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Senior Management
Avery Bell -
Director of Corporate Relations
Chris Chickaway -
Director of Facilities & Project Manager
Natalia Flores -
Director of School Age and Youth Services
Lisa Marin, MSW, LCSW -
Director of Family Services
Juan Martinez, Ph.D., LCSW -
Director of Clinical Services
Danette S. McBride -
Director of Youth Development Services
Edith Medina -
Director of Human Resources
Sandra Menendez -
Director of Early Childhood Services
Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz -
Director of Special Events
Amy Brotslaw Schweiger -
Director of Foundation Relations
Norma Silva -
Charter School Principal
Avery Bell
Director of Corporate Relations
Avery Bell joined Para Los Ninos in March 2008 as director of corporate relations. In this role, he is responsible for the strategy, cultivation, and stewardship of corporate fundraising for Para Los Niños. Bell is the central point of contact to maximize corporate gifts and build multi-layered, long-lasting relationships with businesses to meet the agency’s overall development and financial growth.
Bell brings to Para Los Niños over 20 years of corporate marketing experience in advertising, promotions, public relations, corporate alliances and sponsorships. His former employers include The Walt Disney Company, AT&T Broadband, Bally Total Fitness and Wasserman Media Group. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Pittsburg and University of Phoenix. Bell is an accomplished high altitude mountain climber successfully climbing the highest mountain on five of the seven continents during a 7- month trip around the world.
Chris Chickaway
Director of Facilities & Project Manager
Christopher Chickaway joined Para Los Niños as the director of facilities and project management in 2003. In this position, he oversees physical plant operations, construction project management, centralized purchasing, safety policy and procedure, and information technology.
Chickaway has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than a decade. His past experience includes work with the ChildNet Youth & Family Services, American Indian Clinic, and AMC Cancer Research. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, Chickaway worked in television production and studio management. He attended East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, and served in the United States Navy and completed specialized training in a number of areas.
Natalia Flores
Director of School Age and Youth Services
Natalia Flores joined the Para Los Niños family in September 2006. She has spent the last six years operating after-school programs in the Los Angeles area including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, School Based Mentoring Program and the Youth Development Department of the YWCA.
As director of school age & youth services, Flores works closely with Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the Bell branch and other community partners, to provide high-quality after-school programming at Para Los Niños’ ten program locations. Flores holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in chicana/o studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently completing a master’s degree in social and multicultural foundations in education at the California State University, Long Beach.
A native of Los Angeles, Flores’ goal is to bring valuable after-school programming to as many children living in Los Angeles and surrounding areas as possible so that all children have a safe haven after school.
Lisa Marin, MSW, LCSW
Director of Family Services
Lisa Hirsch Marin was hired in December 2006 as a clinical coordinator at Para Los Niños. A proven leader and expert in the field of social work, she assumed the role of director of family services in June 2007. Today, she leads a team of 30 in providing therapeutic and family support services to nearly 3,500 families each year.
A licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.), Hirsch Marin has spent 17 years focusing her efforts on preventing child abuse and neglect in Los Angeles’ most impoverished communities. Prior to coming to Para Los Niños, she served as a supervising children’s social worker for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Her work at DCFS included leading programs such as Family-Group Decision Making, Family to Family, and Latino Family Preservation.
Prior to DCFS, Hirsch Marin served as the mental health and resource specialist for the Immigrant and Refugee Children’s Project of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. She also provided individual and group therapy for La Clinica Para Los Americas in Los Angeles. Hirsch Marin’s work has also taken her out of the country to Central America and Mexico, where she worked with psychologists, women’s organizations and social workers in war-torn communities.
Lisa Hirsch Marin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge. Her focus of study included providing aid to children suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Following graduation, she earned a Master of Science degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles, with an emphasis in Public Child Welfare and Family Preservation. She served as a member of the DCFS Parenting Education Council and Child Trauma Council. In addition to her accomplishments in social work, she is also a Certified Mediator. Hirsch Marin lives in Silverlake with her husband and two children.
Juan Martinez, Ph.D., LCSW
Director of Clinical Services
Juan Martinez, Ph.D., LCSW, director of clinical services, ensures that Para Los Niños provides quality clinical services to the underserved communities of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Martinez heads the agency's clinical services program – providing mental health intervention in English and Spanish by a team that includes therapists, case managers, a psychiatrist, and a psychologist who address the various mental health needs of children and families.
A native of Chicago, Martinez has worked in the field of mental health and child abuse for more than eighteen years, joining Para Los Niños in 1992. In addition, he has taught social work courses at the University of Southern California. Martinez has a doctorate in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in social work from San Jose State University.
Danette S. McBride
Director of Youth Development Services
Danette S. McBride serves as the Director of Youth Development Services and oversees Para Los Niños’ Youth Development Services. With over six years of experience in managing family services and adoption programs, Danette is developing and launching Para Los Niños’ newest program to assist youth in foster care.
Prior to joining para Los Niños, Danette served as a program manager at Children Uniting Nations where she managed and developed collaborative partnerships throughout Los Angeles County to provide youth residing in foster care with mentors. She also has previous experience with Excel Family Intervention Programs, and the Dangerfield Institute for Urban Problems.
Danette has always had a passion for learning and teaching. She holds a bachelor degree in Psychology from Tuskegee University, Alabama, and a master of social work and pubic administration from the University of Southern California.
Edith Medina
Director of Human Resources
Edith Medina, director of human resources, began her work with Para Los Niños in 1989. She began her professional career in the insurance industry and discovered Para Los Niños as she searched for a meaningful way to contribute to the community. Medina oversees the human resource department, and addresses issues such as recruitment, orientation, professional development, benefits, employee relations, compensation and payroll. Crediting the powerful impact of Para Los Niños, she enjoys seeing firsthand how the organization enriches the lives of its clients, as well as its employees.
A native of El Salvador, Medina was born in La Libertad and moved to Los Angeles with her family at the age of 11. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and has completed coursework toward a certificate in human resources management through UCLA Extension. She is a member of Professionals in Human Resources and an active member in the community. Medina resides in North Hills with her husband and their two children.
Sandra Menendez
Director of Early Childhood Services
Sandra Menendez joined Para Los Niños in March 2007 as director of early childhood services. In this role, Menendez ensures that all the early childhood programs maintain high quality services consistent with the most respected practices in the field and in accordance with the agency’s mission. Since her arrival, Menendez has already put Para Los Niños’ network of child care centers on the path to accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Menendez came to Para Los Niños with more than a decade of experience in early childhood education. Previously, she served as countywide child care director for the Salvation Army Southern California Division, where she oversaw nine child care centers. Menendez is currently a member of County of Los Angeles Child Care Planning Committee and NAEYC.
Menendez holds a bachelor of arts in child & adolescent development from California State University, Northridge. She has a special interest in the area of infant and toddler development and has received training through the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers.
Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz
Director of Special Events
Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz came to Para Los Niños in 2003 with an extensive background in fundraising and event planning for the arts and education in Los Angeles. As director of special events, Ramirez-Schultz produces a wide range of special events, including the annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration and Goal for Kids events, media engagements, building openings, donor receptions, and children’s events. She also oversees the in-kind gift program and holiday giving program.
Prior to joining Para Los Niños, Ramirez-Schultz managed the alumnae relations program and alumnae giving campaign at Marlborough School, and was responsible for raising up to $1 million annually. She began her development career in 1996 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where she served as the liaison to the Board of Trustees.
Ramirez-Schultz has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from La Sierra University and is pursuing a graduate degree from Skidmore College in New York, focusing on Strategic Communication and Leadership in the Arts. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Advancement Program Council, and was a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Amy Brotslaw Schweiger
Director of Foundation Relations
Amy Brotslaw Schweiger serves as Director of Foundation. In this position, Schweiger is responsible for Para Los Niños’ extensive grant writing program.
Schweiger worked for many years as an associate producer in the television industry. Wanting to make a more meaningful contribution to the community, she returned to school, and, in 1999, received her MBA in Nonprofit Management from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. Since joining the nonprofit sector, Schweiger has worked with the Lewitzky Dance Company, Children’s Planning Council, and Jewish Hospice-Los Angeles. Originally from Milwaukee, she holds a B.A. with Honors in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin. Schweiger lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young daughter.
Norma Silva
Charter School Principal
Norma Silva joined Para Los Niños as the Charter School Principal in August 2003. Silva grew up in Northeast Los Angeles encountering many of the same challenges faced by her students today. She taught for over 10 years in East Los Angeles, was a Categorical Programs Advisor, and received her M.Ed. in Administrative Studies at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Her broad range of experience includes over twenty years of dedication to Bilingual Education in programs ranging from traditional to Two-Way Bilingual.
Seeking to learn more about innovative practices, Silva joined the Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School (UES), UCLA’s laboratory school, as director of student and family affairs and the summer school principal. At UES, Silva gained insight in best practices in teaching based on the philosophy that schools must respond to children’s individual development with a broad range of learning experiences coupled with high standards, rigor, and accountability. Together with UES teachers and researchers, Silva played an integral part in creating a comprehensive SAFE SCHOOL System that transforms a school’s culture by nurturing an environment based on community values. Silva also participated in UES’ Critical Thinking Institute, Early Literacy Institute, designed and presented in the Spanish Early Literacy Institute, and served as a guest lecturer for graduate classes in the Teacher Education Program at UCLA.
Silva’s teaching expertise, seven years experience on UES’ administrative team and her commitment to the community has prepared her for the challenges in building a school at Para Los Niños that will help children succeed.
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