FAMILY BRIDGES - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Coordinator

Job Titles:

• Director of Advancement

Job Titles:

• Pastor, Couples Mentor and Facilitator

Charles is originally from Temuco, Chile. After attending high school in Quito, Ecuador he moved to the US for college. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree, and later a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies. Along with his wife, he moved to Chile where they lived and worked for over two decades. Charles worked as a pastor and seminary professor. He was also an international teacher and the country coordinator for a Latin America master's program for theological students. Charles previously worked for Family Bridges as the Director for Church Ministries, facilitated couples' workshops, and gave guidance to couples in the Marriage 911 program. Along with his rich experience in counseling couples both in his pastoral role and his work with the Family Bridges programs, he is a certified Prepare/Enrich facilitator, trained for working with couples. Over the years he has been a teacher and guide to many couples in various stages of marriage. At present, he is the pastor of a Spanish-speaking congregation in Chicago, the district coordinator for a group of Spanish-speaking pastors and their congregations, and a freelance Spanish editor and translator.

Job Titles:

• HR Assistant

Job Titles:

• Social Media Specialist

Job Titles:

• CEO
• FOUNDER
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder, and Executive Director

Dr. Alicia La Hoz is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder, and Executive Director of Family Bridges. Dr. La Hoz works with the Latino community in the Chicagoland area, where she leads her team in developing and coordinating Family Bridges comprehensive marriage and relationship programs. Away from the office, she spends her time with her two inquisitive children and devoted husband, exploring nature, visiting museums, and building lego-masterpieces. Dr. Alicia La Hoz , is a licensed clinical psychologist. She is the founder and director of Family Bridges, a not-for-profit organization focused on marriage and relationship education, operating programs in Chicago, Milwaukee, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Phoenix, Arizona. Under her leader-ship, Family Bridges has expanded their reach globally through their mini-drama series, ¡Qué Gente, Mi Gente!, airing in 25 radio markets worldwide. Moreover, Family Bridges runs an off-Broadway show as the prequel of the mini-drama. Dr. La Hoz developed Ready? Set. Grow!, research-based curricula on conflict resolution and stress management that is currently widely implemented in three cities. She has overseen the development of several other research-based curricula such as Parenting with a Purpose and has spearheaded dynamic events and programs for families and couples. Dr. La Hoz was the primary author of the toolkit for stakeholders Working with Latino Individuals, Couples and Families published by the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families in 2013. In 2013, Dr. La Hoz also authored Romance Perpetuo, a resource workbook for Latino couples intended to help strengthen relationships and empower couples with communication and conflict resolution skills. In the last decade, Dr. La Hoz has overseen the evaluation of programs delivered in three federally sponsored programs across the nation and is also coordinating efforts for long-term evaluation projects for programs delivered in the community. Dr. La Hoz was recognized as a Remarkable Women by the Chicago Tribune in 2012 and in 2016 was awarded the People's Choice Award for Latina Professionals. Dr. La Hoz received her Doctor of Psychology degree from Wheaton College in 2005.

Job Titles:

• Family & Marriage Counselor

Elizabeth is originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador where she earned a degree in Psychology. She also studied in France where she received a master's degree in Special Education. After getting married, she and her husband moved to the US, where she earned a second master's degree at the Alliance Theology Seminary in New York. As a couple, they moved to Chile where, for over two decades, they served as missionaries. During a two-year stay in the US, Elizabeth completed a third master's degree, this one from the Psychology department at Wheaton College Graduate School. Elizabeth is a certified Prepare/Enrich facilitator, trained for working with couples. She has been giving guidance and assessment to individuals and couples for most of her working years. She has been a member of the Family Bridges team since 2008, time during which she served as the Family Coordinator, leading also a program called Marriage 911.

Job Titles:

• Intelligence Data Scientist

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• Content Writer

Job Titles:

• Social Media Manager

Kimberly Glover is a Social Media Manager and soon-to-be Certified Career Coach professional with over a decade of experience and a heart for molding the next generation of girl bosses. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies from Northern Illinois University. It was during her college years, where her academic struggles led her to discover her purpose, which is to help other young ladies in need of guidance. Kimberly's passion eventually was able to fuel her professional career, leading her to success as a recruiter, human resources associate and eventually the founder of her own Marketing and Consulting agency, gotKim? Known to her clients as the "Brand BuildHER", Kimberly acts as the social media voice for several non-profit organizations, while still being true to her desire for enriching the lives of African American girls in underserved communities. Her goal is to instill in those around her the F.E.A.R.L.E.S.S. mindset, remaining Female, Elite, Ambitious, Relentless, Lucrative, Entrepreneurs, Striving Successfully. Kimberly is consistently impacting the lives of others and is in the process of creating a non-profit organization that assists young African American girls with career readiness and career development programs.

Job Titles:

• VP of Expansion

Job Titles:

• Ex Director John Maxwell Team

Job Titles:

• COO
• COO for Family Bridges and Co - Developer of the Mentoring

Omaira Gonzalez is the COO for Family Bridges and co-developer of the Mentoring and Business Leadership Curriculums! Omaira and her husband of 30+ years love adventure, long walks and Broadway shows. They are enjoying their new title of grandparents, all you have to do is ask them about their granddaughter and they will whip out 100's of pictures and videos to show you. With their two kids Yomari and Omar, they enjoy great meals and gathering with family…which watch out can get loud and very entertaining!

Job Titles:

• President & Director of Sales of Connections Marketing

Rick launched Connections Marketing in October, 2009. With a brand-heavy advertising background he saw what was missing in the marketplace and saw how he could fill this need. Rick's career began at the Tribune Company working for HOY Newspaper where he managed the Real Estate and Recruitment section of the only Hispanic daily newspaper in Chicago. He then took a position as Account Executive for CBS 2 Chicago where he worked with small to midsize companies to create effective on air ad campaigns; moving to Comcast Spotlight, the advertising arm of Comcast Corp. where he dove back into Hispanic Advertising and managed the Multi-Cultural ad initiative for the organization. It was during this time he realized the need for an interactive ad agency that would design quality websites for mid to small size businesses that were not only in English, but in Spanish and Polish, too. And so began Connections Marketing! Rick is a graduate of Knox College with a degree in Political Science and currently resides in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago with growing family.