We are proud to have a multi-cultural and action-driven staff. Our team comes together for the common goal of serving the needs of the Latinx community in Georgia.
JERRY GONZALEZ
CEO
Jerry Gonzalez is the founding and current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund, and the GALEO Impact Fund. GALEO, a statewide nonprofit and non-partisan organization, has a mission to increase civic engagement and leadership development of the Latino community across Georgia. Gonzalez is a native of Laredo, Texas, and received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1995. He completed his Master of Public Administration at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University in 2005. Due to his efforts at GALEO, Mr. Gonzalez has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for several years. He also dedicates time towards philanthropy, serving on various boards. Gonzalez lives in Atlanta with his husband of over 25 years, Ray, an established and practicing pediatrician, and their dog, Zack. Jerry’s hobbies include photography, travel, hiking, and he considers himself an avid road cyclist.
ELISA COVARRUBIAS
Deputy Director
Elisa Covarrubias (She/Her/Ella) is the Deputy Director of GALEO Latino Community Development Fund and the GALEO Impact Fund.
Elisa Covarrubias, born to a mother of Puerto Rican descent and a father from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, spent her formative years in Miami, Florida. She has worked in non-profit social services for over 20 years with a focus on gender-based violence intervention and prevention over the majority of her career. Before serving as CEO of Men Stopping Violence, she was Chief Operating Officer at LiveSafe Resources, a domestic and sexual violence crisis center.
Elisa served on the committee to develop state standards for Georgia sexual assault centers, the Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team Expert Committee, as an Advisory Board Member for Georgia Latin@s Against Domestic Violence, and as Co-Chair of the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force. Elisa is an AmeriCorps National Service Alum and was a 2019 Georgia Women’s Policy Institute Fellow. In 2020, she was awarded the Cobb Young Professionals Next Generation Award and serves as Board Chair for the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
David Garcia
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
David Garcia (He/Him/El) is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at GALEO Impact Fund, where he works to empower Latinos in Georgia through civic engagement and leadership development. His previous professional experiences include serving abroad in the U.S. Marine Corps, supporting transitioning service members and veterans in higher education, grassroots organizing around neighborhood revitalization throughout Georgia, and serving on numerous local and national nonprofit boards of directors. David is a proud alumnus of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, where he completed an MPA in 2016. When David is not working, you can find him exploring Atlanta with his dog, running, or spending time with friends and family.
Elizabeth Scott
Development Director
Elizabeth Scott (She/Her/Ella) is the Development Director of GALEO Latino Community Development Fund and the GALEO Impact Fund who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Elizabeth graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State with a Masters of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management. With over fifteen years of experience, Elizabeth works to create a better world.
alba lucero villarreal
Director of Communications
Alba Lucero Villarreal (She/Her/Ella) is our Director of Communication. As a Mexican-American woman from a low-income and first-generation background, Alba continuously advocates for her community. She has worked for Representative Brenda Lopez Romero as a campaign fellow and a part-time legislative aid. She previously worked at the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources as their Communications and Outreach Intern. Alba graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University, where she also received the Goizueta Pipeline Scholarship. Alba graduated with a Political Science bachelor’s degree with a minor in Journalism.
Andres Parra
Program Manager for Civic Engagement and Community Organizer
Andres Parra (He/Him/Él) is the Community Organizer for the GALEO Impact Fund. He moved to Gwinnett county from Barranquilla, Colombia when he was ten years old. Andres was a GALEO intern in 2016 and a part-time canvasser from 2016 until he joined the GALEO Impact Fund Team full time in 2020. Andres graduated with a Bachelor’s degree double major in Political Science/IR and Latin American Studies and a minor in French from Carleton College in Minnesota.
Omar rodriguez
Executive Assistant
Omar Rodriguez (Him/He/Él) serves as our Executive Assistant. Born to Mexican immigrant parents, Omar currently seeks a Bachelor’s of Science in Software Engineering at Kennesaw State University. Omar excels in advocating for his community and immigrants, and he hopes to use his degree in software engineering to work with non-profit organizations and help them build systems to facilitate their work.
lorena mora
Program Coordinator for Communications
Lorena Mora (she/her/ella) serves as our Program Coordinator for Communications. Born and raised in Colombia, Lorena has experience and knowledge in all communication fields, a bachelor’s degree in Science of Communication and Journalism from Autónoma de Occidente University in Colombia, and a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Catholic University of Argentina.
