Our team is made up of 5 Full Time Staff, 5 Part Time Staff, and a number of affiliated volunteer staff. Our leadership is comprised of individuals with varied backgrounds and experience, creating a team that is able to effectively impact our community with their unique gifts.
Bethany Rivera Molinar: Executive Director
Melissa Ledbetter:
Director of Adult Programs
Claudia Chavez:
Director of Youth Programs and Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator
Malena Ipiotis:
High School Coordinator, Admin Assistant
Mary Chavez:
Office Manager
Alma Martinez: Food Co-Op Coordinator and Community Connector
Gary Enge:
Volunteer Admin Support
Abby Carl Klassen:
Director of Grants & Institutional Giving
Daisy Guzman:
Communications Coordinator
Maria Gutierrez: Community Connector
Evelyn Loya: Youth Programs Assistant
Luis Mendoza : Community Connector and Computer Lab Assistant
Erik Sandate: Middle School Coordinator
Christopher Sepulveda:
Launch Pad Coordinator
Sofia Quinones Segovia: BSW Intern
Jose Gomez: MSW Intern
Aranxa Valencia: Youth Programs Assistant
FULL TIME STAFF
Bethany Rivera Molinar
Bethany Rivera Molinar is the Executive Director of Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach. She was born and raised in El Paso and is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso where she received her bachelor of science degree. Bethany earned both Masters of Divinity & Masters of Social Work degrees at Truett Theological Seminary and the Diana Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. She is a licensed and ordained minister through Church Under the Bridge in Waco, Texas.
Bethany’s community development experience includes: community organizing at local and state levels, parental engagement, and bridging the local church to their neighborhood. She has worked at Ciudad Nueva since 2013 and has served in multiple capacities including middle school program coordinator, youth programs director, grant writer and director of operations. Bethany is deeply passionate for Ciudad Nueva to be a place where community work unfolds and community members are actively engaged and accessing their gifts, skills, and resources to collectively lead towards a vibrant and thriving community. Along with her team and community, this passion has driven the work that she has done through Ciudad Nueva for the past ten years.
Bethany serves on the national board of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) as well as the boards of two local organizations. She has a history of leading with prophetic strength and innovative leadership within local, regional, and national women of color faith circles. When not doing all of the above, Bethany enjoys spending time with her husband Adrian and their children, running, urban gardening, and pursuing the crafty arts.
Melissa Ledbetter
Melissa serves as the Director of Adult Programs for Ciudad Nueva. Born in the Midwest, she moved to Santiago, Chile, with her family as a teenager and has since lived across cities and cultures in South, Central and North America as a single twenty-something, wife and mom. She received her B.A. in English Education from Culver-Stockton College and began her vocational career of engaging leaders as the Director of Worship & Discipleship at Cornerstone University, where she met her husband, Nate. In the years since, Melissa has combined her education with multiple trainings and experience to focus on supporting students, women navigating high-risk pregnancies and living conditions, local communities and organizational leaders through non-profit work and leadership coaching. As interim Co-Executive Director of Charis Community Housing in Atlanta, Georgia, through the housing market crash of 2008, she got to experience the merger of her lifelong love of renewing spaces with the transformative work of community development. Since 2007, Melissa’s work, in between raising four kids who are all now teenagers, has been focused on local community empowerment, engaging inherent resources, and supporting leaders. Her experiences have taught her the need to understand life from multiple vantage points, and she loves to write and communicate about navigating daily challenges through hopeful, compelling and funny stories that are all around us if we’re looking for them. She believes the impact of various kinds of trauma is far greater than we often know, and she is passionate about bringing truth to light and walking with others to experience God’s hope, healing and restoration. Melissa is a writer, speaker, coach and workshop facilitator who cares deeply about utilizing the building blocks of hope, resilience, and trust to build stronger people, teams and communities. Melissa lives with her family near the US/Mexico border in Central El Paso, Texas.
Alma Martinez
Alma serves as our Food Co-Op Coordinator and as a Community Connector. She was drawn to Ciudad Nueva because she liked the people and the programs, the love and caring she saw exhibited, as she and her family became involved. As Alma became more involved, her ability to organize has demonstrated itself. As our Food Co-op Coordinator, she loves helping others. Alma loves spending her free time with her kids. Though she claims to be naturally shy, her infectious personality is winsome.
PART TIME STAFF
Claudia Chavez
Claudia Chavez is the Director of Youth Programs and Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator for Ciudad Nueva. She is a native of El Paso and grew up in Central El Paso.
In order to pursue her degrees, Claudia moved to San Antonio, Texas. She attended St. Mary’s University where she actively participated in Campus Ministry and the President’s Peace Commission. While completing her degree, she volunteered with The Visitation House and Proyecto Hospitalidad. Claudia engaged in an independent study with Patricia Owen, PhD. focused on working with students identified as “at risk” due to their family’s economic, or social stressors. She graduated from St. Mary’s with a BA in Psychology and Minor in Art. Between degrees, she worked for a children’s home where she served as a child care worker and later the Therapeutic Art Program Director.
Claudia completed her MS in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. She spent six years with a non-profit organization providing services for children and their families, then worked with a private practice providing counseling for elders and children. She worked as a Parental Engagement Leader, then joined the Ciudad Nueva team. Claudia also leads a Community Art Program with Ciudad Nueva.
She has spent her career serving others, working alongside them to help them move toward their best quality of life.
Abby Carl Klassen
Abby Carl Klassen is the Director of Grants & Institutional Giving. She is a writer, poet, educator, translator and researcher who has worked in a variety of public, private, and community development settings in the United States and Latin America. She grew up in rural west Texas where oil meets agriculture. She moved to El Paso in 2003 and lived there until 2014 when she and her husband Jonathan moved to rural Appalachia to pursue regenerative agriculture. During her years in El Paso, Abigail earned a BA in Literature and an MFA in Bilingual Creative Writing, worked for InterVarsity, the El Paso Public Schools, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Community College and Ciudad Nueva, facilitated community development immersions in Albuquerque and Mexico City and participated in borderland arts, peacemaking, and advocacy efforts.
From 2014 to 2019 Abby and Jonathan worked seasonally in agriculture and traveled, trekked, volunteered, and did research across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America.
In 2020, they were drawn back to El Paso-Juárez’s welcoming and dynamic community and are excited for opportunities to participate in local arts, justice, and advocacy initiatives and to enjoy the mountains of Texas and New Mexico.
Mary Chavez
Mary Chavez serves as Office Manager. She was born and raised in Canutillo, TX. She attended St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Her work experience includes: administrative, management and financial experience. She has over 10 years of experience working for non profit organizations in the community. She also has experience in grant writing and program reporting on private, state and federal funding grants. Even though always in the background, Mary has always been pleased to be able to use her working abilities and work for non profit agencies that help people in this community. She enjoys working for this agency not only as an employee but as a volunteer when needed. She enjoys meeting the families that are involved in the programs and how such services affect the lives of these families as a whole.
Daisy Guzman
Daisy Guzman is our Communications Coordinator and is a Licensed Master Social Worker, LMSW. Daisy was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and has lived here since. with individuals that spoke different languages to help meet their immediate needs.
During her graduate experience, she had the privilege to intern in a middle school to assist and lead social workers in supporting students in counseling and social-emotional learning initiatives and contribute to student and family engagement. Her desire to work with families, adolescents, and immigrants comes from her experience of living by the border and she is motivated by her privilege of being bilingual and having the opportunity to have an advanced education. She likes to spend time with friends and family during her free time, visit local coffee shops, go on hikes, and watch mystery shows.
Luis Mendoza
Luis serves as a Community Connector. His involvement with Ciudad Nueva started by helping out Alma in the food co-op. What drew Luis to Ciudad Nueva is that he likes to help people, which also serves as his motivation, because he doesn’t like seeing people in trouble. Community is what Luis loves about Ciudad Nueva. Luis and his family now live in El Paso, and it is family and a can-do attitude that keeps him going when things are hard. As a member of the Rio Grande neighborhood, Luis has uniquely invested through the ownership of a pet store, where he shares his love of animals with everyone; and, now, with Ciudad Nueva.
Malena Ipiotis
Lena was born in the great city of El Paso, but grew up in Moriarty, NM. It was there she served in her church as a lecturer, trained young adults to be altar servers, created curriculum for faith led classes, and organized camps and retreats for young children and adults. Lena is currently studying Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso, with a concentration in Biology. She has volunteered and studied with the Chicano Studies department, researching education along the Southwest border, societal issues, and cultural diversity. Lena has also worked on projects with Teen Survivor, educating middle schoolers on life topics like sexual health, eating disorders, and teaching healthy coping mechanisms. Lena also serves as a judge for YISD middle school speech contests, offering feedback and mentorship. Lena is the oldest of six kids; and, through watching her younger siblings grow up, has found inspiration and motivation in aiding young adults. Lena loves children and animals; so, she spends her free time babysitting her godsons and nephews, or pet sitting for friends and family. Lena enjoys spending time with her loved ones, and creating memories together.
Evelyn Loya
Evelyn serves as the Youth Programs Assistant. She was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from El Paso High School in 2020 and is currently attending El Paso Community College studying to become a teacher. She started getting involved with Ciudad Nueva when she was in 5th grade and since then attended all after school programs. She wants to give back and help the community just how her mentors helped her. She believes that helping others is also a way to help yourself which is why she decided to get involved and help middle school students in this community. Evelyn is gaining experience that will later help her in her career.
Maria Gutierrez
Meet Maria Gutierrez. One of her most significant accomplishments was attending school and earning a higher education. During her education and internship placements, she had the opportunity to work and help people from different backgrounds and gain experience in her career in social work. She started at El Paso Community College studying English as a Second Language. Then, she earned her Associate of Arts at EPCC. After that, she transferred to UTEP to become a social worker and got her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. During her undergraduate years, she developed skills and the need to help others. In her practicum site, she became more aware of the population’s needs, such as housing, food, etc. She learned how to connect people in need to services in the community through assessments and gain trust from the clients. She completed her graduate degree and joined us as a part-time community connector. Maria has a diverse background and brings much knowledge and expertise to our team. Her life and educational experiences have helped her become more confident, competent, ethical, and professional in her social work career.
Erik Sandate
Erik Sandate: Middle School Coordinator
Meet Erick Sandate. Sandate serves as a Middle School Program coordinator. He was born in El Paso but raised in Juarez until he got to middle school. He graduated from Jefferson High School and is currently attending the University of Texas at El Paso to earn his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. His plans are to become a PE teacher and coach. Sandate loves to be engaged with the community, that is why he decided to be part of Ciudad Nueva where he will be able to help kids learn about values and to be socially interactive, while he gains experience that will later help in his profession as an educator. Sandate loves soccer and his reason to become a coach is to share his knowledge about the sport for others to become their best at this sport. He also plays drums and sings in a cover band, he believes that discovering a passion for everyone can change children’s lives, and he is here to help kids with it.
Christopher Sepulveda
Christopher Sepulveda: Launch Pad Coordinator
Sofia Quinones Segovia
Sofia Quinones Segovia: BSW Intern
Sofia Quinones was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She moved to El Paso in 2015 and became a U.S. citizen. Sofia completed an associate’s degree in psychology at El Paso Community College. She is currently a student at UTEP in social work with a minor in sociology. As a senior at UTEP studying social work, Sofia knows how valuable real-world experience is in enhancing her academic background. Working in environmental policy emphasizing sustainable development is her career path. Ciudad Nueva will truly empower Sofia since it provides an opportunity to put theoretical knowledge to use in a practical environment. Ciudad Nueva offers the opportunity to gain knowledge from experienced professionals who can offer valuable guidance and mentoring. Learning about the unique aspects of environmental policy work, including its best practices and obstacles, motivates Sofia.
Jose Gomez
Jose Gomez: MSW Intern
Aranxa Valencia
Aranxa Valencia: Youth Programs Assistant
Aranxa serves as a Youth Programs Assistant. Born and raised in El Paso, she deeply loves her border town. Having spent most of her school breaks in Mexico with a distant family and growing up a few streets away from Juarez, she has experienced the beauty of living in a twin city. Raised in a loving Christian home, she wants to share that love with her community’s kids. Although she is pursuing a degree in Statistics from the University of Texas at El Paso through this position, she is learning invaluable lessons about being a humanitarian and loving your neighbors that she hopes to carry into whatever career path she finds.
AFFILIATED ROLES
Gary Enge
Gary does administrative work for Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach. Gary was born in Argentina to Southern Baptist missionaries, living in Argentina for nine years before moving to El Paso, where he graduated from high school. Gary has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from New Mexico State University, and Masters in Theology and in Education from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Gary is fluent in Spanish. Gary was drawn to Christian community development work because he feels it bridges evangelism (which tends to emphasize the spiritual while neglecting the physical) and social work (which tends to emphasize the physical while neglecting the spiritual). Gary was drawn to Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach for its pursuit of Christian community development. Gary likes to help out in behind the scenes details and logistics. As Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach continues to grow, Gary wants to help navigate the administration that comes from growing a community center. Gary loves to Facebook his experiences at Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach and in the Rio Grande neighborhood and browse news websites during his introvert time. Gary is a member of the Christian Community Development Association family, the Border Southwest CCDA Regional family, the Texas Christian Community Development Network family, and the El Paso CCDA family. Gary loves being part of one-on-one question-filled conversations where a person has been involved in relief work, and is wondering what the next step is.
