WHO WE ARE
Aurora Community Connection Family Resource Center seeks to empower individuals and families that reside in Aurora and Denver by increasing access to health, education and wellness through a variety of programs and services.
Our center aims to foster an inclusive space, one that is welcoming to all local families.
Our Mission:
Develop the capacities of families and promote social equity!
Our Vision:
Foster healthy, interdependent communities by recognizing and engaging people’s capacities
Staff
Chris Gattegno, Executive Director
Chris joined the Board of Directors of Aurora Community Connection in 2018 and served as Secretary of the Board for 2 years. After the founder’s retirement in 2021, he held the position of interim Executive Director during 2022 before being appointed as the current Executive Director in April 2023.
With several decades of Leadership and Human Resources experience including 15 years at the executive level, he has considerable experience in dealing with complex people issues and in shaping business strategy while attracting and retaining talent. A native of France, Chris earned his MBA at the University of Wisconsin and went on to work for various multinational corporations in increasingly more responsible positions throughout his career. He has worked and lived in all 4 continental US time zones as well as in Asia, Australia and Europe and traveled extensively throughout the world.
As an immigrant, Chris has had first-hand experience in trying to adapt to a new culture and knows the difficulties of overcoming language barriers and prejudice, and of accessing services. He is driven by a strong sense of justice and compassion and believes wholeheartedly in empowering people to help them achieve their life goals.
When he is not working, Chris most enjoys exercising (running, biking, hiking and skiing) and spending time with his two young adult sons.
Aime Soto, Receptionist
Aime joined ACC during November of 2022. She has 8 years of customer service experience from being a manager at a cellular service store. She is passionate about helping families and making them feel welcomed. Aime is married and is a mother to 2 kids. She enjoys reading and spending time with her kids during her free time.
Luisa Candelaria, Education Programs Manager
Luisa Candelaria joined ACC in August of 2022. Luisa is ACC’s Education Programs Manager. Luisa manages ACC’s Parents as Teachers Program, Early Childhood Program, Tutoring Program along with ACC’s Citizenship Program. She received her undergraduate degree in Modern Languages and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She worked approximately nineteen years in the Denver Public Schools in various capacities. Her last position was working at the District level for the Office of Parent Engagement. This role allowed Luisa to work directly with parents to help bridge the academic achievement gap by helping families to navigate systems, engage in educational initiatives, and learn ways to help their children to be academically successful. Luisa also has experience working in non-profit. Luisa is passionate about parent involvement and knowledge about human development across domains, youth empowerment and helping families to receive services that promote stability and family preservation.
Health Access Team
Monserrat Mendoza, Health Programs Manager
Monserrat Mendoza Rojas dedicated her life to education as a parent and teacher for more than ten years. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Administration; earned Masters’ in Education. Family, Education and supporting the community means everything to Monserrat.
She grew up in Mexico and lived there for 31 years, then in August 2018 immigrated to the United States and has lived in Denver, Colorado for more than three years. She is married and has a child who is 10 years old. Monserrat has been a teacher for about 10 years at Childhood, Elementary, University and High school. She loves teaching Spanish to others. Also, she has volunteered and worked in different non profit organizations located in Denver, Colorado. She understands the importance of communication and connectedness in families and education.During her free time, Monserrat enjoys spending time with family, cooking Mexican food and exploring nature.
Cindy Villegas Patient Navigator, Bilingual Health Access Specialist
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Armando B Hammond, Bilingual Health Access Specialist
Robert Natiello, Data & Evaluation Specialist
Robert joined ACC in February of 2021. They graduated from Colorado College with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science. Robert is passionate about using data to improve lives. They are very grateful to have the opportunity to learn from the community ACC serves.
Andrea Hernandez, Marketing & Communications Manager
Andrea joined ACC in September of 2021! She graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Spanish language, literature and culture in May of 2021. At ACC, Andrea coordinates outreach events for our center to attend and engage with the community, manages ACC’s social media pages and coordinates monthly Community Advisory Board meetings. She has always been passionate about working with the Latinx community, as she comes from a Mexican family and background. In her spare time, Andrea enjoys listening to live music and attending poetry slams! Andrea believes in the power of community, and that everyone should do their part in empowering marginalized communities and communities of color.
Dr. Robin Waterman, Founding Executive Director
Dr. Robin Waterman stepped down from her Executive Director role in 2021 after over fourteen years of agency stewardship. Under her leadership the ACC grew exponentially, earning the trust of the community andn funders alike. Wh earned her bachelor’s degree from Bates College, with an interdisciplinary focus including anthropology and English. She later earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in education from Harvard University, specializing in administration, policy and social policy, after spending more than 20 years in the field of non-profit administration and community-based education. Dr. Waterman has founded and developed community-based education programs for low-income, culturally and linguistically diverse families in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City, also working in this area for three years in rural El Salvador and Mexico. Since 1999, she has worked in Aurora, promoting leadership, self-sufficiency and parent involvement in schools and communities. Dr. Waterman is bilingual and bicultural, and has demonstrated expertise in recognizing the strengths of Latino immigrant families and guiding low-income individuals to simultaneously access services and volunteer time toward program implementation. For these reasons, Dr. Waterman was hired by the Family Resource Center Association in 2007 to create the ACC, and was hired by the ACC Board in 2008 to serve as Executive Director.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors meets monthly to ensure that Aurora Community Connection is effective, viable and sustainable. In 2019, the Board is focusing on expanding ACC’s marketing and outreach efforts, planning fundraising activities and revising the organization’s strategic plan.
Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board is a group of local representatives who meet monthly to discuss emerging community interests and needs. The insight and expertise of Community Advisory Board members informs ACC’s program development and strategic planning.
