Name:
Martha Elena Ruiz

Board Role:
Chapter President and Board Chair

Email:
mruiz@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Government Operations Consultant MA. Political Science / International Relations
MA - Spanish and Literature
BA - Art History

Organization:
Florida Department of Health in Orange

Bio:
Ambassador of We The Women Movement Florida Chapter.

Mrs. Ruiz is originally from Colombia, S.A. She relocated to the United States upon
finishing High School. Mrs. Ruiz is currently employed with the Florida Department
of Health in Orange County as a Government Operations Consultant. Mrs. Ruiz has
extensive experience managing federally funded public and minority health programs.
She was awarded the NACCHO- National Association of County & City Health Officials
National Model Award for her work in the BABY Better Weight for A Better You
Project in Washington, D.C. and the “Best of the Best” Practice Award by the Florida
Department of Health, Tallahassee, Fl.

Mrs. Ruiz holds a BA in Art History, with a minor in Latin American studies, a M.A
in Political Science with a minor in International Relations and a M.A. in Spanish
Language and Literature, major in American Literature, minor in Peninsular all from
University of Central Florida. She has taught various courses at Rollins College, The
University of Central Florida and Valencia College and Saddlebrook International
Academy. Martha was also responsible for the development and implementation of a
cultural exchange program between the University of Central Florida Art Department
and several prominent Universities in Colombia, South America. Mrs. Ruiz also served
as the Director of International Relations for various public and private Latin American
universities facilitating exchange programs between American and European
universities.

Mrs. Ruiz has worked extensively with various foreign governments to facilitate
acculturation of immigrants to American culture, social and health system. She has
also dedicated herself to work against human trafficking and to achieve equitable
migratory protection for all immigrants within the confines of the law. She has also
been involved in working against child and gender abuse and child hunger. Her main
goal is to fight social injustice.

Mrs. Ruiz also has experience in the private sector where she was responsible for
opening various international branches of healthcare organizations where she held
the position of CEO. In these roles she became well versed in international negotiation,
trade and tariffs.

Mrs. Ruiz is fully bilingual in both Spanish and English. She is a member of Tau Delta
Chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, Spain – U.S.A.

Name:
Dr. Asli Cennet Yalim

Board Role:
Founder, President-Elect, Chair of Education & Board Member

Email:
ayalim@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Assistant Professor at UCF
PhD. in Social Welfare
MSW in Social Work

Organization:
University of Central Florida

Bio:
Asli C. Yalim, PhD, MSW is a researcher and an educator at the University of Central
Florida School of Social Work. She is the chair of education at the NALHE Central
Florida Chapter. Prior to entering academia, she worked as a psychologist in different
settings, including a psychiatric hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. She received her master’s
degree in Social Work from Florida State University and her PhD in Social Welfare from
University at Buffalo. She completed her internships at local refugee resettlement
agencies in Buffalo, NY and Tallahassee, FL. Dr. Yalim conducted research studies
with Syrian refugees in the United States and Turkey and refugees from Burma in
the United States. Her current research aims to identify the barriers to mental health
access among immigrant and refugee populations. Her areas of research are refugee
and immigrant mental health, forced migration, culturally competent practice, and
community-based participatory research. She teaches courses in human development
and social environment, research methods, and social work with immigrants and
refugees.

Name:
Diana Molina

Board Role:
Founder, Secretary, Treasurer and Board Member

Email:
dmolina@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Healthcare Business Administration
MBSBA
MBA

Organization:
Southern Healthcare Management

Bio:
Diana Molina was born in Cali, Colombia and moved to Orlando in 2001. She
graduated from a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Central
Florida in Orlando. She just finished a Master in Business administration at the Florida
International University in Miami

She currently works as an Accounts Receivable Analyst in a healthcare company that
manages 41 Skilled Nursing Facilities in the Estates of Florida, Georgia and North
Carolina.

She loves to travel, learn new languages, try new foods and experience different
cultures. She speaks 3 languages: German, Spanish and English.

For the past 8 years, she has also been part of the board in an international spiritual
association called Invitation to Life (IVI) that has its origins in France. With them, she
has been able to explore her love for traveling while experiencing new cultures and
has traveled to remote places such as New Zealand and La Patagonia, Argentina.

Most recently she joined NALHE Central Florida, as the Secretary and Treasurer. As a
board member of NAHLE she would like to assist the local community in organizing
themselves and help each other grow and achieve their professional and personal
goals.

Name:
Mateo Blanco

Board Role:
Founder, Chair of Arts, Public Relations & Board Member

Email:
mblanco@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Artist and Tenor
BA
BA

Organization:
Mateo Blanco@

Bio:
Since he was child, Mateo Blanco has been immersed in the world of arts. He always
wanted to express his feelings and ideas through music and plastic arts. He is also a
tenor, trained professionally as an opera singer.

Mateo had the opportunity to develop his artistic side, alongside Colombian artist
Debora Arango in Medellin Colombia. He obtained his B.A from Florida Atlantic
University in Boca Raton, FL. Today Mateo’s art is exhibited in five continents in
different museums as well as in private collections.

Blanco has been featured in several exhibits across the US and is an award-winning
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” artist.

Mateo Blanco believes life is a blank canvas and if there is one thing he knows for sure,
it’s that he’s going to paint it colorfully.

As an opera singer he made the cast of “La Traviata,” performed with the Opera Blanca
de Colombia and even sang during George W. Bush’s birthday celebration. A pioneer
in the music industry, Blanco became the first American tenor to record a multi-genre
record with his debut album, “Mateo Blanco 724.”

To put into work his many talents for the betterment of the local community, he has
decided to join the NALHE Central Florida Chapter Board as the director of Public
relations.

Name:
Dr. Geidys Gomez

Board Role:
Chair of Professional HealthCare Development and Outreach & Board Member

Email:
ggomez@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Quality Improvement Specialist

Organization:
AdventHealth Physician Network-West Florida

Bio:
Mrs. Gomez is originally from Cuba. She is currently employed with the AdventHealth Physician Network-West Florida as Quality Improvement Specialist. Mrs. Gomez graduated from medical school in 2009 obtaining a Doctor of Medicine degree. She worked as a Primary Care Physician for four years in Cuba and Venezuela. Most recently, she obtained a Master of Healthcare Administration from Utica College, NY. She has a diverse background in clinical and administrative experience in several health systems, internationally and domestically. Mrs. Gomez has extensive experience working with Accountable Care Organizations and Clinically Integrated Networks improving and increasing quality performance of HEDIS measures. She completed La Mesa Mentorship Program through NALHE. Mrs. Gomez benefits from the program from day one and she is looking forward to contributing and pass her learnings to earlier healthcare carriers. Her passion remains the same as when she graduated from medical school: to serve and to innovate patient care.

Name:
Isabella Riesco

Board Role:
Chair of Social Media

Email:
iriesco@nalhe.org

Professional Title:
Community Presenter

Organization:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

Bio:
Isabella Nicole Riesco is a 21 year old second generation Florida native of Spaniard and Colombian dissent. Isabella is currently enrolled at Valencia College where she is pursuing her Associate Degree in Liberal Arts after which she intends to transfer to the University of Central Florida to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. She speaks English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. Her future plans include becoming a doctorate level psychologist where she can pursue her dream of helping others with mental illness and various other mental health conditions. Isabella has also considered pursuing her medical degree in psychiatry. In addition to engaging in volunteer community service at various local organizations, Isabella is also a self-published author. In 2021 she published a compilation of poems titled, “Is There Anybody Left?”. This creative writing process, which served as a cathartic experience for Isabella, was an eight year endeavor which culminated in fifty short poems through which she shares her emotional and social experiences and interactions while navigating the world with Bipolar Disorder. In March 2021 Isabella became an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Leadership Executives (NALHE).