Founder & President

Zenaida Mendez

Zenaida earned a BA in Government and Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Masters's degree in Public Administration from the City University of New York, Graduate School of Public Affairs. Her selfless activism and leadership have earned her recognition from local, national and international organizations. 

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In 1991, Zenaida founded the Dominican Women’s Caucus (DWC)  in NYC  to ensure the equitable participation of Dominican Women and Latinas in general in NYC Civil society.  In March 2000 she expanded the DWC to a National Platform National Dominican Women’s Caucus (NDWC): The National Dominican Women's Caucus is a non-partisan feminist organization that unites activists, scholars, and advocates in the pursuit of a vision of an inclusive and effective democracy. As a result, the NDWC promotes reforms that are inclusive to all New Yorkers and motivates the participation of all in civil society.

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Zenaida has over 30 years of experience working on issues affecting women, and African descendant people. She has also spoken about the role of the media in perpetuating violence against women and fueling negative stereotypes, electoral politics, and parenting and immigration issues. In 2001, Mendez was one of the Women of Color Resource Center’s Delegates to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerances in Durban, South Africa. 

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Ms. Mendez, a social justice activist, served for several years as Director of Racial Diversity Programs at the National Organization for Women (NOW) National Office in Washington DC. Mendez was one the organizers of the 2004 National March for Women’s Lives that took place in Washington, DC. An avid voice for tolerance, during her tenure as Director of Racial Diversity Programs at the National Organization for Women (NOW), she successfully spearheaded a diversity and inclusion training program, a woman of color and allies summit, and the campaign to end the femicide of the women of Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico among other initiatives. 

Ms. Mendez holds the esteemed position of Director of Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) El Barrio Firehouse Community Media Center.

Vice President

Auretnisse Santos

Auretnisse Santos is currently a social worker at Montefiore Medical Center. Auretnisse is the proud daughter of Dominican immigrants. First generation Dominican-American born in Washington heights, raised in the Bronx. Community activism runs through her veins as she is the daughter of a community activist and philanthropist who fought for women’s rights, Latinos in the USA, and children.

Ms. Santos from a young age saw community activism in action as she would spend summers helping her mother and organizations help victims of domestic violence in prison in Salcedo, Dominican Republic get vocational training to become economic self-sufficient. Other times she would help textile workers of Santiago’s (Dominican Republic) la Zona Franca, open up a daycare center to help their children have a safe space top stay while they work, and created jobs for the local community.

Ms. Santos when she was just 15 years old became at the time the youngest member of Young Feminist Task Force, of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She has always believed in women’s rights and believes that “until all women around the world are free, no woman is free.” Ms. Santos in the past 10 years has worked in different non-profit organizations helping children with disabilities and mental health needs obtain the services they need. Ms. Santos advocates for her client’s everyday and works towards building stronger communities, and systems that uplift its citizens.

Executive Member

Fáthima P. Torres

Born in the United States from Dominican descent; has more than 30 years of experience in business administration with a concentration in the area of operational and human resources management. In addition, she is a certified business and executive coach. She has worked for companies and organizations such as: Guardian Life Insurance; Northwestern Mutual Financial Network; Mutual of New York; Gallers Financial Group; Educational Mentoring Services (GEMS), YWCA Brooklyn and Make the Road States to name a few.

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Fáthima has served as an advisor for several international companies and organizations. She is the President - CEO for One Culture and Coaching Strategy, an international boutique of services working with executives and organizations in different aspects of management and operational infrastructure engineering. Fáthima is actively involved in community organizing with special attention to women’s well-being.

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With extensive experience in personnel and non-for-profit organizations management, Fáthima has served as a consultant for different organizations, companies and executives. Her portfolio of accomplishments includes traveling offering conferences, seminars, workshops and coaching sessions in countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Dominican Republic.

Fáthima lives in New York - United States.

Executive Member

Genara Necos

Genara Cristina Necos is a civil rights attorney practicing in New York City. Recently, her work focused on discrimination in the context of education. She has trained organizations on issues

of race, gender, national origin, and disability discrimination.

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She has also appeared on radio and television programs discussing race and gender equity. She has conducted bilingual workshops in the tri-state area, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

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Genara published two poetry chapbooks, Invasions of the Heart and The Swans in Hyde Park. The poems are set in contrasting parts of the world to celebrate unity across geographic, economic, class, religious, and racial borders. She has recently published essays reflecting on the emotional and physical pain many endured in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.

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She wrote and is producing a play about the iconic Dominican historical figure Porfirio Rubirosa for the New York Theater Festival. She is the mother of a charming young man on the autism spectrum.

Executive Member

Cándida A. Bidó

Candida is founder and executive board member of the National Dominican Women Caucus, where she raises her voice and works against the historical structural inequities and biases that keeps Latinos’ from progressing educationally, socially, economically and politically.

As a resident of Orange County, NY (where she is actively involved with local politics), she works to create and foster spaces of mutual understanding and respect towards a more equitable society. She also brings light into the systemic inequities Latinos and other disenfranchised communities face daily in order to see themselves represented and valued as stakeholders and partners. 

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In 2001, together with a team of local activist in NYC, she provided support to the Gladys’ Ricart family during their court proceedings and later founded the Gladys Ricart March Against Domestic Violence and marched annually in white wedding gowns to bring awareness, education and support to this cycle of violence affecting society.

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She is member of the NAACP Middletown Chapter in Orange County, NY where she works to ensure political, educational, equality and the elimination of race prejudice of African Americans. As a member of the LGBTQ community, Candida works towards creating safe and affirming spaces through the Orange County Pride Parent-Ally Coalition (OCPPAC) and empowers youth to lead healthy and successful lives.

Presently, she continues to educate and address the long-term recovery, resiliency, sustainability and needs of her black and brown community members in the USA.

Candida earned a Bachelor of Art from CUNY The City College on New York and a Master from CUNY's Lehman College.

Executive Member

Carla Franchesca

Carla arrived in the United States in 2010 and immediately became involved in several local community organizations while continuing her studies in Video Art and Technology. Her interest in the street vendor community and her involvement in a local theater group in Northern Manhattan inspired her to produce her first documentary work, about the working conditions and abuses street vendors experience every day, "Buhoneros (Street Vendors)".

In 2016, she founded Rayoelú Films with the purpose of creating audiovisual content that highlights the Latino community in the United States, as well as providing a source of original content that allows audiences to become familiar with the immigrant experience.

In 2017, Carla moved into a full-time staff role as a Production Facilitator with MNN El Barrio Firehouse. She graduated from the City College of New York Summa Cum Laude in 2019, and has worked on several award-winning social issue-based documentaries and short fiction films shown on the festival circuit both in the US and abroad.

Carla is a member of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT), and has been involved in the feminist organization Butterfly Effect which advocates for sexual reproductive rights and domestic violence. 

Executive Member

Cherly Thomas

Cherly has a bachelor's degree in Television & Radio and a minor in Spanish with a concentration in translation from Brooklyn College. She also earned an associate degree in media technology and management from Kingsborough. She co-hosted Honduras New York, for more than five years which was transmitted via BronxNet.  Cherly, an Afro-Latina, noticed a lack of diversity in Spanish-speaking media that is why she decided to create her own television show with a colleague called Conéctate con Nosotras (CCN). The show focus on topics that empower the Latino community, with an emphasis on women. CCN is a combination of light politics and lifestyle. Shedding light on issues that are taboos in our community such as racism, religion and sexuality. The show airs through Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN).