Board of Directors

Andrea Paret
Mary J. Treglia Community House

Treasurer

Andrea Paret joined the Unity in Action Board of Directors with a strong commitment to and involvement with the Hispanic/Latino community. She has two B.S. and a master’s degree in education and is fluent in English, Spanish and German. She has many years of experience in teaching in early childhood settings as well as teaching adult English Language classes, parenting classes and teacher education classes. For three years, she led an education department with a non-profit organization in Guatemala. Currently she is working as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative offering legal immigration services with Mary J Treglia Community House.
Dr. Wilfrido Suarez
Briar Cliff University

Board Presid​ent

The director of Hispanic Studies at Briar Cliff University, Dr. Suarez, has a strong history of
working in the higher education industry. Proven education professional with a Ph. D. in Modern Languages and Literature, focused in Spanish from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Dr. Wilfrido Suárez is an Associate Professor of Spanish and the Director of the Spanish Program Languages at Briar Cliff University. In 2015, Dr Suárez developed a series of Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Courses to increase the readiness of nurse practitioners to care for underserved populations in the Midwest. These graduate, undergraduate, and non-degree online/hybrid courses are devoted to studying medical Spanish terminology and the cultural issues related to successful interactions with Spanish-speaking patients and their families in clinical encounters.

Dr. Suárez received the 2021 Teacher of the Year Award from the South Dakota World Languages Association. He has been a Unity in Action board member since 2019; in his current role, he serves as the board President for the only Latino-led nonprofit organization in Siouxland.
Cicely Douglas
South Sioux City Public Library

Board Secretary

Cicely Douglas is the Director of the South Sioux City Public Library in the City of South Sioux, where Cicely oversees all library
operations. A librarian for fifteen years, Cicely began her career working with children and teens, and moved to gain experience in adult reference, and teaching classes for seniors.

Cicely has a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She enjoys learning about people and human interaction. An interest that originates from her multicultural Afro-Caribbean background with Latinx, European,
and Indigenous roots.

Cicely received her Master’s in Library Science from Florida State University. She has contributed to the field by writing book reviews
for Library Journal, presenting programming ideas at conferences, and advising for an intern program for the Association of Rural and Small Libraries.

Cicely is passionate about learning as well as building strong communities. She believes everyone deserves to have access to
resources in order to succeed.
Dr. Daniel Jung
Briar Cliff University

Board Member

Stephanie Rodriguez
Bank First

Board Member

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