David Becerra, is an Associate Professor, Associate Director of Academic Affairs, a Southwest Borderlands Scholar, and the Director of the Office of Latino Projects in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. His research focuses on social justice and wellbeing among Latinos, particularly in the areas of migration and immigration, academic achievement, and health.
Leadership
Faviola Augustin
Faviola Augustin is a Chicanx and Indigenous (Wixarika, Cora) born and raised along the U.S./Mexico border in Somerton, AZ now living in Tohono O’odham territory of Tucson, AZ. She is a mother, a community member, and a Clinical Social Worker. She has been dedicated to the application of trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ affirming, anti-racist, healing justice, and feminist frameworks throughout her clinical work and life. Faviola uses a diversity of tools and techniques from being trained in somatic practice, expressive arts, mindfulness meditation, and play therapy. She works directly with migrant families and undocumented communities impacted by border militarization and immigration policies. Her experience has focused on the treatment of trauma both systemic and interpersonal and has a passion in working with children and youth. Faviola also has spent years in Southern Arizona organizing for migrant justice and her community work also includes crisis support, consultant, and community facilitator. Faviola is a member of the LTAN leadership team and a founding member. She loves spending time with her children and family, being with nature, napping, and dancing.
Sandra Olarte-Hayes
Sandra Olarte-Hayes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, and circle keeper in Austin, TX. Sandra’s healing work has focused on working with immigrant youth and families, domestic violence survivors and offenders, formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, and youth organizers. She believes all change, both systemic and personal, are grounded in relationships and in community. Sandra is passionate about restorative justice and bringing healing to individuals on both sides of violence. She facilitates healing circles with youth organizers impacted by incarceration, detention, and deportation and provides ongoing training to youth activists for peer facilitation.
Mariela Marin
Mariela Marin (they | elle) is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, Teaching Faculty at Antioch University, Santa Barbara, and a first-generation, bilingual Latinx person, dedicated to the work of honoring, healing, empowering and celebrating community through the promotion of mental health and wellness. They believe in the human spirit and our ability to constantly grow, learn, evolve and heal with the support we can offer each other and access from our ancestors. They work from a person-centered perspective rooted in liberation psychology to address depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, identity, grief and loss, and the range of experiences we all find ourselves facing.
Imelda was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico and after completing high school decided to move to Arizona to pursue higher education. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis on children, youth and families, and a Masters in Public Administration from Arizona State University.Imelda lives in downtown Phoenix and likes to volunteer, travel and spend time with her family and friends enjoying the rich and diverse culture of Arizona.
Blanca Valentin
Blanca is a licensed mental health clinician who has worked extensively with children, adults, and families for over 25 years in a variety of roles and settings. Blanca’s work focuses on the treatment of trauma, grief and loss, and generational/intergenerational trauma. Though the application of restorative processes, healing circles, and mindfulness, Blanca is committed to the healing of communities of color. Blanca is engaged in several organizations and causes that are committed to decriminalization, decolonization, and freedom of communities of color: As a member of Latinx Therapist Action Network, a national organization of Latinx therapists committed to honoring and affirming the human dignity of Latinx immigrants in ICE detention. Blanca’s work in the Network has centered around education and support to front line workers/community activists in the migrant’s rights movement. Has co-created webinars to educate and support about impact of mental health to frontline workers and the implications of Intergenerational trauma in BIPOC communities. Blanca served as a trainer and Board President of Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition; an organization that supports indigenous and communities of color, to prevent and address domestic and sexual violence, through training, education and use of Transformative Circle process.
Along with other healers of color in Boston, Blanca is a member of the Stinging Nettle Brujxs Healing Collective; a group committed to the liberation and healing justice of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, POC communities, and supporting allies. Several times a year the collective offers skill-shares, workshops, pop-up clinics, community events, herbal walks, conferences, and retreats to co-create spaces for medicine to transcend into wellness-some that are BIPOC exclusive.
Vanessa M. Perry
Vanessa M. Perry is Assistant Professor of Practice in the Master’s Counseling Program at The University of Arizona. Vanessa has worked as a clinical mental health counselor, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and disability rights advocate. As a professor, she enjoys researching and learning about Spanish-English bilingual counseling, clinical supervision, and counselor education. She is faculty advisor to the Counseling Program’s student organization, Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the American Counseling Association. In her free time she enjoys working as a Disaster Mental Health Volunteer for the American Red Cross.
Imelda was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico and after completing high school decided to move to Arizona to pursue higher education. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis on children, youth and families, and a Masters in Public Administration from Arizona State University.Imelda lives in downtown Phoenix and likes to volunteer, travel and spend time with her family and friends enjoying the rich and diverse culture of Arizona.