Our Staff

Florencia Velasco Fortner works to enrich the lives of families in disenfranchised neighborhoods through community and health education. Florencia applies her proven track record of grassroots community outreach in the development and implementation of programs which aim to break the cycles of poverty, hopelessness and helplessness among Hispanics in North Texas. During her 15-year career in the non-profit sector, Florencia has worked extensively with school districts, government agencies, and public and private entities to offer educational programs, job training, youth programs and gang intervention programs from both the grassroots and executive level.

After several years in the for-profit community, Tara Dunn decided to seek career opportunities in social service, working in health care and humanitarian aid delivery to developing countries. As is common in the non-profit world, she wore many hats at work, handling development, marketing, administrative and communications roles. Tara lived in the Philippines during her childhood and adolescent years, returning to the U.S. to receive her bachelor's degree in Psychology.

Gina Marisa Salinas was hired in July 2009 to serve as Education Director. In this role, she supports our team of Education Coordinators in building strong relationships with school contacts and partners. Most recently, Gina served as the Director for Destination: Graduation, a special education initiative run by the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Silvia Gallegos joined the Dallas Concilio in 1999, and her focus within the Community Health program has been implementing and developing new ways to reach the Hispanic community. Her success is due to her dedication to serve and educate as many people suffering from chronic disease as possible. In addition to her grassroots efforts, she has helped train individuals to be certified as Community Health Workers (Promotoras) and worked with universities on health research projects. She has also presented the Concilio’s diabetes self-management program at the Centers for Disease Control’s annual diabetes national conference and at the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

Prior to working with the Dallas Concilio, Judy Saldaña was involved in many community activities. She has worked with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and the Girl Scouts of Tejas. Judy has been with the Dallas Concilio since 2003, working in our accounting department and providing dedicated assistance to our CEO. Judy has earned her Associate in Applied Science in Accounting.

Maria-Lourdes was born in Managua, Nicaragua, where she attended the Universidad Autónoma de Nicaragua, focusing her studies in Journalism and Family Counseling. Her family relocated to the United States in 1979 due to political unrest. As a mother of three accomplished children, she is familiar with the difficulties of parenting and dedicates her time to helping families who may be struggling to keep their children from dropping out of education. Her outstanding presentation skills and fluency in English and Spanish makes her a valuable asset to our education team.

As a Parent Involvement program coordinator, Karla’s responsibilities include recruitment, training and volunteer coordination; researching community needs and resources for curriculum development; developing and fostering connections in the community for program support and involvement; and program introductions to district and community leaders for program implementation in schools. She received her education from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México.

Guillermina Montoya began her service with Dallas Concilio working as a PIQE coordinator for several schools. She has a two-year education diploma from El Centro College, and has worked for the YMCA as well as with other health programs. Guillermina also worked for TV Restauracion, a television channel, for seven years as a secretary. She brings with her the passion of working with the community and thinks that education is one of the factors in being successful in life, not only for children but also as a role model parent.

Claudia is a native Dallasite and Skyline High School graduate. She attended the University of Texas at Austin – Hook ‘Em Horns! – and received her B. A. in Psychology and Mexican American Studies. After graduating, she worked with the LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC) for three years. While at LNESC she served as an academic advisor for the TRIO program Talent Search in the Dallas ISD. Today, Claudia is proud to continue serving families in Dallas as an Education Coordinator for the Dallas Concilio.

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Alejandra Vega and her six siblings were raised in Oak Cliff by parents who believe in the importance of education. Her parents encouraged her to attend the School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center. A recent graduate of Texas Woman’s University where she studied Criminal Justice and Spanish, Alejandra now works as the Executive Assistant to the CEO.

Elida was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. She came to the United States in 2001 and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 2008. During high school, she worked as a student intern for the Dallas Independent School District on a project called T-CALL; the goal was to help students gain a better understanding of the English language. She provided support to both the teacher and students. Elida is currently attending El Centro College and is planning to become an ESL teacher in the future. She joined the Dallas Concilio in 2008.

Lupe was born in Mexico City where she lived for twenty-three years. When she came to Dallas, she attended El Centro College and learned English. She began working at the Agape Clinic as a promotora (community health worker) and was the clinic’s first employee. She worked with the doctors by translating for Spanish-speaking patients and assisted a professor from Baylor University in teaching his students. Additionally, she recruited, taught, and supervised new promotoras. She received her state certification as a promotora in 2007 and joined the Dallas Concilio’s health team in 2008. Lupe is also involved in a faith-based ministry to Latina women, which teaches them a craft and gives them a place to experience community.

Martha Sanchez, a graduate of W. H. Adamson High School in Dallas and a student of accounting at Mountain View College, works as a part-time Promotora in the Community Health program. From Monterrey, N.L. in Mexico, Martha has lived in the United States for twelve years.