Our Staff

The Dallas Concilio proudly announced its selection of Florencia Velasco Fortner as Chief Executive Officer in May 2005. Florencia comes to the Concilio with a proven track record of achievements in strategic planning, program development, fund-raising, public relations, and community relations, as well as experience working with private and public entities, government agencies, and the Dallas Independent School District.

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.

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.

Danisha Egans was born and raised in Hobbs, New Mexico. She graduated in 2007 from Texas Christian University (Go FROGS!) where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies. After working in economic development, marketing, and health and human services, Danisha joined the Dallas Concilio team in January 2009 as an Education Coordinator specializing in the United Way’s Destination: Graduation program. With her love for learning and helping others, she is happy to call the Dallas Concilio home.

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. She served as a Student Ambassador for the Freshman Admissions Office at UT, where she was part of the Students Helping Admissions Recruitment Efforts (SHARE). After graduating, she worked with the LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC) for three years. While at LNESC she coordinated the Educational Talent Search program in several DISD schools and participated with Las Llaves del Exito (The Keys to Success) college fair and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She was also a member of the Texas Association of College Admissions Counselors. Today, Claudia is proud to continue serving families in DISD as an Education Coordinator for the Dallas Concilio.

While a student at Southern Methodist University, Elizabeth Rubalcava joined the Concilio in 2007 as an intern to coordinate the Hispanic Role Model program. After becoming a full-time staff member, her role expanded to include grant writing, coordinating parent involvement courses and maintaining media relations. She holds previous experience in public relations and planning cultural events and educational conferences. Elizabeth has degrees in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs as well as Spanish.

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.

A dedicated nonprofit professional, Amber joined the Dallas Concilio in 2009 to focus on fund development, specifically writing and researching corporate and foundation grant requests. A 2001 graduate of Texas Christian University with a BBA in Marketing, Amber has extensive experience crafting nonprofit communications as well as managing special events and volunteers. Her career has included positions as a Development Coordinator, an Office Manager, and a Communications Manager for other Dallas-area nonprofit organizations.