Team - Equipo - Equipe

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Dr. Analucía Lopezrevoredo (she/ella) is a Peruvian-American sociologist and bridgebuilder, known for her advocacy and research on human migration, immigrant identity development and global Jewish communities. 

In 2019, Analucía founded Jewtina y Co., cultivating a global community where Latin Jews can explore and celebrate the rich mosaic of Latin-Jewish peoplehood. Prior to Jewtina y Co., she played a pivotal role at organizations like JIMENA, OneTable, and Bend the Arc, where she pioneered frameworks that deepened the understanding of multicultural Jewish identity.  

Analucía is a 2004 National Young Woman of Distinction award recipient and is currently serving her second Fulbright appointment in Toronto, Canada. She sits on the boards of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and American Jewish World Service (AJWS), where she contributes to global Jewish and human rights initiatives. Analucía is also an active member of the Schusterman Foundation's ROI Community and an alumna of several prestigious leadership programs, including Elluminate’s Collective, the Wexner Foundation’s Field Fellowship, and the Selah Leadership Program.

A passionate global citizen, Analucía has traveled to over 150 countries across all seven continents and speaks five languages—embodying a lifelong commitment to global diplomacy and intercultural understanding. She is a sought-after facilitator and speaker who has led programs in countries including Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Greece, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Panama, Peru, Russia, Thailand, and Trinidad and Tobago. Across these diverse contexts, she brings an intersectional lens and a deep dedication to cultural bridge-building, helping communities engage with identity, belonging, and collective resilience on a global scale.

Rabbi April Villarreal (she/they) is a Senior Coach and Content & Program Associate with Pedagogy of Partnership. She has worked in Jewish education for thirteen years as a classroom teacher and administrator in Jewish day schools during which she was awarded the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators. 

She has also worked as an Education Consultant for various Jewish education organizations throughout North America. 

At the center of all of her work is the belief in Judaism’s ability to help people discover and nourish their best selves.  April has studied in multiple batei midrash and completed a full course of rabbinic study under Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo. A graduate of UCLA in the Study of Religion, she also holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the American Jewish University. 

Dr. David McCarty-Caplan (he/él) was born in Bogotá, Colombia and adopted and raised in a Jewish family in the United States. His experience as a transnational adoptee profoundly shaped his personal and professional interest in the complexities of identity development and social justice. 

David earned a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Illinois- Chicago, and is a renowned researcher, educator, writer, and speaker passionate about collaborative problem solving and data-driven solutions to organizational and social problems. As a researcher, evaluator, and consultant, David's work focuses on culturally responsive and anti-oppressive methodology grounded in concepts of equity and inclusion, with particular attention to affirmation of historically marginalized communities. He is currently spearheading the Shades of Belonging study, sponsored by the Jews of Color Initiative, aimed at examining  the intersections of race, religion and adoption among Jewish adoptees of color.

David is a past fellow of both the PUENTES Fellowship  (Jewtina y Co.) and Selah Fellowship (Bend the Arc), reflecting his commitment to diverse and inclusive community initiatives. Moreover, his scholarly contributions were recognized in 2019 when he authored the "Best Empirical Article of the Year" for the esteemed Journal of Social Work Education, underscoring his dedication to academic excellence and impactful research.

Rabbi Juán Mejía (he/him) was born in Bogotá, Colombia, to a Catholic family.  Discovering the Jewish roots of his family and falling in love with Judaism led Juán to convert, and later to pursue the rabbinate. 

He was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2009.  For the past 15 years, Rabbi Juán has been creating Torah resources in Spanish both in print and online. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Rabbi Abby Jacobson, and their three Jewtino children.

Kimberly Ariella Dueñas (she/ella) is a California native with a global spirit. Born into a multicultural home, she discovered that the best way to explore her dynamic Jewish identity was to immerse and involve herself in the world - beginning with tracing her roots to rural El Salvador and across Europe.

An international Jewish educator, Kimberly Ariella is passionate about providing a safe space for people to develop deeper connections to their Latin and Jewish identities. Her passion for community healing, led her to join the Jewtina y Co. team as a founding member and the Director of Learning in charge of innovative identity, community and wellbeing programming. Prior to working with Jewtina y Co. she was an experiential Jewish educator in Los Angeles, CA and volunteer educator at the Jewish Community Center in Mumbai, India.

Kimberly Ariella is a graduate of the American Jewish University, where she was selected to be the valedictorian of her graduating class. She is a former JDC Entwine Jewish Service Corps Fellow and community representative, a Selah Fellowship (Bend the Arc) and Kollel Fellowship (Mitsui Collective) alumna,  is a member of the Schusterman Foundation's ROI community, and was one of five emerging Jewish educators nationwide to receive the Pomegranate Prize in 2024.

Ruben Rais (he/él) is a Colombian born, Israel and U.S. raised, Jewish educator currently residing in the vibrant heart of Bogotá, Colombia. His current work revolves around the meticulous renovation and redevelopment of two striking colonial houses centrally located in the an old Jewish neighborhood of La Candelaria. Before his return to Bogotá in 2019, Rubén spent several years in Tel Aviv as the co-owner and manager of the legendary Anna Loulou bar in the Jaffa district. 

Parallel to his career in hospitality, Rubén also delved into the world of Jewish education, crafting and delivering programs aimed at engaging young adults in their Jewish identities and heritage. His passion for teaching and fostering connections to Judaism shone through in his work. Today, though Rubén's professional journey has shifted back to Colombia, his commitment to Jewish education remains strong. He continues to enlighten and inspire small groups of friends and community members by teaching Torah, preserving his bond to his roots and nurturing the spirit of Jewish learning in his community.

Sofía Peirano-Friedman (she/ella) is a proud Jewish American of Nicaraguan and Peruvian descent. Originally from San Francisco, she studied Middle Eastern Studies and Social Justice Anthropology at Tufts University. 

Sofía is passionate about community-building, education, and tikkun olam, and finds immense joy in reading, hiking, cooking, and dancing to Bad Bunny. Having often wrestled with how to harmonize her Jewish and Latinx identities, she’s excited to join Jewtina and help uplift the vibrant stories and cultural richness of the Jewtinx community.

Violeta Stolpen (she/ella) is a proud Mexican-American Jewtina immigrant and serves as Jewtina y Co.'s first Director of Operations- NYC. She loves engaging others in her family and community's diverse, multicultural customs and celebrations. 

Dedicated to community and economic development, she has served in the nonprofit and for-profit spaces helping historically marginalized individuals and entrepreneurs access affordable capital and supportive services. Her career has taken her from supporting garment manufacturers and designers with the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York City to securing funding for community services and affordable housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. She is an active volunteer with Jewish Family Services of Delaware on their Refugee Integration Support Effort, supporting individuals from across the globe including countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Rwanda, and Ukraine. 

Violeta holds a Masters in Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Bucknell University. Violeta has lived in Washington, D.C., New York City, Long Beach, CA, and calls home wherever her partner and 2 toddlers are. 

Yasmin Safdie (she/ella) was born in Israel and grew up in Argentina and Brazil before arriving in the United States at the age of fifteen. She holds a BA in Social Welfare from U.C. Berkeley and a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University. 

For the last 15 years, Yasmin has dedicated her professional career to providing mental health services to underserved communities. She has worked in a variety of settings as a clinical case manager, psychotherapist, and director of multiple community mental health programs across Los Angeles. Throughout her work, she has also participated in various research projects funded at the local, state, and federal level, examining different aspects of access to healthcare and experiences of healthcare services by traditionally underserved communities. 

Yasmin’s work is guided by a personal commitment to social justice, cultural humility, the belief in dignity and worth of every human life, and a desire to bring healing to society through the power of community and radical love.

She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and can manage a conversational Hebrew level.