Juan José Lopez is the Director of the Bureau of Migrant, Refugee, and Labor Services in the Division of Employment and Training of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and a leading advocate on Latino/ Hispanic issues in Wisconsin. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, he received a B.A. in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves on the Latino Chamber of Commerce, the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Madison and the Latino Support Network, which he helped found. He is a former Executive Director for Briarpatch and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and served on the Board of Education for the Madison Metropolitan School District for 12 years.

Judy has worked in the long term care industry for the past 19 years. She is a state certified Social Worker and a state licensed Nursing Home Administrator. She lives on Madison’s south side with Gregory, her husband of 19 years, and their two daughters. Their youngest daughter, Ashleigh, will be a fourth grader at Nuestro Mundo Community School in the 2008-09 academic year. Judy has served on the NMI Board as a parent liaison, Secretary and as the current Vice-Chair. In her spare time, Judy is active in sports including triathlon, kayaking and soccer, and engages in creative writing.

Grant is the father of two future Nuestro Mundo students: Sage and Kai. He lives on Madison's east side with his wife, Jennifer. Grant has worked in the field of education through Centro Hispano's Juventud program, MMSD's Safe Haven program on Allied Drive, a bilingual kindergarten in Washington State, and as a middle-school Spanish teacher through Teach For America in Baltimore, MD. He is currently the Manager of Interpreter Services at Dean Health System and is committed to bicultural/bilingual education.

Ana began teaching at Nuestro Mundo when the school opened in 2004. She is currently a graduate student at UW Madison and teaches part time. She is involved with NMI because she believes that NMI is doing what is best for all children, especially Latino students. Ana believes that providing a dual language environment for kids is an excellent gift.

Amelia Jones Enwemnwa currently serves on the Executive Board as Treasurer for Nuestro Mundo, Inc. Amelia started her volunteer service with the organization as Co-Chair of the Community Outreach Committee. Her eldest son currently attends Nuestro Mundo Community School. Amelia works in Direct Mail at CUNA Mutual Group and is a lifetime resident of Madison. She holds a BBA in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Bryan Grau has been a teacher in Madison, Racine and Los Angeles for over 25 years. He serves on the Wisconsin Charter School Association and is a member of the Madison Teachers Inc., WEAC, NEA, and AFT. Bryan has a BS in Education and a Masters degree in Educational Curriculum and Instruction from the UW-Madison. Bryan is a co-founder of Nuestro Mundo Incorporated and of the Nuestro Mundo Community School as well as a former board chair. Bryan is the recipient of the 2008 Roberto G. Sánchez Award, given by Centro Hispano to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to promoting the academic achievement of Latino students.

Sergio is a fifth-year UW-Madison student majoring in Secondary Education, History, Spanish and Integrated Liberal Studies. Originally from Milwaukee, WI, Sergio was raised in a bilingual household where he was taught to appreciate the melding of two diverse languages and cultures. Interested in bilingual education and the benefits it brings for both students and their surrounding communities, Sergio hopes to continue teaching the social, economic, and cultural importance of language learning in the classroom. In his spare time, Sergio enjoys reading about Mexican history, running, and rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Peter is the married father of two girls, one of whom is a first grader at Nuestro Mundo. He is a founding member of Nuestro Mundo, Inc. He holds a Master’s Degree in Horticulture from the UW Madison. In his professional life, Peter served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala from 1981 — 1984. He started two potato biotech companies between 1988 and 2001 and owned a potato chip company in Kazakhstan from 1998-2001. He currently works as a consultant for US seed potato exports. Peter would like to see his children become fully biligual. He himself started learning Spanish at age 22 and firmly believes that a strong foundation in acquiring other languages is more easily possible when begun at an early age. Peter believes that a dual immersion education is a benefit to both Spanish- and English-dominant cultures.

Maya A. Martinez-Hart was born in Mexico, where her family still lives. She came to the United States as an intern to teach Spanish at Castleton State College in Vermont. In Mexico, she taught English and graduated with a bachelor's degree in teaching English as a Foreign Language. She and her husband then moved to Colorado, where she became a Montessori teacher, teaching first through third grades. After a few years, they moved to Madison and she began working with the Madison Metropolitan School District as an interpreter for the early childhood special education department. She is currently in her third year of teaching with MMSD as a fourth grade teacher at Nuestro Mundo Community School. She is also in her last year of earning her doctorate, which has allowed her to grow immensely as a teacher. She lives in Madison with her husband and three dogs.

Adeliza Martinez MacLeod lives on Madison’s East side with her husband and two children. Her eldest son is currently enrolled in Nuestro Mundo Community School. Adeliza currently works for Dean Health System managing the training environments and training. She has a master’s degree in Education, Communications, and Technology from UW-Madison. Growing up in a bilingual household, Adeliza has understood the importance of being bilingual and the benefit it will have for her children.