Meet Our Team
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Dr. Ana Angel Avendaño
Executive Director
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Angelica Rodriguez
Operations Manager
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Noe Contreras
Program Manager
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Marlen Medina
Case Worker- Housing Program Coordinator
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Andrea Hernandez
Outreach Coordinator
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Guadalupe “Lupita” Juarez
Administrative Assistant - Redwood City and Promotora
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Adriana Fernandez Arriaga
Public Policy Manager
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Virginia Portillo
Special Projects Manager
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Cecilia Canales
Promotora
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Jennyfer Kappler
Promotora
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Sonia Escobedo
Human Services Fellow
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Aurelio Huizar
Program Manager
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Silvia Flores
Senior Program Manager
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Luis Vizcardo
Outreach Specialist
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Pilar Rojas Amaya
Office Assistant - East Palo Alto
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Rosa Tinoco
Custodial
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Valeria Vega Yanez
Community Impact Fellow
Dr. Ana Angel Avendaño
Executive Director
Ana is a first generation Chicana/Latina born in the Bay Area and raised between borders. Her childhood experiences with her grandmother in Michoacán, Mexico, not only shaped her identity but her everyday work as a community leader, activist and mama scholar. Ana has worked both in the public and non-profit sector with youth and community development programs in leadership, advocacy, and cultural awareness. Ana is the new Executive Director for El Concilio of San Mateo County. She is excited to continue working directly with the community to address the needs of our most underserved and vulnerable populations. Her community leadership includes serving in a steering committee for New Voices for Youth, seating in an Art Advisory Board for the Chan Zuckerberg Community Space, and organizing an annual Latinx Youth Conference. Ana has her doctorates in Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco and is also an adjunct faculty at Cal State University East Bay in the Ethnic Studies Department.
Angelica Rodriguez
Operations Manager
Angelica Rodriguez-Blanco is a North Fair Oaks/Redwood City native and current Operations Manager for El Concilio of San Mateo County. She has over 17 years of experience working at community health clinics and nonprofits throughout the Bay Area, both in direct service positions, as well as administrative and management roles. She was a former Community Health Worker with El Concilio’s Nuestro Canto De Salud Diabetes Clinic in 2007, a San Francisco Foundation Koshland Civic Unity Fellow (2009-2014) and holds a Master of Public Health degree from University of California, Berkeley. Her passions include health equity, traditional medicine, youth development and the arts.
Silvia Flores
Senior Program Manager
Silvia is an immigrant from Michoacan, Mexico, which produces more avocados than any other state in Mexico. Silvia lives in East Palo Alto.She has extensive experience as a case worker with El Concilio of San Mateo County serving her community for more than two decades. Silvia attended Canada collage and skyline collage and earned an associates degree in Human Services and a credentials in Family Development. Silvia was a part of El Concilio’s Nuestro Canto De Salud promotora program with the North Fair Oaks Clinic in Redwood City, the County’s first promotora program!
Silvia finds fulfillment in her work assisting families and helping them mediate every day stressers. She loves to make a difference in her community through her work as program manager.
Aurelio Huizar
Program Manager
Aurelio has worked with El Concilio for over 18 years. He helps coordinate the CHANGES program and manages the South San Francisco site. Aurelio enjoys working closely with clients to understand their needs and helping them navigate the various often challenging systems in place.
Noe Contreras
Program Manager
Noe has worked with El Concilio for over 25 years. He started his career as part of the Nuestro Canto de Salud program as a promotor. Noe conducted extensive outreach and education in the community on HIV prevention, access to healthcare and promoting healthy practices. Currently, Noe coordinates the TEAMS program which educates the community on their rights as a consumer, helping prevent telephone fraud and promoting programs for low-income Spanish Speakers that helps save lower their bills. Noe is passionate about educating his community and connecting with other service providers to develop partnerships.
Andrea Hernandez
Outreach Coordinator
Andrea is a second generation Chicana born and raised in the Redwood City/North Fair Oaks community. Her life experiences overcoming obstacles of poverty and violence motivated her to serve, guide, and support her community. She strongly believes that advocating for low-income families and non-English speakers and providing education for them will strengthen the entire community. Andrea started working with El Concilio as a promotora in March of this year engaging her community with resources. As a result of her drive, she quickly was promoted as a caseworker for the East Palo Alto site where she works 1:1 with clients who need immediate assistance. Before joining El Concilio of San Mateo County, Andrea volunteered for Siena Youth Center, as a parent leader in the Parent Committee Group.
Marlen Medina
Case Worker- Housing Program Coordinator
Marlen is a first-generation Chicana/Latina from a family of farmworkers. She was raised in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, but moved to Redwood City/North Fair Oaks in the Bay Area when she was ten. She has lived here for over 12 years. Marlen majored in Political Science and minored in Mexican American Studies, becoming the first in her family to attend university. Her inspiration to help others led her to become a caseworker. Growing up in Redwood City, she witnessed her mom's struggles to find support. This motivated her to make a positive impact. As a caseworker, she aims to provide compassionate support and make a meaningful difference. Marlen believes everyone deserves to live in a safe and welcoming community, and she sees Redwood City North Fair Oaks as one of those places. She genuinely believes in enjoying life in this community.
Virginia Portillo
Special Projects Coordinator
Virginia Portillo is deeply committed to her community, drawing on her upbringing in Mountain View and extensive experience in the Bay Area to effectively serve underserved communities. Her role at El Concilio has further honed her skills in a dynamic and vibrant environment. Virginia takes pride in contributing to meaningful projects that have a tangible impact on the community.
Currently, she is pursuing a Project Management certification, building on her extensive background in biotech and technology enterprises. Virginia excels at creating productive and collaborative workplace environments. Her passion for DIY projects fuels her innovative approach to event planning and creative office solutions. She thrives in challenging environments that allow her to make a lasting impact.
Virginia is dedicated to steering every project she undertakes toward excellence through leadership support and innovative space planning.
Sonia Escobedo
Human Services Fellow
Sonia is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved to East Palo Alto at the age of 6. She is a Business Administration student at Canada College and is passionate about making a positive impact in underserved communities through community-based work. Sonia enjoys working at El Concilio because it allows her to directly engage with communities, sharing resources and opportunities while actively listening to their needs. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and painting.
Adriana Fernandez Arriaga
Public Policy Manager
Adriana is a first generation Latina born in Michoacan, Mexico raised in San Mateo where she has spent her college days and career advocating for environmental justice through authentic community engagement, unlocking the leadership potential of communities of color and organizing hikes for youth and their families. Her passion for environmental justice stemmed from living in a mixed immigration status household. As the Public Policy Manager, Adriana is excited to mentor rising leaders in the community, advocate with and work on policies that will help our underserved communities receive the resources they need to excel and thrive.
In her spare time, Adriana volunteers with Dreamers Roadmap Supplies for Farmworkers Campaign or spends her time outdoors with her husband and dog, Azul. She is currently a San Francisco Foundation Koshland Civic Unity Community Fellow for North Central San Mateo and is a proud alumni of the Chicana Latina Foundation, Justice Outside Outdoor Educators Institute, Green Foothill’s Community Advocates Leadership Academy and the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley Latino Board Leadership Academy. Adriana graduated with an A.S. from Cañada College and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management from University of California, Davis.
Guadalupe “Lupita” Juarez
Administrative Assistant - Redwood City and Promotora
Guadalupe was born in Puebla , Mexico and was raised in Redwood City from the Age of 5 she is the oldest of four children. She is a passionate person that loves helping her community she’s grown in. Her love for the community and helping others started since she was involved in programs and volunteering in her high school. It brings great satisfaction for her to be able to give back to her community and keep learning in order to help those that need her in the best way possible. She is grateful that with El Concilio she has had the opportunity to train and develop in many areas including team dynamics and direct services.
Cecilia Canales
Promotora
Cecilia has extensive background as a promotora and outreach specialist. She started her career with El Concilio’s Nuestro Canto de Salud as a promotora educating her community on diabetes prevention and encouraging access to healthcare. Cecilia is committed to her community serving as a promotora with other partners including Bay Area Health Advisory Council. Cecilia is a resident of South San Francisco and excited to bring her expertise to our North County outreach efforts.
Jennyfer Kappler
Promotora
Jennyfer is from Peru and currently lives in San Bruno. She is studying Hospitality Management at Skyline College. Jennyfer is working at El Concilio because it allows her to help others and support the community through her role as a promotora. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and meditating. A fun fact about her is that she is in the process of opening a family childcare business. Additionally, she loves learning new recipes and creating her culinary style.
Pilar Rojas Amaya
Office Assistant- East Palo Alto
Pilar comes from Colombia. She has a background in international business and is learning English as her second language. She is grateful to God and the opportunity to work with El Concilio to share her skill sets and service in support of diverse communities. Pilar enjoys working in a team setting. In her spare time she enjoys Yoga, music, singing, dancing, reading and going to the movies.
Rosa Tinoco
Custodial
Rosa is a proud resident of North Fair Oaks and hails from Morelia Michoacan. She has been working with El Concilio since 2018 and helps ensure our site remains beautiful and clean for our community.
In addition to working with El Concilio she serves the local school district and is a mother of 2. In her free time, she enjoys cooking for her family and loved ones. She makes delicious pozole!
Valeria Vegas Yanez
Community Impact Fellow
Valeria is an immigrant from Sonora, Mexico and her family now lives in Tucson, Arizona. She is a recent graduate from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Systems. While at Stanford, Valeria worked with Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto as an Environmental Justice fellow. Through her work in East Palo Alto, Valeria grew passionate about environmental justice in the Bay area, an area of great wealth but also with great social disparities. Valeria also completed the Notation in Science Communication program while at Stanford and is always looking for ways to make science communication and education more accessible to frontline communities. At Stanford, Valeria also completed various epidemiology courses that encouraged her to make connections between climate change, health equity, and Environmental Justice, which she wishes to learn more about during her time at El Concilio. She is excited to bring her experience, passion, and enthusiasm through her fellowship as the Program Assistant at El Concilio!
Community Promotoras
El Concilio is proud to work with community promotoras who are either contracted or volunteers. Community promotoras are deeply connected in their community. They are leaders and champions for their community, natural resource navigators, and committed to learning and their own leadership development.
The community promotoras have supported our extensive community outreach, education, and engagement programs. They are also a significant part of our program development team as they actively listen to the needs and trends they are seeing in their community and participate in our community collaboratives to share ideas and solutions to address on-going issues collectively.
Current El Concilio of San Mateo County Community Promotoras:
Martha Agustin- Redwood City Resident, Member Fools Mission, Casa Circulo Cultural, Red de Promotoras Vision y Compromiso Comite de San Mateo County
Araceli Agustin- North Fair Oaks Resident, Casa Circulo Cultural, Red de Promotoras Vision y Compromiso Comite de San Mateo County,
Rosa Adame- Redwood City Resident
