Carlos Alvarez Figueroa

Judith Reyna Arellanes Lopez

Judith is the Coordinator of Nutrition Programs for the Oaxacan State Health Department. She has worked as a nutritionist with primarily indigenous Oaxacan communities for 19 years. Judith is a member of Puente's Local Advisory Committee because she believes that inter-organizational cooperation is very important in tackling the health problems faced in rural communities.

Dr. Dagoberto Juan Avendano Zuniga

Dagoberto is a medical doctor that has worked for four years with the nonprofit organization Un Kilo de Ayuda. His work focuses on the nutrition program, whose principal objective is to prevent malnutrition in high-risk areas. He also has experience in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Dagoberto is originally from San Francisco Telixtlahuaca a village in Oaxaca, and he and his wife Beatriz have two children.

Elsa Renata Bustamante Lopez

Originally from the city of Oaxaca, Elsa was a participant in Puente’s Healthy Families project. She lives in Xoxocotlan Esquipulas where she promotes and sells amaranth in her small food stand. Elsa is involved in another social development organization in which she works as the community representative. She and her husband have three marvelous children, and the entire family works to care for their family amaranth garden.

Saul Fuentes Olivares

Saul has worked for six years with the Oaxaca Community Foundation. In his current roles as the Program Director, Saul is charged with micro-regional development in indigenous communities throughout the state of Oaxaca. Saul is also a member of the Oaxacan Nature Conservation Fund and enjoys studying and practicing photography. He is originally from Mexico City, where he received his Master’s degree in Group Psychology and his Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and Economics.

Enrique de Gyves Escobar

Originally from Juchitan, Oaxaca, Enrique received his degree in Nutrition from Veracruz University in Veracruz, Mexico. He has worked in Oaxaca for the past year-and-a-half with the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous communities, coordinating feeding programs for schoolchildren in indigenous communities. Enrique is also an adjunct faculty member and Program Coordinator of Doctorate Research at the Medicine and Surgery department at the Southeast Regional University.

Veronica Hernandez Sanchez

Veronica is a nurse in the rural health center located in Nuevo Zoquiapan, one of the communities Puente serves. She has worked in this field for 13 years and helps rural populations prevent illness, care for their health, and have a better quality life. She also participates in team meetings in which health care professionals share best practices from all rural health centers in Oaxaca.

Maria Teresa Macias Galaviz

Teresa has worked as a licensed nutritionist with the state government branch of Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) for one-and-a-half years. In this role, she works with vulnerable populations in Oaxaca, teaching them about good nutrition. Originally from Zacatecas, Teresa is very excited and “proud to be a part of the Puente family.”

Cuitlahuac Osorio Villa

Cuitlahuac has worked for the past eleven years with the state government branch Desarollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) as the President of the Nutrition Department. This department’s primary responsibility is to promote nutrition knowledge in communities. Before joining DIF, Cuitlahuac promoted nutrition and designed nutrition programs. His hobbies include photography, culinary cuisine, cultural traditions, and music.

Rogelio Pacheco Aquino and Ivonne Perez Hernandez

Two years ago, Rogelio and his wife Ivonne founded Asesoria Social y Empresarial. The organization serves the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca and its purpose is to promote social development by improving the living conditions and overseeing productive projects and development plans.

Rogelio serves as the Administrator of the organization and has experience in migration and social capital. Ivonne is the Project Manager, and her experience is in socially responsible business administration and work with women. The two met while they were completing their Master's degrees in Business and Regional Development.

Mario Enrique Rendon Hernandez

Working for four years as the Amaranth Program Coordinator with the development NGO, Centeotl, Mario promotes community development in order to improve quality of life and access to sustainable food sources. Before beginning at Centeotl, Mario had experience in building economic solidarity for the production of nutritional foods. Born in the town of Cienega, Zimatlan, in Oaxaca, Mario enjoys working to preserve community traditions.

Jesus Ruiz Martinez

Jesus has worked as the Director of all Nutrition Programs with the state government branch of Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) for three years. As a chemist with a degree in biology, Jesus uses his experience to help vulnerable groups in Oaxaca. In working with Puente, he hopes to make an impact on the nutritional risks facing children and the marginalization found in Oaxaca.