Angel Luis Martínez

Angel Luis Martínez is the director of instructional design and training for INVOCA/dignidad. Martínez is an internationally recognized sex educator and trainer who is currently lead instructor for GoJoven (www.gojoven.org), a six year leadership development program in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico run by International Health Programs (www.ihp.org).

Angel L. Martinez

From 1997 to 2000, Martínez coordinated the technical assistance program for the California Wellness Foundation’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. Prior to this, Martínez was a consultant to the California State Department of Health and Human Services at the Office of Family Planning’s Male Involvement Initiative. He has trained professionals and others working with young people throughout the United States and Latin America.

Mr. Martínez has a background of more than thirty years in the human services area. His work includes community organization and development, development of training design and curricula, community health, and family planning/population issues.

Mr. Martínez works with both young people and adults in the areas of communication, sexuality education and health. He designed and led the Canal Healthy Neighborhood training project in San Rafael as well as the youth NTISE (Now That I Speak English) leadership component.

In 1983 he helped to develop what was the U.S. Peace Corps’ largest training center, in Honduras, C.A., and served as its director for two years. In 1988 he was asked to return as director and institute a modular training model that he developed.

Angel Martínez has been guest lecturer at many colleges and universities, among them, Columbia University, University of California at San Francisco, The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. His presentations deal with community development, child and adolescent health, human sexuality and other subjects.

Mr. Martínez serves as a volunteer with local and national organizations. He lives in the city of Orange, California with his wife and two children.

Martínez, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was born in Puerto Rico, and has lived in New York, Japan, Honduras and Hawaii. For the past thirty years, he has called California home.

Heriberto Escamilla

Heriberto is a native of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, currently living with wife, children and grandchildren in San Diego, California. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.

Heriberto (Beto) Escamilla

Through organizations such as Hanbleceya ( “cry for vision” in Lakota and a residential treatment center for psychotic individuals, the San Ysidro Health System, Catholic Charities and in private practice, he has delivered psychological services, primarily to low income and minority communities. Between 1993 and 1997, he taught psychology courses, including abnormal, developmental and statistics for the social sciences at San Diego City College. Dr. Escamilla has also participated in the development of community-based programs such as the Plain Talk Initiative, a national effort by the Casey Foundation designed to improve parent-child communication regarding contraception and pregnancy prevention.

For four years, Dr. Escamilla was also a member of the “Males as Positive Forces Planning Committee”, a group that designed, planned and implemented an annual and community based conference for service providers, parents and their children

In 1998, Dr. Escamilla helped create a local AYSO (American Youth Soccer Association) league in the North Park area of San Diego. Staring with three teams, he served as Regional Commissioner, until he handed the 33 team region to a successor. In addition to administrative responsibilities, he also served as coach and referee for youth soccer and Little League teams.

Dr. Escamilla has also had a lifelong interest in the psychologies and spiritual practices of non-western traditions, focusing on the integration of spiritual practice, ceremony and ritual into everyday life. Through research, practice and personal relationships with indigenous communities and individuals he is gaining an understanding that permeates all aspects of his work and life.

Dr. Escamilla is currently a full-time, senior evaluator for Philliber Research Associates, based in New York. He is also currently chairing the events planning committee of the Center for Integrative Psychology, at Alliant University in San Diego.

Alejandro Moreno

Father of Eddie Moreno, a 23 year old young man who loves, music, sports and the water, Son of Martha Sandoval, grandson to Refugio and Homobono, brother to 6, padrino to 4, best friend to a few and friend to many. Mr. Moreno is a student of philosophy, psychology and human systems.

Alejandro Moreno

As a student he received a scholarship to play football and study philosophy in the University of Dubuque, Iowa. As a professional, Alejandro is a trainer specializing on Fatherhood, Parent & Youth Leadership, Prevention and Prejudice Interruption. Has trained across California, Chicago, the continental United States, México and was honored by an invitation to Israel to develop and implement training for Arab and Jewish Israeli, American Jewish and African American youth. He is also an avid advocate for cross-cultural and family issues in the Latino segment of communities across the United States.

Mr. Moreno co-founded the National Compadres Network, served as consultant to The US/Mexico Border Alliance an alcohol prevention project of the Federal Government and as Trainer for CABE the California Association for Bilingual Educators. He presently serves as the president for INVOCA/dignidad Inc., an institute for personal, family and community development.

He serves on the Advisory Board of:
The National Head Start Family Literacy Center, Sonoma State University
The Orange County Community Housing Corporation
The National Bootcamp for New Dads Fatherhood Program

Alejandro Moreno is an avid columnist and poet, has been featured in Selecciones of Readers Digest’s, Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, The Christian Science Monitor, PBS’s Los Niños en su Casa, Buenos Dias America and is presently working on his first book “Hijo Mio” to be published in the Fall of 2008.