Our Team
Alex Fajardo
Executive Director
Evette De Luca
Director of LA CHW/Promotor
Jorge Zatarain
Director of Operations
Dr. Thelma Gamboa
Director, Healthcare Services
Tania Martinez
Tanya Rivas
Odilia García
Angelica Alvarez
Alexander Fajardo, M.S.
Executive Director, El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
Alexander Fajardo is a visionary nonprofit executive, community advocate, and national leader in the Community Health Worker/Promotor (CHW/P) movement. As Executive Director of El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center for over 20 years, Alex has guided El Sol’s strategic growth with a deep commitment to equity and systems change. Under his leadership, El Sol has grown from one staff member and a single contract to a thriving workforce of more than 150 full-time employees, including over 120 CHWs, serving communities across the Inland Empire. He has overseen the expansion of the organization’s and developed long-term sustainability strategies that include diverse funding streams, asset growth, and the formation of a supporting social enterprise.
Under Alex’s leadership, El Sol launched the Community Health Worker Training Center, with culturally tailored training curricula on mental health, diabetes prevention, and chronic disease management, and California’s first CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program, which continues to serve as a national model for building community-rooted career pipelines. Alex has worked with hundreds of partner organizations and facilitated CHW capacity-building initiatives across the United States, Mexico, and Japan.
Evette De Luca
Director, L.A. CHW/P/R Consortium
Born and raised in L.A., Evette De Luca is a seasoned public health and social impact leader known for leading community-centered, cross-sector solutions across Southern California. Rooted in her lived experience and a deep commitment to equity, she has led transformative initiatives spanning chronic disease prevention, economic mobility, climate resilience, community health, housing, and systems change. Evette has served as executive director of multiple Southern California nonprofits, authored strategic public health publications, and built lasting partnerships with community members, foundations, health systems, and government entities.
Whether designing data-driven housing solutions, mobilizing COVID-19 responses for hard-to-reach communities, or advancing collaborative policy efforts, her work consistently centers the voices and power of communities most impacted by inequities. Evette also serves as a board member for the National Latina Business Women’s Association – L.A. chapter, and as a community advisory board member for Cal State L.A.’s MPH program and Claremont Graduate University’s School of Community and Global Health. A former fellow of the Multicultural Alliance/AmeriCorps, she received a B.A. from UCLA in History and a master’s degree in Social Impact from Claremont Lincoln University.
Jorge Enrique Zatarain
Director of Operations
Jorge Enrique Zatarain serves as Director of Operations at El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center. He leads organizational infrastructure, systems, and cross department coordination to ensure programs operate with strength, accountability, and impact. His work focuses on internal operations, technology, facilities, security planning, staff support systems, and large scale projects that expand El Sol’s capacity to serve the community.
Jorge brings a background in nonprofit leadership, program development, and organizational management. He has overseen multi million dollar budgets, supported the launch and growth of major initiatives, and helped build sustainable systems that strengthen long term community impact. His approach centers on structure, transparency, and alignment across teams.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from California State Univ. San Bernardino and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of Southern California. Jorge is deeply committed to equity, community advocacy, and building organizations that honor dignity, trust, and collective well being.
Dr. Thelma Gamboa-Maldonado
Director, Healthcare Services
Hi! I’m Dr. Thelma Gamboa-Maldonado, a public health practitioner and educator with 20 years of experience across academic, government, and community-based settings. I earned my degrees in biological sciences and public health from UC Irvine and Loma Linda University, and I’ve continued to learn through graduate studies in social work, emergency preparedness—and I recently completed a Community Health Worker certificate! My work has focused on advancing health equity, leading community-engaged research, and supporting the Community Health Worker workforce through roles at El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, the City College of San Francisco, the San Francisco and California Departments of Public Health, and Loma Linda University.
In my current role as Director of Health Care Services at El Sol, I lead the implementation of California Advancing and Innovating Medi‑Cal (CalAIM) Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports – Housing Trio programs, supporting teams that deliver person-centered care to Medi-Cal members with complex needs. I’m passionate about building healthier communities and love bringing together academic rigor and real-world experience to my leadership in advancing person-centered care and public health systems transformation.
Tanya Rivas
Director of Finance
Tanya is a finance professional with extensive expertise in nonprofit financial management, holding a bachelor’s degree in Sociology along with many training hours and certifications in nonprofit accounting. Since joining El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center in 2012, she has played a vital role in strengthening the organization’s financial foundation. Tanya has led key initiatives, such as implementing efficient accounting systems and help develop long-term financial strategies, which have enhanced sustainability and transparency.
Her work has directly supported successful grant applications and ensured that resources are effectively directed to impactful programs. Tanya’s commitment is deeply personal, having grown up in a community facing similar challenges, fueling her passion for responsible financial stewardship. She remains dedicated to El Sol’s mission, ensuring that every dollar supports education, opportunity, and empowerment.
Odilia García
Odilia is a mom, wife, and public health leader—a systems thinker and educator committed to building a more equitable, human-centered approach to care. With a strong foundation in health systems and a passion for innovation, she works at the intersection of workforce development, community leadership, and education design.
As Director of the Community Health Worker Training Center, Odilia has spent the past four years leading programs that do more than train—they transform. Her work challenges outdated systems of care and reimagines how we invest in frontline workers. Her team delivers technical assistance, designs customized training models, and partners with organizations to elevate community voices at every level. Under her leadership, the center blends evidence-based strategy with creativity, cultural humility, and measurable impact.
Shaped by global experiences, the arts, and the power of storytelling, Odilia brings a bold and compassionate lens to workforce development. Her core values: integrity, choice, and dignity, are reflected in every program, partnership, and solution she helps design.
Tania Martinez
Program Director – Strengthening Families
Tania Martinez is a passionate community advocate born in East Los Angeles to Gustavo and Rosalia Martinez in 1981. Her parents, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, migrated to the U.S. seeking better opportunities for their children. Overcoming numerous challenges, Mrs. Martinez became the first in her immediate and extended family to earn a college degree. In 2005, she graduated from California State University, San Bernardino, with dual B.A. degrees in Psychology and Child Development.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Martinez has dedicated herself to serving her community in a variety of roles, including Teacher, Parent Education Specialist, Early Childhood Education Program Manager, and grant management Staff Analyst II at First 5 San Bernardino. In these positions, she identified a critical need for advocacy and funding for programs supporting at-risk parents and children. Her commitment to improving outcomes for families led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership in 2016.
Currently, Mrs. Martinez is a Program Director at El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, a prominent nonprofit focused on empowering residents of San Bernardino County. El Sol trains and deploys Community Health Workers (CHWs) and promotores de salud, who serve as catalysts for positive change in the community. When asked about her proudest accomplishment, Mrs. Martinez shares without hesitation: “Surviving my journey as a teen parent. It has been my greatest privilege to serve as the mother to David, Naomi and Imani. Everything I do and all I have accomplished is for them.
Angelica Alvarez
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Angelica Alvarez is an educator and advocate dedicated to serving the educational needs of low-income and non-English-speaking underserved communities. Throughout her career, she has supported programs that create safe and empowering spaces for women and families.
Currently, Angelica serves as a Program Director at a community-based organization, where she leads the training of Community Health Workers (Promotores de Salud), the majority of whom are women. She has contributed to the development of best practices and helped establish standards and expectations for Promotores to strengthen community-based outreach and education.
Angelica has developed strong partnerships with evidence-based home visitation models and has supported the implementation of a wide range of community-centered programs, including mental health and counseling services, leadership development, comprehensive wraparound and care coordination, early childhood school readiness, and prenatal and mother-child home visitation programs.
She also collaborates closely with colleges and universities to implement culturally responsive initiatives focused on mental health prevention, early intervention, and workforce development for Promotores. In addition, Angelica is actively involved in several professional organizations and coalitions focused on mental health, cultural competency, health equity, and maternal and child well-being
Dr. Dávid Zarka
HEAD of EVALUATION and CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
I have lived in three different countries in three continents and enjoy engaging with people from different backgrounds. I have gained a wide range of experiences including researching restorative justice as an alternative to court proceedings, developing spiritual didactics for my faith community, and providing public health education internationally. Through my education, I have acquired insight into how national health systems, legislation, governmental, and administrative institutions work. I have developed my public speaking and analytical skills through a breadth of diverse leadership experiences, including serving community-based organisations in California through organisational capacity development. My personal philosophy is that continuous learning and growth empowers not only individuals but creates sustainable advancement for teams and organisations.
