Leadership Council 

President, Andrea Romero, Ph.D.

Past President, Brian W. McNeill, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2020   
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Brian McNeill received his Ph.D. in 1984 from Texas Tech University in Counseling Psychology and is currently a Professor and Co-Director of Training for the Counseling Psychology Program at Washington State University. As a Chicanx Psychologist, Dr. McNeill also directs the Pacific Northwest Collaborative for Mestizo and Indigenous Research and Engagement (https://education.wsu.edu/researchcenters/mestizo/).  He is the co-editor of The Handbook of Chicana and Chicano Psychology and Mental Health (2004), Latina/o Healing Practices:  Mestizo and Indigenous Perspectives (2008), Intersections of Multiple Identities (2009), and the forthcoming Mexican Psychology:  Indigenous, Colonial, and Post-Modern Contributions.  He is also the Co-Author of IDM Supervision (2010), and Supervision Essentials for The Integrated Developmental Model (2016). Dr. McNeill is a licensed Psychologist in the states of Washington and Idaho where he practices and consults.    

Treasurer and Acting Secretary for Finances, 
Eduardo Morales, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2019-2020
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Dr. Morales is Distinguished Professor of the PhD Clinical Psychology Program at Alliant international University and one of the founders and Executive Director of AGUILAS, an award-winning HIV prevention program for Latinx gay/bisexual men and is the oldest Latinx LGBTQ organization in all of the Americas. He has received numerous awards for his contributions from numerous organizations and elected officials. Some awards include being a Fulbright Fellow Specialist and being designated a Fellow member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and granted Fellow status among 12 of APA’s Divisions. His is a clinical consulting psychologist and considered a pioneer who has helped found many behavioral health programs, assisted organizations nationally and internationally, received numerous service and research grants, served on numerous committees, and is very active in regional, state, and national organizations. Born and raised in New York City’s Hamilton Heights District of Puerto Rican parents he developed a passion for advocacy and motivation to serve and build teams that address community empowerment by embracing collaboration and realizing dreams. After graduating with a B.S. degree from Fordham College in NYC, he completed his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Texas Tech University at age 25 where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow and a Summer Fellow at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, N.J. As an active scholar he has presented at numerous professional conferences and published articles in various psychological journals particularly about Latinx LGBTQ issues. As a musician throughout his life he has performed with various groups including the SF Gay Men’s Chorus and participated in their first concert tour in June of 1981. He is a supporter of the arts with first-hand understanding of its importance and effectiveness toward community empowerment and healing while addressing and advocating for social justice issues.

Secretary, Cristalis Capielo, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2019-2020
Assistant Professor, Counseling and Counseling Psychology
Arizona State University
[email protected]                                                                                 

Dr. Cristalís Capielo Rosario received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Georgia in 2016. She is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology Department at Arizona State University.Dr. Capielo Rosario’s research focuses on examining the multisystemic and intersecting determinants of health and migration among Latinxs, particularly Puerto Ricans. She has multiple publications and national arbitered and invited presentations in the areas of Latinx and Puerto Rican psychology. Dr. CapieloRosario has also held various leadership positions within NLPA, including the Conference Chair for the 2016 NLPA Conference and the 2018 NLPA CNPAAEMI Fellow.

ECP Representative & 2020 Conference Chair, 
Elizabeth Aranda, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2020-2022
 [email protected]

Elizabeth Aranda, Ph.D (pronouns: she/her) is a counseling psychologist and educator. Dr. Aranda completed her undergraduate education at The University of Texas at Austin and her masters and PhD degrees in psychology at Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Aranda is currently a Senior Staff Psychologist and serves as the Wellness Coordinator for the Multicultural Community Center and bridges Multicultural Resource Center at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2018 Dr. Aranda received the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award at UC Berkeley for her dedicated service to the campus community. As a psychologist in private practice, Dr. Aranda provides culturally-responsive psychological assessments and evaluates for intellectual and academic functioning, cognitive processing, and emotional and behavioral functioning. She is passionate about addressing diversity in all forms, offering a range of services for clients who identify across gender, sexual, socioeconomic, racial/ethnicity, neurodivergent, and spiritual identities. Dr. Aranda has held leadership positions at the university and national level for the American Psychological Association and the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA). In 2016, she received a Presidential Citation from the NLPA on behalf of her collective leadership in the special-interest group Orgullo, which centers the needs of sexual and gender diverse Latinx persons. When not dedicating herself to her passions, she enjoys spending her time cooking, learning, and traveling the world with her wife and family.
 

Student Representative & Volunteer Committee Chair,
Taymy Josefa Caso, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2020-2021
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Taymy Josefa Caso, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.A. is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology Program at New York University and a Psychology Predoctoral Intern at Manhattan Psychiatric Center, a state hospital that offers inpatient services to adults with severe and persistent mental illness that require extensive psychiatric services. Taymy is also the Students Representative and the Volunteer Committee Chair. She is also a professor in the masters program for Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. Taymy is passionate about decolonizing pedagogy, social justice, diversity inclusion, and working toward deconstructing institutional and systemic barriers to equity for communities of color. Her research centers around examining intersectionality, consensual non-monogamy and exploring identity development and reconfigurations, among Latinx, transgender or gender nonconforming people of color over the life course from a dynamic systems theoretical perspective. She leads a research team and is the Principal Investigator of the Transgender Identity Formation Study (TIFS), a grounded theory study exploring the narratives of LGBQ transgender people and how they navigate the coming out process in different social contexts, sexual fluidity and identity negotiation, partner preferences, relationship styles, sources of social support, and access to mental health services. Taymy has presented her work at several conferences and coauthored publications, including a first-authored book chapter titled: “No me vendo ni me rindo”: Surviving U.S. Interference, Redefining Cultural Identities, and Overcoming Injustice Through Active Resistance” in Latinx families in the U.S.: Transcending processes of acculturation, xenophobia, through self-determination.

Additionally, Taymy has been actively engaged in leadership at the local and national levels to promote social justice advocacy, diversity, and inclusion of diverse communities. She is an appointed member of the APAGS Committee of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity and IPsyNet, and provides mentorship to students through APAGS LGBT+ Mentoring Program. Taymy serves as the National Latinx Psychological Association's (NLPA) Volunteer Committee Co-Chair and APA Division 45 Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race’s Co-Campus Representative. Over the years, she has held numerous leadership roles, including: serving as the Student Representative for APA's Division 17 Society for Counseling Psychology, Section for LGBT Issues, Member of the Scientific Programming Committee for NLPA and the Latina Researchers Network. Moreover, Taymy has been the recipient of several scholarships and awards, including: the Outstanding Research Contribution Award, Research and Scholarship Showcase Award, César Chávez/Clara Hale Community Outreach Award, Ronald McNair/Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Academic Excellence Award, and the Arthur B. Zankel Urban Fellowship. These awards recognize scholarship, service, advocacy, and activism that support and empower marginalized and underrepresented communities.

Student Vice-Representative, Elizabeth Cardenas Bautista

Term of office: 2020-2021
[email protected]

Elizabeth Cárdenas Bautista M.Ed. identifies as a inmigrante y hija de inmigrantes, who relocated to Georgia from El Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Currently, Elizabeth is a second year doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Georgia. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Clayton State University, and a Master of Education in Community Counseling from the University of Georgia. Elizabeth is a member of the ¡BIEN! Research Team, a research and service team under the direction of Dr. Edward Delgado-Romero. Elizabeth has a professional and personal interest in advocating for the Latinx immigrant and undocumented community.

Clinically, Elizabeth is passionate about providing competent and accessible bilingual/bicultural counseling services to the Latinx immigrant community. Elizabeth values working with the community and bringing the voices of the community into spaces to help retell their history and reclaim their space.  Elizabeth is a doctoral clinician and clinic Co-coordinator at La Clinica In LaK’ech, a free, community base, Latinx mental health site. Elizabeth is also a doctoral clinician at Mercy Health Center, an integrated health center, which provides medical and mental health services to the uninsured community in Athens, GA. 

Regarding research, Elizabeth’s interests include multicultural counseling, Latinx psychology, Liberation psychology, linguistic diversity in training programs, community-based participatory research, social justice, and advocacy. In her research, Elizabeth has focused on resilience and post traumatic growth in Latinx immigrant communities.  Additionally, Elizabeth is interested in understanding the experiences of social activism and the social political climate through a cultural competent and ethical framework in Counseling Psychology.

Elizabeth has worked on publications that center the experiences of Latinx communities, post traumatic growth, the role of the social political climate and the unique experiences of bilingual mental health counselors. Elizabeth has presented in various conferences and was recently invited to be on the closing panel of the 15^th Annual Mary Frances Early College of Education, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference:  Exploring Deep Poverty with Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis, Toni-Michelle Williams, Lakeisha Gant, Beau Seagraves and Megan Bolado. Elizabeth provided insight about the role the social political climate plays in deep poverty within the immigrant and undocumented communities. 

 Alliance and CNPAAEMI Representative, Y. Evie Garcia, Ph.D.

 [email protected]

NLPA Representative to the Alliance of National Psychological Associations for Racial and Ethnic Equity. Dr. Garcia is a Past-President of the National Latinx Psychological Association. She is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Training Director in the Counseling/School Psychology PhD Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at Northern Arizona University. Her scholarship and research interests are in diversity and health.

NLPA Representative, CNPAAEMI Leadership Development Institute Board,
Marie L. Miville, Ph.D.

Dr. Marie L. Miville is Professor of Psychology and Education and the Ombuds at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the author of two books and over 65 publications dealing with multicultural issues in counseling and psychology. Dr. Miville is Associate Editor of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and is serving or has served on several other editorial boards. Dr. Miville is the Past-President of the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), the Book Series Editor for APA Division 44, and previously served as Vice President for Education and Training for the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 17 (2013-2016). Dr. Miville is an APA Fellow (Division 17 and 45). Prior to her appointment as the TC Ombuds, Dr. Miville was a Masters Program Coordinator, Doctoral Director of Training, and the Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. 

Delegate to the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives (COR), 
Milton A. Fuentes, Psy.D.

Term of office: 2018-2020
Professor of Psychology
Montclair State University
[email protected]

 Dr. Milton A. Fuentes received his MA in Psychology with a Latinx Psychology focus from Montclair State University and his Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. He completed a pre-doctoral fellowship in clinical and community psychology at Yale University and secured post-doctoral training in epidemiology at Columbia University.  He is the 2012 President of the National Latinx Psychological Association and a former member of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs.  Dr. Fuentes is an ethnic minority delegate to APA’s Council of Representatives and a member of APA’s Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest.  Dr. Fuentes’s research and clinical interests are in the areas of Latinx, multicultural, and family psychology, program development, pedagogy, and motivational enhancement.  He serves as a consultant to several organizations, including the Violence Prevention Office of the American Psychological Association as well as numerous institutions of higher education, community-based agencies, and corporate clients.  After completing an extensive and competitive application process, he was awarded membership in the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.  Dr. Fuentes is currently a professor in the psychology department at Montclair State University as well as a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York. 

Senior Advisor on Public Policy, Manuel Paris, Psy.D. 

Term of office: n/a
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Yale University School of Medicine
[email protected]

Dr. Manuel Paris is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, Deputy Director of Hispanic Services for the Connecticut Mental Health Center, and Director of Training for the Latinx Track of the Yale Psychology Pre and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program at the Hispanic Clinic. His professional contributions focus on the evaluation of cultural/linguistic adaptations of evidence-based interventions, multisite training and fidelity monitoring, workforce development, and public policy advocacy. In these areas, he has played a key role in numerous projects and collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders to expand the focus on Latinx behavioral health issues. He has contributed to the development and implementation of several state and federally funded projects that examine the key factors necessary to create and disseminate best practices in the treatment of individuals of Latinx descent, in addition to collaborating on efforts aimed at developing culturally and linguistically adapted protocols. An interrelated area is linked to his expertise in rigorous treatment fidelity assessment and training/education in Motivational Interviewing. In particular, Dr. Paris has collaborated on several NIH and SAMHSA funded grants with the purpose of ensuring treatment adherence and integrity by adapting study interventions for individuals of Latinx descent and training personnel to meet fidelity standards.

Social Media Coordinator, Aldo M. Barrita B.A.

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Aldo Barrita was born in Mexico City and immigrated to USA at age of 17. He is currently a doctoral student for the Experimental Psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2017 with high honors. His research focus includes how different forms of discrimination, primarily microaggressions, impact the well-being of individuals from marginalized communities. Additionally, he has worked for over 2 years at rehabilitation centers with individuals suffering from substance use disorders in Southern CA as Program Director. Aldo Barrita completed an honors thesis that focused on the effects of inequality on social decision making and has 4 years of experience working in clinical and social psychology research labs. Aldo Barrita currently serves as a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Psychology Faculty/Student committee at UNLV, as the media coordinator for the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), Media Chair for the 2020 NLPA Convention and the Graduate Liaison for the PsiChi chapter at UNLV.  

Mentoring & Networking Committee, Regina Van Hell, Ph.D.

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Born in Mexico City, Mexico.  Completed B.A. in Psychology at Wellesley College, an M.A in Counseling Psychology, and a Ph.D., in Developmental and Educational Psychology, both at Boston College, Lynch School of Education. Worked at Boston College at the AHANA Student Programs as a Counselor and managed the Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring Program.  At Lesley University, worked at the Say Yes To Education Program where initiated a mentoring program for the students in this University-Community-Partnership and researcher evaluating the outcome of this Say Yes To Education Program.

Dynamic and innovative educational leader with strong international and cultural diversity and distinguished background as lecturer and adjunct professor in psychology and counseling psychology for graduate and undergraduate students specializing in clinical applications of human development, human development, ethical standards in counseling, multicultural and diversity counseling and education. Has held positions at University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts School of Art and Design, Wheelock College, and Lasell College. In addition, has done significant research on Latino College Students.

Currently Chair/Manager of the NLPA Mentoring Program from 2016 to 2020. In 2016 initiated the NLPA Mentoring Program at the 2016 Conference in Orlando, Florida. NLPA volunteer of the Training and Networking Committee, Co-Chair, from 2013 to 2016. Leadership positions, President of Alumnae Class at Wellesley College from 2011 to 2016 and Vice-President of Alumnae Class at Wellesley College from 1991 to 1996. Manuscript reviewer for the NLPA Conferences in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and for Psychology of Women, Division 35, APA for several years. Traveled to Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, South America and Caribbean. Fluent in Spanish, French, and conversant in Dutch. 

Psychological Education Issues Advocate, 
Leticia Arellanos-Morales, Ph.D.

Term of office: 2018-2020  
[email protected]

Dr. Leticia Arellano-Morales earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University.  She is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of La Verne.  Her research interests include Latinx psychology, Chicanx feminism, health, shifting among women of color, and multicultural counseling competencies.  She is also on the executive board of the California Latinx Psychological Association.

Professional Development Coordinator,
Claudette "Claudia" Antuña

Sammamish Consulting & Counseling Services
Bilingual Clinical and Forensic Psychological Services
[email protected]

She is a bilingual (native Spanish speaker) Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with a private practice in Seattle and Federal Way, Washington since 1990. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic American Studies from the University of Miami (1966), a Master in Social Work from Barry University (1975) and a Master in Health Services Administration from Florida International University (1982). She was the Director of Social Work Services in medical facilities in the State of Florida and Washington. Dr. Antuña was a charter member of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team for the State of Washington and a volunteer Manager for Disaster Mental Health Services with the American Red Cross. In addition from 2000 to 2011 Dr. Antuña was the clinical consultant for the Tacoma Veterans Center dealing with military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injuries and family bereavement cases. In 2007, she obtained a Certificate in Global Mental Health from the Harvard Refugee Trauma and Recovery Mastery Program along with special training on conducting psychological documentation of trauma and other human rights abuses from HealthRight International Human Rights Clinic (2010) and Physicians for Human Rights (2011). Since 2006, she has been conducting forensic psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for a variety of immigration related forensic issues and is considered an expert at Immigration Court in Seattle and Tacoma. She also conducts child custody evaluations. Dr. Antuña has been involved in the education of social work and psychology master and doctoral students for several universities both in Florida and in Washington. She is currently the APA’s diversity delegate for the State of Washington, chair of the Immigration task force for Division 52 and a member of the diversity group for Division 56. She has received several awards for her work with undocumented immigrants.

Psychological Science Issues Advocate, Dr. Lucas Torres

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Lucas Torres, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Marquette University. Dr. Torres received his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University and completed a Multicultural Post-doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to his post-doctoral position, Dr. Torres received clinical training at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, through the Boston University Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.  Currently, Dr. Torres is a member of the Milwaukee Trauma Outcomes Project (MTOP) research collaborative and is co-Director of the Latina/o Well-being Research Initiative (LWRI).  His research interests focus on issues of mental health disparities or the psychological difficulties experienced by members of underrepresented groups. With an emphasis on community-based approaches, this research seeks to identify the mechanisms that contribute to mental health problems, namely depression, anxiety, alcohol use, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Past research has been supported through a number of sources including the Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Medical College of Wisconsin’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Research and Education Program (AHW REP); Strategic Innovation Fund, Marquette University; and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Psychological Professional Practice Issues Advocate,  
Martin J. La Roche, Ph.D.

[email protected]


Martin J. La Roche, Ph.D. has been Director of Training at the Boston Hospital Children’s Hospital at the Martha Eliot, which is the oldest standing community health center in the country for the last 25 years. He is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital and specializes in the development of culturally competent psychotherapeutic and assessment strategies. Dr. La Roche has over 100 peer reviewed publications/presentations on cultural competent treatments with ethnic minorities and has been Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on many research projects. Dr. La Roche is also the author of two books “Cultural Psychotherapy: Theory, Methods, and Practice” and “Towards a Global and Cultural Psychotherapy: Theoretical Foundations and Clinical Implications.” In addition, he has received many research/academic awards such as the Harvard Bridge Award, The Milton Award and was Selected Outstanding Committee Chairperson of the Year by the Massachusetts Psychological Association.