Alejandra Zambrano is an honor graduate of Wellesley College from where she double majored in Peace and Justice and Latin American Studies. She obtained a Master’s degree in Spanish and Spanish American Literatures from The University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at the same institution. Alejandra has taught Spanish, English, and Portuguese since 1999. She has also worked on the creation of digital professional movie segments, documentaries, and teaching modules for the study of Spanish and Portuguese as second languages. She completed a portfolio in Nonprofit Management from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin. Alejandra is the Founder and Executive Director of La Poderosa Media Project.

Jorge García has over twelve years of experience teaching at various levels in different countries. He obtained a PhD in Hispanic Literature from The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught Spanish for seven years. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. In the past, he has written, produced, and edited instructional videos, short-films, and documentaries. He is the Curricular Coordinator both of the Language and the Video Program for La Poderosa Media Project. Also, Jorge teaches the Advanced Spanish level and conducts the story and script component of the video workshop. “Working for La Poderosa Media Project is a great opportunity to build bridges between different cultures, as well as to generate empowerment amongst Latin American youth.”

Joseph M. Pierce completed his undergraduate studies at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, received a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Hispanic literature at the same university. His interests include 19th and 20th century Southern Cone literature, gender and sexuality studies, and processes of nation formation.He is currently one of the editors in chief of Pterodáctilo, the academic and literary journal sponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Texas at Austin.  He serves as the Communication Director of La Poderosa Media Project.

Pilar Zambrano completed her undergraduate studies at Universidad San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador from where she majored in 3D Animation with a minor in Illustration. Since then, she has created web pages for various companies and has done freelance work for  local and international production companies. As part of La Poderosa Media Project, Pilar teaches the Storyboard and the Still Photography modules of  our video workshops. She is also the creator of our institutional image, logo and website, and currently serves as the Production and Art Coordinator of our Ecuador Office.

Joel Maysonet is a multi-media professional with over eight years of experience working on all different stages of media production.  He received his Master's degree in TV and Film in 2005 and since then has completed a variety of short films, documentaries, and a television pilot. He currently works with RebelRebel, a production company in Austin, Texas, as senior designer and editor, where he has completed projects for Dell, BMW, and the PGA Tour among others. Prior to his position at RebelRebel, he served as creative services manager for KAKW Univision 62. Since 2009, Joel collaborates with La Poderosa Media Project as Video Instructor.

Lorna Torrado is a doctoral student at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to her research on Caribbean literature she has seven years of language teaching experience in her native country of Puerto Rico and the US. She has taught all college language levels, professional, and MBA Spanish courses. She brings to La Poderosa Media Project her passion for teaching through real language and cultural immersion.

Cesar I. Taboada is a doctoral student in Hispanic American literature at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also teaches Spanish. He has a year and a half of teaching experience in the middle school level.  He is a member of La Poderosa Media Project since the summer of 2009, when he participated in the Bahía de Caráquez project in Ecuador.  Being a part of the organization is a great satisfaction given that it allows him to establish contact with Latin American and American youth, and hopefully have a positive influence in the their lives.  He is in charge of giving the conversational Spanish classes and assisting instructors during video workshops.

María Giulianna Zambrano is a doctoral student of Spanish American Literature at The University of Texas at Austin, where she also is a language instructor. Before starting her graduate studies in the United States, she was awarded a BA in International Relations from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). She later completed two Masters degrees in Political Science from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Quito, Ecuador and Hispanic Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. As part of La Poderosa Media Project, she combines her interests in teaching language with the possibility of providing new skills to young people in Latin America.