Board of Directors
Brian Grande
Business Operations Analyst II, TCF Bank
President
Linda Freemon
Purchasing Agent, CareFusion
Vice-President
Anne Knauff
Retired Design Manager
Secretary
William Nelson
Retired Manager, Volunteers of America
Treasurer
Humberto Olivares
Regional Private Banker, Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
Board Advisors
Pamela Barragán
Sergeant, St. Paul Police Department
Katherine Fitzsimmons
V.P. & Founding Partner, Farmer’s Hat Productions
María Ramírez Johnson
Retired Teacher, Minneapolis Public Schools
Executive Director
Eloisa Echávez
Eloisa has been the Executive Director of La Oportunidad since 1998 and also produces and hosts its television program En Familia. She has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and education. Eloisa holds a Master’s degree in Education & Leadership as well as a Bachelor of Science degree both from Augsburg College, and a certification in Nonprofit Management from the University of St. Thomas’ Graduate School of Business. Prior to La Oportunidad, she founded and directed the Latino Student Services Program and also served as the Multicultural Coordinator for Augsburg College for six years.
Eloisa has been an active member of the community for over 20 years including her multiple-year service on the City of Minneapolis Youth Violence Prevention Executive Committee (2008 – present), the United Way Council on Agency Executives (various leadership/officers roles for over 7 years), the United Way Speakers Bureau (2000 – present), and the Augsburg College Scholastics Connections Mentorship Program. She has also served on the City of St. Paul Youth Fund Board, the Minnesota Department of Education Multicultural Advisory Board, and the National Hispanic Leadership Institute Conference Planning Committee. She has been actively involved in the nonprofit sector including her role of Co-Chair of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits-Minnesota Council on Foundations 2012 Joint Conference. Eloisa has been recognized for her community involvement and leadership over the years, including by various Governors and by the Minnesota Medical Association for her contributions to violence prevention in the state. In addition, she has been a featured guest of the TV show Comcast Newsmakers as well as been profiled in the Minnesota Historical Society’s Latino Leaders Oral History Project published in 2011.
Staff
Carla Miller – Finance Coordinator
Carla studied at Cambridge Community College. She has worked at La Oportunidad as the Finance Coordinator
since 2000.
Teo Nuñez – LEAP Program Coordinator & Parents Program Coordinator
Teo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work. He has experience working with youth in institutions and has worked in the field of social work for over 14 years. Teo is bilingual and bicultural. As program coordinator, Teo Co-facilitates the Latinos Ending Abuse Program (LEAP). His duties include: performs in-take interviews, provides client referrals, facilitates the LEAP and the Aftercare groups, updates client database, maintains client case notes, refines curriculum, administers evaluation tools, prepares monthly and quarterly reports, communicates regularly with probation officers, and interprets for probation officers when requested. Teo has been with the agency since 1998.
Maureen Springer – Latino Youth Program Coordinator
Maureen works with the Latino Youth Program and also coordinates the Annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Maureen holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Benedict in Spanish and is currently in the process of obtaining a master’s degree in Art Therapy and Marriage and Family Therapy. She has over eighteen years of experience in youth development and education, having worked with migrant children and families in Greater Minnesota and youth in Cuernavaca, Mexico before coming to La Oportunidad in 2005. She is an apprentice with Healing Roots where she assists in facilitation of workshops and learning circles around topics of cultural awareness, cultural identity, and cross-cultural interfacing. She has lived and studied in Guatemala, México, and Cuba. Maureen’s education and experience have a particular focus in social justice, youth development, and art.
Adrian Diaz Jr – Young Professionals Program Coordinator
Adrian graduated from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Community Development and Sociology with an emphasis on social justice. He is a recent graduate with experience working with students of color. He is Mexican-American and fully bilingual. He co-founded and co-directed a Multicultural Center that provides adequate resources to ensure the academic and social success of students of color at Northland College. Adrian joined La Oportunidad in the summer of 2016 and is the coordinator of the Young Professionals Program for Latino Youth.
Elizabet Vargas – Office Manager & Volunteer Program Coordinator
Born in Peru, Elizabet is bilingual and bicultural. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Communications from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos/Lima, Peru. Elizabet joined La Oportunidad in early 2015 and as a recent immigrant with indigenous roots, she brings a unique perspective to our organization and students she works with.
The Executive Director and all the Program Coordinators are bilingual (English and Spanish) and bicultural/culturally competent.
