Staff

Carly Taufaasau

Carly began at Esperanca in December of 2022 as the Development Director. With over 10 years of non-profit experience, she brings her upbeat personality and donor centric strategies to the organization. Professional fundraising has been the perfect role for her when it comes to connecting people to what they are

Jennifer Aguirre

Jennifer Aguirre serves as a Community Health Educator for Esperança. Jennifer graduated from Arizona State University with her B. S. in Exercise Science and Wellness and a Certificate in Spanish for the Professions. She has previous experience working with persons with disabilities of all ages as a Fitness Trainer for

Cindy Quintero, MPH

Cindy serves as the Health & Wellness Program Director for Esperança where she oversees all Arizona-based preventative health programs. She brings a long history of cultivating positive relationships with community leaders, members and colleagues to the role, and is particularly adept at communicating with clarity and diplomacy to individuals from

Mariela Torres, MPH

Mariela serves as a Community Health Educator at Esperança. Mariela received her Bachelor’s in Medicine from Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez and most recently received her Master’s degree in public health from Grand Canyon University. She gained invaluable experience working as a community health advocate for the program Connect for

Yvonne Bueno

Yvonne serves as Esperança’s Digital Marketing Coordinator. She holds a B.S. in Visual Communication Design from Arizona State University. A graphic designer by trade, Yvonne specializes in creating visual languages and systems. Her designs come from a careful process of research, experimentation, and production to create work that is highly

Sandra Searle, CFRE

Sandra Searle, CFRE serves as the Chief Development Officer for Esperança. A proud Arizona native, she is recognized in the community as a leader in nonprofit fundraising, overseeing the development, marketing, volunteer and outreach strategies for organizations upwards of $25 million. Past experience includes serving as CDO for UMOM and

Valeria López Macias

Valeria serves as a Program Administrator for Esperança. Valeria received her bachelors in Psychology from Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. She has experience working and serving the community at Sunset Community Health Center in San Luis, AZ. She has worked with children, adults and the elderly, including people with disabilities, working together

María Alicia Valenzuela

Maria Valenzuela is the Chief Program Officer with Esperança. In 1999 she founded the organization’s Arizona-based community health programs – reaching over 45,000 Hispanic and refugee families. Maria used a cultural lens to author and implement curriculums on nutrition, oral health, chronic disease prevention and management and more. In 2022

Kerry White, MSA

Kerry White, serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Esperança. Most recently White was Director of Business & Procurement for Starwest Associates. Kerry is an accomplished operations executive with experience in procurement, compliance, and contract management across multiple industries. Kerry holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminology/Sociology from the University of Colorado and Masters

Jeri Royce

Jeri Royce serves as President & CEO for Esperança. Jeri is an accomplished leader with a distinguished career leading operational, business development, program development/management and human resource functions. With over 25 years of experience in local and national nonprofit organizations, she has a successful track record of building a leading