HACE
Team

Leadership

Patricia
Mota

President & CEO

Yasmin
Mendoza-sewell

Chief Operating Officer

Lynette
Correa-Velez

Vice President of Leadership Programs

Karina
Rosado

Director of Marketing & Communications

Devin
Theobold

Director of Operations & Special Projects

Marketing Department

Araceli
Lagunas

Senior Digital Media Manager

Chelsea
Paniagua

Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

Partnership Department

Roger
Casilla

Senior Partnership Engagement Manager

Alysa Iyana
Grayson

Senior Partnership Engagement Manager

Irma
Rodriguez

Partnership Engagement Manager

Programs Department

LISANDRA
JIMENEZ

Senior Program Manager

Bernice
vargas luna

Program Manager

Noel
Rodriguez

Program Manager

Steven
Hodge

Program Manager

Administration Department

Bobbi
Benegas

Executive Assistant

Accounting Department

Jeilin
Lavarta

Staff Accountant

Human Resources Department

Monica
Maize

Human Resources Manager

Join the Team

PATRICIA
MOTA

Chief Executive Officer

Patricia is an innovative trailblazer, start-up entrepreneur, author, connector, public speaker, and compassionate leader with a particular strength that exemplifies the mission of the Hispanic Alliance of Career Enhancement (HACE) to positively impact the workforce by cultivating the pipeline of Latinx/a/o and underrepresented talent and providing insight, access, and support to their careers.

Chief Operations Officer

Yasmin Mendoza-Sewell is the Chief Operating Officer for Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Math from the University of Miami and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from St. Thomas University.

Vice President of Leadership Programs

Lynette Correa-Velez, M.Ed. is the Vice President of Leadership Programs at the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE). Lynette is an innovative, bilingual/bicultural, trained #CriticalCareerCoach leader with over 20 years of professional experience in program development and management to co-empower individuals from all industries with a DEIAJ-centered lens as a practitioner-scholar-social engineer. Lynette has received 17 awards and honors for her tremendous support and advocacy for access to opportunities for all such as being a finalist for the 2023 Chicago Innovation Awards. She has earned over 8 certifications and recently accepted into Harvard Business School to attain her Certificate in Design Thinking and Innovation.

Director of Marketing & Communications

Karina Rosado is a distinguished communications and public relations expert with a master’s degree from Michigan State University. Renowned for her role as a pivotal bilingual spokesperson for the Illinois Lottery, San Juan Marriott, ASPIRA, and the Illinois Department of Commerce, Karina excels in crafting narratives that resonate within diverse communities, particularly in the Hispanic market.

Director of Operations & Special Projects

Devin Theobold is a seasoned operations leader with over a decade of experience in optimizing organizational efficiency across both the nonprofit and private sectors. In his role as Director of Operations & Special Projects, Devin has consistently demonstrated a talent for creating strategic, scalable systems that drive operational excellence and foster sustainable growth. His work is rooted in a strong commitment to equity, particularly in underserved communities.

Senior Digital Media Manager

Araceli is the Senior Digital Media Manager at the Hispanic Alliance of Career Enhancement (HACE) responsible for overseeing the organization’s digital marketing strategies across various platforms including managing social media, online advertising, and content creation to increase brand awareness on a national and global scale. By developing engaging media content and marketing campaigns, Araceli works to elevate and share the compelling stories of the professionals and communities the organization serves.

Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

Chelsea Paniagua is a skilled Marketing and Communications strategist with three years in B2B and D2C marketing. She excels at creating compelling content that drives engagement and visibility across multiple platforms, building communities, and always prioritizing the client in her communication strategies.

Partnership Engagement Manager

Roger Casilla is the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement’s Engagement Manager. He is the co-Founder of Canal Squad, an organization whose mission is to lead, educate and promote a healthy lifestyle through preventative health. He joined HACE because it aligned with his purpose and values to create pathways for future generations and continually open doors.

Partnership Engagement Manager

Irma Rodriguez is the Partnership Engagement Manager for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE). She has experience in education, non-profit management, civic engagement, and community service. Irma is from Houston, Texas, specifically the East Aldine area. Irma holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a double minor in General Business and Business Management from the University of Houston-Downtown. Irma is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college student for her family.

Senior Program Manager

An educator at heart, Lisandra is passionate about bringing her unique perspective and approach to the work that she does as a servant leader for her community. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish at Florida Atlantic University and her Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Central Florida. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership Studies from Northeastern University. Read More

BERNICE
VARGAS LUNA

Program Manager

Bernice Vargas Luna is a Program Manager for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. She completed her B.A. in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Marketing from Benedictine University in 2022. Her creativity is on display turning vision into results, while empowering all around her to embrace their strengths and build their talent.

Program Manager

Noel immigrated from Cuba at the age of seven and was raised in Miami, FL. After testing out several majors in college, Noel graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, he is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University.

Program Manager

Steven Hodge is of Dominican descent, born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ. He currently resides in Cleveland, TN. His areas of study are in social and behavioral sciences, and he has more than 10 years of experience in education, management, and marketing.

He is proud of his Hispanic heritage and leverages his Latinidad to foster an environment of diversity and unity wherever he goes.

BOBBI BENEGAS

Executive Assistant

Bobbi Benegas is the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and Chief Operating officer for Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. Bobbi is born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago. She received her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in History with a minor in Gender & Women’s Studies. Read More

Monica
Maize

Human Resources Manager

Monica Maize is the Human Resource Manager for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Supply Chain Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration both from Ashford University in San Diego, CA. She is an Army Veteran with over 20 years of experience as a Human Resource Manager. Working as a Talent Acquisition Manager in the Army, she has been able to cultivate and build several relationships with several different non-profit organizations within the local communities all across the United States.

HACETeam

Leadership

PatriciaMota

President & CEO

YasminMendoza-sewell

Chief Operating Officer

LynetteCorrea-Velez

Vice President of Leadership Programs

KarinaRosado

Director of Marketing & Communications

DevinTheobold

Director of Operations & Special Projects

Marketing Department

AraceliLagunas

Senior Digital Media Manager

ChelseaPaniagua

Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

Partnership Department

RogerCasilla

Senior Partnership Engagement Manager

Alysa IyanaGrayson

Senior Partnership Engagement Manager

IrmaRodriguez

Partnership Engagement Manager

Programs Department

LISANDRAJIMENEZ

Senior Program Manager

Bernicevargas luna

Program Manager

NoelRodriguez

Program Manager

StevenHodge

Program Manager

Administration Department

BobbiBenegas

Executive Assistant

Accounting Department

JeilinLavarta

Staff Accountant

Human Resources Department

MonicaMaize

Human Resources Manager

Join the Team

PATRICIAMOTA

Chief Executive Officer

YASMINMENDOZA-SEWELL

Chief Operations Officer

Lynette Correa-Velez

Vice President of Leadership Programs

Karina Rosado

Director of Marketing & Communications

DevinTheobold

Director of Operations & Special Projects

ARACELILAGUNAS

Senior Digital Media Manager

Chelsea Paniagua

Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

ROGERCASILLA

Partnership Engagement Manager

Irma Rodriguez

Partnership Engagement Manager

LISANDRAJIMENEZ

Senior Program Manager

BERNICEVARGAS LUNA

Program Manager

Noel Rodriguez

Program Manager

StevenHodge

Program Manager

BOBBI BENEGAS

Executive Assistant

MonicaMaize

Human Resources Manager

HACE
Team

Patricia
Mota

Yasmin
Mendoza-sewell

Lynette
Correa-Velez

Karina
Rosado

Devin
Theobold

Araceli
Lagunas

Chelsea
Paniagua

Roger
Casilla

Alysa Iyana
Grayson

Irma
Rodriguez

LISANDRA
JIMENEZ

Bernice
vargas luna

Noel
Rodriguez

Steven
Hodge

Bobbi
Benegas

Jeilin
Lavarta

Monica
Maize

PATRICIA
MOTA

YASMIN
MENDOZA-SEWELL

Lynette
Correa-Velez

Karina
Rosado

Devin
Theobold

ARACELI
LAGUNAS

Chelsea
Paniagua

ROGER
CASILLA

Irma
Rodriguez

LISANDRA
JIMENEZ

BERNICE
VARGAS LUNA

Noel
Rodriguez

Steven
Hodge

Monica
Maize