Our Team

Executive Director/Directora

Brenda Quiñonez-Cortés, LCSW, MSW

Born in México and raised in Los Angéles, Brenda places value in family and comunidad.  She is a mother, wife, and activist. Committed to generating change in the field of mental and behavioral health, Brenda joined efforts with EPdE founder Lynn Haynes, in creating a pathway of equity and leadership for culturally and linguistically diverse students and professionals. Brenda received Bachelor’s Degrees in Sociology, Spanish, and Chicano Studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She later graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Brenda’s professional experience in the last 20 years extends to field counseling, medical social work, program management and various realms of non-profit work and clinical mental health settings, independent contract work in school-based therapy, private practice and more recently, training and consulting in cultural/linguistic proficiency, anti-oppression, and racial healing.

Program Manager 

Jenifer Garcia Mendoza, BA

Jenifer “Jeni” Garcia was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With a deep-rooted connection to her community, Jenni has built a strong foundation in grassroots community organizing and possesses a profound understanding of healing justice frameworks. Her work centers on fostering collective well-being, advocating for social change, and supporting marginalized communities.

Jenni received her BA in International Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2022, where she honed her academic and practical skills in global policy, social justice, and human rights. During her time at university, she became actively involved in local initiatives addressing issues such as racial equity, immigrant rights, and mental health advocacy. Throughout her career, Jenni has dedicated herself to advancing social justice and community empowerment. She has worked with several grassroots organizations, focusing on creating spaces for healing and collective action, particularly among BIPOC and immigrant populations. Her approach integrates cultural healing practices with contemporary strategies for social change, making her work both innovative and deeply connected to her roots.

Jenni remains committed to advocating for systems that uplift communities rather than penalize them, and her work is driven by a vision of a more just, equitable, and compassionate world.

 

Program Coordinator

Michelle Garcia, BS, BA

Although not originally born in New Mexico, Michelle Garcia considers herself a native of the Land of Enchantment. Michelle has lived in Albuquerque since 1989 when she moved here with her family. As a child, Michelle spent her free time working for her family’s telecom business, which helped her develop a strong work ethic. After graduating from Manzano High School in 1997 she went to work in the telecom industry while also taking college courses. After suffering a debilitating back injury Michelle medically retired from the phone company and decided to go back to complete her degree. As a busy wife and mother of five, Michelle attended the University of New Mexico (UNM) where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor from the UNM Honors College in Interdisciplinary Arts, and a Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Studies with a concentration in Human Development and Family Relations. She was awarded the Outstanding Student Award from UNM’s College of Education and Human Sciences. Michelle is also an alumnus of the El Puente de Encuentros fellowship (2021-2022). Michelle is currently working on completing her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Clinical Practice with plans to also complete her Ph.D. in the same field. 

Program Coordinator

Maria Fernanda Ferrer-Hernandez, LPCC

Fernanda was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and was primarily raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in Criminology and Spanish from the University of New Mexico in 2017. Along with that degree, she earned a designation in international honors after completing a year abroad at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. She also has her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from New Mexico Highlands University, focusing on children, adolescents, and families. She was also a mentor for Rio Grande High School through the ENLACE program, a Behavior Technician for youth with autism, and has worked as the graduate assistant for the Counseling Department at NMHU. Fernanda is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and was a fellow for the UNM Developmental Disabilities Department’s LEND program. Fernanda currently works as a licensed clinical mental health counselor at a private practice as the only fluent Spanish speaker, providing services to these individuals and their families. In addition to this, she is currently in the process of attaining her School Counseling certificate. Fernanda works in behavioral health with the aim of giving back to the community by providing culturally competent services, as well as diminishing the gap in access to Spanish-speaking services. 

 

Board of Directors

Board President

Adriana Martínez Guzmán, MSW

Adriana was born in Aguascalientes, México and has lived in the United States for the past 21 years. She is passionate about education and community development. Her role as a program manager at WESST allows her to fulfil a passion of teaching financial education across the state of New Mexico; coaching people to reach their goals; and supporting them in their journey. Adriana is often humbled and inspired by those around her and strongly believes in the power of diversity. Adriana graduated from New Mexico Highlands University with a Master of Social Work degree. She loves traveling, dancing, exploring the great outdoors, and spending time with her cat and family.

 

 

Board Secretary

Kate Gibbons, LISW, LCSW, PhD

Kate has been in New Mexico for ten of her twenty-three years as a systems-change consultant. She is known for achieving organizational and system transformation through her ability to build relationships with a broad range of audiences. Kate’s work includes grant implementation and initiatives, capacity building, qualitative measurement, leadership coaching, organizational development, and planning. She has worked at the state and national levels in quality and system change utilizing design and co-creating approaches, as well as with several state human service agencies, behavioral health providers, professional associations, universities, and private companies to develop systems and grow employee leadership skills.

Kate has a Ph.D. in Organizational Systems and independent clinical licenses in Social Work. Kate especially enjoys co-facilitating along side peer workers, youth, and young adults to build relationship and leadership skills. Kate lives in the South Valley of Albuquerque and is excited to apply her own leadership point of view at El Puente de Encuentros.

Board Member

Reyna Rivera, LCSW
Daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, Reyna was raised in California in an urban setting surrounded by music, art, activism and a multitude of different cultures. She inherited this Spirit of creativity, spirituality, inclusion and activism and this has guided her work in Social Work for nearly three decades – here in the U.S. and in America Latina. As a Social Worker, she developed and mastered skills in various areas including community organizing, program development and management, qualitative research, and clinical work – always hoping to pave new innovative paths that disrupt our oppressive paradigms. She completed her bachelor’s degree at University of California-San Diego’s Third College in Sociology/Visual Arts and her Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley. At New Mexico Highlands University, she is the Lead Faculty for their Master of Social Work-Bilingual/Bicultural (Spanish-speakers) program facilitating the academic and professional development of Spanish-speaking social workers to better work with our immigrant and refugee communities in the Southwest.

Board Member 

Kee J.E. Straits, PhD

kee

Born Quechua (Indigenous) in Perú and raised in the United States, Kee is a Clinical/Community Psychologist. She received her BA in psychology from Williams College, her MA in special education from the University of New Mexico, and her PhD in psychology from Utah State University. Dr. Straits is the sole proprietor of Tinkuy Life Community Transformations, LLC. Through her business, she offers consultation to schools, organizations and communities, trainings, evaluation, and direct clinical services. In her career, she strives to achieve health equity in Native American and Latino communities, improve the effectiveness of mental health systems that serve youth, and increase the number of competent Native and Latino health professionals.

 

Board Member 

Nadine Tafoya, MSW, LCSW

Nadine Tafoya is a Mescalero Apache tribal member married and living in Santa Clara Pueblo, NM. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. As a small child she grew up on the Mescalero reservation in southern NM on her grandfather’s farm; both her father and grandfather were Christian ministers as well as community servant leaders. Servant leadership and education were strong values in Nadine’s family; she grew up with parents, grandparents and other close relatives who worked hard in the community to make life better for others. This strong role modeling was seared into Nadine at an early age and the spirit of Giving Back has always guided her life’s path. Nadine has worked to improve the quality of behavioral health and health services in New Mexico’s Native American communities for over 25 years. Nadine Tafoya & Associates is a consultant organization that Ms. Tafoya founded. Working with a team of Associates providing facilitation and mediation, training, technical assistance, program evaluation, and program development to NM tribes, tribal organizations and state and community agencies. As a past consultant for the Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, the NM Department of Health, Behavioral Health Services Division, and the NM Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, under a grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration Ms. Tafoya is dedicated to ensuring health disparity issues are addressed and that effective, quality programs are developed to meet the needs of Native Americans.Nadine has a BSW from the College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM and MSW from Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

 

Advisor

Lynn Haynes, LCSW

The creation of El Puente de Encuentros was motivated by my years of experience working in the behavioral/mental health field with New Mexico’s underserved populations. That span included working for New Mexico’s Children Youth and Families Department, working for a non-profit mental health organization specializing in trauma, and, in private practice, as an independent contractor and consultant to public entities. The experience that prompted the founding of El Puente came while offering outpatient therapy in Albuquerque’s public school system.

While the schools primarily served students of color, administration, teachers and clinical support were predominantly Caucasian. Clearly, bridging this divide, both culturally and linguistically, was key to achieving effective clinical interventions. With the help and support of many people, it was Jorge García, Senior Program Manager at the University of New Mexico’s El Centro de La Raza, who inspired me to take action. The many professionals who joined in planning and implementing programs have been a blessing. El Puente owes its existence to the selfless work of so many who share the desire to be agents of change.