Staff
Jose Villaseñor Executive Director
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always carried a sense of service and a desire to help others. I was born and raised in the small South Texas town of La Feria, where I grew up with a strong sense of community and possibility. My family owned a bakery specializing in Mexican sweet bread, so a strong work ethic was ingrained early on. I worked before school and after school to help the family business and learned the value of responsibility and purpose.
After spending a couple of years in college in South Texas, I began my career in television at a station in Harlingen, where my father served as the studio manager. My mother managed our family's bakery, grocery store, and coffee shop, and watching both balance family and work gave me understanding of responsibility. After two years learning every aspect of television production, I moved to Austin to work in a larger television market. I spent the next three years there, eventually becoming a graphics producer. Read more.
Mia Lopez Executive Assistant
Board Members
Sylvia Lopez, Ph. D. Chair
Dr. Sylvia A. Lopez is the former Director of Counseling Services for the 2nd largest school district in Texas. She spent 41 years of her educational experience as a school counselor and as a principal in an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. She also served as the Director of Counseling Services, she facilitated the implementation of the school counseling program, coordinated district wide initiatives and actively supported and sponsored many of the College and Career Readiness Initiatives. Dr. Lopez was directly responsible for approximately 385 elementary, middle and high school counselors.
In August 2017, Dr. Lopez co-founded the Lone Star State School Counselor Association (LSSSCA) in 2017 to address the needs of school counselors and provide quality training and information for all school counselors across Texas. She also has a consultant business to help school district leaders understand the importance of a quality school counseling program by providing training and designing systems to benefit the school counselor.
Hilda McClure Board Member
Hilda McClure is the Chief Operating Officer at Cannenta Center for Healing and Empowerment and a founding board member at the Cannenta Foundation. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Dallas Baptist University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), specializing in working with adults, and is trained in EMDR therapy and Somatic Experiencing. Hilda’s career began in education, where her passion for teaching elementary school students inspired her to help children and youth overcome trauma and mental health challenges. She developed an evidence-based intervention program for children living with their single mothers in a residential program and has provided extensive counseling to individuals struggling with childhood trauma, mental illness, depression, anxiety, and life stressors.
An OpEd Fellow and published writer, Hilda has been recognized for her advocacy work with the Emerging Leader Award from the Texas Women’s Foundation. Her writing has been featured in the books Self-Care for Chingonas and Hispanic Stars Rising, amplifying her voice on issues of empowerment, resilience, and cultural identity. She is dedicated to empowering women and girls, training professionals to serve Hispanic families, and equipping others to navigate the acculturation process. Hilda also shares her expertise as an Adjunct Professor and as a presenter on child development and trauma-focused interventions for professional audiences.