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).

Born and raised in Kansas, J.R. earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas. He then worked as a reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal where he was editor for the weekly Spanish page, focusing on Latino issues such as improving education. He lived in San Antonio for five years where he received his MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and oversaw the Learning Tree’s after-school program at Lackland City Elementary School. There he helped develop curriculum, plan events for the students, and encourage parent involvement through the Parent University. He moved to Dallas this summer and is now the Education Manager for the Dallas Concilio. J.R. is also a huge Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan!

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.

Norma Dawson emigrated to the U.S. in 1984 from Panama City, Panama with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Panama. After living in New York and Florida, Norma moved to Texas where she opened and operated the Prompt Connect Solutions telecommunications store. She continued her studies in nutrition and obtained an Allied Science Dietetic Technician associate’s degree from Tarrant County Community College in 2004. In addition to her full-time work with the Dallas Concilio, Norma serves as a member of the part-time team of Dietetic Technicians for Baylor Hospital in Dallas.

A Texas Native, Oscar was born in the Rio Grande Valley. He was educated both in Cuernavaca, Mexico and in the US. The summer following high school graduation he enrolled at The Art Institute of Houston for Marketing. Oscar has also attended Glassell School of Art and the Atlanta College of Art. In 2003, Oscar moved back to Dallas to study Real Estate and received his license in 2004. That same year he started to work for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Housing Commission, a nonprofit organization, as a Proffered LULAC Realtor and as the National Seminar Coordinator, educating Hispanics on the process of buying a home. In 2007, he was elected as president of a LULAC Council in Dallas. Oscar joined the Dallas Concilio in 2008 as an Education Coordinator and Instructor.

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.

Lauren joined the Dallas Concilio as an intern in the development department in the spring of 2008 while finishing her degree at the University of North Texas, where she majored in Political Science and minored in History. She was actively involved on the UNT campus, serving as Advocate General and Supreme Court justice for the UNT Student Government Association and was a member of the UNT Moot Court Team for 4 years. Lauren is the co-founder of the Denton County Young Democrats and has written for a number of political magazines. Following her graduation in August 2008, Lauren is continuing her work with the Dallas Concilio and is also working on her teaching certification through UNT.

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.

Born and raised in Houston, TX, to immigrants from El Salvador, Edwin graduated from Lamar High School. Edwin is currently a senior at Southern Methodist University majoring in Economics with Financial Applications. In previous years, he has been involved in various student organizations including major programming bodies of the university, Model United Nations, as well as an orientation with New Student Programs, where he gained the majority of his leadership and public speaking skills. He began working with the Community Building segment of Dallas Concilio creating trainings that detail Latino workforce trends and currently is focused on grantseeking.

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.

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.