Llano Grande Staff

Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D. - Executive Director

Francisco, who co-founded the Llano Grande Center, is a former high school teacher who is now a professor of educational leadership at the University of Texas-Pan American. Guajardo began the program with a vision of motivating local students to become educated citizens and active members of their communities. As a former public school teacher, now a professor of educational leadership, he applies his first-hand experience daily through interaction with leaders in the educational field in South Texas. In this capacity, he researches many of the challenges and best practices that are pertinent in today's classroom.

Delia Pérez - Associate Director

Delia was one of the first students involved in establishing the annual East Coast college trips at Edcouch-Elsa High School that over the years has led to more than 50 Delta Area students attending Ivy League schools. Delia graduated from Yale University in 1997, returning to teach at EEHS. She later went on to earn her master's degree in public policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She has been employed with the Center since it's formalization in 1997.

Olga Cardoso - Director of Youth Programs

Olga is a product of the Center, having gone through the program and graduating from Edcouch-Elsa High School in 2001. She returned home after graduating from Southwestern University in 2005 with the intent of working toward community change and became a program director for La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), a non-profit that helps communities organize for positive change. Always having remained close to the work, she joined Llano Grande's staff in 2007.

Juan Ozuna - Director of Community Programs and Outreach

Juan graduated from Yale University in 2000 with a degree in English/creative writing. He brings experience as a journalist and a grant writer to his position coordinating communications and development for Llano Grande. Juan worked as a reporter with The Monitor, the largest daily newspaper in South Texas. He later worked with a local school district as the director of development, helping to raise more than $1 million in over a year, and as a journalism teacher, before joining the Llano Grande staff in 2005.

Yvette Rodriguez - Office Manager

Yvette worked with Llano Grande for a few years during and after high school providing video and photography training to students before leaving to pursue full-time studies. She returned to manage the day-to-day operations of Llano Grande in 2005.