Meet the Seis Puentes team.

Our staff and board consist of people from all walks of life, from medical professionals to city activists. These are the people who make it all possible.

Raul Fernández

Raul Fernández

Executive Director

raul@seispuentes.org

Raul is a native of North Little Rock and graduate of Catholic High School for Boys. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he received his degree in Journalism. While at UALR, Raul interned for FM 89.1 KUAR, where he focused on sharing the stories of the everyday lives of Latinx and LGBTQ+ Arkansans. While working at The Rogers Photo Archive, Raul worked diligently on creating a Digital scrapbook of America’s History and auctioned vintage photography and sports memorabilia.

Raul has also proudly worked as a caregiver to three wonderful little boys and has worked at countless restaurants and bars, where he learned to related to just about everyone. He is very proud of who, what, and where he comes from and believes its most important to take care of the people who take care of you – cuida a los que to cuidan.

Audrey Moore

Audrey Moore

Adult Education Teacher, Pulaski County Special School District

Learn more

A resident of Sherwood, Audrey Moore is originally from the small town of Malvern, Arkansas. A wife and mother, Audrey enjoys spending time outside with her family – hiking, swimming, and exploring the beautiful Arkansas state parks.

Early on in her teaching career, Audrey had ELL students in her class. She saw firsthand how they struggled to learn the content and the English language simultaneously. That experience inspired her to earn an ESL certification and her M.S.E. in advanced instructional studies with an ESL emphasis from Henderson State University.

  • Graduate of the University of Central Arkansas
  • 16 years teaching at the North Little Rock School District – elementary, secondary, and adult students
  • moorea@nlrsd.org
Lisa Harrison

Lisa Harrison

Adult Education Teacher, North Little Rock School District

Learn more

Mrs. Lisa Harrison is a Native Texan who moved to Little Rock with her husband in 2000. She went to college in West Texas and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She received her Masters in Education from Harding University.

Currently, she is a dedicated teacher and a passionate advocate for the ESL students and families at the NLRMS 7/8 grade campus.
She and her husband have two children-one daughter and one son-both in high school. She has two rescued shelter dogs.

  • An elementary teacher since 1997 &  a teacher at North Little Rock School District since 2016
  • Volunteer at the Arkansas Food Bank and the Quapaw Quarter Association of Historical Homes
  • harrisonl@nlsrd.org
Sue Kelly

Sue Kelly

Adult Education Teacher, Pulaski County Special School District

Learn more

Ms. Kelly’s outside interests are in health and self-improvement, including both physical and nutritional, family life with her children and parents in the Chicago area, walking at the Big Dam Bridge and her neighborhood with her rescue dog, Macy, and caring for her aging cat, Molly. She will continue to further her education and believes in continuous learning through various modalities.

Sue Kelly is a career-changer teacher with many years of experience in international business, medical records administration, transportation industry administration, religious education, and teaching 5th grade both in-school and virtually. Ms. Kelly was born in Detroit and has also lived in Nebraska, Alabama, and the Chicago area during her childhood. She considers her crowning achievements to be her 3 adult children who are public school success stories.

  • Associates degree in Health Information Management
  • Bachelor’s degree with a double major of Spanish and French
  • Master of Arts in Teaching

Seresa Hall

Adult Education Teacher, Pulaski County Special School District

Learn more

Paul McCowan

Adult Education Teacher, Pulaski County Special School District

Meet our board.

Allison Allred

N

Native Arkansan

N

Private Practice Attorney since 1997

N

Currently serving on the Arkansas Supreme Court Child Support Committee

N

Passionate about equity in the local community, cooking, and spending time with friends

Carmen Fernandez

N

Born in Puerto Rico

N

Retired Registered Pharmacist

N

Serves on the board for the Patrick Hays Senior Citizens Center in NLR

N

Enjoys time outside with her family, from gardening and cooking to traveling

Chase Gwatney

N

Native of Jacksonville, Arkansas and a graduate of Mount Saint Mary Academy

N

Graduate of UAMS College of Nursing and is former Registered Nurse

N

Currently a shareholder at Gwatney Chevrolet

N

Her most important job title is being “mom” to three children and she looks forward to working with the Latinx community in Central Arkansas where she can apply her knowledge of healthcare. A mantra that Chase lives by is “little by little, the bird builds its nest”.

Jorge Gonzalez

N

Born in Brownsville, TX after his parents immigrated from Mexico

N

Studied Political Science at UALR

N

Director of Business Inclusion at the North Little Rock Chamber

N

Passionate about travel having visited 22 countries

Karen Garcia

N

Native of Friendship, Arkansas

N

During her financial career, she worked with some of the biggest names in the state, from Weyerhaeuser to Stephens Inc.

N

Awarded numerous accolades including 2009 Arkansas Democratic Woman of the Year and the Governor's Volunteer Award

N

Member of the NAACP and the League of Latin American Citizens

Leticia Reta

N

Immigrated to the United States in the '90s

N

A true community organizer with numerous years of experience, focusing on immigration and education issues

N

Founder and coordinator of the non-profit dance group where students to learn about Mexican heritage through dance and music

N

State of Arkansas Bilingual interpreter credential in Education

Nancy Velazquez

N

Native of Chiapas, Mexico and raised in Southwest Little Rock

N

Graduated with Distinction from Hendrix College

N

Recipient of the The Alice Hines Award for Excellence in Multicultural Leadership and Service and The Betty F. Bumpers International Leadership and Fellowship Award

N

Currently a full-time masters student who is deeply passionate about her work with non-profits focused on education or immigrant’s rights

Shara Brazear

N

Director of Communications for the City of North Little Rock

N

Served 20 years as the Communications Specialist in the NLR School District

N

Passionate about workforce development in NLR

N

Enjoys riding a Harley and doting on her daughters and granddaughter

William Hogg

N

Native Arkansan

N

20+ year career in corporate finance

N

Has served as Vice Chair and Treasurer of Seis Puentes for 12 years. In 2015, Will founded the Latino Art Project

N

Will also serves on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Arts Council (Governor appointed), ACANSA Arts Festival of the South, and Ballet Arkansas

Vincent Insalaco

N

Native Arkansan

N

Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director Argenta Community Theater

N

Co Founder and Chair of Butterfly Community Ministries/Seis Puentes

N

Chairman Democratic Party of Arkansas (2012-2017)

N

Founder and CEO Family Entertainment Superstores, Inc (1984-2002)

N

Asst. Secretary of State of Arkansas (1980-1985)

Dr. Terry Richard

N

Dr. Terry “El Guapo” Richard is Professor Emeritus in Sociology

N

Served 35 years with the UALR in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, with nine of those years as chairperson of the University of Little Rock

N

Arrived in Arkansas as a Comtian missionary sociologist to preach to the educationally challenged students within the state of Arkansas

N

Published a variety of articles on topics such as thanatology, race and ethnic relations, teaching sociology, and third world development trends.

N

Received a Ph.D. in Sociology (minor in anthropology) from North Texas University, and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the UT- Austin

N

Actively involved with the League of United Latin American Citizens and various race relations boards in the state of Arkansas

N

Terry is a world traveler, having lived for extended periods in Mexico, France, and Guatemala, and he speaks several languages. His hobbies include tennis, golf, and occasional forays to the Tunica casinos to support the Mississippi economy.

Mary Stafford

N

North Little Rock native

N

Program Officer at Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub

N

Worked with children from Kindergarten through Junior High at Little Rock Charter School for 12 years

N

Passionate about education, helping others, and building lasting relationships with students, parents, and community members

N

Serves on the Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools' Parent & Community Engagement Committee, Pulaski County Special School District's Adult Education Advisory Committee, and the North Little Rock Young Professionals Board.

Kenda Shields

N

Native Arkansan

N

Business Development and Marketing Officer at First Security Bank since 2017

N

Worked for The North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce for 11 years, and worked in marketing at ALLTEL for 14 years

N

Kenda has been married to her husband, Steve Shields, for 10 years, and has two dogs that are spoiled rotten. She also has two children; Madison (26), an RN at Children’s Hospital, and Hayden (23), who works in North Little Rock for Keeling Company

N

They enjoy spending time with their families, traveling, and enjoying the natural state of Arkansas, but the beach is one of her favorite places to travel

en_USEnglish