Norma A. Duque, Masters in Psychology & Masters of Business Administration
President & CEO, Los Angeles
Norma Duque (she/her/hers) is apologetically proud Guatemalan woman who founded Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services in late 1994. As an immigrant, Ms. Duque earned her Masters in Psychology, and her MBA from New York University. She holds 27+ years of experience in the non-profit sector and over 20+ years of experience in finance, auditing and accounting. During her work in the financial sector, she saw a need to apply her skills set in ways that would positively shape the lives of marginalized Latinx youth. Since then, she has built NALCS an organization that is recognized state-wide for its high quality care, earning her and the organization various accolades such as Woman of the Year and Best Non-Profit in California. As an immigrant, a mother, and a Latina, Ms. Duque fundamentally believes that all children deserve an equitable chance to attain success while experiencing the stability of a loving family. As a leader and advocate, Ms. Duque recognizes the immense challenge of the nonprofit industrial complex, and is committed to pioneering practice that promotes equity and justice, both within her organization and within her community. She currently sits in the Membership Committee for the California Alliance of Children and Families and is an active member at the Family Focus Treatment Association (FFTA), California Association of Adoption Agencies (CAAA) as well as the Association of Community Human Services Agencies (ACHSA). In her spare time, if not hiking, doing yoga, or at the movies, Ms. Duque enjoys spending time with her only son Joshua and his new wife.
Cristian O. Palao
Finance Director, Los Angeles
Omar Palao (he/him/his) holds the title of Finance Manager at NALCS. He was born in Guatemala and moved to the U.S. as a child. He received his bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University of Pomona. Two years after earning his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Palao moved from the profit sector as an Operation Manager to the non-profit sector with Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services. Mr. Palao enjoys his free time playing basketball and spending time with his family.
Maria A. Montes de Oca
Finance Manager, Los Angeles
Maria Montes de Oca (she/her/hers) has worked with Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services in the finance department since 2000. Throughout these years, she has enriched her knowledge in Accounting which has given her the opportunity to grow as a professional and be trusted to work with Payroll, Account Payables, Account receivables and financial reports. Her experience in this field has helped the organization to its current growth and stability. On the other hand, when she is not behind a desk, she loves to spend time with her husband and two daughters at the movies or the park. She believes “Family Time is priceless”
Enrique Montiel, Masters of Science in Psychology
Program and Compliance Director, Los Angeles
Enrique Montiel (he/him/his) has been working for Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services for twelve years and has extensive knowledge of the foster care system and other programs. Mr. Montiel is a former graduate from California Polytechnic University of Pomona, where he received his Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. Mr. Montiel also holds a Master’s of Science in Psychology. Mr. Montiel is a product of the foster care system as he went on to live more than eleven years in foster care, six of which were with Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services. In 2006, wanting to improve the system, after graduating college Mr. Montiel came back to work for Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services. Mr. Montiel has found a passion in helping at-risk foster youth reach success and overcome the obstacles of foster care. Mr. Montiel is an active alumni of the Renaissance Scholars Program, a college program at Cal Poly Pomona designed to help former foster youth succeed in college. With this experience, since 2006 Mr. Montiel has initiated, led, and developed NALCS’ Independent Living and Mentoring Program where many youths have benefited from learning skills to become self-sufficient. Furthermore, Mr. Montiel assist with the overseeing of agency programs as it pertains to ensuring that contractual requirements are being met across the agency.
Mannya Sharma, Masters of Science in Social Work
Human Resource and Development Manager, Covina
Mannya Sharma (she/her/hers) is the Human Resource and Development Manager at Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services. She is responsible for talent acquisition and management along with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training and staff development. Ms. Sharma joined NALCS soon after completing her M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University, New York with a major in Social Enterprise Administration. She also has a law degree from University of Mumbai, India. During her time in New York, Ms. Sharma interned with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where she provided staff development training to management-level employees. In addition, she championed DEI initiatives within Columbia University that served to create spaces for international students to meaningfully engage in social movements. Ms. Sharma strongly believes that her privileges contribute to the oppression of the marginalized communities. Therefore, through her DEI and staff development initiatives, she attempts to use her privilege to proliferate those voices. In her free time, Ms. Sharma likes to connect with her family back in India over the phone while petting her cat.
Claudia Del Viscovo, Masters in Psychology
Adoptions Supervisor, San Fernando
Claudia Del Viscovo (she/her/hers) has worked for Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services (NALCS) for sixteen years. She began her journey in July of 1996 as a Foster Care Social Worker for NALCS’ first office in the city of East Los Angeles. She also becomes part of the Baldwin Park team when NALCS expanded from one office to two. When the Baldwin Park office was relocated to the city of Covina, she became part of the Covina team. A few years following, she was assigned a Foster Care Supervisor position. She worked in the capacity of Foster Care Supervisor for the East Los Angeles and San Fernando offices. After the supervisory position, she was assigned the position of Foster Care Administrator. She administrated the San Fernando office for many years before becoming an Adoption Supervisor. Ms. Del Viscovo is a Mount St. Mary’s College, California State University Los Angeles and Phillips Graduate alumni with degrees and specialties in psychology, child development, and marriage and family therapy.
Veronica Vasquez, Double Masters in Sociology & Human Development
Program Director for Unaccompanied Children Services, Los Angeles
Veronica Vasquez (she/her/hers) is currently the Unaccompanied Children’s Program Director for the last two years and has been working for Nuevo Amanecer for the last 4 years. Ms. Vasquez was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and is fluent in Spanish and English. She earned a double B.A in Sociology and Human Development with a minor in psychology from Cal State Long Beach in 2012. During her time in Cal State Long Beach, Ms. Vasquez had the opportunity to intern at an early childhood development center and gain experience in working with families and children. In efforts to continue to grow as a professional who helps children and adults in vulnerable situations, Ms. Vasquez proceeded to obtain her Masters in Social Work. In 2014, she graduated from University of Southern California with a Masters Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organization, Planning and Administration. During her graduate years, she gained experience via internships at an elementary school and at CHLA. Upon graduating, Ms. Vasquez has gained experience in foster care social work both as a worker and supervisor. In her current position as a program director, Veronica has been able to emphasize her passion in managing a program that assist a particular vulnerable yet resilient population in the community. During her free time, Veronica enjoys going to the movies, traveling and spending time with her nieces.”
Liliana Moreno, Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice Administration
Lead Case Manager for Unaccompanied Children Services, Los Angeles
Ms. Moreno (she/her/hers) is the Lead Case Manager for the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. She has been working at Nuevo Amanecer since 2017 serving Unaccompanied Children. She was born in Michoacán, Mexico and traveled to the United States at the age of five with her family in search of a better future. She graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. Prior to serving Unaccompanied Children at NALCS, she was a Peer Mediator Facilitator at Hawthorne High School where she educated students on ways to resolve conflict in a nonviolent manner. In addition, she also worked as a Family Mediation Specialist during which she provided support and assistance to youth and their parents/guardians to de-escalate conflict in a safe environment. She takes great pride in servicing populations who are often forgotten and under served. In her free time, Ms. Moreno enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Jose Ruvalcaba, Masters in Psychology
Regional Administrator, Los Angeles & San Fernando
Jose Ruvalcaba (he/him/his) received his Master’s in Psychology and has been working in Foster Care with NALCS for 15 years. He started out as a Social Worker in NALCS’ San Fernando Office, moved on to becoming a Supervisor for the Los Angeles Office and eventually became the Administrator for the Los Angeles Office. When he isn’t attending to the needs of his staff, Jose enjoys spending time with his family.
Esperenza Rodriguez, Bachelors in Social Work
Resource Family Supervisor, Los Angeles
Ms. Rodriguez was born in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from California State University. After gaining extensive experience as a social worker, she now serves as the Resource Family Supervisor for Los Angeles office. The part she enjoys most about her work is being able to serve children and families with her co-workers and team, who are an important part of her life. Ms. Rodriguez is very family oriented and loves spending time with them and her pets. In her free time, she indulges herself in gardening, painting, and arts and craft activities.
Dennice Guzman, Masters in Social Work
Resource Family Supervisor, Los Angeles
Ms. Guzman (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She decided to go into the field of social work to help children and families overcome family hardships. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work from Cal State Los Angeles. After graduating, she worked as a foster care social worker for a non-profit agency where she gained valuable experience for 7 years. Ms. Guzman joined NALCS in 2018 as a Resource Family Social Worker and soon after was promoted to the position of Resource Family Supervisor for the Los Angeles office. Her hard-work in the field of in foster care not only contributes to her passion of making a difference in children’s lives, but also ensures that every child lives in a safe and loving home while in their foster care placement.
Veronica Hernandez, Masters of Science in Psychology
Resource Family Administrator, Covina
Ms. Hernandez (she/her/hers) holds Masters of Science in Psychology from California Coast University and a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Studies from the University of La Verne. She joined the organization in June 2006 to help advance the agency’s vision of providing the best quality of services to children and staff. Since her tenure, she has aided the growth of the Covina office by providing effective direction and motivation to staff to have a shared vision and build team work. In addition, Veronica has increased collaboration with local agency providers to increase resources/donations for children and their families. This includes increase access to back to school supplies, free and fun recreational activities, and Christmas toys. Through training and support, she and her team equip resource parents to advocate on behalf of the children in their care. Her dedication and commitment is a great asset to the Covina office.
Ofelia Medina, Masters in Psychology
Regional Administrator, Covina & San Bernardino
Ofelia Medina (she/her/hers) has served Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children Services (NALCS) 2001 in the capacity of social worker, supervisor and currently as the Administrator at NALCS’ Orange office. In addition to social work experience, she has also worked in an elementary school setting specializing in literacy with at-risk students, in addition to serving as mentor for minors placed in probationary camps. Ms. Medina holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Social Work and a master’s degree in Psychology. During her free time, Ms. Medina enjoys spending quality time with her children, husband and extended family.
Shari Ortiz, Masters in Counselling Psychology/MFT
Resource Family Administrator, San Bernardino Office
Shari Ortiz (she/her/hers) studied at the University of California Riverside, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2008. After graduating, she dedicated time to my newborn son and family. In 2010, Ms. Ortiz decided to go back to school and enrolled in a master program at Argosy University of Orange, CA. She earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology / Marriage and Family Therapy in 2012. After graduating she was given the opportunity to work in foster care system. During her seven years in this field, Ms. Ortiz has expanded her knowledge and grown professionally as a social worker, supervisor and now administrator. She is very passionate about working in this field with children and families. Prior to social work, the majority of her experience was working as Behavioral Therapist for children with Autism and other special needs; a field that shaped her character and built the qualities that she possesses today as a professional. During the time Ms. Ortiz is not working, she dedicates quality time to her amazing husband and two lovely children.
Enrique Danwing, Masters in Psychology
Resource Family Administrator, San Fernando
Mr. Danwing was born and raised in Mexico City. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Mexico. After 10 years in the Metallurgic field in Mexico and Japan, and working in this field, Enrique became a Senior Engineer and Furnace Superintendent. In 1987, Mr. Danwing got a scholarship and came to the United States of America. Two years later he earned a Master’s Degree in World Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. After working in several social services organizations and churches, in the year of 1997 Mr. Daniwng began working with NALCS as a Foster Care Social Worker. In the year 2000, he graduated and earned a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, CA and worked with several organizations for around 15 years until he finally returned to NALCS in March 2017, as the Administrator for the San Fernando Office. Mr. Danwing has considered NALCS as his alma mater in the social services field and hopes to work until his retirement in this organization. Currently, Mr. Danwing is a proud father of five children and a loving husband.
Eva Kapelusznik, Masters in Psychology
Resource Family Supervisor, San Fernando
Ms. Kapelusznik was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to the United States with her husband and children,and soon received a Master’s Degree in Psychology. She started working with NALCS in 2001 as a social worker. Since then, Eva not only shares NALCS’ vision to provide the best quality services to the children and families but is also committed to educating and promoting these values with the staff and community.
Erick Bozikovic, Masters in Psychology
Resource Family Supervisor
Mr. Bozikovic had worked in the private business sector as well in the social services sector in Argentina and South America. He earned a degree in Psychology from National University of Rosario in Argentina, and then a Master Degree in Psychology before joining NALCS in 2003. During this time, Mr. Bozikovic supported offices like Orange and San Bernardino, before finally settling in San Fernando office. Aside from his work responsibilities, he is a proud father of four children, a runner, an outdoors fanatic, a wellness practitioner, a vegetarian, and an animal rights activist.