Meet the EL ARCA Team
EL ARCA would not be what it is today without caring, remarkable staff members who strive to empower our community. Our nurses, educators, caretakers and drivers are committed to those with developmental disabilities, and we’re just as committed to our staff members.
Administration
Dr. John Menchaca
President and CEO of EL ARCA
John M. Menchaca has been the President/CEO of EL ARCA since 2008 and oversees over 60 employees and 4 service programs. He has dedicated over 20 years of his professional life to helping persons with developmental disabilities. Dr. Menchaca grew up in Lincoln Heights and attended East Los Angeles Community College. He has a B.A. from Cal State Los Angeles and completed a Masters in Public Administration from La Verne University and now obtains a Doctorate Degree from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Menchaca’ s tenure at EL ARCA started as an instructor in the classrooms. He was then promoted to program director of the Adult Day Programs. Within a few years, when the Vice-Presidency position was created, EL ARCA management knew that John Menchaca had the will and dedication to take on that position. Dr.. Menchaca believes in empowering the employees and seeks feedback as well as ideas.
Dr. Menchaca obtained his Doctorate in Social Work in 2019 from the University of Southern California.
Karina A. Andrade
Vice President of Programs
Ms. Andrade is working towards her Doctorate degree in Public Administration and has two masters (MBA/MPA). She worked in the manufacturing industry for 10 years prior to entering the non-profit sector and joining EL ARCA as the Human Resources Manager. She worked up the ladder to now holding the Vice Presidency of Programs. Ms. Andrade values treating others the way that she would want to be treated, and believes that every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. She is dedicated to helping our students reach their potential.
Managing Program Staff
Melissa Carrillo
Program Director
Melissa has been working at EL ARCA, INC. since 2014. She has had the opportunity to work at both facilities located at Los Angeles and Bell. Through out the years she has had the opportunity to grow at EL ARCA in different job positions such as kitchen coordinator, Front desk/administration, accounting dept, supervisor and now her current position Program Director.
In 2019, Melissa obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational and Corporate Communication from the University of Texas- El Paso (UTEP). Her main focus as a Program Director is making sure that the individuals who have developmental disabilities have the support to enable them to achieve their optimum functional and cognitive levels in order to achieve the greatest quality of life possible.
Olga Martinez
Director of Transportation
Mrs. Martinez has worked with EL ARCA for 29 wonderful years. After graduating high school, she volunteered at EL ARCA as a program aid for about eight months in the classroom before getting hired full-time. She served as the Folklorico Instructor and would take participants out into their community to perform for audiences including Gloria Molina, L.A.’s Chief of Police, the Mayor, and quite a few council members. Ms. Martinez attained a Class B driver’s license and started helping out as a back-up driver when needed.
She also led EL ARCA’s community outings for 16 years and was the A.D.S.C Supervisor for one year, supervising staff, attending to consumer needs and ensuring communication with parents and service coordinators at the regional center, all while documenting goals, progress, and important paperwork. Her current responsibilities include supervising the drivers on their routes and handling any situation that deals with transportation, including partnering with the C.H.P and Cal-Trans to keep all EL ARCA vehicles up to code. Ms. Martinez believes that you should treat people how you want to be treated, and that it’s okay to make mistakes — as long as you learn from them to improve yourself and those around you!
Angela Rivera
Transportation Supervisor
Ms. Rivera began her career at EL ARCA more than six years ago. During that time she has assisted the Transportation Direction with many duties and is now the Transportation Supervisor. Ms. Rivera is responsible for daily vehicle inspections and maintenance, verifying and ensuring documentation is accurate and complete and most importantly, scheduling routes to ensure that all of our clients are picked up or dropped off at the appropriate time.
Angela stresses the importance of being a driver at EL ARCA, knowing that the parents have entrusted us with the safety their child. Not only do we assure that their children are safe, but we also give them the satisfaction of knowing that their child is being treated with love, respect and care.
Angela has learned to be patient, but more importantly, to be more compassionate with everyone. Angela believes that “our attitude is a reflection of our workplace.” She loves working at EL ARCA.
Martha Tiscareno
Registered Nurse, Community-Based Adult Service
Ms. Tiscareno earned her Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Rio Hondo College. Prior to joining EL ARCA as a registered nurse, she worked as a CNA and in convalescent assistance. At EL ARCA she helps maintain participants’ health, monitors for safety, assists them with their daily living skills and teaches them how to live healthfully and independently. Her personal philosophy for improving quality of life is to always seek information to better prepare for a better tomorrow.
If you are interested in employment or volunteering with EL ARCA, please click on the links.
