Rossana P. Ali Salgado
Rocklin,CA
Summary
Advocate and devoted mother of two children with special needs, including Down syndrome, and hearing loss. As a Parent Leader at La Familia, I used my analytical and communication skills to tailor resources for families, lead workshops, and create a peer mentorship program. My leadership helped build a supportive community, improving family engagement and support.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Parent Leader
La Familia
Hayward, CA
04.2018 - Current
- Segment clients and families based on their needs or areas of concern and send tailored resources to each group. This makes the information more relevant and actionable.
- Simplify information on how clients can access services, including step-by-step guides. Sometimes families need help navigating systems, so making materials easy to digest is important.
- Make use of emails, text messages, social media, and phone calls to ensure all families are reached through their preferred communication method.
- When co-facilitating workshops, try to create interactive sessions (e.g., group discussions, Q&A, role-playing exercises) to increase participant involvement and retention.
- Send out surveys before the workshop to assess participants' expectations and knowledge gaps. This will help tailor the training sessions more effectively.
- After each workshop, provide families with summaries, resources, or key takeaways to help them apply what they learned in their own situations.
- Introduce a peer mentorship system where experienced parents can mentor new families, which will build stronger community bonds and improve the support system.
- Rotate the topics based on the feedback you receive to ensure that parents are discussing the issues that are most important to them. You could even introduce specific “theme months” (e.g., one month on education resources, another on respite care, etc.).
- Offering virtual participation options could increase engagement from families who may find it difficult to attend in person.
- Ensure the environment is inclusive, respectful, and welcoming to all families, regardless of their background or experiences.
- Set Clear Goals: Before each Local Advisory Committee (LAC) meeting, set clear objectives for what you hope to accomplish, and share these with the team to keep everyone on track.
- During the meetings, share positive stories of families benefiting from the program to highlight successes, motivate team members, and drive continued improvements.
- Attend training sessions focused on improving leadership, facilitation, and communication skills to better support parents and families.
- Engage with other programs or professionals who support similar communities to exchange best practices and new ideas for your work.
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Person Centered Planning
Training Resource Network
Saint Augustine, FL07-2020
Some College (No Degree) - Independent Facilitator Training
State Council On Developmental Disabilities
Sacramento, CA04-2020
BSc Industrial Engineering - Focus On Optimizing Processes
Universidad Del Norte
Colombia03-2002
Skills
- Analytical, research, communication, and organizational
- Advocacy and community engagement
- Program development and implementation
- Technology and data management
- Leadership and teamwork
- Ethical knowledge
- Continuous Learning
Languages
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
English
Full Professional
Timeline
Parent Leader
La Familia
04.2018 - Current
Some College (No Degree) - Person Centered Planning
Training Resource Network
Some College (No Degree) - Independent Facilitator Training
State Council On Developmental Disabilities
BSc Industrial Engineering - Focus On Optimizing Processes
Universidad Del Norte
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