Leo Lopez, MSW

  Board of Directors Chair

Mr. Lopez has over 20 years of experience in child welfare, early childhood education (Head Start Programs) and training social services agencies at local, state and national levels.

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Joseph Castro

  Board of Directors Treasurer

Joseph M. Castro, Jr. is the Director of Program Support for Inspire Development Centers in the state of Washington. Mr. Castro has over a decade of experience working in Head Start / Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start / Migrant and Seasonal Early Head Start Programs, and state funded early childhood education programs. […]

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Patty Cardenas

  Board of Directors Secretary

Patty Cárdenas is a first generation Chicana, born in Los Angeles and raised in Santa Ana.  She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she earned a degree in Chicana/o Studies. For over 25 years, Patty has worked with at risk youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. In 1992, […]

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Alejandro Vasquez, MSW

  Board of Directors Member at Large

Alejandro Vasquez currently works with Hospice of Santa Barbara. He is a registered Associate MFT and provided services as a Bilingual/Bicultural Bereavement Counselor. He has long provided services to youth throughout Santa Barbara County in non-profit agencies, Juvenile Probation and the educational school system.

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Saul Serrano

  Board of Directors Member at Large

Saul Serrano currently serves as the Coordinator for the South Coast Task Force on Youth Safety, a regional collaboration administered by Community Action Commission (CAC) of Santa Barbara County. Previously, Mr. Serrano was a case manager and health educator for over ten years for the Los Compadres Program at CAC, which serves youth throughout Santa Barbara County.  Mr. Serrano grew up […]

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Dr. Susy Zepeda

  Member at Large

Dr. Susy Zepeda was born in Monterey Park, California to two Mexican migrants from El Limón, Jalisco and Chínipas, Chihuahua. Raised primarily by her Mexicana mother, tías and tíos, and prima/os along with her two sisters in the Los Angeles area, she learned since childhood the importance of supporting community and holding matriarchal relations sacred […]

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Efraín Ramírez

Mr. Ramírez is a native bilingual Californian and has worked in the mental health profession for more than forty years. For 21 years Efraín worked at the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic (LACGC) serving the Latino and African-American community.

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Isaac Cardenas

Isaac Alvarez Cardenas is a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan (Qua-wheel-tek-can) Nation. A Native American Indian, son of an Apache mother and a Coahuiltecan father, and was raised in the inner-city West Side of San Antonio, Texas. Isaac is a father of two young adult sons, and married to his wife Sylvia for 32 […]

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Ricardo Carrillo

Dr. Ricardo Carrillo has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Carrillo has developed culturally competent programs for women and their children with dual disorders, substance abuse

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Héctor Sánchez-Flores

  Executive Director
  (408) 484-4291

Héctor Sánchez-Flores is the executive director of the National Compadres Network (NCN), where he leads the organization’s work to promote methods that build upon the cultural and personal assets of people and communities, especially for young men of color, to intervene and prevent violence, truancy, teen pregnancy and other life-limiting outcomes for children, teens, and their families.

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Jerry Tello

  Founder/Director of Training & Capacity Bldg.
  (213) 432-1743

Jerry Tello comes from a family of Mexican, Texan roots and was raised in south central Los Angeles. He is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of men and boys of color, fatherhood, family strengthening, racial justice, racial healing, community peace and mobilization and culturally based violence prevention/intervention issues.

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Nelda Olvera

  Director of Operations & Planning
  (408) 484-4195

Nelda Olvera is NCN’s Director of Operations and Planning. As part of NCN’s Senior leadership team, Nelda provides direction for all internal functions within the organization impacting organizational policies, fiscal management, and grant and resource development. She has over 24 years of experience in the administration of programs that work with underserved communities.   Nelda has supported the goals of […]

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Heriberto “Beto” Escamilla, Ph.D.

  Director of Evaluations & Program Improvement
  (408) 484-4225

Dr. Heriberto (Beto) Escamilla Morales oversees NCN’s Evaluation and Data Systems Division and has designed NCN’s research and evaluation process and instruments integrating culture based effective methodologies, processes, and tools.

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Martha Jimenez-Ellis

  Director of Finance
  (408) 484-4149

Martha Jimenez-Ellis joins NCN as the Director of Finance. She has 35 years of experience and knowledge of accounting for non-profits, and extensive training in procedures that are in compliance with GAAP. She provides agency and grant financial reporting, audit oversight, invoicing and accounts receivable and foundation contracts, budget development, and special projects. She is committed […]

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Mario Ozuna-Sanchez

  Senior Manager of Training & Capacity Building
  (408) 484-4161

Mario Ozuna-Sánchez has over 16 years of experience developing and implementing cultural rites of passage, teen-pregnancy prevention, gang intervention, and community-violence prevention services in Santa Clara County, specializing in East San Jose. He is nationally recognized for his skills at developing and delivering culturally relevant services to reach and welcome the most marginalized youth and men in the community.

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Sara Haskie-Mendoza

  Manager of Women & Girls’ Programs
  408-484-4293

Sara Haskie-Mendoza has worked 20 years as a grassroots community organizer, trainer and outreach specialist. Sara developed Xinachtli — an innovative youth health and rites of passage curriculum for young women and girls — in which she has trained hundreds of facilitators nationally. She is a fellow of the California Women’s Policy Institute and a recipient of the 2007 Los Angeles Peace Maker Award.

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Osvaldo “Ozzie” Cruz, Sr.

  Senior Training & Program Coordinator
  (213) 432-1742

For more than 15 years, Osvaldo Cruz, Sr. has worked with Latino male youth and young adults in the greater Los Angeles area to address issues of male responsibility, Latino male rites of passage, teen-pregnancy prevention, teen fatherhood, reproductive health, community violence, and youth leadership development.

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Anthony “Tony” Guillean, MSW

  Reporting & Communications Manager
  (213) 432-1741

For over 25 years, Mr. Guillean has been a trainer, facilitator and administrator of nonprofit programs and services throughout California. Tony has managed a training and technical assistance program for family-strengthening organizations and networks throughout California, trained volunteers and staff of nonprofit organizations in sound management and leadership practices, directed a nationally recognized prejudice-reduction project for youth-serving organizations, and facilitated multicultural coalitions around organizational service improvement.

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Daniela “Dani” Lopez-Raines

  Executive Assistant & Organization Office Manager
  (408) 484-4231

Daniela Lopez-Raines has been with National Compadres Network since 2013 as executive assistant to Hector Sanchez-Flores and the executive team. She graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in US History and minors in Political Science and Economics.

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Mayra Muñiz

  Operations Assistant
  (408) 484-4157

Ms. Muñiz joined NCN in 2016 as Operations Assistant Manager where she supports NCN’s operations department to strengthen our internal process for contracts, accounts payable/receivable and human resources. Mayra joined the team with a wealth of experience from both the corporate and education sectors.

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Susanna “Susie” Armijo

  Administrative Assistant
  (213) 328-0144

Susanna Armijo comes from a family of Mexican roots and raised incorporating traditional healing in her life. As the caretaker for her mother she learned as a young girl to use touch and massage as a way to communicate and soothe her mother’s ills.

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Ariel Jimenez

  La Cultura Cura Network/Program Coordinator
  (408)-484-4421

Mr. Jimenez is a Fellowship Circle Keeper within NCN’s La Cultura Cura Fellowship Path 2 Services Program. He studied Psychology and Sociology at San Jose State University where he graduated in 2013. He assisted with facilitating Joven Noble Círculos in San Jose for the past 3 years and is honored to work with powerful youth in our communities.

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Ysenia Sepulveda

  Training and Technical Assistant Specialist
  (408)-484-4120

Ms. Sepulveda is a Fellowship Circle Keeper within NCN’s La Cultura Cura Fellowship Path 2 Services Program. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and with a minor in Mexican American Studies. It was through her studies at San Jose State that she was introduced to Joven Noble. Since then she has facilitated Joven Noble and Xinachtli Círculos in San Jose.

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Miguel Ozuna

  Communications Specialist
  (408) 484-4356

Miguel Ozuna is NCN’s new Communications Specialist. As part of the NCN team, he is primarily responsible for brand management and community awareness of the National Compadres Network through all forms of communication, including social media. Miguel is a graduate of NCN’s Joven Noble Program, has a passion for photography and art, and is a proud husband to […]

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Tanya Riddle

  Evaluation Specialist
  408-484-4199

Tanya Riddle joined our NCN family as the Evaluation Specialist. She brings with her a strong knowledge of assessment, data entry, site visits and instrument delivery. She has over fifteen years of professional experience providing services to non-profit agencies in education, social services and program evaluation. Her professional career has brought her into close collaboration with […]

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Serafín Serrano

  Training and Technical Assistant Specialist
  (213) 432-1746

Serafín Serrano has contributed to NCN as a mentor, educator, and consultant. As the Training and Technical Assistant Specialist, he is responsible for supporting program initiatives and providing support circles, mentorship and advocacy. Serafín attained his Associate of Arts Degree in Human Services from Cypress College and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from The University of California, […]

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Christian Jaimes

  Project Coordinator - Xinachtli Comadres National Colectiva

Christian Jaimes is the Project Coordinator for the Xinachtli Comadres National Colectiva for NCN’s Women and Girls Programs. Christian is trained and certified in Xinachtli and Advanced Xinachtli: Rites of Passage Curriculum for Chicana & Latina Youth.   Christian received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and Chicana(o) Studies from the University of California, […]

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Christian Andres

  Senior Fellow w/ NCN’s Forward Promise Project

Christian Andres is a Senior Fellow with NCN’s Forward Promise Project. Christian joined NCN as part of its inaugural Fellows project with the Path2Services program in 2016. He is a graduate of Joven Noble and is a certified Joven Noble Curriculum Facilitator. Chris is currently a student at Evergreen Valley College and will be transferring […]

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