Executive Leadership Team
Angélica Pérez-Delgado
President and CEO
Lucía Colíndres
Chief of Programs
Miguel Meléndez, Jr.
Director de Participación Comunitaria
Eugenio Marlin
Vice President of Ibero-American Development Corporation
Katharine Fuller Vail
Senior Director of OPWDD Services
Agustín Rodríguez
Chief Director of Social Enterprises and Development
Evelyn Solano
Directora de Operaciones Corporativas
Letter from the Board Chair
This last year marked a significant milestone for Ibero. It was the first year we did not offer residential program services. Over the last decade, our residential programs were seen as tugboats that generated enough revenue to pull other deficit programs along. More recently, these programs became boat anchors for years before, during, and after the COVID pandemic. Even more, they became a significant risk that brought Ibero to the line of solvency. In moments like these, you learn who your friends are, but even more importantly, you learn who you are. During these times, I learned that we are resilient, persevering, and determined to light the path to prosperity, equity, and economic mobility for the communities we serve. I also discovered who our friends are. They embraced and cried with us, encouraged, and guided us, and many financially supported us. They did this because they believe in us and Ibero’s impact on the Latino communities of upstate New York.
While the pressure and stakes were high for us this year, some other historic and noteworthy accomplishments exist. These include raising over $1M in unrestricted funds, creating Corazón de Ibero, our first homegrown philanthropic giving society, and securing new multi-year funded projects that allowed us to close the year with a $60K surplus. We entered last year knocked down, and some may even say crippled, but we had no time to rest and recover. We had to heal and continue fighting at the same time. This tenacity pretty much sums up the leader of Ibero. Angelica is a fearless leader who has and continues to put the organization ahead of herself. She doesn’t have to choose between her pride and that of the communities she serves because they are the same. When the community is in pain and hurt, she suffers with them. When they graduate and start their first business, she celebrates with them. When displaced from their homes, near and abroad, she adds more chairs to our table and welcomes them to their new “familia.”
Estoy muy orgulloso to be part of Ibero, and I look forward to continuing to work with our community partners, local and state government, and the families we serve to raise the bar even higher next year. I would be remiss if I did not thank my fellow board members for making themselves available to navigate all activities that required board planning and approval. In moments of great need, you stepped up and answered the call. I especially want to thank Celeste Amaral, who consistently went above and beyond the call of duty. I am honored and blessed to serve on the Ibero Board of Directors and look forward to what this next year has in store for us. ¡Pa’lante!
Saludos,
José (Joey) A. Rosario III, Presidente de la Junta
A Word from the CEO
The most powerful way to transform a community begins with simply being fully present. In January 2023, after 38 years, we moved our administrative offices back in the neighborhood. Just like our tag line, Empowering People and Transforming Communities, we felt deeply burdened and called to go to our barrio at a time when many were too afraid to do so. Our move signified the start of a new era for Ibero, an outward expression of our deep commitment to “our barrio” during a time of great need, and unapologetically placing our mission front and center. Our new home has a long history of providing essential services in the Rochester area. For the first 80 years 124 Evergreen Street was a Convent for the School Sisters of Notre Dame who lived and taught at St. Michael’s School as well as the home to great ministries such as then Melita House. Although most of Ibero services call this neighborhood home, it was time for administration to join our 180 employees in a meaningful way. We are moving back to neighborhood in other regions as well, anchoring neighborhoods across Upstate New York, in Amsterdam, Albany, Niagara Falls and Geneva.
As I reflect on this past year, I am profoundly grateful to our community and how they empowered us to transform as an organization. We too transformed by simply getting back to our mission and back to the basics. We remained focused on our mission and made bold moves to divest services that were no longer in alignment, and reinvested in services that are part of our core and amplify our impact. As a result, we stand today as a transformed and fully restored organization with core services in housing, education, health care, entrepreneurship and employment that expand across Upstate New York.
In closing, I want to personally thank those who empowered us in this journey. Local resources such as the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Greater Rochester Health Foundation, ESL Charitable Foundation, United Way of Rochester and Finger Lakes, Farash Foundation, The Wilson Foundation, the NYS Delegation, and all our amazing community donors, thank you for providing the resources for leading our own change.
Angélica Pérez-Delgado, President & CEO
Junta Directiva
José Rosario, III, Presidente de la Junta
Diana Hernández, Vicepresidente de la Junta
Diane Cecero, Treasurer
Carlos Cong, Secretary
Celeste Amaral
John González, Jr.
Dr. Laura González-Murphy
Denishea Ortiz
Irene Sánchez
Victor Sánchez
Arline Santiago
Joseph Searles, Jr.
Karen Finklea, United Way Board Observer
Carlos Martínez, United Way Board Observer