in New York City and in Northern Virginia. Rosie, the daughter of immigrants from Cuba, has spent a total of ten years as an adult living in three different countries in Latin America, including living in the Dominican Republic from 2002-2006, where she helped establish and coordinate a community-based domestic violence prevention and intervention network and worked as a consultant for the World Bank on social services reforms. Rosie received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her law degree from New York University School of Law.  In 2015 Rosie received the 20/20 Vision Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Overview of Responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate key public policy efforts for Casa/NLN that engages a variety of individual and institutional stakeholders from across the country to advance policies that are responsive to the needs and realities of Latina survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as their children and families;
• Advocate to improve access to general prevention and intervention services for Latin@ survivors and their families, particularly for individuals with limited English proficiency and immigrant survivors:
• Represent Casa/NLN on the Steering Committee of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and on the board of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda to coordinate efforts with other national organizations to advance policies beneficial to survivors and Latin@ communities; and
• Assist in providing technical assistance on various projects and providing trainings through webinars, workshops, and presentations at conferences

Marissa Kurtz, Project Specialist 

Marissa Kurtz is a transnational and transracial adoptee, originally from Guatemala. She grew up just outside of Washington, D.C., before moving to Minnesota to attend Macalester College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English. Prior to this position, Marissa served the AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer Program Specialist for Casa de Esperanza’s Community Engagement Team. In this position, Marissa managed the organization’s volunteers and interns as well as building the program’s capacity.

Overview of responsibilities

• Provides administrative support for the Directors of the NLN & the Training and Technical Assistance Manager. 
• Provide technical support and coordination for the NLN Webinars, Blog Talk Radio sessions and Conference Calls. 
• Provide logistical support to conferences and other meetings. 
• Work closely with Communications Coordinator to support effective and timely communications

Jose Juan Lara, Jr., M.S. Project Coordinator

Jose Juan ''J.J.'' Lara, Jr. has been involved in the movement against gender violence since 1999 in Texas and has facilitated workshops at national, state, and local conferences on crisis intervention, systems advocacy for victims of family and sexual violence, and LGBTQ victims of interpersonal violence. Prior to coming to the National Latin@ Network, JJ was the Senior Victim Services Program Specialist for Texas Advocacy Project in Austin; Legal Advocate Program Coordinator for Friendship of Women, Inc. in Brownsville; Case Manager Supervisor/Volunteer Coordinator for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cameron and Willacy Counties; and Director of Legal Services for the Family Crisis Center, Inc. in Harlingen. JJ serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Victim Services Association and allgo, a statewide queer people of color organization (originally, Austin Latina/o Lesbian and Gay Organization) and a consultant for Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center. JJ holds Master degrees in Sociology and Public Safety with specialization in Criminal Justice.

Leo Martinez, Project Manager

Leo Martinez is a Project Coordinator with the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina and immigrated to the US in 1997. Prior to Casa de Esperanza, Leo worked as a Consultant for the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Georgia. He is the co-founder and Board President for Latino LinQ, a nonprofit organization providing services to Latin@s of any sexual orientation and any gender identity. Leo has worked for many years as an advocate in the community with Latin@, immigrant and LGBTQ individuals as well as with victims of domestic violence. His expertise includes nonprofit development, cultural responsiveness, working with Limited English Proficiency communities, systems advocacy, Latin@ youth development, batterers’ interventions programs, coordinated community response, homicide prevention, etc. He holds degrees in Early Childhood Education from his country of origin and in Psychology and Human Services from Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia. He has facilitated workshops at many local, regional and national conferences. He was named Grand Marshall by the Atlanta Pride organization in 2016 for his work with the LGBTQ community. He is an appointed member to the City of East Point Ethics Board.

Overview of responsibilities

• Provides training and technical assistance services to the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Initiative (DVHPI)
• Works with Vera Institute and other TA providers to implement a national resource center on Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
• Collaborates with the rest of the NLN team coordinating and providing training to OVW grantees

Sheehan Niethold, Program Assistant

Sheehan Niethold is a Program Assistant for the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. Born in Colorado and proudly raised in Reno, Nevada, Sheehan attended the University of Nevada-Reno, with a focus on Criminal Justice and Psychology. Prior to joining Casa de Esperanza, she worked as a Program Specialist for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges where she became familiar with domestic violence and its consequences in the lives of vulnerable populations. Sheehan has many years experience in the administrative field and looks forward to using her skills to contribute to the vision and mission of Casa de Esperanza.

Overview of responsibilities:

• Administrative support for Chief Strategy Officer and the NLN program staff and consultants.

Lumarie Orozco, M.A., Project Manager

Lumarie is a community psychologist and project manager for the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. Lumarie’s areas of expertise and interest include Latin@ youth development and advocacy, community leadership, community engagement, organizational development – including assessment and capacity building — and the development and implementation of culturally responsive interventions that target Latin@ communities. Lumarie works with nationally recognized colleagues and other national technical assistance providers to inform the practices of the country’s most innovative, community based and dynamic non-profit organizations to achieve dramatic social change in the fields of dating and domestic violence, and sexual assault. Currently, Lumarie provides training and strategic technical assistance services to the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Initiative (DVHPI), which seeks to enhance the response to high risk for lethality of victims of domestic violence from racially and ethnically diverse communities. Previously, Lumarie managed Casa de Esperanza’s community engagement initiatives including Fuerza Unida (community engagement, leadership development) and Youth Initiatives (leadership, peer education and advocacy). Lumarie is a 2011 Practitioner Fellow with the National Institute on Out of School Time, and a 2012 Practitioner Fellow with the Robert Bowne Foundation National Writing Project.

Overview of responsibilities

• Develops and implements peer educator training and curriculum
• Provides psycho-educational support group facilitation
• Oversees Latina youth development work

María Cristina Pacheco Alcalá, Project Manager

María Cristina Pacheco Alcalá is a Project Coordinator with the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. She’s a young woman and feminist from Puerto Rico, with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She is the former Coordinator and Director of Campus grants at the University of Puerto Rico, with ten years of experience. She was also a consultant for the Department of Family Affairs of Puerto Rico on external resources. Her areas of expertise are gender violence, youth, sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexual assault, feminism, popular education, and prevention. María Cristina has more than 15 years of experience working in education and prevention within communities, youth and women. She has participated in civil society consults at the International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014. She was also an expert facilitator in the areas of family, youth rights and development, comprehensive education and staying healthy, at the Global Youth Forum held in Bali, Indonesia.

Overview of Responsibilities

• Provides training and technical assistance services to campus grantees of the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), specifically regarding underserved populations and cultural competence.
• Collaborates with the rest of the NLN team on coordinating and providing training to OVW and HHS grantees.

Rebecca Rodriguez, Ph.D., Manager of Research and Evaluation

Rebecca Rodriguez, Ph.D. is a community psychologist and manager of research and evaluation at the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities. Rebecca's research interests broadly focus on culturally specific and community-centered approaches to prevent family violence in Latino@ families. Her research has examined marital and dating violence by investigating family dynamics (e.g. gender roles, parenting), U.S. immigration policies, and by working directly with Latin@ youth witnesses and survivors of violence in conducting participatory action research on topics they find important to their communities.  Her evaluation work includes participatory and culturally responsive evaluation practices and developing the evaluation capacity of community based organizations. Rebecca enjoys mentoring students and is interested in increasing the number of Latino researchers. As a child of Mexican migrant farm laborers, she is also passionate about social justice for migrant and seasonal laborers.

Overview of responsibilities

• Designs and conducts original research focused on preventing gender-based violence in Latino communities.
• Supports the capacity building of Latin@ organizations to contribute to the evidence base though maintenance of the evaluation toolkit and technical assistance.
• Produces and coordinates publications for the NLN, including applied research papers, manuscripts, fact sheets, and community-based publications.
• Supports the development of grant proposals and funding for new research and evaluation specific work.

Josephine V. Serrata, Ph.D., Director of Research & Evaluation

Josephine V. Serrata, Ph.D. is a clinical community psychologist and director of research and evaluation at the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families & Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. Her research and evaluation work are embedded in practices that are culturally affirming and community driven. Her research includes studying the intersections of domestic violence with issues of oppression, privilege and strength in Latin@ families and communities. Her evaluation experiences have included evaluating community based prevention and engagement efforts, including a leadership intervention for immigrant Latina survivors of domestic violence. Her clinical work focuses on trauma informed, culturally relevant approaches. She also serves as the Director of Professional Development for the Latina Researchers Network, which aims to support diverse scholars in academia and advanced research careers. “Josie” is a Latina of mixed heritage (Panamanian and Mexican-American) from San Antonio, TX and proud mother of two boys.

Overview of Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the National Latin@ Research Center on Family and Social Change (NLRC), manages community-based research projects within Latin@ communities
• Leads the implementation of the National Latin@ Network Evidence-Based and Trauma-Informed research plan
• Produces and coordinates research publications for the National Latin@ Network including applied research papers, articles, fact sheets, surveys and community-focused publications
• Participates in the dissemination of original National Latin@ Network research, including presenting at webinars, conferences and workshops; writing for the National Latin@ Network blog, e-newsletter and other publications

Patricia Tototzintle, Chief Executive Officer

Overview of responsibilities

• Oversees programs directly serving Latinas and their families including the Shelter, family advocacy and peer education
• Oversees the work areas of finance and human resources
• Manages and engages a national board of directors with members occupying a variety of leadership roles in the corporate and philanthropic sectors

Maritza Valdez, M.P.A., Grants Manager

Maritza Valdez, M.P.A., is the Grants Manager for the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities at Casa de Esperanza. Maritza’s areas of specialization are organizational development, capacity building, nonprofit management and sustainability. Previously serving as National Trainer and Grant Writer, she brings experience in the development of foundation, corporation and government grants to expand and strengthen the work of Latin@ and culturally specific organizations doing working to end violence. Maritza offers training and technical support nationally on these topics. Joining Casa de Esperanza in 2011, Maritza began as Program Assistant for the National Latin@ Network. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration, as well as a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management, from Texas A&M University. Maritza is a Latina of Mexican heritage who proudly hails from Texas.

Overview of responsibilities

• Oversees national grants for compliance, deliverables and reporting

• Provides trainings and technical assistance nationally on organizational development, nonprofit management, and sustainability.

Jorge Vidal, CSSP Project Manager

Jorge Vidal serves as the Project Coordinator for the Culturally Specific Services Program Grant (CSSP). For more than 10 years, Jorge has worked in the social work field at various non-profit and public interest organizations, promoting the rights and dignity of immigrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and communities. "I strongly believe that empowerment is unpacking multiple layers and barriers within an individual or community to get to the core, which holds endless possibilities for advancement and understanding.” Prior to joining the Casa de Esperanza, Jorge has worked with a variety of community-based organizations, including AIDS United, Voces Latinas, GMHC, Hispanic AIDS Forum, and Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer. He has worked with the Latino community from diverse settings that include Washington DC, Connecticut, New York, and Puerto Rico. Jorge earned his Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University.

Overview of responsibilities

• Coordinate the activities of the Culturally Specific Services Program Grant (CLSSP)

• Provide training, expertise, and mentorship to grantees on relevant projects.