NLBHA, the NHL ATTC and PTTC teams are proud and honored to present the 2022 National Hispanic and Latino Executive Leadership and Fellowship Program Graduates. We cannot wait to see the great things they will accomplish in their careers and the beautiful impact they will continue to bring to our communities.
Cesar Enrique Bravo Wolfe, MSSW, LICSW
Cesar is a Clinical Social Worker in the state of Minnesota and is a bilingual (Spanish/English) Helpline Supervisor at the Partnership to End Addiction, a national helpline serving concerned significant others who have a loved one using substances. Born in Nicaragua, he immigrated with his mother and sisters at a young age, growing up in the largest Nicaraguan American community in the U.S. (in Miami, FL). He is a graduate of Florida State University, obtained his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, and served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador. He worked in the Emergency Department setting at the Mayo Clinic focusing on crisis intervention, and safety/mental health assessments. He also serves on two boards of local community organizations that focus on youth development and restorative justice. As an immigrant, he has a professional focus on using his bilingual and bicultural skills to serve Spanish-speaking families.
David Sotelo
In 2020, David began his work as the Human Relations Officer at the City of Hutchinson where his task is to create harmonious relationships and eliminate prejudice amongst the various groups within the city of Hutchinson. He leads equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts for the City and advises other community organizations on equity strategies. Dave brings energy and a wide range of experience in facilitation.
Emely Santiago, LMSW, MPH
Emely Santiago Sosa is a bilingual and bicultural social worker and public health practitioner. She has several years of experience in the field of mental health, specifically working with individuals with co-occurring disorders, children, and families. She has worked as a provider and administrator in multidisciplinary health care and faith-based settings. Emely served as Assistant Director at a Community Mental Health Clinic in New York City serving predominantly Spanish-speaking clients. Currently, she works as the Assistant Project Director for the Opioid Response Network New York and New Jersey Region.
Ernesto Figueroa, BA, LLM
Ernesto Figuroa has a Juris Doctorate from UCE Law School, Dominican Republic, a BA in Public Administration from Roger Williams University, and a Law Legal Master from Boston University School of Law. Ernesto joined the team of the Providence Comprehensive Treatment Center in 2019 as a consultant for the Community Liaison Program. In 2021, he accepted a full-time position with the CTC as the Community Liaison. He works with several community partners and spearhead outreach initiatives for both the Providence & Woonsocket clinics where he focus his efforts in reaching the Hispanic community and providing easy access to treatment for those suffering from Opioid Use Disorder. Throughout his professional career, Ernesto has been honored to serve as a staff member for CHISPA – a non-for-profit Latino Social Service Agency located in South Providence. He was a Liaison for RI Child Support Enforcement where he worked with fathers who were incarcerated. He designed reunification plans for these fathers to be able to reestablish relationships with their children once released from prison. Ernesto was the Director of Vital Statistics for the City of Providence under Mayor Cicilline’s Administration. During Mayor Taveras’s Administration, Ernesto was appointed as the Director of Supply & Diversity (MBE/WBE) allowing him to work with the minority contractors to ensure that they were part of the bidding process for construction projects that were in development in the City of Providence.
Glory McDaniel, MA, LPC, LAC, MFTC, NCC, EMDR Trained
Glory McDaniel is a bilingual therapist working with specific treatment of substance use disorder (SUD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental illness, leading both English and Spanish groups, educating the community as well as individual counseling. Current President of the Colorado Association of Addiction Professionals (CAAP) board of directors and facilitator for Mending the Soul (MTS) groups for women survivors of abuse. Glory believes in helping others by providing support, counseling, and education on various topics such as domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, anxiety, depression, mental illness, and substance use disorder. Her career goal is to provide victims of domestic abuse the necessary skills that will empower them to become self-sufficient and live a happy, healthy, and prosperous lives. Glory has recently founded Crisálida, Inc., a non-profit shelter for victims of domestic violence and their families. When fully operational, Crisálida will provide crisis and transitional housing; individual, group and family counseling, and life-skills training in cooperation with partner agencies. Glory holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services with emphases in Domestic Violence Counseling and Addiction Counseling from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary.
Lisa Noelani Chavez, LISW
Lisa Noelani Chavez is from New Mexico where she currently lives, works, and plays. She has five children and soon, two grandchildren. She loves reading and spending her spare time with hergranddaughter and family. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from New Mexico State University. Lisa have been working in this field since 2005. Most of her work has been a combination of direct service with adolescents and families in the school setting, program supervision, and most recently in administration. During this time, she has provided direct services in assessments, crisis intervention, attendance monitoring, Special Education Mental Health intervention, community outreach, clinical therapy, clinical supervision, intern supervision, training, and more. Most recently, Lisa is working in administration at Families & Youth Innovations Plus where she is currently the Clinical Director. In her short tenure here, she has supervised, managed, and directed service provision programs for child welfare, youth housing, clinical therapy services, and more. In addition, much of the adaptive work she has toiled in has been in leadership learning opportunities for all of FYI’s agency’s supervisors, managers, and directors with an emphasis on strong reflective supervision. In addition to her day job, Lisa serves as an adjunct faculty member where she teaches Introduction to Social Work at NMSU. She has been teaching since 2011. Lisa has taught a range of courses that include Introduction to Social Work, Social Work Policy, and Human Behavior and The Social Environment. She also trains on Clinical Case Formulation for The Center for Innovation at New Mexico State University. Teaching is Lisa’s passion and by far this is her favorite job as a social worker! Above all, Lisa mostly enjoys direct service with individuals and families and reflective supervision with those she leads. Lisa has a servant heart, therefore, she learns, she enjoys sharing with those who need it the most.
Liz Paola Domingues, MSc, PhD
Dr. Liz Paola Domingues holds a PhD, a Master's Degree in Sciences, and Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Domingues also holds Graduate Degrees in Planning, Implementation and Management of Distance Education, and in Distance Education on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Dr. Domingues is passionate about research and teaching and has over 10 years of experience in the areas of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse.
Lucila A Beaton, LMSW, LISW-CPS
Lucila Beaton, LISW-CP graduated with a MSW degree from Yeshiva University. She is an independently licensed clinical social worker with a specialization as a Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. She is also a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor for the National Council of Behavioral Health, and a trainer for LivingWorks providing suicide intervention and prevention training. She also provides parent trainings utilizing various curriculums in English and Spanish, in schools and community settings.Her career began in New York City school systems, serving as a bilingual social worker in IEP and multidisciplinary teams and as Dean of students in a suburban high school with over 4,000 students. She has supported students with special needs, serving in IEP teams in New York and working in different capacities and settings including self-contained, inclusion and general education settings. As clinical director at a Behavioral Health clinic, which provided therapy and behavior modification services to children and families with mental health diagnosis across seven counties in South Carolina she embedded trauma informed practices and protocols into the clinic’s processes from intake to discharge. She is bilingual and bicultural. She never forgets she began her career as an ESOL student in the public school system in Brooklyn, NY. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed supporting families in their engagement with different systems, assisting them in their interactions with school districts, mental health agencies, community agencies and judicial systems.
Norma A. Martinez, MSW, LICSW
Norma was raised in Yakima, WA and her parents were born and raised in Michoacán, Mexico. Most of her family members are musicians. Her father plays the Arpa Grande and her youngest son plays the Vihuela. She has three children. Her eldest, Eric, attends Eastern Washington University with intended mayor in social work with focus in criminal justice. Her daughter, Vennesy, is a junior in high school, and her son, Asahi, is in 8th grade. Norma is the first generation to graduate from high school and higher education programs. She received a Bachelor of Social Work from Heritage University and a Master of Social Work with clinical focus from Walla Walla University. She became licensed with her LICSW in 2019. Norma works at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic for the past twelve years as a Clinical Supervisor. She provides supervision for social work college interns as part of their practicum. Norma also provide clinical supervision for clinicians seeking to obtain licensure. She has worked in Mental Health Services for nine years, has gained much knowledge in this field, and hope to continue to grow professionally in clinical social work.
Norma Patricia Fernandez, PhD, MPH
Dr. Fernandez is a Clinical Psychologist at the Addictions and Substance Abuse Programs (ASAP) at the University of New Mexico Hospitals (UNMH). She is also the Training Coordinator and Manager Psychologist for ASAP and UNM Psychiatric Center (UPC) inpatient and outpatient at UNMH. She holds a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center and a Re-Specialization in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. Dr. Fernandez completed her pre-doctoral internship in 2018 at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in the areas of trauma, co-occurring substance use disorders, and Indian Health Services’ local and telehealth programs. Her clinical and research interests include evidence-based treatment for trauma, suicide prevention, substance use disorders, and severe mental illness. Patti is passionate about the work of health disparities reduction and culture integration advocacy and enjoys providing competency based and trauma informed/focused bilingual supervision. Patti was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico and came to the United States after high school leaving her family behind. She is also passionate about sharing aspects of her own culture and experiences and how these color her personal and professional.
Onesimo Baltazar Corona, MPA
Onesimo Baltazar Corona is the Futuro Latino Coalition Coordinator. In this role, he supports efforts to improve Latino youth's health and well-being by preventing the use and misuse of alcohol and drugs, educating the community, and seeking out funding sources. He has collaborated with several community projects over the last two years, making a positive impact in the Hispanic community. He is an active leader and a member of various community organizations. Onesimo is from Hidalgo, Mexico. He has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo and a Master’s in Public Administration from Instituto de Administración Pública del Estado de Hidalgo in Mexico. He has worked for both private and public organizations in accounting and finance roles. Onesimo founded Dibujando Sonrisas in Hidalgo, Mexico, an initiative to bring toys, clothes and the most important, smiles, to kids in the mountainous region in Hidalgo each year during the Día de Reyes Magos celebration. Onesimo is friendly, creative, responsible, detail-oriented, and resourceful. He lives in Harrisonburg with his wife and his two daughters. Dedicating quality time to his wife and daughters is the most valuable activity for him. He also enjoys spending time with his friends, traveling, participating in cultural events, designing, and taking professional pictures.
Priscila Giamassi, MPM, CPS
Priscila was born in Sao Paulo; Brazil and she moved to the US in 2018 with her family. She uses the pronouns she/her. Her background is in Business Administration and Project Management. Currently, she is working as the Project Coordinator for the National Hispanic and Latino PTTC, housed at The National Latino Behavioral Health Association, funded by SAMHSA. She is a Bilingual Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS). She is passionate about Prevention, and she understands that this is part of her mission on earth. As a Latina, woman, an immigrant living in the USA, Priscila strongly believes that it is her duty to use her voice and resources to advocate for mental health and substance abuse prevention, and she is committed to the improvement and enhancement of behavioral health service delivery for Latinx and other underserved communities.
Roberto Suarez, LMFT
Roberto graduated from Palm Springs High School, Class of 1977; California State University San Bernardino with a BA in Social Sciences, Class of 1982, and graduated with a Master of Science Counseling degree from the Community Based Block Program at San Diego State University, Class of 1983. Roberto is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and has worked for San Ysidro Health in county contracted behavioral health programs for over 35 years. Roberto has worked as a Program Manager at San Ysidro Health Youth Enhancement Services, a community-based county contracted outpatient behavioral health clinic that serves children, adolescents, and their families for over 28 years. He is also one of the founding fathers of Motiva Associates, a Behavioral Health organization that two of his partners and him began over 25 years ago. He has had the honor and privilege of making significant positive impact in the lives of hundreds of families in the leadership role as Program Manager and would like to continue utilizing his years of experience to make larger contribution in the Latinx communities he serves.
Thomas Anthony Chavez, PhD
Dr. Chavez is an Assistant Research Faculty at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Community Behavioral Health. He is also affiliated with the UNM Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center. He has taught courses in multicultural counseling and child and adolescent counseling. His current scholarly interests include Latinx health and wellbeing including community engaged research with undocumented Latinx young adults and families and culturally centered interventions. He is also a practitioner of traditional medicine and co-director of RAICES: Community Education of Traditional Medicine to integrate culture-based health paradigms into allopathic care.
Ziomara Ochoa, MS, LMFT
Ziomara Ochoa-Rodriguez is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and currently serves as the Deputy Director of Child and Youth Services for San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Ziomara identifies as a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, first generation, cisgender Woman of Color, bi-lingual and bi-cultural Latina. Ziomara has been with Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) for 18 years. She has been in the field of behavioral health for over 25 years, both as a direct service provider and as a leader in various roles. She is a Cultural Humility Trainer, trained under Dr. Melanie Tervalon in 2014, providing trainings within her organization, community-based organizations, and system partners. She has been a Co-Chair for the Latino Collaborative, one of the 8 Health Equity Initiatives under the Office of Diversity and Equity with BHRS, advancing issues of health equity, helping to dismantle systemic barriers for underrepresented communities. Ziomara has also served as an Adjunct Professor for San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco in their Graduate Counseling Program, teaching courses such as Social and Cultural Issues Impacting the Mental Health System and Community Mental Health. She commits to holding a racial equity and trauma informed systems framework to advance equity and inclusion at all levels. She believes in being a servant leader, continuing to advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities.
