team
David Alvarez is the son of Cuban refugees who has extensive experience in managing and evaluating community-based programs and organizations. He was chosen by his peers as the 2010 Louisiana Prevention Professional of the Year and is currently the Program Director for the LA Voz de la Comunidad Community Coalition. David’s work with LA Voz focuses on building Latinx community capacity to prevent youth behavioral health risk factors while building protective factors within the
Latinx community. David is an appointee to the Drug Policy Board’s Prevention Systems Committee and assists in statewide efforts to prevent youth substance abuse and other high-risk youth behaviors.
David is an appointee by the Governor of Louisiana to the Louisiana Latino Commission which is tasked to identify obstacles to the effective delivery of governmental services by all service providers of all
levels of government to Louisiana’s Latinx population and to propose remedies to those obstacles. David has ten years of experience conducting evaluations of school-based behavioral health programs
for hundreds of thousands of Louisiana students over.
DAVID ALVAREZ, MA, LPP
Program Director
david@lavoznola.com
Jacqueline Haas is the Community Liaison for LA Voz de la Comunidad. She is a business owner in Kenner who actively volunteers with the Hispanic Apostolate and Jambalaya News. She is held in high esteem within Latino communities and has worked in substance abuse prevention for the past 5 years. Jacqueline successfully began a prevention program in a large housing complex that is majority Latino and maintains strong relationships with business leaders throughout Kenner. Her work with LA Voz includes the youth leadership clubs, youth campaigns and media messaging components of our action plan are critical job components for the community liaison.
JACQUELINE HAAS
Community Liaison
jacqueline@lavoznola.com
Noel Ascencio is the Program Coordinator for LA Voz de la Comunidad. His area of focus is on the Drug Free Communities program. Mr. Ascencio’s work includes leading the direct programming for children and youth across our program areas in Louisiana. He is originally from Mexico; He is an educator and motivational speaker who has presented in private, public schools, and educational centers in Latin America. Mr. Ascencio’s also works as children's ministry pastor across the metro area bringing positive and encouraging messages to his young audiences.
NOEL ASCENCIO
Program Coordinator
noel@lavoznola.com
Daesy K. Behrhorst is a community organizer and advocate for Hispanics and Latinos in the areas of public health and language access. Mrs. Behrhorst’s current work includes LA Voz de la Comunidad Coalition as the Project Coordinator. Mrs. Behrhorst is a founding active member and officer of the Latino Forum of New Orleans since 2005, connecting providers servicing Latinos in the New Orleans Metro area and founding active member and officer in the Louisiana Language Access Coalition a non-profit organization, advocating for the limited English proficient population. She was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Governor’s Latin Commission working in the areas of health care and education. Behrhorst also works for LSUHSC School of Public Health in administration and research with a focus on access to health care for Hispanics, Latinos, and community health. She has served as Community Liaison for the Deep-Water Horizon Oil Spill NIH/NIEH funded projects at LSUHSC School of Public Health. Behrhorst has worked in higher education administration for 25 years in student development, programming, and technology implementation. Mrs. Behrhorst is an interpreter/translator for medical, community and religious events. She also volunteers as the current Board Chair/ President of MQVN Community Development Corp. & NOELA Healthcare Center in East New Orleans and Familias Unidas en Acción LA. Behrhorst has taught community ESL and formed the health committee at Iglesia Cristiana Verbo. She is a partner/Lead Consultant at Behrhorst, Herrin & duPlantier, with projects in planning, translation, integration of culturally and linguistically appropriate initiatives for the limited English community.
DAESY BEHRHORST
Project Coordinator
daesy@lavoznola.com
Gary Lagos is the Highway Safety Coordinator for LA Voz de la Comunidad. Her area of focus is in the Louisiana Highway Prevention of Drinking and Driving program.
Mrs. Lagos' work includes leading the direct programming and education for all highway and occupant safety initiatives across our programing areas in Louisiana. She is originally from Honduras and is also a Licensed Practical Nurse.
GARY AGUILAR
Highway & Occupant Safety Coordinator
gary@lavoznola.com
Michelle Aguirre is the Project Coordinator for LA Voz de la Comunidad's Partnerships for Success program. Her area of focus is in the active parenting and partnerships in the community that provides the associated programming. Mrs. Aguirre's work includes leading the direct programming for educating and leading our partners programing areas in Louisiana. She is originally from Honduras and raised in New Orleans. Mrs. Aguirre also works as Christian ministries pastor leading a spanish congregation in the Kenner, LA.
MICHELLE AGUIRRE
Project Director, Partnerships for Success
michelle@lavoznola.com
Helen Espinal, Programs Coordinator
HELEN ESPINAL
Programs Coordinator
helen@lavoznola.com
Jezabela Ascencio, Parent Cordinator Program. Parents Coordinator. I am from New Orleans but come from a Guatemalan mother and a Honduran father. I have a degree in Legal Studies and did work as a paralegal in the immigration department but then decided to dedicate 6 years working in the Jefferson Parish Schools and Administration building to help parents and families as well as walking them through the process of registering their kids in Pre-k. I have always had a passion for helping families and now have the opportunity to do so as the Parent Coordinator. Being a Parent Coordinator mainly focuses on helping parents and to have a better communication with their children and strengthen their relationship
JEZABELA ASCENCIO
Parent Cordinator Program.
Jezabela@lavonola.com
Andrea is the Communications Coordinator for LA Voz de la Comunidad.
ANDREA JOFRE PIETRINI
Communications Coordinator
andrea@lavoznola.com
WENDY MENDOZA
Highway Sasfety Coodinator| Baton Rouge
ABOUT LA VOZ
LA Voz works to improve the quality of life in the Latino communities of Louisiana by preventing youth substance abuse through culturally competent leadership, advocacy, research, education, and citizenship.
LA Voz de la Comunidad works with community leaders to strengthen our community as a whole.
We provide a centralized location for the Latino community to find resources and events, sign up for community updates via SMS or Whatsapp and engage in our community.
