Junta for Progressive Action
JUNTA's family comprises of members of the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers. We are diverse: staff and board combined, we have representation from Argentina, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States. The following is a brief description of our staff.
Brett Dignam - President
Norma Franceschi- Vice President
Alicia Schmidt-Camacho - Secretary
Edward Cleary - Treasurer
Brenda Aponte
Kimball Cartwright
Henry Fernandez
Rafael Ramos
Evelyn Robles-Rivas
Pierrette Comulada-Silverman
Regina Winter
Don't Forget to Meet our Interns!
Sandra is originally from Texas and graduated from the University of Texas- Brownsville with a BA in Psychology. She received her Masters
in Social Work from the University of Texas-Pan American. Sandra is a Board Certified Clinical Social Worker specializing in childhood mental
disorders. She was also a clinical instructor for two years at the Yale Child Study Center. At JUNTA, Sandy oversees all programmatic
and administrative areas.
Cheila is a Native of Fair Haven. She attended Wilbur Cross High School and the New Haven Adult Education Center. She began at Junta as a volunteer
and quickly ascended to the positions of Energy Assistant Coordinator, Office Manager and now Program Coordinator. Prior to working at JUNTA, she was
employed at Industrial Park. She is fully bilingual (English and Spanish).
Latrina was born and raised in New Haven. She began her career as an Editor for a custom publishing company in Norwalk, CT after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University in 2001 with a B.A. in English Literature. Latrina’s experience in non-profits includes work as a Development Associate with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and volunteering with Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services, Hill Development Corporation and Hill Neighborhood Forum. Latrina oversees all fundraising efforts at JUNTA.
Celia graduated from Universidade Sao Francisco (Brazil) in 1990 with a B.A. in Portuguese/English. As an undergraduate, she worked for almost 20 years as Executive Assistant/Translator for international companies, such as: Continental Tires, Singer Sewing Machines, Fuchs Gewurze, Medley Pharmaceuticals, etc. Celia moved to the USA in 2007 and since then she has been teaching ESL for New Haven Adult Education and other language schools. In 2008 she started teaching computer basic skills for Thomas Shortman Program - New York and recently joined Yale HEB lab staff to develop a curriculum about nutrition for ESL students. She also took an extensive training in Health Literacy sponsored by the Harvard University. She is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Natalia is from Panamá City, Panamá. She graduated from The George Washington University with a B.A. in International Relations. She lived in Madrid, Spain for many years and worked as a paralegal in international business for Squire Sanders & Dempsey law firm. Prior to moving to Madrid, she lived and worked in Prague, Czech Republic for the same law firm. She has been living in Connecticut for the past two years and has worked as a legal recruiter for Response Companies. Most recently she worked as a part- time ESL adult education teacher for New Haven Adult Education and as a Literacy Volunteer tutor. Natalia is bilingual English and Spanish.
The Neighborhood Place, Onsite Coordinator
Community Organizer
