Board

Dr. Maria Teresa Feliciano (Washington, DC)
President

Dr. Feliciano is the Founder and President of The Institute for Latino Studies, Research, and Development, as well as the New Jersey Conference on Dominican Affairs. Her civic involvement over the past 20 years includes community organizing, educating and coordination of services. She has received two Masters Degrees, one in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and one in Christian Counseling from New Covenant International University.

Miguel Santana (New York)

Chairman

Miguel Santana is a native New Yorker and 10 year Bronx resident with 18 years of public service experience in New York City Government- Human Resources Administration, Labor-District Council 37 Local 1549 (DC37), Communication Workers of America Local 1180 (CWA1180), Oversight- Financial Information Services Agency (FISA) and Community- Community Empowerment Network.  Miguel Santana Bio-1 Miguel Santana’s Resume

Amaris D. Guzmán (New York)
National Youth President

Ms. Guzman represents the state of New York.  Ms. Guzman is currently a first year Ph.D. student in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University at Albany-SUNY.   In 2009, Ms. Guzman received her M.A. in Latin American and Border Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso and received her B.S. in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University, Queens Campus in 2007.  During her undergraduate career at St. John’s, Amaris became president and co-founder of the Latino American Student Organization and continued her involvement as an L.A.S.O. Alumni Advisor in the subsequent years.  As a product of DANR’s Dominican Leadership Institute in 2005, Ms. Guzman implemented DANR’s Youth Initiative and received the DANR Rising Star of the Year Award at the 10th National Conference. Ms. Guzman is currently the youngest serving Board Member and serves as the Co-Founder and Director of the DANR National Youth Fellowship Program.

Hon. Claribel Martinez Marmolejos (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands)

Vice President

Ms. Martinez Marmolejos represents Puerto Rico.  She was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. She received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemistry at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. Ms. Martinez Marmolejos also has 23 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry. She is currently the Vice-President of the Special Community, Campo Alegre, gives american citizenship clases in english, and was the first Dominican elected during 2001-2004 as legislator of the Municipal Legislature in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Luis A. Facundo (New York)

Treasurer

Claritza N.  Abreu  (Massachusetts)

Claritza N. Abreu, born and raised in the Dominican Republic and a Massachusetts resident for twenty years, was the first Latina to hold senior technology positions in the City of Boston and MA state government; she currently holds the position of Assistant Commissioner of Technology for MA State Department of Mental Health.

Claritza devotes a lot time to civic engagement and leadership education supporting programs in MA among tehm: IDCL, Commonwealth Seminar, Emerge MA, TAG program and many others. She chairs the board of Oiste? Latino Political Organization, she was an Elected Randolph Town Meeting member, Secretary of the Randolph Democratic Town Committee, and a board member of Emerge MA and founder of the Dominican United Foundation.

She is often invited to keynote speak on racial disparities, minorities and immigrant issues, and women in technology.  Ms Abreu was awarded one of the most important Latino Community Leadership Award in MA and was selected one of the 100 most influential Latinos in MA for 2009.

Claritza a Sr.Professor from Cambridge College, has a bachelo’s degree from the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology, and Master’s degree from Boston University and certifications from New York University (NYU) and Suffolk University.

Claritza N. Abreu, born and raised in the Dominican Republic and a Massachusetts resident for twenty years, was the first Latina to hold senior technology positions in the City of Boston and MA state government; she currently holds the position of Assistant Commissioner of Technology for MA State Department of Mental Health.

Claritza devotes a lot time to civic engagement and leadership education supporting programs in MA among tehm: IDCL, Commonwealth Seminar, Emerge MA, TAG program and many others. She chairs the board of Oiste? Latino Political Organization, she was an Elected Randolph Town Meeting member, Secretary of the Randolph Democratic Town Committee, and a board member of Emerge MA and founder of the Dominican United Foundation.

She is often invited to keynote speak on racial disparities, minorities and immigrant issues, and women in technology.  Ms Abreu was awarded one of the most important Latino Community Leadership Award in MA and was selected one of the 100 most influential Latinos in MA for 2009.Claritza a Sr.Professor from Cambridge College, has a bachelo’s degree from the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology, and Master’s degree from Boston University and certifications from New York University (NYU) and Suffolk University.

Francesca Peña (New York)

Ms. Peña represents the state of New York.  Ms. Peña graduated from the School of Engineering at the City College of New York in 1985. She worked in private industry for several years before discovering her true calling: education. With that in mind, she went back to school in 1992 and earned an M.S. in Mathematics from City College of New York and then became a teacher of Mathematics at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan. Realizing that she wanted to empower an even larger number of students, she opted to further her education and obtained an M.A. in Administration and Supervision from Baruch College.In 2004, Francesca Peña was appointed Community Superintendent for School District 6 in Manhattan. In July 1, 2007, NYC Chancellor, Joel Klein appointed Ms. Peña as one of the ten High School Superintendents for the New York City Department of Education. Ms. Peña is a board member of the Latin Studies Institute of NJ.

Hon. Julio Guridy (Pennsylvania)

Mr. Guridy represents the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. Guridy is a Councilman at large for the City of Allentown, Pennsylvania and first Dominican elected official in Pennsylvania history. Founder of the Dominican Cultural Association of the Lehigh Valley, The Latino Leadership Alliance and board member of many other organizations. He is a former Vice President of Bank of America and is currently the Director of the Compact Authorized Investment of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Julia Lara, Ph.D (Washington, DC)

Julia Lara has over thirty years of experience in the field of education, K-12 and higher education.  The most recent has been as President of JLara Educational Consulting, LLC.  In this capacity, she managed various contracts focusing on the Education of ELL students or interventions designed to improve deliver of instruction for students in public schools.  Prior to most recent work experience, she worked at the office of the Deputy Mayor for Education in the District of Columbia as the early childhood content specialist.  For over 20 years, she held various assignments at the Council of Chief State School officers (CCSSO) including Director of the Division of State Services and Technical Assistance (SSTA), center director, program director, and senior project associate.  As Director of SSTA, she supervised over 30 professional and support staff and over 12 projects.  Key areas of strength include: program management, policy research, analysis and writing, fundraising, and establishing and maintaining networks of state officials, researchers, community members.  Ms. Lara was the lead staff on over six projects in various content areas of education including education and assessment of ELL students, high school reform, early childhood, special education, school reform and education of students enrolled in low performing schools.  Ms. Lara has written extensively on matters related to the education of English Language Learners and students enrolled in low performing schools.

Maria Moreno (Massachusetts)

Ms. Moreno represents the common wealth of Massachusetts. Ms. Moreno is a first generation Dominican living in Boston, MA. Ms. Moreno graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from University of Mass. Boston were she is also pursuing a MA in Dispute Resolution focusing on Cross-Cultural Conflict Intervention. She is currently the Assistant Director of Development for the Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants and serve as volunteer on several boards, amongst them: Dominican Development Center (Board Member), FUNTOSALUD International (Founding Board Member), and the Hispanic Writers Week (Board Member). She is a strong advocate for the Latino community and have special interest in advancing the Dominican agenda. Issues of interest: Education, Human Rights, Quality and Affordable Healthcare, Youth Violence, Affordable Housing, Cultural preservation and Gender issues.

Juan Villar (New York)

Juan Villar es el Director y Co-fundador del Liceo Secundario Gregorio Luperon del sistema publico de la ciudad de New York.  El propósito de esta escuela es proveer una educación sólida a jóvenes latinos recién llegados al país.  La escuela tiene una matricula de 400 estudiantes provenientes de once naciones latinoamericanas, la mayoría dominicana.

Como líder educativo, Juan Villar ha formulado una visión educativa que se basa en transformar el educando en un ser consciente capaz de conducir, recrear y formular sus aspiraciones académicas en consonancia con su transformación en un mejor ser humano.  A partir de su propia experiencia, cree en la educación como el instrumento, por excelencia, para el avance sostenido de la humanidad hacia sistemas de gobiernos plurales en que el individuo alcance niveles superiores de vida.  En su opinión solo la educación erradica la miseria.

Proveniente de una familia muy pobre, Juan Villar promueve con orgullo los sacrificios de su juventud.  Cuando llego a esta ciudad se incorporo a trabajar en la industria de la costura mientras estudiaba. Se graduó con honores de la universidad pública de The City College, (CCNY).  Gano una beca completa para hacer su maestría en psicología en la Universidad de New York, (NYU).   Ha trabajado para el Departamento de Educación de manera ininterrumpida por los últimos 19 anos.  Antes, fue junto a Moisés Pérez responsable por la apertura de

Alianza Dominicana, la organización de servicios dominicana más grande que existe en los Estados Unidos.

A pesar de ser un producto del sistema universitario de la ciudad de Nueva York, Juan Villar sitúa los fundamentos de su formación en las aulas de su pueblo natal, Bani.  Juan Villar comparte su vida con Agueda Arias, con quien procreo dos hijos Norman y Minerva Aniana.

• Nestor Montilla (2009-2011)
• Victor Capellan (2007-2009)
• Cid Wilson (2003-2006)
• Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo (2002-2003)
• Ana Garcia-Reyes (2001-2002)
• Hon. Adriano Espaillat (2000-2001)
• Victor Capellan (1999-2000)