Manos Unidas is part of:

	Guillermo Chacón, Project Director He is currently the Vice-President of the Latino Commission on AIDS. His present work focuses on HIV prevention in the Latino faith communities since 1995 through initiatives like The Latino Religious Leadership Project Born and raised in El Salvador, Central America, he specializes in training, community organizing, and outreach in the Latino community. He also serves as a board member for NY Immigration Coalition in NYC and as spoke person for the Salvadorian American National Network.
	Miriam Vega, Ph. D., Director of Research & Evaluation Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, she has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed a two-year Prevention Fellowship at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine and the Centers of Disease Control. A majority of her Social Psychological work has focused on the issues of interpersonal communications, evaluation, stigma, the self-report methodology, culture, social marketing, and health.
	Leandro Rodriguez, Team Leader/CBA Specialist Born and raised in Puerto Rico with a degree in Social Sciences with a concentration on Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico, with written work revolving around male sexual workers. Currently enrolled at a Masters Degree Program in Public Administration at the University of Phoenix. Before Manos Unidas, Leandro worked as a Preventive Case Manager at the Youth Center of Puerto Rico CoNCRA (Puerto Rico Community Network and Clinical Research on AIDS) for the MSM youth program. He also worked as the Coordinator of the Department of Prevention and Education from the AIDS Foundation (Fundación SIDA) of Puerto Rico. Leandro is a volunteer member of the COA ( Coalición Orgullo Arco iris), a non-profit organization that works with the visibility and recognition of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights. In his free time, Leandro enjoys writing poems and music. He has worked as a back-up singer for national known artist in Puerto Rico.
	Bertha Ramos, Data Manager Bertha Ramos is the Program Assistant for the Manos Unidas program. She has a BA in psychology from the City College of the City University of New York. Bertha works on all aspects of the Manos Unidas program, ensuring that our program runs smoothly. Her interests include: minority women and health; youth and AIDS; and immigrants and health education. She plans on attending graduate school in health psychology.
	Bolivar Nieto, CBA Specialist Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Bolivar Nieto obtained a degree on Statistics Engineering from the ESPOL in Ecuador and his Bachelors in Computer Science from the University of Connecticut. From 1997 to 2001, he worked as the manager of Operations for LUNA Television and later as the Director of Operations for ART, a Hispanic Advertising Representation Firm. In 2001 he joined the Latino Commission on AIDS developing the Membership program then moved to work as the Coordinator for the SOMOS Project, an HIV/AIDS prevention program.
	Jennifer Tang, Research Associate ...
	Lauren McCullangh, CBA Specialist Lauren has a diverse educational and professional background. She has recently graduated with her Master’s in International Public Health from New York University and obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario, in Canada. In addition to her academic training Lauren spent time abroad in South Africa and Guyana working to strengthen HIV prevention organizations and facilitate health workshops. While completing her Master’s Lauren volunteered with Doctor’s without Boarders, UNAIDS, American Cancer Society and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Lauren’s extensive knowledge on evaluation, program implementation and research methods are a valuable asset to both the Manos Unidas team and to community-based organizations.
	Yadira Perez, Senior Research Associate Born and raised in the South Bronx. Yadira Perez She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Anthropology and a concentration in Latino Studies and International Relations and received an Anthropology Masters’ degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently writing her dissertation on Race, Immigration and the Dominican Nation in pursuit of a Doctorate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Virginia. Yadira’s position as Senior Research Associate at the Latino Commission on AIDS brings together both her academic and personal passions for research and social activism. ..
	Natasha Quirch , Program Coordinator ...