National Center for Farmworker Health

NCFH Staff

NCFH prides itself in employing exemplary staff whose multi-faceted talents, experience, and skills culminate into a team that is ready and willing to provide customer service-driven training and technical assistance.

Executive Office

E. Roberta ("Bobbi") Ryder (ryder@ncfh.org)
President and Chief Executive Officer

Bobbi joined NCFH in August of 1986. As President and CEO, she fulfills the corporation's executive functions under the direction of the NCFH Board of Directors. She gives NCFH the benefit of many years of personal involvement with migrant families through community advocacy and professional migrant health program experience. She is the former Executive Director of the Migrant and Rural Community Health Association (MARCHA) in Bangor, Michigan. Bobbi holds a Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University in Latin American Studies and Child Psychology, and she has completed fellowships at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.


      


Lisa Miller (miller@ncfh.org)
Executive Assistant

As Executive Assistant, Lisa provides administrative support to the CEO. She is also responsible for a variety of NCFH special projects and initiatives as well as NCFH relations with the    Board of Directors and constituents. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Angelo State University and a Master’s degree in Administrative Management/Public Administration  from Bowie State University.  She is also an alumnus of the Texas Public Policy and Candidate Training Program.



 Hilda Bogue (bogue@ncfh.org)
Resource Development/Policy Analysis Manager

Hilda is a registered nurse in the USA and in Mexico, a MATCH fellow, a Certified Health Education Specialist, and she holds a Master's Degree in Community Health Education from Western Illinois University. Her primary responsibility is to provide technical assistance to migrant health programs and to monitor federal policy for its implications for migrant health. Her experience includes hospital and community patient care, program management, grant writing and review, program development, health education, community needs assessment, outreach, and coordination of health promoter programs. Before joining NCFH in August of 2001, Hilda worked with the Colorado Migrant Health program and in various capacities at Community Health of South Dade, Inc. in Miami, Florida.
  




Finance & Administration

 

Eric Frank (frank@ncfh.org)
Chief Financial Officer


Eric manages and directs the accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting functions of NCFH. Eric oversees the annual audit and fiscal grant management, administers the benefits and personnel record keeping functions, participates in the overall strategic and operational planning process of the organization including marketing and fund development, and manages the offices and facilities of NCFH. He has many years experience in planning, reporting, analyzing, and auditing management information systems for profit and non-profit organizations. Eric has a BS in Management Information Systems from Oklahoma State University. He is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and also has considerable experience with on-site fiscal monitoring and reporting as well as the provision of training and technical assistance to other non-profit organizations regarding financial operations. Eric currently serves as Board Treasurer for a grassroots non-profit group named Badgerdog Literary Publishing, Inc. which places professional writers into Central Texas schools to teach and to publish the students work in an anthology titled Youth Voices in Ink printed in the fall, spring, and summer each year.



Susan Hernandez (hernandez@ncfh.org)
Finance and Administration Assistant

Susan is responsible for accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, reception duties, and she assists with the administration of employee benefits and personnel record-keeping. In addition to her duties as Finance Assistant, Susan is the Office & Facility Manager for NCFH. In November 2006, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration majoring in Management from American InterContinental University.

 



Program Services

Sylvia Partida (partida@ncfh.org)
Chief Operations Officer

As COO, Sylvia provides oversight to all programs within NCFH which include several outreach programs for HIV/AIDS education, cancer education, and occupational health and safety as well as a national toll free health information and referral service, resource and library center, national conference planning, patient education publications, and professional newsletter publication. She has a broad range of experiences in education, psychology, research, and evaluation. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education and is certified in early childhood, elementary, and special education. She received a Master of Arts Degree in clinical psychology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. As an educator, she worked for 6 years in the public school system and was instrumental in the development and evaluation of an innovative curriculum designed to assist students with special educational needs. She later served as an associate psychologist providing therapy and evaluation services on a multidisciplinary team for the rehabilitation of individuals with traumatic brain injuries. For the last 12 years, Sylvia has been involved with the development, implementation, and evaluation of community health programs targeting diverse populations including at-risk adolescents, indigent populations, and migrant farmworkers. She has worked with several organizations including CDC, HRSA, HIV/AIDS Bureau, the Office of Minority Health, EPA, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and SAMHSA, as well as state and local entities.



Moraima Duran (duran@ncfh.org)
Call for Health Coordinator

As Call for Health Coordinator, Moraima is responsible for maintaining and coordinating the Call for Health Program and the Epilepsy Foundation Spanish Line. Moraima works closely with Migrant/Community Health Centers to identify community resources to better serve their patients. Before joining NCFH, Moraima worked with other community organizations such as Hays CISD and Los Niños International Adoption Agency in Austin, Texas.



Juanita (Janie) Favre (favre@ncfh.org)
Program Services Administrative Assistant

Janie provides administrative support for the Program Services Department and works closely with the COO on the Migrant Health Scholarship Program, the annual art work and special projects. She has more than 12 years of customer service and office administration experience. Prior to joining NCFH, she assisted the Director at Marywood Children and Family Services.


Information Management

Ismael Rangel (rangel@ncfh.org)
Director of Information Management

Ismael is responsible for maintaining the agency network and databases as well as generating information mined from the resources of NCFH. He has an extensive history in human resources as well as database and technology experiences. He has a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas Library and Information Science School and more than 15 years work experience in human service organizations.



Leadership Development & Training Center

Alicia Gonzales (gonzales@ncfh.org)
Leadership Development and Training Center Director

Alicia manages provision of a comprehensive set of leadership and staff development training services for health center management and board members. Alicia oversees development and provision of orientation on migrant health related issues to migrant health center staff and other organizations serving the farmworker population. She also manages implementation of Lay Health Worker/Promotor Programs on health topics including breast and cervical cancer, comprehensive cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc. Past professional experience includes: program planning, promotora program development, development of educational materials & training curricula, and hands-on training. She has a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.


Monica Saavedra (saavedra@ncfh.org)
Migrant Health Education Coordinator

Monica is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has worked on numerous health specific projects during her employment with NCFH. Monica is responsible for health education material development, program development, and health training.  Currently, she coordinates Cultivando la Salud, a local breast cancer education program in Hays County and co-coordinates the Promoviendo Farmworker Safety Project, an intervention promoting heat and sun safety.  Monica is also the coordinator of the Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Health Science from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Texas Houston, School of Public Health.


Monica Fossi (fossi@ncfh.org)
Migrant Health Education Coordinator

Monica is responsible for development of curricula and health education materials on health topics which include arthritis and asthma. She is also responsible for provision of training to promotores de salud on a variety of health topics.  Additionally, Monica is a lead editor of the Farmworker News, a bi-lingual health education newsletter and conducts translation of health education materials. She received a Law Degree and a Master's Degree in Mercantile Law from the Catholic University Andres Bello, as well as a Master of Arts in Spanish and a Minor in General Business from Mississippi State University. Before joining NCFH, Monica worked with the Migrant Education Program at Mississippi State University as their Migrant Coordinator and Lead Recruiter for the program.


Renee Cantu(cantu@ncfh.org)
Migrant Health Educator & Trainer

Renee assists with the development of training curricula and educational materials for multiple health education projects.  She also co-coordinates the Promoviendo Farmworker Safety project. In addition, Renee assists in the development of a variety of leadership and staff development trainings for migrant health center staff. Prior to coming to NCFH, Renee assisted in developing, modifying, and delivering trainings throughout the state of Texas on various health, HIV, and substance abuse prevention topics. Renee also has extensive experience in providing HIV, HCV, and STD testing services.


  Christine Dipboye (dipboye@ncfh.org)
Migrant Health Educator

Christine coordinates Promoviendo Farmworker Safety, an intervention to promote occupational heat and sun safety among farmworkers.  Within this role, she is currently developing a training curricula for promotoras de salud.  She also participates in the development of low literacy, bilingual health education materials. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from Trinity University and a Master's in Public Health from the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and she is a Certified Health Education Specialist.  Her prior experience includes supervising intercultural exchange programs in rural Latin American communities, coordinating an entrepreneurial education program for low income residents in Austin, Texas, and teaching adult basic education in San Antonio, Texas

  
Ramona Arredondo (arredondo@ncfh.org)
Leadership & Training Center Assistant

Ramona provides administrative support for the LDTC Director and on-going programmatic assistance to staff. Her responsibilities also include coordinating logistics for all workshop/trainings provided by the center and assists with the local breast cancer outreach program. She has over 15 years of clerical/administrative support in a non-profit setting, including Workers Assistance Program and Wackenhut Corrections Corporation.
  
 

 

Lucila Hernandez

Promotora

Lucila Hernandez joined NCFH in September 2006 as a Promotora de Salud (Health Promoter) for the Komen/Hays County Cultivando La Salud Breast Cancer Education Program.  This breast cancer education program focuses on low income Hispanic and uninsured women in the Hays County area. Some of her responsibilities include: conducting door to door outreach, providing women with breast cancer education, referrals, appointment assistance, and representing NCFH at Komen Community events. Lucila enjoys her work greatly, and gets a lot of enjoyment out of helping those most in need.

  
 
 
Elvia Anderson
Promotora
Elvia Anderson joined NCFH in February 2007 as a Promotora de Salud (Health Promoter) for the Komen/Hays County Cultivando La Salud Breast Cancer Education Program.  This breast cancer education program focuses on low income Hispanic and uninsured women in the Hays County area. Some of her responsibilities include: conducting door to door outreach, providing women with breast cancer education, referrals, and appointment assistance.  Elvia has over 8 years office experience working as an Administrative Assistant both in the business and health care industry.  Elvia enjoys working as a promotora because she enjoys the satisfaction she gains from her ability to help people.

 

 

 

Elvia Perez
Promotora
Elvia Perez joined NCFH in February 2007 as a Promotora de Salud (Health Promoter) for the Komen/Hays County Cultivando La Salud Breast Cancer Education Program.  This breast cancer education program focuses on low income Hispanic and uninsured women in the Hays County area. Some of her responsibilities include: conducting door to door outreach, providing women with breast cancer education, referrals, and appointment assistance.  Elvia has over 10 years sales experience selling a variety of household products, she has also worked as a tailor, and as a bookkeeper. Elvia has extensive experience in educating people about healthy living through her church in which she is currently very active.  Elvia enjoys working as a promotora because she enjoys the gratitude and satisfaction she gains from knowing she is able to help people change their health behaviors.
 



 

Library & Resource Center

Josh Shepherd (shepherd@ncfh.org)
Resource Center Manager

Josh is responsible for the day-to-day management of the NCFH Resource Center. He supervises the cataloging and dissemination of materials from the Resource Center as well as responding to requests for information and conducting research for NCFH staff and constituents with migrant health specific problems. He is also the editor of the Migrant Health Newsline. Josh received his Bachelor's in History from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master's in Public Administration from Texas State University — San Marcos.

Erika Garcia (garcia@ncfh.org)
Resource Center Assistant

As Resource Center Assistant, Erika provides support for the acquisition, organization and distribution of Resource Center materials.  Other responsibilities include assisting in the editing process of Migrant Health Newsline, maintaining up-to-date information for NCFH’s publications’ recipients and directing information requests to adequate Resource Center material.  Erika has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and in Geography, both from the University of Texas.