OPERATIONS TEAM

Christina Collazo
Founder and Executive Director

Raney McKool
Operations Director

Katie Magner
Programs Director

Maria Vela
Administration and Communications

PROGRAM COORDINATORS

Yesenia Prieto
ECE Childcare Director

Claudia Méndez López
Mi Familia & Me Program Coordinator; ECE Lead Teacher & Psychologist

Alejandra Ramirez Aguillon
Adult Education Program Coordinator

Diana Marin
Saludables Juntos Program Coordinator

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND FAMILY PROGRAMMING

Yesenia Prieto
ECE Childcare Director

Claudia Méndez López
Mi Familia & Me Program Coordinator; ECE Lead Teacher & Psychologist

Norma Alvarez
ECE Assistant Teacher

Danielle Arredondo
ECE Assistant Teacher

Ivett Garcia
ECE Lead Teacher

Cecilia “Cecy” Gomez
ECE Assistant Teacher

Rocio Ramirez
ECE Assistant and Co-lead Teacher

Monica Salazar
ECE Assistant Teacher

ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMMING

Alejandra Ramirez Aguillon
Adult Education Program Coordinator

Donna Shepperd
Adult ESL Instructor

Rajani Ramachandran
Adult ESL Instructor

SALUDABLES JUNTOS PROGRAMMING

Diana Marin
Saludables Juntos Program Coordinator

Katerin Arpero
Saludables Juntos Social Worker Intern

Our Board of Directors

Melissa Sustaita Acosta (Board Co-Chair) oversees the City’s employer-sponsored volunteer program. Throughout her professional career of 15 years, she has served the Greater Austin community with a focus on youth, families, and education. From managing school-based student support services to developing and implementing district-wide initiatives focused on behavioral health and mentoring, she has had the opportunity to cultivate strong relationships with multiple stakeholders in support of common goals. With a range of experience in working with a number of local non-profit partners, Melissa strives to lead by influence and seek to make an impact through service, engagement, and collaboration. Most recently, her professional experience has focused on program development and project management of K-12 student support services in Austin ISD schools.

Delphi Alvizo shares her 20+ year professional experience accumulated from various roles such as Behavior Intervention Specialist, Financial Auditor for federal and state funded programs, and volunteer projects serving under-represented groups in Austin, TX and surrounding areas. Delphi is passionate about engaging in advocacy and legislative activities that promote and influence policies for sustainable and equitable educational practices. She is also interested in advancing multicultural field experiences that are embedded early in the curriculum of teacher education programs. Delphi holds a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Behavioral Disorders and Positive Behavioral Supports from Texas State University.

Barbra Boeta is the Community Development Officer in Austin for Texas Capital Bank. She is responsible for implementing the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act strategy in Austin, she works with local civic, community organizations, and small businesses to understand the needs of the community and how the bank can support those needs. Prior to joining the bank, Barbra spent 19 years working to foster the growth of local small businesses throughout Austin. Throughout her career, she has helped thousands of businesses reach profitability and sustainability. Barbra is committed to helping break down barriers to help others fulfill their dreams.

Kendra Bolton (Power of Language Chair) is the Director of Integrative Wellbeing at Miraval Austin, a wellness resort focused on building mind, body and spirit connection with self and others to live a life in a balance. Kendra is committed to professional work and volunteerism that removes barriers between individuals and their dreams and specifically work that elevates women to achieve their potential and beyond. She brings 10 years of wellness experience from previous roles in higher education, public schools and board service for other Austin nonprofits. Kendra loves to dance to live music across all of Austin’s dance floors and travel the world.

Melissa Rios Canon currently serves as a HIV Prevention Consultant for the Texas Department of State Health Services since 2020, and has been in the HIV field since 2006. Melissa has over 15 years of non-profit management experience with strengths in financial oversight, grants management, continuous quality improvement, and program growth. Melissa has worked with a wide range of underserved and marginalized populations including people living with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQIA+, refugees andf immigrants, youth with substance use, racial minorities, women, and people living with disabilities.

Erwin Cuellar is a native Austinite and is focused on giving back to his community. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2010, majoring in Finance, and his background includes working in the investment management industry, owning a bus business, and now leading the finances at his family’s manufacturing business. Erwin is currently on the boards of Todos Juntos Learning Center, Chariot (formerly Drive a Senior Central Texas), and the Mexic-Arte Museum. In his spare time, he enjoys frequenting local coffee shops, reading and exercising.

Erica V. Ekwurzel, CFRE, MPAff, (Board Co-Chair) is the founder of CivicAIM, a philanthropic consulting practice focused on strengthening grantmaking, governance and impact. With experience as a professional fundraiser, a research scholar in philanthropic strategy, grantmaking program officer, and consultant focused on social impact, Erica brings an extensive perspective to her work. Erica holds a BA from Austin College and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She serves on the advisory councils and boards of: National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers, 21/64 Philanthropic Advisors of Color, and Austin Together Fund. Additionally, she is an investor to the Hispanic Impact Fund, a program of the Austin Community Foundation. When not on land building strong philanthropic ties and impact to the Texas community, you can find Erica, with a passport in hand, traveling to beach destinations and scuba diving exploring the depths and wonders of the sea with her family.

Angelo Foadey is a Vice President of Corporate Banking and Community Leader for Frost Bank in East Austin. He received his B.A. from Angelo State University and his M.A. from Texas Tech University. He has been with the Bank for over 14 years. Prior to joining Frost Bank, He taught beginning and intermediate French in the Modern Language Department at Texas Tech University. He has various experience with community service with organizations including Junior Achievement, Financial Literacy Coalition Central of Texas and Frost Financial Youth Academy. He served as Co-Chair for the Business and Entrepreneurship Committee for the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on Community Advisory Councils for Schools in East Austin.

MJ Korpela (Secretary) is a senior consultant with MAYA Consulting, where she leads projects related to child welfare, trauma and attachment, early childhood and 2Gen programs, family power building and DEI, strategic planning, and community engagement. Prior to joining the MAYA team, MJ spent 7 years building and overseeing trauma-informed 2Gen programming in Austin, TX. She has extensive experience in family-centered programming, including 2Gen models, trauma informed and attachment centered program models, mental health support and therapeutic milieu building, family empowerment and narrative change initiatives, and early childhood partnerships. MJ relocated to Austin in 2014 from Minneapolis, MN, where she worked primarily in mental health and crisis response with women and children, focusing on trauma, attachment, and racial equity. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and will defend her thesis this year on building equitable, attachment centered 2Gen programs to finalize her MA in Counseling Psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Yessica Marroquin is a Former Todos Juntos student and parent. She is an Austin Community College alumni where she earned her Associate degree in paralegal studies. She works as an Immigration paralegal. She believes in the power of education. Yessica has previously volunteered with the center in some events and as ECE teacher assistant. Her main reason to volunteer with TJ is that she is so happy and truly believes in the work and mission of the center. She has experienced the impact of TJ in the latino community first hand, so she would like to give back to the center that once supported her and her daughter.

Edna Parra is currently the Community Engagement & Outreach Manager at CapMetro. She has worked in the Austin area developing and managing community programs for 20+ years in various fields, including the arts, health care, education, and now, transit. She’s a first-gen student and earned her BS from The University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Public Administration from The University of Texas at Arlington. Edna and her family immigrated from Mexico to El Paso, so she sees the power and importance of organizations like Todos Juntos for families new to this country. She is very excited to join TJ and hopes to grow programs and opportunities that help immigrants pursue the opportunities they dreamt of when coming to Texas. Outside of work, Edna likes to camp, bike around town, and play soccer with her family for fun.

 

Aman Patel (Treasurer) is a Technology Consultant for Deloitte Consulting where he works with local state agencies to drive large-scale technology implementation projects. Aman’s passion for providing education, advocacy, and empowerment to children in underprivileged communities is inspired by his mother: They have worked together to support organizations focused on children’s rights and combating poverty in India for over 7 years. He earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Julieta Garcia Seebach is a Director at Fitch Ratings. She conducts bond rating analysis of municipal utility systems and state revolving fund credits across the country and brings 20 years of finance expertise. Prior to joining Fitch in 2008, Julie was a portfolio manager at the Texas Water Development Board where her responsibilities included managing and maintaining cash flows for a $3.5 billion loan and $2.5 billion debt portfolio for the agency. Earlier, Julie worked as a financial advisor at Dell Inc. and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Austin, TX. Julie began her career at Charles Schwab & Co. as a research analyst at the Schwab Center for Investment Research in San Francisco, where she performed regression analysis and conducted bond fund research. Julie holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago (where she also participated in a study abroad program at the London School of Economics during her senior year of college), and a master’s degree in business administration from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She was born and raised in El Paso, TX, but has lived in Austin, Texas for 19 years. When not working, you can find Julie spending time with her husband (Chris), son (Luca), daughter (Helena), and two dogs (Ariel & Sydney).

Craig Snook is a consultant for JBL Strategies, a strategic advisory business focused on nonprofit leadership development and organization sustainability. Craig has a passion for working with leaders to grow and develop to strategically lead their organizations in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors through leadership coaching and remote team management. His experience has ranged from individuals to senior management teams at the Dow Chemical Company as well as several Austin area nonprofits. Prior to joining JBL Strategies, he was a consultant with Executive Service Corps of Houston, an organization designed to promote best management practices in nonprofits. Craig is past board chair for EcoRise Youth Innovations, VELA, and past board member of THRIVE Cancer Fertility Network. Craig looks forward to advancing the mission of Todos Juntos in the local community long term

Creating a better tomorrow for Central Texas. TOGETHER.

There are numerous ways you can help out so that, together, we can make Central Texas a more prosperous, just, and thriving community.

GET INVOLVED
DONATE NOW