Millie Irizarry is the Latin American Association’s Chief Executive Officer. Irizarry comes to the LAA from Florida’s Blood Centers, based in Orlando. As its Director of Hispanic Affairs/Donor Development since 2005, she created the organization’s infrastructure and led the programming for a highly successful outreach to the Hispanic community that spans 22 counties in Florida. Active in the Hispanic community, she also served as Chair of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando from 2004-2005.  From 2000-2005, she served as the Director of the Women’s Residential and Counseling Center/Victims Services Program, also in Orlando. She was responsible for all aspects of leading and managing the transitional housing program for victims of domestic violence and at-risk homeless women and children.   Prior to taking that position, she was the Housing Director for the Coalition for the Homeless in Central Florida, forging strong relationships with new partner agencies and managing the program overall. 

She also has extensive business experience. From 1985-1999, she served as President/CEO of Aero Groups of Orlando, a travel agency and tour company focused on the Caribbean, South and Central America and North America.

Irizarry earned a B.A. from the University of Central Florida and graduated Magna cum Laude. Her many community activities include being a past member of the Orange County Minority/Women Business Enterprise Advisory Board, the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Orange County Community Assessment Team for the Independent Living Program, the 2003 Central Florida Trauma Center Taskforce and the 2005 Blue Ribbon Panel for Education formed by Orange County and City of Orlando Mayors. Additionally, she was named the 2004 Paoli Award winner for Best of the Year Public Service Private Enterprise.

Jeffrey Tapia serves as the LAA’s chief operating officer. In her role, Tapia assists with the LAA’s social service programs, internal operations and administration, and ensures that programmatic and organizational goals are met with the highest quality, responsiveness and efficiency.

Tapia returned to the Latin American Association after living in Argentina for the last four years. She previously held the position of associate director from 1996-2001. Under her leadership as associate director, Tapia successfully led the implementation of two strategic plans and oversaw the establishment of new centers in Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton Counties.

Prior to her position at the LAA, she was director of Hispanic services for Catholic Charities (then Catholic Social Services), and director of educational and training programs for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers in North Carolina. While in North Carolina, Tapia also co-directed the largest English language school implemented in the labor camps in the Southeast. She was an interpreter and logistics coordinator for international media in Nicaragua from 1985 to 1987 including the National Geographic.

 
A native of Georgia, Tapia is fully bilingual and has traveled extensively throughout South America.

Laureen Fredella, director of external affairs, has been working with the Latin American Association since 1996.  Prior to joining the staff of the LAA, she taught adult literacy at Literacy Action and English as a Second Language to adults at Georgia State University, in addition to other settings.

Laureen has served in a variety of positions at the LAA including ESL instructor, director of education and managing director of programs. In her current role, she is responsible for grants and foundation management. Laureen is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelors Degree in Spanish and a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language.  She is a past president of Georgia TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and has been active in the adult education interest group. 

Myrna Clemmons serves as the managing director for resource development at the Latin American Association. In her role, she supervises all donor development, corporate sponsorships, pubic relations, communications, and volunteer efforts. Prior to joining the LAA, Myrna held several regional roles in the staffing and executive search industry, serving as a consultant in many roles for the past 18 years. Most recently she worked at Aldebaran Associates as vice president of business development. She designed and implemented several ?start-up? branches and managed many branches in markets throughout the southeast region. She has served on the Board of the United Boricuas of Georgia and has been an active member of the GMSDC, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Women Business Council, Aids Walk, Habitat for Humanity, and others.

She has been responsible for P&L, training, hiring and staff development, as well as vendor management programs. She has managed multi-million dollar budgets and has partnered with many employers of choice in the Atlanta market. Prior to her career in staffing, she held a national sales manager position for a global manufacturer of medical instrumentation.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and moved to Atlanta more than 30 years ago from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Carisa has worked with the LAA since May of 2006, she was brought on board to establish and develop the newly formed volunteer program. Within the first two years, the volunteer base grew to over 500 people and the volunteer program is now more formal and structured supporting nearly all programs areas. Carisa is not only the primary contact for individuals looking to donate their time and talents but she has also cultivated stronger relationships with 8 Atlanta area universities engaging dozens of college students in volunteer opportunities and semester long internships. Carisa established the Hispanic Corporate Leadership Forum (HCLF) in March of 2008, an association of 30 corporate representatives from 20 major Atlanta area industries who are responsible for organizing their company’s volunteer initiatives and serving the Hispanic community.

Carisa received her Masters degree in Nonprofit Management through Regis University in April of 2007 and in June of 2008 completed a CVM certification program, Certified Volunteer Manager, through Leadership 101. As an undergrad at the University of New Mexico, she double majored in Latin American Studies and Political Science. Carisa served as the Emergency Services Manager with the American Red Cross in Wilmington, NC overseeing more than 300 volunteers trained to respond to house fires and national disasters. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Carisa spent more than four years in Latin America in high school and college as a foreign exchange student to Costa Rica and Argentina and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador from 2001-2003.

As public relations and communications manager, Sarah Marske heads up the Latin American Association’s strategic communications and marketing efforts. Sarah comes to the LAA with previous experience in marketing and communications at Univision 34 Atlanta and the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.

Sarah graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005, with bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Spanish. At UNC, she was awarded the Sterling Stoudemire Medal for Outstanding Achievements in Spanish and was a member of the Spanish Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi. Sarah studied abroad at the University of Salamanca in Spain and served as an international volunteer with the YMCA in Costa Rica.

She earned her master’s degree in Communication from Georgia State University, with a thesis focused on the relationship between Hispanic identity and Hispanic marketing. She is a May 2009 candidate for a Certificate in Spanish Translation from Georgia State University.

Originally from North Carolina, Sarah is an active member of the Carl E. Sanders Family YMCA.