El Centro chooses Siragusa as leader

Correction: Due to a reporting error, the Oct. 22 article "El Centro chooses Siragusa as leader" misidentified UNC's Highway Safety Research Center.

Advocacy group El Centro Latino ended its search for a new executive director Thursday when it named local activist Tina Siragusa to the position.

The board began its search for a new director when Hector Perez stepped down from the position Oct. 15 after serving as executive director of the nonprofit organization for two years.

"As the new executive director of El Centro Latino, I would like to continue the good work the board and former director have already done and to continue the vision toward advocation and serving the Latino community, which makes up approximately 13 percent of our community," Siragusa said.

Siragusa comes to El Centro Latino from the University's Highway Safety Resource Center, where she worked in the Child Passenger Safety Department. She said she will begin work at El Centro on Nov. 8.

"There's so many things the board has planned for this year," she said. "I'm looking forward to working with a fabulous staff."

In her new job, Siragusa said, she hopes to promote greater advocacy and increase the number of Latinos in community leadership positions.

Winkie La Force, president of El Centro Latino, said Siragusa possesses a variety of professional and personal qualities the board was looking for in a new director.

She cited Siragusa's background in advocacy, health issues and education, as well as her experience with nonprofits and her commitment to working in Orange County.

Siragusa gained experience working with Latinos from living, working and volunteering in Costa Rica and by dealing with health issues as director of Centro: La Comunidad, an Alamance County Latino organization, for three years.

"Our goal was to find someone very committed to the community which El Centro serves," La Force said.

Amber Hall, El Centro's associate director, shared La Force's enthusiasm for the qualities Siragusa brings to the organization.

"She has a lot of experience working in programming and other nonprofits," Hall said. "She has a wonderful personality. I think she'll be an asset to El Centro Latino."

La Force said Siragusa already has experience working with El Centro Latino.

"Tina actually served on the board of El Centro Latino for a while," said La Force. "We were actually very lucky to get to know her before we hired her in another role. We were all very impressed with her honesty, attention to detail, passion for the Latino community and her past work."

La Force said Siragusa came with a reputation for dedication.

"When we talked to people who had worked with her before, we got a real trend on the fact that Tina has a passion and compassion for the Latino community," she said.

Siragusa, a Chapel Hill resident, received both her bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She speaks Italian and Spanish in addition to English and has two children.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.