El Centro de las Americas executive director resigns

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By MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

The executive director of the community center El Centro de las Americas abruptly resigned this week, saying  recent decisions by the board of directors has created an “irreconcilable division.”

Specifically, Carmela Sanchez de Jimenez cited her recent testimony to the Lincoln Board of Education concerning the closing of Hawthorne Elementary and her “refusal to compromise” her support of English Language Learner parents.

Sanchez de Jimenez told the school board on Oct. 23 that Spanish-speaking ELL parents didn’t feel the district wanted to have a dialogue with them.

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Carmela Sanchez de Jimenez, executive director of El Centro de las Americas

Carmela Sanchez de Jimenez, executive director of El Centro de las Americas

Later that night, the board voted to close Hawthorne Elementary, which is an ELL site. Most of the ELL students will go to Hartley, their neighborhood school.

Oscar Rios, chairman of the board of directors, said board members did tell Sanchez de Jimenez they were unhappy about the lack of communication with the board about her work with the ELL families and the meetings they had. 

But they were not at all upset that she advocated for them or that she spoke to the board, he said.

“No, we were not unhappy … that she met with Latino families, that she advocated with those families,” Rios said. “We were unhappy that there was a breakdown in communication because we could have been more effective in taking that message back to the Board of Education.”

Rios and another board member are liaisons with LPS and the Latino community and have a lot of information they would have liked to share with families, he said.

Also, they could have shared the families’ concerns with LPS officials, he said.

Rios said they worked hard to keep families informed about the situation at Hawthorne.

Sanchez de Jimenez felt that because the board members were liaisons working with LPS they would not be advocates for the families, Rios said.

But he disagrees.

“We have advocated for families for nine years and advocating is part of my work.”

He said he doesn’t want the families they serve to think the board of directors is against advocating for them.

The Journal Star, which obtained a copy of Sanchez de Jimenez’s resignation letter, could not reach her for comment.

With better communication between the board and Sanchez de Jimenez, they could have avoided misunderstandings, Rios said.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to avoid, this very issue of our families feeling like there’s no one who wants to talk to them. This was the perfect forum for a conversation.”

Board member Barb Baier had offered to speak to the families, Rios said.

Earlier this week, Sanchez de Jimenez left her post abruptly, e-mailing her resignation to another board member and not returning to the center. Rios said board members have been unable to contact her.

In her letter of resignation, Sanchez de Jimenez also mentioned disagreement over her efforts to collaborate with another non-profit organization. She said she prefers not to work under a micromanagement style of leadership.

Rios said the board is still unclear about all of her reasons for resigning.

“We were surprised by her decision to leave and disappointed not to have had the opportunity to address her concerns,” he said. “We would have been more than willing to sit down with Carmela and work through any differences we may have had.”

The board of directors is looking for an interim director and hopes to find a new executive director soon.

In the meantime, the center, which used to be known as the Hispanic Community Center, will remain open and continue to offer all its programs.

In her letter of recognition, Sanchez de Jimenez said she had spent the past two years focusing on rebuilding the organization, developing new programs, forming partnerships and seeking opportunities for collaborations. Primarily, she wanted to be an advocate for the Latino community.

“I am very proud of what has been accomplished in the very short period of time with very limited resources,” she said. She commended the dedicated staff and corps of volunteers.

Rios agreed with Sanchez de Jimenez on those points.

“We are very appreciative of and thankful for Carmela Sanchez’s work and efforts to advance the work of the center in this community,” he said.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com