Community Leadership Institute

Maria Alejandro

Maria began her work with the Community Leadership Institute in 2008   Her interest in CLI emerged from her experience in the HLPANR program, a leadership program whose intent includes increasing participation of minority and marginalized communities in federal programs under the US Forest Service and USDA.   CLI’s mission of empowering community leaders through transformational servant leadership is a natural fit.

She began her studies at San Antonio Community College and earned a Bachelors of Arts in Native American Studies and Political Science at the University of the Incarnate Word.  More recently, she was awarded the Hispanic Leadership Program in Agriculture and Natural Resources (HLPANR) fellowship at the UTSA and completed her coursework for a Masters of Arts in Political Science with concentrations in International Relations and American Politics and Institutions.  She is currently working on her thesis in the area of culture, collective decision-making and inclusive democracy.  Her interests include cultural studies, civic engagement, inclusive democracy, sustainable development and identity politics.  Her interest in working in community also stems from her participation in international travel seminars to Latin America with the Center for Global Education, Augsburg College studying in the areas of sustainable development, indigenous representation, culture and the environment.

Her work experience in academia includes the UTSA Culture and Policy Institute and the Center for Policy Studies as a Research Associate.   In 2006, she served as City Council Aide for District 7 Councilwoman Elena Guajardo.  Prior to that, Maria worked as a consultant with nonprofits and independent writers, doing research, assisting with data collection and translations. Maria is fully bilingual in Spanish and is trained in ToP© Group Facilitation Methods and Strategic Planning. Currently, Maria serves on the Citizen's Bill of Rights & Responsibilities Advisory Committee of the Civic Engagment and Government Accountability SA2020.

Originally from Eagle Pass, she has lived in San Antonio for 21 years after a brief stay in San Francisco.  She has a 16 year old son and travels frequently to Mexico to be with family and continue to learn about her cultural roots.

Don Arispe

Don D. Arispe is currently a Community Development Consultant, owner of CFAR Consulting, a PhD Candidate in Transformative Studies at the California Institute for Integral Studies, http://www.ciis.edu/Academics/Graduate-Programs/Transformative-Studies.html Don is also a part time Lay Ministry Instructor at the Oblate School of Theology. Previous to this Don was appointed to be the Community Leadership Program Director of the 21st Century Leadership Center at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas in May 2003. In his role as Community Leadership Facilitator of the 21st Century Leadership Center, Arispe was principally responsible for developing and initiating popular education based Community Leadership Reflection Circles and Barrio Academies, and a wide array of Community Leadership Training opportunities involving the training of over 2500 community leaders between 2003 and 2008. He is the founder of the Community Leadership Development Collaborative, and http://www.mc-sa.org/research/reports/default.asp, comprised of Community Leadership Development programs operating in and a wide variety of Servant Leadership based community leadership training efforts. Arispe currently is a board member of the Neighborhood Resource Center, http://www.nrc-sa.org and San Antonio Time Dollar Community Connections. Prior to his appointment, Arispe was a Community Development Specialist with Casey Family Programs, http://www.casey.org San Antonio Division and Senior Consultant for Terra Health Inc. http://www.terrahealth.com

Arispe been engaged in community leadership development in a varieties of ways. Arispe has served as a District Field Coordinator for the American Cancer Society in the Rio Grande Valley; lead Youth and Family Ministry leadership activities at the parish and diocesan levels for the archdiocese of San Antonio; co-developed "Critical Thinking Skills from a Gospel Perspective," curricula for young adults with the local Maryknoll Education office, and was one of 4 editors of the book, Don't Call Me Out of My Name Spirituality for the 21st Century, A member of the Christian Left Speaks Out, (2002) written by Mr. Larry Boudreau, was recently quoted in The Creative Therapist by Bradford Keeney PhD, (2009) and has had a book review published in the Journal of Latino/Hispanic Theology, May 1995, Volume II, No. 4, pp. 59-61.

Since 1992 Arispe has facilitated Social Justice/Catholic Social Teaching mini-courses and Theological Reflection Circles for Oblate School of Theology's, (OST) Instituto de Formacion Pastoral, and at one point directed OST’s Lay Ministry Institute, http://www.ost.edu/XPrograms/2008ProgOST.htm Arispe has had the privilege of serving, training and developing advocacy curricula for foster children, the birth parents of these children, foster parents, kinship families and adoptive parents for Casey Family Programs and Texas Department of Child Protective Services. Don currently facilitates and coordinates 11 Community Leadership Reflection Circles involving and supporting over 80 local community leaders engaged in social service on a regular basis.

Arispe is the founder of the San Antonio Kinship Care collaboration (2002); a collaborative body comprised of over 12 local agencies all struggling with the challenge of supporting grandparents, aunt, uncles, and other kin raising their family members’ children. http://www.casey.org/Resources/Initiatives/KinshipCollaborative/

Arispe was also a Senior Consultant with Terra Health Inc., (2002-03). Terra Health was named the #1 Fastest Growing Hispanic Business in the Country by Hispanic Business Magazine in August 2006. http://www.terrahealth.com/index.htm

In short, for 30+ years he has served his community either as a full time, volunteer or professional lay minister, instructor, social worker, or community development specialist.  

Arispe holds a BA in Sociology from St. Mary’s University, a Master of Theological Studies with a concentration in Hispanic Ministry from Oblate School of Theology, and a Master of Social Work degree from Our Lady of the Lake’s Worden School. He has also completed graduate hours toward a Master of Urban Studies at Trinity University and hours toward a Master of Divinity at Oblate School of Theology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Transformative Studies at the California Institute for Integral Studies and officially reach PhD candidacy in May of 2011.

Arispe is married to Kim Arispe, Director of the Quest in San Antonio’s Westside http://www.questsa.com/QuestServices/CommunityServices/QuestCenter.html and proud father of 3 children ages 28, 23 and 19. He is the 4th of 6 siblings and is a native of San Antonio. His father’s family has resided in San Antonio since the late 1700’s and are decedents of the Canary Islands and Mexico. His mother’s family is originally from South Texas and Mexico. He was the first in his nuclear family to earn a bachelor’s degree.

He enjoys traveling and the outdoors; house boating, camping, beer brewing, fishing, hiking, animal watching and spending as much time as possible on his back porch where he enjoys watching sunsets and hummingbirds with his wife, and talking with friends and family around their outdoor fire pit

Elaine Ayala

Elaine Ayala has been in the newspaper business for 30 years.  She has worked as a news reporter, editorial writer, features writer, features editor and editorial page editor and has worked for six metropolitan dailies - the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, the Arizona Daily Star, the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Austin American-Statesman, the El Paso Times and the San Antonio Express-News.

Today, she writes obituaries and news features for the Express-News and writes a blog called Latino Life for mysanantonio.com, in which she covers immigration, race, culture and politics.

The San Antonio native graduated from Memorial High School and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, she was inducted into the Edgewood Independent School District's Hall of Fame. She received the Philip True Award for writing in 2009, an honor given by her peers at the Express-News. The Martinez Street Women's Center honored her as a role model for girls in 2009.

Elaine has been involved in several journalism organizations throughout her career, most focused on increasing the number of minorities and women in the U.S. newsroom and raising money for scholarships for minority students. She has had a two-decade association with the Maynard Institute, one of the nation's leading educational institutions devoted to newsroom diversity.

She was on the boards of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the American Association of Sunday & Feature Editors. She served as president of the Austin Area Association of Hispanic Journalists and the El Paso Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is currently president of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists, which is holding its 12th annual scholarship gala July 22 at the Grand Hyatt. Tables are $100.

Elaine speaks in area schools and community organizations. In addition to her newspaper work, she has written for various publications, including Latino magazine, Latino Future magazine, the National Catholic Reporter and a couple of now-defunct magazines.

 Read Elaine's Blog

Follow Elaine Ayala on Twitter

Friend Elaine Ayala on Facebook

Andrea Barrett

Andrea leads the Community Leadership Institute's Executive Director Leadership Series.

Andrea Barrett is an Organizational Consultant offering a different approach to Management and Consulting. Originally trained as an Occupational Therapist, achieving Distinctions in Mental Health and applied psychology majors, Andrea developed an interest in how adults can change their behavior to maximize their creativity and realize their potential in their careers and business. For ten years Andrea has trained within the schools of Sociodrama, psychodrama, role training and sociometry in an effort to become fluent in the facilitating of personal and professional growth on an individual basis and with groups. It is this training and skill in human transition processes that enables Andrea to be an effective leader with work and community groups. Current projects include thesis writing in leadership development using a pioneering approach that yields effective and practical results; development of leadership and advanced leadership role training; effective networking skills training, group dynamics skill training to name a few.Leadership training: Andrea specializes in leadership development in her training, coaching and organizational consulting. Leadership training is offered using an academic framework of Role theory and Sociometry. Leadership training is individualized, action-oriented, experiential and results-focused. Participants of this training are exuberant in their integration of new skills and demonstrated leadership development as a result of participation in this exciting, and novel leadership development. Leadership presence and vitality, network development, expanded leadership role repertoire and peer group development are among the tangible outcomes of leadership training.  Strategic business planning processes and innovative workplace initiatives have formed a strong basis for this consultancy in the business arena. A Barrett Consulting has pioneered innovative approaches to both leadership and transitions (of individuals/teams/groups/organizations). Systemic Analysis coupled with business development modeling and process expertise ensures a client centered approach and process in each contract.  Executive Coaching is one on one coaching with managers and leaders to assist them overcome their personal and professional barriers as business and organizational leaders. All individuals have the capacity to live more spontaneously and productively benefiting all spheres of life. With expert coaching, individuals can become conscious of their barriers to success and commence implementation of new insights and behaviors. Coaching involves an analysis of current leadership or managerial role development, troubleshooting and development of new leadership skills to move the work forward. This service is confidential, contractual and goal orientated.

Affiliations:  International Federation of Coaches (IFC), American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP), Australia New Zealand Psychodrama Association (ANZPA) 

Visit Andrea's blog at andreabarrett.wordpress.com

Visit Andrea's website

Jose Contreras

retired in 2009 from the United Way of San Antonio & Bexar

County as Senior Vice President, Partners for Community Change. Foremost among his

accomplishments is United Way’s adoption of Targeted Community Impact, comprising

volunteer-driven initiatives designed to mobilize community to deal with root causes

instead of focusing on the symptoms of pressing human conditions.

Mr. Contreras is a skilled public speaker, trainer and group facilitator. His expertise in

nonprofit board development has its roots in the challenges and successes he

experienced in the first half of his professional career; first as executive director for the

Camino Real Health Planning Agency in the 1970s, followed by ten years as executive

director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio.

Mr. Contreras graduated from St. Mary’s University and is a fellow of the United Way of

America/Annie E. Casey Foundation Family Strengthening Fellowship at the John F.

Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a Qualified Trainer of the

Technology of Participation (www.ica-usa.org)

Romelia Escamilla

brings more than 35 years experience working with mission-driven groups, from grassroots community organizations to national foundations and government agencies. She launched RE Consulting & Facilitation in the late 1990s and has been providing contract services ranging from program development and evaluation, to facilitating consensus decision-making and strategic planning. Ms. Escamilla has had a successful and expansive career in the nonprofit sector, with fulltime posts ranging from arts administrator, communications director and development officer, to training director and executive director of a nonprofit management support organization. As a professional facilitator and Mentor Trainer of the Technology of Participation™, her expertise lies in designing and executing processes tailored to suit the specific needs of her clients. She has helped organizations of every size by creating the space for reflection and affirmation of unique perspectives, shared aspirations and mutual accountability.

Rosalyn Falcon Collier

Joanne Ford-Robertson, M.S.

Joanne is Project Coordinator for Round Top Consulting Associates since January 2003.  Additionally, she is an instructor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  She is the coordinator of the Sociology Undergraduate Internship Program and has specialties in the area of social stratification, inter-group relations, and organizational change.

Jeanette Honermann

Victor Alejandro Landa

I'm a native South Texan; born in San Antonio and raised on the border in both Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. My formal education, through High School, was split between two countries, two cultures and two educational systems. I am completely at home and at ease in both The United States and Mexico, as well as in both cultures and both languages.
Immediately after High School I enrolled in a merchant marine academy and spent two summers at sea where I traveled extensively and learned basic navigation, ship operations and seamanship. I later returned home to begin my studies in Latin American Literature. It was in this interim, 1981, that I began working as a news photographer for a CBS affiliate in Laredo, Texas. I have been a journalist ever since. While beginning my career as a journalist I studied and worked full-time and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from UTSA in 1986.
My career has spanned 29 years in which I have worked as a photographer, editor, reporter, producer, assignments editor, columnist, teacher, consultant, anchor and news director. My work, which began in an English language station, crossed into Spanish television in the early 1980's when I took a job at KWEX-TV, in San Antonio. KWEX was then part of the SIN Network which later became Univision. After nine years, in 1993, I became News Director at KVDA-TV, of the Telemundo Network. In the mid 1990's the KVDA news department pioneered an internet based community correspondent project, funded in part by the Pew foundation, where citizens reported LIVE, from their homes, via the internet about issues concerning their neighborhood.
Since1992 I have been a contributing columnist for the San Antonio-Express News as well as a syndicated writer for the Hispanic Link News Service. In May of 2003 I began writing a Spanish language weekly column for Conexion, the San Antonio Express-News's bi-cultural publication. I have written more than 1200 Editorial columns which have been published across the country, including the Boston Globe, the Virginia Pilot, the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, the El Paso Times as well as many weekly and daily publications is throughout the country.
After ten years at KVDA I left television news to begin work as the Central Region Director for the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. My area of responsibility included the states of Texas, New Mexico and Colorado where in 2004, with a team of 750 staff and volunteers, we registered 40,000 new voters for that year's presidential election. SVREP's total registration for that year was close to 100,000 across the United States. From there, in 2005, I moved to SVREPS's sister organization, the William C. Velasquez Institute where I worked as Policy Director in charge of specific issues such as Election Reform and Agriculture Policy Reform. My job was to act as WCVI's liaison with a large number of national and international non-profit organizations that had come together to work on common issues. I have moderated congressional panels and served as a panelist for Congressional Hispanic Caucus and DNC conferences.
From October of 2007 to June of 2010 I worked as President of the Community Development Division of Phase Five Management Group. As part of my work there I designed and developed an internet based newsletter publishing platform for non-profits and community organizations called Community News Publisher.
Presently I am co-coordinator of NOWCastSA, a community journalism website funded by the Knight Fundation and the San Antonio Area Foundation. I'm also a communications consultant and mass communications and news gathering instructor at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio.
I have been married for 27 years and have two children, both in college.

Richard Lewis, Jr., PhD

Dr. Richard Lewis is president of Round Top Consulting and an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  His academic specialities include the areas of diversity management, strategic planning, public administration, and social science research.  Dr. Lewis served as Associate Dean for the College of Liberal and Fine Arts from 1997 to 2002.  He was Special Assistant to the President from 2002-2007.  He founded Round Top Consulting Associates in 1990 providing social science research and seminar facilitation.  Among his numerous publications dealing with issues of social inequality he also co-authored along with George Yancey of "Interracial Families:  Current Concepts and Controversies".  His forthcoming book due in January 2010 addresses the changing demographics in America.  He received his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University and his Master's and Doctoral degrees in Sociology from Texas A&M University.

Kathy MacNaughton, CFRE

Roland G. Mazuca

Mr. Mazuca works as private consultant specializing in grant writing/development, art administration and meeting facilitation. He also works as an artist in the medium of ceramics. Mr. Mazuca holds a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied at Cooper Union in New York City. He has experience in the field of art education and nonprofit art organization management. He has held positions of artist-in-residence, art instructor, education director, assistant director, grant manager and executive director for the City of San Antonio and several non-profit art organizations in San Antonio. Mr. Mazuca's ceramic work is in private collections in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Mr. Mazuca is trained in ToP Group Facilitation Methods and Strategic Planning.

Sharon A. Navarro, PhD

Dr. Sharon Navarro is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  She received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  She is the co-editor of Latino Americans and Political Participation (2004), and co-author of Politicas:  Latina Trailblazers in the Texas Political Arena (2008).  She is currently completing an edited volume with Dr. Rodolfo Rosales, UTSA, titled Latino Urban Agency and is writing her second single authored book Latinas Rising:  Latinas and Texas Judicial Positions.  She teaches courses in Texas politics, race, ethnicity, culture, and public policy, US/Mexico politics and women in politics.

Margaret Oser

Margaret is a graduate of the Univeristy of Texas at Austin.  she began her career with the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast in Houston, Texas.  Throughout her eight years with that organization, she held professional and management positions in the campaign department and completed her tenure as the Director of Major Gifts and Foundation Relations.  She served as executive director of the Alzheimer's Association in Houston, Tx, an organization with an annual budget of $1 million and oovers 18 counties in South Texas. 

Currently, she is serving as the Vice President of Neighborhood Initiatives and the Strengthening Families Issue Council for the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.  She completed a two-year UW of America/Annie E. Casey foudnation Family Strengthening Fellowship in conjunction with Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.  In her role as Director of Neighborhood Initiatives, she has developed and implemented several initiatives regarding community building for the United Way.  These include policies guiding United Way's involvment in Community building and the formation of the Community Building Committee, the Neighborhood Mini Grants Program, and the Community Building Learning Institute.  In her role as Director of the Strengthening Families Issue Council, she works with a team of volunteers implementing two integrated initiatives targeting Family Financial Stability and Security.  These initiatives are targeting families at or below 200% of poverty in specific geographic areas.  Through a neighborhood and a system approach, the goal is to increase families' financial stability through a broad range of asset building programs and services.

Lorraine Pulido

President and CEO of LPR Strategic Marketing and Public Relations 

Lorraine Pulido is a bilingual marketing and public relations expert with more than 16 years of combined experience in the marketing, corporate, and non-profit industries.
She serves as director of marketing and public relations for the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. She is also a PR consultant and her current clients include the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and ¡Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund. Her past clients include: Mexican-American/Hispanic Physicians Association (MAHPA), Murillo Design, The St. Anthony Hotel, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, S.A. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and several ad agencies.
She was previously director of marketing for CityView - a national company led by former HUD Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Henry G. Cisneros. She created and implemented the company's national image, brand development, PR, advertising, and promotions strategies.
Previous to CityView, she was director of communications for the Edgewood School District where she served as the spokesperson. Before joining EISD, she worked on corporate public relations at the Cartel Group, Garcia360, and Creative Civilization. She supervised accounts ranging from the U.S. Army to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She also worked as director of public affairs at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and in corporate communications at the University Health System. She was a producer for San Antonio TV stations KSAT and KVDA, and a reporter for La Prensa. In addition, she has taught communications at UT- San Antonio, Our Lady of the Lake University, and Palo Alto College.
She is a member of the S.A. Association of Hispanic Journalists; the American Marketing Association; the March of Dimes Communications Committee; and SA Public Relations Society of America. She served on the Boards of SAY Si; S. A. Women's Chamber At-Large Board of Directors; and S.A. Hispanic Chamber Leadership Selection Committee. She is a graduate of Leadership San Antonio Class of 2005. She has served as SAAHJ Gala Chair; Ford Salute to Education Scholarship Judge; and McDonalds HACER Scholarship Committee Judge.
She's earned two PRSA Merit Awards and two PRSA El Bronce Awards, and was selected 2006 PR Professional of the Year by the San Antonio Chapter. In addition, her logo won a 2008 Gold Addy from the SA Ad Federation. She'll be earning a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in August 2010. She is Ivy-League educated with a master's degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She's a proud graduate of Harlandale High School in San Antonio, Texas

Anna Weaver