Mary Jones is our Clinical Project Manager and we are proud to have her on the El Futuro team! Mary, originally from Urireo in Salvatierra, Guanajuato, came to the US in 2005 with thousands of expectations and dreams. We met with her to get to know her a little better and talk about her dreams, her initiatives and why not? laugh with his occurrences. Here is what she told us:
Tell us a little about your experience working at El Futuro.
“When I came for my interview for the job, Luke met me at the front desk, and offered to give me a tour. It was so exciting to see the bright colors and art on the walls and talk to him about it, then I went to the interview with him, Ennis, Courtney, Molly and Kelly in the front conference. One of Luke´s questions during the interview had to do with my kids and ¡la chancla!. When I left the interview, it hit me: The tour was so that Luke could psychoanalyze me, and possibly get to know my darkest secrets, there I was, in front of a team of mind readers!! and I felt so nervous right then. Good thing I did not realize it right away or else I would not be here today.”
Why do you like to work at EF?
“My first day at El Futuro felt like a dream come true! Everyone was so supportive, welcoming, committed and so effective, I liked that a lot! Multitasking excites me and I like challenges, and working with people from all kinds of nationalities who are Latinos like me and love the Latino community as much as I do, it’s like a dream come true! I love that El Futuro is always moving, always changing and always improving. Sometimes we pilot things we don’t know will work, but we learn with every experience! I treasure each interaction I have had with my fellow co-workers and I have a special place in my heart for each one of them.”
What are Mary Jones hobbies:
“I like jogging (when it’s not too cold or too hot or it’s not trash day, or pollen day, you get the idea!), I like to cook, but I like more to eat other people’s dishes! I like to sing (but mainly in the shower, when I cannot hurt anyone’s hearing), I love spending time with my husband and I love to cuddle with my two baby teenagers! I also volunteer as a board president in ISLA, and that experience has taught me so much about seeing the big picture and the challenges non-profits face. It made me feel closer to our community too. I highly recommend anyone who wants to grow to become more involved!”
If you were a product, what would be your slogan?
“Get it done! with Mary Jones!” or “gordita pero picosa”
If you directed a movie, what kind would it belong to?
“A superhero film! with comedy and drama; the kind that brings you to tears when you see everyone stepping up with hope and joining in forces to defeat evil!”
What did you want to be as an adult when you were a child?
“A singer, then a journalist, but my dad told me I would be a good lawyer because I never lost an argument ;-)”
What would you say to your 20-year-old self?
“The best is yet to come. Keep dreaming, keep doing, keep learning, because a life of fulfillment is ahead of you”
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD