Mentoring Program
Why Mentor?
Despite the growing diversity of their populations, the ethnic composition of state and local educational leadership administration systems has remained virtually unchanged over the last few decades. For Latino and Latina leaders, access to information, visibility, and prospects to develop and grow as professionals are examples of opportunity dimensions that are not sufficiently available to them, even to this day.
We have to address the low number of Latina and Latino school and district administrators in a time of rapid ethnic and demographic transformation.
Experiences that Latinas and Latinos face as educational leaders are unlike those of the current dominant educational leadership group, and many of these experiences are a result of stereotypes that have been passed down from one generation to another, often persisting without a sense of the damage such false impressions can cause.
For these reasons, TALAS established the Latino and Latina mentoring program in Texas. The first meeting was held in 2014 in conjunction with the UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education.
Goals
Develop a structured mentoring program that will serve and support Latino school and district administrators
- Provide a support system for Latino leaders serving as school site and district administrators
- Provide networking opportunities for all members of the association
- Provide additional mentoring opportunities for enriched staff development activities
- Provide mentoring opportunities for aspiring Latino educators
Develop a cadre of Latino Educational Leaders who are:
- Competent
- Confident
- Credible
Join our mentoring program today!
To submit your application, follow one of the links below. You may also contact Lucio Calzada, our Director of Mentoring, at 512.695.6713 or lucalzada@aol.com.
Guidelines
Participation
While the decision to participate in the mentoring program is voluntary, once accepted to the program, protégés and mentors are expected to attend all program events and activities.
Commitment
Mentors and protégés must agree to a minimum two-year commitment.
Engagement
Mentors and protégés are expected to make a minimum of two contacts per month. Contacts may be in person and/or by telephone, Skype, Jigsaw, or email.
Attendance
Mentors and protégés must commit to a minimum of four meetings with the entire cohort during a one-year period. All meetings will coincide with TASA’s scheduled conferences (TASA/TASB Convention, TASA Midwinter Conference, and UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education).
Benefits
- Diminished sense of isolation because mentoring is a mutual learning relationship
- Faster learning curve and absence of cultural stereotypes
- Greater access to strategic alliances through networking
- Increased likelihood of success and sustainability of leadership position
- Greater numbers = greater voice in educational policy decisions
It is an illusion that the hearts of men and women can be transformed while the social structure that makes those hearts sick are left intact and unchanged.
Used with permission from Dr. Kenneth R. Magdaleno, Executive Director, Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR) and Associate Professor, Educational Research and Administration California State University, Fresno.
Current Cohorts
The TALAS mentoring program is a two-year experience for a cohort of school administrators who desire to have a school superintendent or cabinet-level mentor not in their current school system or working chain of command. The program physically meets three times a year attached to the three TASA conferences for the purpose of networking and professional development around career building and successfully serving our students of color.
Below you will find the names and pictures of the Cohort 5–7 protégés, as well as their respective mentors. To read more about each protégé, visit our Cohorts page.
Cohort 5
Sarah Schmerber Hodges
Mentor: Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora
Melissa Holguin
Lisa Walls
Mentor: Dr. Michael Cardona
Michael J. Ruiz
Mentor: Dr. Anthony Sorola
Neil Bonavita
Mentor: Dr. Stan Paz
Denisha Jackson-Presley
Mentor: Dr. Craig Shapiro
Cohort 6
Abigail Tarango
Mentor: Dr. Stan Paz
Eileen Puente
Mentor: Dr. Mark Ramirez
Filemón Aldama
Mentor: Dr. Lucio Calzada
Beatris Martinez
Mentor: Rene Sanchez
Lacye Matejowsky
Mentor: Dr. Craig Shapiro
Linda Garcia
Mentor: Dr. Veronica Vijil
Leticia Vega
Mentor: Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora
Mechiel Rozas
Mentor: Dr. Celina Estrada-Thomas
Ramona Morin Aguilar
Mentor: Dr. Abelardo Saavedra
Victoria Sendejo
Mentor: Dr. Richard Lopez
Stacy Garcia
Mentor: Dr. Ruben Alejandro
Venus Valenta
Mentor: Dr. Xochitl Rodriguez
Cohort 7
Alyssa Blanchette Alva
Mentor: Dr. Richard Fernandez
Norma Castillo
Mentor: Dr. Joe Rodriguez
Eva Quinonez
Mentor: Dr. Veronica Vijil
Lori Davis
Mentor: Dr. Lisa Ramirez
Yliana Gonzalez
Mentor: Dr. Stan Paz
Juan Sandoval
Mentor: Justin Fuentes
Keri Launius
Mentor: Dr. Darryl Henson
Felix Lerma
Mentor: Dr. Mark Ramirez
Cynthia Jaird
Mentor: Dr. Xochitl Rodriguez
Cohort 8
Miguel Garcia III
Mentor: Dr. Rick Fernandez
Bryan Hernandez
Mentor: Dr. Ruben Alejandro
Yeni Ontiveros
Mentor: Mr. Michael Cardona
Nathan Balasubramanian
Mentor: Dr. Michelle Cavazos
David Pearce
Mentor: Dr. Richard Lopez
Nicole Creek
Mentor: Dr. Xochitl Rodriguez
Georgina Castilleja
Mentor: Dr. Abelardo Saavedra
Sandra K. Cortez
Mentor: Dr. Richard Carranza
Jennifer Garcia
Mentor: Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora
Claudia Vasquez
Mentor: Mr. Rene Sanchez
Tonya Kallfelz
Mentor: Dr. Celina Estrada-Thomas
Cohort 9
Alma Gonzalez de Castillo
Diana Pecorino
Jacob Nunez
Reny Lizardo
Beth Newton
Dr. Carmela Levy-David
Heather Alarcon
Scott Masini
Dr. Cynthia Guadalupe Webber
Francisco Ramirez
