Board Members – Del Pueblo, Inc.

Manuel Lopez (President)	Manuel holds an MBA degree and a B.A in Management Information Systems. Manuel brings to the table expertise in the business and information technology area. Manuel is currently the Chair of the Ohio Commission of Latino Affairs (OCHLA). Manuel has held management positions at local large companies and currently working at LexisNexis in Global Operations. Manuel’s experience helps to continue to expand Del Pueblo’s mission and dedication to the community at large.
Alicia Pagan (Vice President)	a Del Pueblo founder and current board member, has been an active participant in our cultural-educational activities. Her ample experience in story-telling, art, and intergenerational issues has allowed Del Pueblo to provide an accurate dissemination of Latino culture through various art projects. She has worked actively with Clark County youth to promote ethnic pride assisting them to increase their self-esteem. Alicia has a Puerto Rican and Native American background that has enriched Del Pueblo’s outreach efforts and presentations.
Erendira Lopez-Garcia (Secretary)	Dr. Lopez-Garcia was born and raised in Mexico and came to live in the United States in 1986. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, a clinical faculty at the School of Professional Psychology, a staff psychologist at the Office of Disability Services, and has her private practice in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Lopez-Garcia has been an active participant in the Latino community and has served on Del Pueblo’s board since 2003. She is the co-founder of the Ohio Latino Mental Health Network, a Board of Trustee for Project Woman, and the author of “The Latino Student” in the book Inclusive Education: When Learning Becomes a Common Ground. She is an active scholar participant in local, national, and international conferences addressing mental health and cultural issues regarding the lives of Latinos.
Tony Ortiz	Director, Athletic Training Education, and Sports Medicine Services. Dept of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Wright State University. Beavercreek, OH. Mr. Ortiz impacts the Latino community as a leader, mentor, trainer, speaker, Spanish language teacher, and recruiter of Latino athletic talent. (Country of Ancestry: Puerto Rico) From his early years as President of La Union, Lorain Community College, and La Unión de Estudiantes Latinos at Bowling Green University, to his work at El Centro de Servicios Sociales in Lorain and his unequivocal dedication as an Athletic Training Educator at Wright State University, Tony has demonstrated a capacity to empower Latinos, inspire change, and envision challenging opportunities for all. Mr. Ortiz chairs LULAC’s scholarship Committee is part of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association, and many important committees at Wright State University. He has received multiple awards as a professional and a person of outstanding character.

	Honorary Ex-Board Members
Victor Garcia (President)	Victor is originally from Mexico and has lived in the Ohio area for over 35 years. He is a retired professor of Spanish and Latin American literature and history from Antioch College. He has also taught in several universities including Colgate, Clark State, and Wittenberg as an adjunct professor. Victor has ample experience in community work, translation, and interpretation. His community contributions have been honored through numerous awards. Victor supervises the Adelante! and mentoring programs, our Conexion/Connection program, and teaches Spanish classes to members of our local community who serve our clients (e.g., Project Woman, various healthcare providers, and business people). Victor Garcia was the recipient of the 2013 “Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan” award.
Ruth Hoff	Ruth is an associate professor of Spanish at Wittenberg University where she teaches language, literature, and culture at all levels. She is active in the teacher training program at Wittenberg and is an advocate of multilingualism and world language education. Ruth has been involved in connecting Wittenberg students with the local Latino community for many years and currently oversees a program designed to enhance and facilitate these connections.
Miguel Martinez-Saenz	Miguel is a Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida. During his stay at Wittenberg University, he was a professor of philosophy, assistant provost, and director of the WittSem program at Wittenberg University. Fluent in Spanish, he has served as an English tutor to non-English speakers through the Clark County Literacy Coalition and has traveled annually to Nicaragua to build houses in rural communities since coming to Wittenberg in 2001. As of 2019, Miguel is now President of St.Francis College.
Manuel Apodaca-Valdez	Manuel obtained his doctoral degree in literature from Purdue University. He has a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics and was when living in Springfield he was an Associate Professor at Wittenberg University. Dr. Apodaca has worked extensively in rural areas of Mexico and has published articles on Afro Mexican culture and history. He has vast experience in community work and leads a program that links Wittenberg students with the Latino community in an effort to increase knowledge and understanding. His abound experience in working with rural communities has assisted Del Pueblo to effectively carry on its mission.
Jim Bailey	Jim has a B.A. from Antioch College and has worked for 30 years at Vernay Laboratories where he leads advanced product development engineering. As a new board member, he hopes to take advantage of his business organizational experience. He is also currently a volunteer in the Del Pueblo youth mentoring program.
Robert Libecap	Holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree from Wright State in English. Furthermore, Robert is also TESOL certified. Robert has been teaching for over 12 years with combined experience at Kettering Adult School and currently, the Texas Migrant Program located in New Carlisle. Furthermore, Robert works collaboratively with Clark County Literacy Coalition and is currently teaching English classes at no cost for Del Pueblo.
Ashley Kopf	Ashley worked in the Office of Admission at Wittenberg University as the Coordinator of International Recruitment. Before joining the admission staff at Wittenberg, Ashley spent a year teaching English in Hangzhou, China, at China Jiliang University. Â Ashley plans to utilize her experience in higher education to help further develop the Adelante! mentoring program. She enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures.
Esteban Ortiz (Secretary)	has worked with LatinLounge.tv leading a blogger outreach effort and worked on building new affiliates relationships (websites to carry a widget). In addition, he developed a plan to promote LatinLounge.tv on various social networks. Lastly, His experience with various non-profit organizations has taught me practical skills in project management, member outreach, program coordination, and event planning. He is also a member of the Ohio Latino Leadership committee in the state of Ohio, as well as an advocate, activist, and organizer for the Latino community.
Maria Nash	was born and raised in Mexico. She lived in Mexico for 37 years and moved to the United States in 2007. She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Factor Orientation Management. She has experience working in multinational companies in Mexico with a proven ability to identify and successfully resolve strategic Human Resources problems.