Rebekah Rosen-Gomez, a native of New York City, moved to Rhode Island in 1991 and after her first career as a chef, worked with families in the Newport public schools for 16 years. Rebekah returned to school as an adult and earned a BA in Social Work from Rhode Island College. In 2019 she co- founded Conexión Latina Newport, an organization that seeks to educate, support, empower, and advocate for Hispanics in Newport, as well as partner with local agencies, government, and schools, to better serve this population. Rebekah enjoys volunteering as a Spanish / English translator on medical missions to Central America, and has always been Rebekah and her Peruvian husband have 2 adult children and are full time grandparents, as well as dog parents.
Yolanda Macías, a native of Mexico City, moved to Newport in 2014. Yolanda obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration, specialist in tourism at “La Universidad del Valle de México” in Mexico City. Yolanda has been an office assistant at San José Church since 2015 and has been working with the Latino community for 6 years. Yolanda is a founding member of Conexión Latina Newport, an organization that seeks to educate, support, empower and advocate for the Hispanic community in Newport.
Marissa Portillo, a native of El Salvador, moved to Newport in 2000. Marisa is the Family Education Navigator for Conexión Latina Newport with 15 years of experience working with and for the Latino community of Newport. Marissa specializes in accessing education opportunities for children aged birth through 12th grade, as well as navigating those systems and serving as a conduit between families and providers. Marisa’s children have all been or are students of Newport public schools, and she is very knowledgeable about the systems and the community thanks to her lived experience.
Martha is a certified Community Health Worker who is trained to navigate complicated health systems that often create barriers and complicate access for the Hispanic community. She helps families and individuals find and access medical, dental, specialist and behavioral health appointments, provides prevention education, helps clients understand diagnosis, aftercare instructions and referrals and provides feedback to providers as to how they can improve their services to better serve the Hispanic community. Martha is also a Healthsource RI certified Health Navigator that can help apply for state health insurance, as well as medical financial aid. She is dedicated to building self-sufficiency in clients, healthcare systems that are accessible and equitable, and improving the quality of life of the Hispanic community on Aquidneck Island.
Zaida can help clients through simple processes and guide them through applications. She is the coordinator of our donation center. and receives donations from the community, and finds them new homes with our families. She is our resident Zumba instructor, Loteria leader, and is always up for any challenge.