|
|
| Who We Are Maria L. Ugarte-Ramos, M. A.
Maria L. Ugarte-Ramos, M. A. is the President of FAMA Enterprises, LLC and the Founder of the FAMA Bilingual Center for Family Wellness. She earned a Master of Arts Degree in Social Service Administration and Certification in Health Administration and Policy from The University of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from DePaul University’s School for New Learning. Maria has actively worked toward reducing language barriers most of her life. She is passionate about health education, prevention and making a difference in the Latino community. She has been a family caregiver for various members of her family and of her husband since 2001 when he suffered a stroke that left him disabled. Maria's premise is that we all have been or will be a caregiver in our own families at one time or another and we face culturally-specific challenges that make it more difficult. Maria has thirty years of business experience and nearly twenty years of experience in non-profit management. She is fluent in English and Spanish and has been an freelance writer, translator and consultant across various settings such as medical, finance, social services and corporate America.
Maria is skilled at interpreting organizational needs, implementing strategies to meet goals and achieving optimal results in response to community needs. She is the former Chief Operating Officer of an educational agency in Chicago's inner city serving Latino students and their families. She has held two executive director positions with advocacy, counseling and prevention programs in community-based settings and established a successful business in aerobics and nutrition. Maria led special programs to improve health care services for patients and their families at the University of Chicago Hospitals. In Denver, Colorado, she composed and translated TV and radio commercials and manuals to educate the public about financial health. Maria also designed an award-winning, city-wide, health education program while at the Chicago Department of Health. She has been recognized for her volunteer work in crisis intervention with runaway youth and has experience with the developmentally disabled, the elderly and stroke survivors. Recently, Maria became a certified facilitator by AgeOptions in Tomando Control de Su Salud, a training program developed by Stanford University to teach community members how to manage a chronic illness in a healthy way.
Currently, Maria is a part-time faculty member of DePaul University’s School for New Learning where she teaches lessons about nonprofit settings and mentors adults in an individualized, competence-based undergraduate degree program. She also participates as an: Member - DePaul University Alumni Association
 Fausto I. Ramos Gómez, M. A.
Fausto I. Ramos Gómez, M. A. is the Vice-President of FAMA Enterprises, LLC. He earned two Master’s Degrees, one from the University of Connecticut in Latin American Studies and the other from The University of Chicago in Political Science. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Mercy College. Fausto is an educator, researcher, political scientist and expert on bilingual education and race relations. He is fluent in English and Spanish and has been an interpreter and translator across several states. Fausto conducted extensive research on bilingual education in major cities with significant Latino populations. As a researcher, he conducted interviews with key community and political leaders in Houston, Hartford, Denver and Chicago to evaluate public educational systems. Fausto served as a Professor at Metropolitan State College of Colorado and Colorado State University. He also served as the Director of Law Admissions at the University of Connecticut and at Arizona State University.
Fausto was a board member of the Child Opportunity Program and Padres Unidos, an advocacy parent group that empowers parents to gain knowledge about education for their children in Denver, Colorado. He was a voter canvasser and poll watcher for former Illinois State Senator Miguel del Valle. As an Education Program Officer for the Joyce Foundation, he granted funds to organizations dedicated to educational initiatives in the city of Chicago and at the national level. Fausto was the winning Campaign Manager for the successful political campaign of State Representative Fran Coleman of Denver, Colorado.
Currently, Fausto participates as an:
Fausto has participated in various educational conferences to present his research findings about:
“The Limits of Latino Political Empowerment,” Eyes on the Mosaic Conference, The University of Chicago
“Access for Minorities in Legal Education,” Law School Admissions Council
“Defining Hispanics for the Purposes of Affirmative Action,” Connecticut Association of Latin Americans in
Higher Education
“Recruiting and Graduating the Minority Graduate Student,” New England Association of Graduate Admissions Professional
“Automating the Admissions Office using a Personal Computer,” New England Association of Graduate Admissions Professional
“Minority Recruitment and Retention in U. S. Law Schools,” Ontario, Canada Association of Law Schools
Both Maria and Fausto share the bicultural experience first-hand since both emigrated to the United States at a very young age with their families; Maria from Callao, Peru to Chicago and Fausto from Guayaquil, Ecuador to New York City. Through FAMA, they each hope to make a significant contribution and are deeply committed to making a difference by promoting effective communication across language barriers. Business writing and translation services are viewed as tools to improve communication and thereby, reducing such barriers. The ultimate outcome is to equip individuals and organizations with a greater capacity to communicate effectively for optimal success.
| |
|
|