Luisa Montero-Diaz

Luisa Montero-Diaz was the Director of the Maryland Division of the Latin American Youth Centers, a youth development organization serving minority and immigrant youth by providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive programs in education, workforce management, and social services. She oversaw three sites in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, which assist over 1,200 young people annually. Ms. Montero-Diaz is a member of the Maryland State Board of Education, Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, Maryland Adult Learning Advisory Council, Nonprofit Roundtable Board, and is a Co-chair of the Steering Committee of Nonprofit Montgomery. She has over twenty-five years of experience working on a variety of local, national and international programs, including with the District of Columbia Government’s Executive Office of the Mayor, the National Grants Partnership, and USAID where she was Program Director for an international development project providing training in Central America and the U.S. She began her career as a speech/language therapist for Prince George’s County Public Schools serving elementary and middle school students, and worked as a vocational rehabilitation trainer focusing on adults with developmental disabilities. She served as a special educator and trainer in the Peace Corps. Ms. Montero-Diaz earned a BS from Appalachian State University, and an MS from the University of Maryland. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland Rawlings Leadership Fellowship.

Lupi Quinteros-Grady

Lupi Quinteros-Grady is the Deputy Director for the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC). She provides executive management expertise in the oversight of three sites in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties serving over 1,200 young people annually. Quinteros is an appointed Commissioner serving on the Governor’s Commission of Service & Volunteerism. She has worked in the field of youth development for 15 years and has implemented a variety of programs such as Upward Bound, Workforce Programs, and AmeriCorps. She is a graduate of The George Washington University where she received a Master’s in Bilingual & Special Education.

Rosa Delmy Alvayero, LCSW

Rosa (Delmy) Alvayero was the Program Manager for the Adelante youth program at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers in Langley Park, MD. She received her BA in Psychology, certificate in Women’s Studies, and Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland.  Ms. Alvayero has 10 years of experience working as a case manager in various settings, including mental health clinics and domestic violence support centers.  Ms. Alvayero also worked with at-risk youth at MMYC’s Hyattsville location, providing youth and their families with case management and crisis intervention, and implementing and managing its prevention programs. As the Adelante Program Manager, Ms. Alvayero worked alongside staff to establish partnerships with schools, community and faith-based organizations, government and law enforcement agencies, and other entities working with at-risk youth.

Angela Gonzalez

Angela Gonzalez was the Prevention/Community Coordinator of the Adelante program. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Development with a concentration in Community Development from American University and a Law Degree from Central American University (UCA) in El Salvador. Ms. Gonzalez has over eight years of management experience, and extensive expertise in community outreach, research and development, and marketing of products and resources, especially those that target Hispanic immigrants living in the United States. Among her most recent professional accomplishments is the leadership of a team who recruited and met with Salvadoran immigrants living in the DC-MD-VA area. Over the period of one year, the team met with 1,450 participants and opened 426 savings accounts with a Salvadoran banking institution. She has also served as a volunteer in education and health projects in Tanzania and Zambia. Angela is passionate about developing innovative opportunities to help and support individuals and communities that have been marginalized or underserved from formal services and institutions.

Ricardo Villalba

Ricardo Villalba was the Substance Abuse Case Manager for the Adelante program at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers in Langley Park, MD. Mr. Villalba has over 10 years of experience in working with youth and their families tackling issues that affect them today. He began as a participant in the LAYC Leadership Program when he was a teenager, where he learned and developed skills to work and address issues affecting young adults today.  After working at LAYC, he worked as a Youth Counselor & Advocate at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in Washington, DC as an advocate and support to youth incarcerated for non-violent offenses.  This experience led to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) working with the Return to Family Unit (REFAM), where he developed plans for youth to receive the services they needed in their community when they were released from juvenile detention. Along with his time at DYRS, he worked for the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative (CHSFSC) as a Family Preservation Specialist and learned the importance of family involvement in positive youth development.

Karina Velasco

Karina Velasco was the Outreach Specialist for the Adelante youth program at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC) in Langley Park, MD. She received her Dual-Associate’s Degree in General Studies and Mental Health from Montgomery College. Ms. Velasco is currently pursuing her BA in Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Ms. Velasco has extensive outreach, recruitment, and advocacy experience working with Latino youth and families in Langley Park, not only at MMYC, but also at CASA de Maryland. Additionally, she has worked as a mental health intern with non-profits in Prince George’s County the past two years, honing her skills by working with at-risk youth. Ms. Velasco aspires to become a social worker, make positive changes in the community, and ultimately pursue a career in immigration law.

Tatiana Sandoval

Tatiana Sandoval was a youth case manager for the Adelante Program. She began her career with Adelante as an intern, shadowing and co-facilitating programs. Ms. Sandoval has experience working as a tutor with ESL middle school students and a life-skill counselor for individuals struggling with schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorders. She received a Mental Health Associate’s degree from Montgomery College. During her time at Montgomery College, she served as the vice president and president of the Mental Health Club. Ms. Sandoval is currently pursuing a BS in Psychology from the University of Maryland College Park. She hopes to one day become involved in neuropsychology research while still contributing to the Latino community.

Marilyn Calderon

Marilyn Calderon was the Family Case Manager for the Adelante youth program at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers in Langley Park, MD. Ms. Calderon’s professional aspirations are to work in assisting underserved populations, specifically Latino youth, to help them receive the resources that they need to become successful adults. She received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Development from the University of Maryland (UMD), and has been fortunate to have worked in positions that provide a wide variety of services to underserved populations. At UMD’s Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research, she worked for almost two years as a project coordinator and therapist for a NIMH-funded study providing mental health services to monolingual, Spanish-speaking depressed Latinos. This position provided her with in-depth experience on culturally-sensitive intervention approaches that may address some of the mental health disparities that many Latinos in the US face. She also volunteered at the Langley-Park Conquistadores Boys and Girls Club and the Langley-Park Sabbath School mentoring, counseling, and teaching adolescents.

Kony Serrano

Kony Serrano was a youth case manager for the Adelate program. Ms. Serrano began her work with the Latino community through Mary’s Center Urbanito Teen Program through projects advocating for the prevention of domestic violence, gang violence, and teen pregnancy as well as projects encouraging education. Ms. Serrano has also worked in the political field through the Embassy of El Salvador and with State Representative Kathleen Clyde in Kent, Ohio, where she studied Political Science at Kent State University. Ms. Serrano is now achieving her higher education in Family Sciences at the University of Maryland and hopes to be able to implement both politics and health services to her goal of helping underserved communities.