The Board of Directors of DWDC is pleased to introduce, Ms. Marielys Divanne as the new Executive Director of the Dominican Women's Development Center (DWDC), leading the organization into its next chapter while building on its 37-year legacy of empowering women and strengthening families in the Dominican and Latino community.
Marielys Divanne is a nonprofit executive,
policy strategist, and longtime community organizer with more than twenty-five years of experience advancing education equity and social justice.
Born in the Dominican Republic and a first-generation college graduate, Marielys has led citywide coalitions and major public initiatives across New York City. She previously served as Executive Director of Educators for Excellence-New York and as Senior Advisor to the NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives, guiding key education and equity efforts. She is also the Founder of Futuro Solutions, advising foundations and school systems on strategy and stakeholder engagement.
Marielys holds a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University, a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and English Literature from Boston College, and a certificate in Leadership, Organizing, and Action from Harvard Kennedy School's Executive Education Program.
She has been recognized as a City & State NY Education Power 100 honoree.
Grounded in gratitude for those who paved the way-including DWDC's founding and longstanding leadership-Marielys is honored to lead the Center in partnership with staff, board, and community members to advance safety, dignity, education and opportunity for all.
Dr. Andel V. Nicasio completed her bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Rehabilitation Counseling from Hunter College New York and the other in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida. She completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina with specializations in trauma, telehealth, and mental health disparities research. Dr. Nicasio’s research focuses on (1) addressing health disparities through the development and adaptation of culturally-informed interventions, and (2) the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions using telehealth in low-resourced environments within the United States and internationally. Her research is guided by interdisciplinary and community-based participatory research approaches.
She is a former employee and Board Member of DWDC, currently serving as an Interim Co-Executive Director.
Mama Tingo Child Care & Learning Center Program Director
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Nermis Calderon
Mama Tingo Child Care & Learning Center Program Director
Nermis Calderon was born in The Dominican Republic and came to The United States when she was 14. She graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School where she became fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Nermis Calderon joined DWDC in 2015 as a pre-K teacher, soon after she became the Educational Director for Mama Tingo Learning Center, position that she held for 7 years. For the last two years, she has been Mama Tingo Learning Center Program Director where she offers support to teachers, children and families by sharing resources and training them to strengthen parent-child interactions and child development. In her position, she has supported the community by managing two food pantries and organizing coat drives to support the families in the community. She also works in collaboration with government agencies to support the community. Before joining DWDC, she worked as a teacher for 13 years and was also an accounting tutor at BMCC. As an educator, she has strongly supported and advocated for Bilingual Education as well as the Special Education communities.
Nermis’ Professional Accomplishments
She has an associate’s degree in computer Programming from Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC);
A bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education with a co-major in Business Administration/Accounting; Followed by a master’s degree in special education with a co-major in Child Psychology from City College Of New York (CCNY).
Mama Tingo Child Care & Learning Center Administrative Director
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Felix Arias
Mama Tingo Child Care & Learning Center Administrative Director
Felix E. Arias is a hands-on professional, with a successful record of accomplishments in the human services field, program administration, and early childhood education personnel management. His experience includes: strong leadership, excellent communication skills, competent, strong team player, attention to detail, dutiful respect for compliance in all regulated environments, and all other administrative tasks. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from City University of New York.
He is currently the Administrative Director of the Mamá Tingó Childcare & Education Center of the Dominican Women’s Development Center, providing early childhood education to 110 children since 2015. He was the Administrative Director at La Familia Unida Daycare Center of Alianza Dominicana, Inc. for 21 years.
Karina was born and raised in Mexico City, where her social-political development and sense of justice began. For the past 18 years, Karina Bernabe has been an advocate for battered women. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM). In 2006 she migrated to New York. She experienced firsthand the challenges of being a first-generation immigrant.
Through volunteer work at a nonprofit organization in Queens and later as a staff member at DWDC, Karina has developed a strong understanding of the challenges, gaps of services, and needs of immigrant communities. Karina has been part of the DWDC family of the Nuevo Amanecer anti-domestic violence Program team in several roles since 2008. She became a Program Director in 2015. As Program Director, she has a deep respect and passion for working with women and for women.
As Program Director of Nuevo Amanecer/New Dawn Program, she also co-organizes the Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk, also known as the “Brides’ March,” which memorializes the countless victims who have lost their lives to this violence.
Elizabeth “Liz” Javier, a Dominican immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in the early 1980s, is the Program Director at the Dominican Women’s Development Center.
She leads the Health Promotion Team and oversees La Sala LGBTQ Drop-In Center, serving vulnerable youth. With over 15 years of experience, Liz is dedicated to supporting vulnerable families.
Since 2013, Liz has been a dedicated advocate for HIV awareness through the “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign, working to increase understanding and reduce stigma in marginalized communities. She studied Nursing at Bronx Community College, served as a Paramedic in New York City Emergency Services in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and earned a sound engineering certificate from SAE Institute in 2013. Liz is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology at Southern New Hampshire University, with plans to integrate music therapy into her practice to enhance patients' quality of life.
Through her leadership and advocacy, Liz continues to empower and uplift families and individuals in her community.
