Escuela Bolivia Announces New Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Vanessa Guerrero                                                  
(703) 228-2560 (Weekdays)
Email: info@escuelabolivia.org

ESCUELA BOLIVIA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

April 12, 2010 – Arlington, VA – Escuela Bolivia, an organization committed to empowering Latino families through education and leadership development, publicly announced today the appointment of its new Executive Director. Ms. Eneida Alcalde was unanimously selected following an extensive and systematic executive search process.

“As an organization that serves Latino families of any origin and promotes cross-cultural awareness to the broader population, Escuela Bolivia sought a combination of vision, compassion, and multicultural expertise in its leader,” said Kathie Panfil, the organization’s Board’s President. “Eneida perfectly fits this combination. Her grassroots experience abroad and in the U.S. with various Latino communities, proven results in the nonprofit sector, and commitment to service will be invaluable as we continue to grow and strengthen our programs.”

Alcalde joins Escuela Bolivia as a rising young leader in the nonprofit realm. Her wide-ranging career background includes work with organizations serving the needs of many different communities. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Grants and Donor Relations at Center for Inspired Teaching, an organization that invests in teachers to ensure schools make the most of children’s innate desire to learn.

“In my experience as a first-generation immigrant, dedicated teachers and caring adults played an integral role in forming the active citizen that I am today,” said Alcalde. “The history, mission, and values of Escuela Bolivia are completely in line with my personal and professional beliefs and pursuits.”

“Studies show that Latinos are the fastest growing minority group, yet we are the least likely to succeed in school. That needs to change,” added Alcalde. “Escuela Bolivia’s programs seek to build Latinos’ leadership and academic skills, and I am thrilled to work with our Board of Directors, staff, and communities to ensure that even more Latinos have the opportunity to be successful.”

A beneficiary of an ESL education, Alcalde brings a wealth of expertise and experience in communications, fundraising, education, and working with Latino communities in the U.S. and abroad. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz and Cochabamba departments and also worked as a consultant for Water for People in Bolivia. In the U.S. she has worked with a variety of nonprofits that contribute to the achievement of families.

Alcalde received her undergraduate degrees in International Politics and Spanish at Penn State University. During her free time she enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and attending shows at the Kennedy Center with her fiancé, Jamus Lim. She has been a resident of the Washington, DC area since 2006.

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Escuela Bolivia was founded in 1998 when a group of Bolivians living in Northern Virginia met with the Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools to establish an academic enrichment program that would meet the needs of Arlington's growing immigrant Latino population. Since then, Escuela Bolivia has worked to support and empower hundreds of Latino families through educational and leadership development programs while promoting cross-cultural awareness.

Seeking Umbrella Name for Programs

Escuela Bolivia was originally founded by Bolivian parents, with the help of the Bolivian ambassador. Over the last decade, the organization has expanded to serve students from many different countries of origin and additional programs have been developed to serve the growing Latino community. This includes the Parent Leadership Initiative, the Emerging Leaders Program, ESL/Civics classes, and the summer Spanish Academy. We seek an umbrella name to better link our various programs and facilitate future growth for the organization. The name of "Escuela Bolivia" which honors our legacy and founders, will, of course, remain for the Saturday morning program.

Finding an umbrella name to link our programs will:

• Better reflect our mission, which is to empower Latino children, youth, and families through education and leadership development to succeed and contribute to our community, while teaching others about the Latin American culture.

• Recognize and reflect Board and staff diversity. We are proud that 40% of our staff and Board are of Bolivian heritage, and that 80% are Latino. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. We value and seek diversity among our Board and staff and welcome qualified individuals who believe in our mission of empowering Latinos through education.

• Increase the range of foundations, corporate partnerships, and donors from which to seek resources. Rebranding is a common occurrence among nonprofits who seek to strengthen and grow their programs in order to fulfill their missions. Limiting our focus, or giving that impression, affects our capacity to attract funds and to grow. Like other organizations in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, our organization has been impacted with the recent economic downturn. Funders are increasingly becoming more strategic with their investments and seek to invest where they will have the greatest impact. They seek to serve as broad a population as possible, and our umbrella name needs to reflect the diverse population we serve.

• Facilitate recruitment of students, volunteers, and partnerships. While Escuela Bolivia does not discriminate among nationalities, we still find some reluctance among students, volunteers, and potential partners to participate with us because of first impressions and biases. Approximately 70% of our students are of Latino decent. We are very proud to serve Latinos of various nationalities, and even non-Latinos who wish to learn about the Latin American culture. A name change of the umbrella organization will help clarify that our mission is to empower the entire Latino population—the fastest growing minority group in the United States.

This is an exciting time for our organization, and we are proud to have served thousands of families through our programs since our founding. An umbrella name to link our programs, together with our strong track record and recent hire of a dynamic and experienced Executive Director, will give us the opportunity to expand our services and benefit even more Latino students and families.

The selection of the umbrella name will take place in future months. We are seeking the creativity of everyone in our community and are asking for suggestions to find an umbrella name that will accurately reflect who we are, what we do, and where we are going. More information will be posted soon on how you can contribute to this process!

Overview

Escuela Bolivia was founded in l998 when a group of Bolivians living in Northern Virginia met with the Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools to establish an academic enrichment program that would meet the needs of Arlington's growing immigrant Latino population. Since then, Escuela Bolivia has worked to support and empower Latino families in the Northern Virginia area through educational and leadership development programs while promoting cross-cultural awareness.

Over the years, we have significantly expanded our programs, and have grown from a group of less than a dozen volunteers to a recognized non-profit organization with an established central office, Board of Directors, and over 25 staff and volunteers dedicated to our mission of empowering Latino children, youth and families through education and leadership development to succeed and contribute to their community while teaching others about the Latin American culture.

It is our hope that you will join us in our efforts to support Latino students’ academic success. Escuela Bolivia’s Latino roots have given the organization a unique insight into our community’s needs. In response, the organization has developed community-based solutions to support Latino children, youth, and families. Students not only learn academic and leadership skills, but also develop a spirit of community service and learn the importance of valuing all cultures and members of our community.