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Final Program


    Florencia Velasco Fortner (she/her/hers)

    The Concilio, Texas

    FLORENCIA VELASCO FORTNER, PRESIDENT & CEO - THE CONCILIO


    Florencia Velasco Fortner is the President and CEO of The Concilio and a daughter of immigrants whose story propels every step she has taken in her career and her commitment to serving others.

    In her decades-long career leading the nonprofit organization, Florencia’s ties to Texas and the families she supports have only grown stronger. An organizer at heart, Florencia believes in a bottom-up approach to inspiring the next generation of Latino leaders. She strongly believes that creating a better world for children starts with cultivating open and collaborative relationships with their parents. Her time with The Concilio is a testament to living out this mission.

    Since Florencia’s tenure at The Concilio began in 2005, she and her team have impacted over 1,000,000 individuals in 28 regional school districts. Florencia leads her team to set the gold standard in programming for Latinos and other diverse communities living in some of our most vulnerable neighborhoods. Ultimately, the work of The Concilio strengthens families, uplifts communities, and helps close gaps in education, health, and economic opportunities.

    Given her career as a recognized thought leader, Latino Leaders Magazine named Florencia one of their “101 Most Influential Latinos,” and she received the 2023 George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation Award, the first Latina ever to earn the honor. The award recognized her career as an expert in parental engagement and Latino equity. Additionally, D Magazine acknowledged Florencia's contributions to the nonprofit sector, specifically in her impactful work benefiting the Latino community in North Texas, by presenting her with the 2023 Leadership Excellence Award.

    Florencia has blazed a trail through her work ethic, empathetic leadership style, and business acumen. Since taking the reins of The Concilio, Florencia has grown the organization from serving 1,000 individuals annually to over 30,000 in 2023.

    In addition to her work with The Concilio, Florencia is a pastor’s wife and serves on the Deaconess board and teaches Sunday School. She is a proud mother of a college student and enjoys spending time with her family.

    Disclosure information not submitted.