Agency Leadership

Nicholas D. Torres, President

Nicholas D. Torres was appointed President by Congreso’s Board of Directors in September 2001, after proving his skills as an effective administrator, systems thinker, educator and change agent in the agency’s Division of Children and Youth Services.   Under Mr. Torres' leadership, Congreso has grown into a nationally-recognized organization promoting Education and Workforce Development as models for transforming lives by moving individuals up the economic ladder and out of poverty. 

Mr. Torres has driven the creation of the first community-based CareerLink focused on Latino employment in the State of Pennsylvania and led the implementation of Congreso’s Employment Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) Center which transitions participants from welfare to employment with family sustaining wages.  Drawing from his background in education, Mr. Torres has also spearheaded models for partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to encourage youth to graduate from high school and attend post-secondary education as well as to connect out-of-school youth with educational and employment opportunities.

To strengthen Latino communities, Mr. Torres recognizes the importance of coordinating Congreso's efforts with local, state, and national organizations.  In 2002, he founded the Eastern North Philadelphia Youth Services Coalition (ENPYS) of which Congreso continues to be the lead agency.  This Coalition unites community-based organizations in Eastern North Philadelphia to provide culturally appropriate supportive services to youth. 

Currently Mr. Torres is the Southeastern Chair of the Governor's Commission on Children and Families, the co-Chair of National Council of La Raza's Northeast Affiliates, serves on the board of Philadelphia VIP, and will begin his tenure on the WHYY advisory council in June of 2008.  Mr. Torres previously served as the Chair of the Southeastern Pennsylvania United Way's Professional Advisory Council and was recognized by Leadership Philadelphia as one of the 101 Philadelphia Connectors in December 2006.  Demonstrating his commitment to the community, Mr. Torres has served as a mentor to local youth for many years.

In January of 2008, Mr. Torres received a prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship.  Eisenhower Fellowships engages emerging leaders from around the world to enhance their professional capabilities, broaden their contacts, deepen their perspectives, and unite them in a diverse, global community—a network where dialogue, understanding, and collaboration lead to a more prosperous, just, and peaceful world.  With this fellowship, Mr. Torres will travel to Chile and Argentina for a period of six weeks to examine education and employment models utilized by various non governmental organizations to reduce poverty in the region.
 

Before coming to Congreso, Mr. Torres served as a family/child therapist for a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization and taught 3rd and 4th graders in a bilingual classroom setting in Bronx, New York, through Teach for America and AmericaCorps. Mr. Torres holds a M.Ed in Counseling Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Email: nickt@congreso.net

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Dario Bellot, Administration Vice President

Dario Bellot has 18 years of international experience in the financial sector of large global organizations.  Mr. Bellot comes to Congreso most recently from Mars Electronics International, Inc.  Before that, he worked for the Wharton Business School, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and the Dow Chemical Company.  He earned a Bachelors degree and a Masters in Business Administration from the University Argentina of Business (UADE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  In his current role as Administration Vice President at Congreso, he is responsible for the agency’s fiscal, information technology, and facilities departments.  Mr. Bellot’s diverse professional and educational background is valuable to strengthening Congreso’s administration and operation areas. 

Email: bellotd@congreso.net

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Dominique Bernardo, Quality Assurance
Vice President   

Ms. Bernardo joined Congreso in 2001 as Youth Development Manager for a short time before becoming the Children & Youth Services Vice President.   From 2001 until March 2005, Ms. Bernardo directed more than 15 in-school and after school youth development and truancy/delinquency prevention programs for youth.  Currently Ms. Bernardo works as the Vice President for Quality Assurance for the agency, specifically overseeing the implementation of Congreso's newly created business plan.  A native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, Ms. Bernardo brings more than 10 years of professional experience that includes working as a financial auditor with a specialization in nonprofit organizations, a community organizer in a Latino community in the Boston area, and a social worker for high risk adolescent girls in Costa Rica.  She is a Licensed Social Worker and also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in Pennsylvania.  She holds an MSW and an MBA from Boston College.
Email: bernardod@congreso.net

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Lisa Cordeiro Kricun, External Affairs Vice President

Lisa Cordeiro Kricun returned to Congreso in January of 2005 and has been affiliated with the agency as staff or in a consulting capacity for close to ten years.  With over 15 years of non-profit experience in public health and advocacy, Ms. Cordeiro Kricun now directs Congreso’s development, marketing and civic engagement efforts.  Ms. Cordeiro Kricun was the first Director of Congreso’s Health Promotion and Wellness division between 1998 and 2000.  Prior to this, she spent seven years at Philadelphia Health Management Corporation where she assisted homeless families, participated in the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, and directed the Family Violence Training Project.  After leaving Congreso in 2000, Ms. Cordeiro Kricun spent three years working for the State of New Jersey’s Department of Health and Senior Services directing the Community Partnerships programs of the Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program.  She holds a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Email: kricunl@congreso.net

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Isidoro Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Programs

Isidoro Gonzalez joined Congreso in April 2008 to oversee the agency's programmatic divisions and training department.  Dr. Gonzalez brings to Congreso over twenty years of experience as an administrator in government, health and social service agencies. A trained physician, he has spent the last four years as the Executive Director at La Comunidad Hispana, Inc. in Kennett Square.  He has extensive experience administering programs for communities in need, specifically for the homeless and people living with HIV and AIDS. He has been responsible for Quality Management and the Adult Day Healthcare Clinic & Residence at E. 9th Street for Housing Works, the largest HIV/AIDS community service provider in the country, and has directed the Health Education & HIV Service Program on the East Coast for Phoenix House.  Dr. Gonzalez was the Director of Training & Logistics for the State Emergency Medical Services for the Department of Health, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  In addition to his medical degree, his background includes a two-year clinical preceptorship at the nationally recognized AIDS Center of St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City as well as a certificate in Executive Management from Columbia University. Dr. Gonzalez is a native of New York City and was raised in Puerto Rico.

Email:  gonzalezi@congreso.net

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Lisette Agosto Cintrón, Children and Youth Vice President

Lisette Agosto Cintrón joined Congreso in July of 2007 to lead the agency's children and youth out-of-school time programming.  Ms. Agosto Cintrón is a certified teacher with a Masters degree in elementary education.  She taught for five years in the Philadelphia school district as a bilingual teacher and then began to mentor high school students.  Her most recent experience at local organization ASPIRA placed her in a leadership role overseeing the educational programs.  In addition, Ms. Agosto Cintrón has been active and engaged in a wide variety of boards and organizations that strive to address educational disparities among different groups of people, notably ACES Borincanos, Los Amigos de Roberto Clemente, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción.  She currently spends much of her time in efforts to close the achievement gap for fellow Latinos, serving as a mentor, teacher and tutor to high school kids while preserving Latino culture.

Email: agostol@congreso.net

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Julie Cousler Emig, Health Promotion and Wellness
Vice President   

Ms. Cousler Emig joined Congreso in 1999 as coordinator of the organization's maternal and child health services. As Health Promotion and Wellness Vice President, she leads the development of new initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes in the Latino community. Addressing domestic violence, family and women's health, and HIV/AIDS she develops the relationships and resources needed to meet these complex needs. She represents Congreso on the Mayor's Taskforce on Domestic Violence, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board of Directors, and the City of Philadelphia's STEPS to a Healthier US. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of the Women's Medical Fund, and she is the 2004 Forum Award winner of the Forum of Executive Women.  Prior to joining Congreso, Ms. Cousler worked with the Safe and Sound research team, and worked directly with families involved with the Department of Human Services. She is a licensed social worker holding a Masters degree in Social Work from Temple University.
Email: juliec@congreso.net

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Sybille Damas, Neighborhood and Family Development
Vice President

Ms. Damas joined Congreso in September 2003.  In her role as Neighborhood and Family Development Vice President, Ms. Damas concentrates her efforts on promoting safe families and reducing the risks of child abuse/neglect.  Services provided under her direction ensure that families are connected to the assistance programs that promote self-sufficiency.  Ms. Damas is currently leading a Food Stamp Outreach campaign to promote the use and access of Food Stamps to the Latino community.   In addition, she promotes access to services for the Latino elderly with special attention to prescription drug insurance.  Prior to joining Congreso her work experience was in the administration of child welfare programs within the Latino community related to Mental Health, Foster Care, Children's Emergency Shelter Services, Services to Children in their Own Home (SCOH) and Adoption.  Ms. Damas is a graduate of Temple University; she holds a Masters Degree in Social Work Administration.
Email: sybilled@congreso.net

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