Our Core Values
The values of El Futuro are a reflection of what we do and how we do it. Inspired by the Latino community and its culture, they are the soul of our organization.
Belonging
A place to be yourself
Belonging – A place to be yourself
We envision a community where a sense of Belonging is felt by everyone, where we make connections, and where we can be our authentic selves. We work together to ensure that no one is isolated or judged and that El Futuro is a welcoming place where everyone feels accepted, safe, and valued for their individuality.
Calor Humano
Connection through warmth and empathy
Calor Humano – Connection through warmth and empathy
is the foundation and essence of who we are at El Futuro. Human connection is at the core of healing and well-being for our clients and staff. We bring warmth, humility, empathy, dignity, and respect to our interactions with each other and to the community we serve, making Calor Humano a way of being at El Futuro.
Community
Better together
Community – Better together
Community creates a sense of purpose. We are committed to creating a culture of solidarity, togetherness, and collaboration. We complement each other, we learn from one another, and we are more powerful to achieve our shared vision when we come around it together as a community. We strive to create a culture where people find joy and connectivity in nurturing familias to live out their dreams.
Resilience
Always finding a way forward
Resilience – Always finding a way forward
Resilience allows us to persist in the face of adversity. We reflect on our clients’ and our own journeys to seek safety and opportunities. When faced with challenges, we move through them, hold space to try again, encourage each other, and find creative ways to heal and grow.
Trust
Opens doors
Trust – opens doors
We are inspired by the Trust our clients and the community place in El Futuro and are committed to maintaining and reflecting that trust within the workplace. We understand that transparency, vulnerability, and open communication are integral to creating genuine connections with each other.
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