Executive Director Biographies

Sonia de Leon – Executive Director of Bakersfield

Sonia De Leon, Deputy Director of the PIQE regional office in Bakersfield, provides leadership and guidance in analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Ms. De Leon is responsible for maintaining a proper organizational structure and affective staff as well as partnering closely with senior management to plan for the future growth of PIQE’s presence in the region and its strategic response to industry and education trends. After more than 20 years of experience working with adults in the educational field in Guatemala, she joined PIQE in 2016 as Associate Director and three years later was promoted to Deputy Director.

Her passion for education and accompanying processes with adults arises from her own family experience.  Her parent’s vision and a strong belief in education led to her being the first in her family to acquire higher education. She has worked in popular organization processes, especially with women, advocating labor and educational rights. She was part of the interdisciplinary team of the Central American Institute of Spirituality where she provided individual and group support to leaders in the process of personal growth.  She instructed a diverse group of international attendees that allowed her to interact with varying cultures resulting in her being selected to provide training to a variety of countries.

With these enriching experiences, Sonia was promoted to Director of Advisers-in-training at the Rafael Landivar University of Guatemala. Under her management, the program grew from serving 250 students to 850 students.  Upon emigrating to the United States, she aspired to continue in the education field so she immediately became involved in learning more about the reality that migrants live in California and shortly afterward she worked as a Consultant at Migrant Program Region III in California where she worked for more than three years conducting workshops for migrant parents to engage in student’s education and promoted the commitment of parents to guide their children to achieve higher education.

Ms. De Leon has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work with Emphasis in Management Development from Rafael Landivar University and a Master of Arts in Human Dynamic and Mental Health from Mariano Galvez, University of Guatemala.  She likes to listen to music, enjoys nature, and dance. Her favorite place to go for a walk with her husband Eduardo is the beach.

Sonia De Leon, Directora Adjunta de la oficina regional de PIQE en Bakersfield, brinda liderazgo y orientación en el análisis y evaluación de la efectividad y eficiencia de las operaciones. La Sra. De Leon es responsable de mantener una estructura organizativa adecuada y un personal eficaz, así como colaborar estrechamente con la alta dirección para planificar el crecimiento futuro de la presencia de PIQE en la región y su respuesta estratégica a las tendencias de la industria y la educación. Después de más de 20 años de experiencia trabajando con adultos en el campo educativo en Guatemala, se incorporó a PIQE en 2016 como Directora Asociada y 3 años después fue promovida como Directora Adjunta. Su pasión por la educación y los procesos de acompañamiento con adultos surge de su propia experiencia familiar. La visión de sus padres y su fuerte creencia en la educación la llevaron a ser la primera en su familia y en su comunidad en adquirir una educación superior. Desde muy temprana edad se dedico a trabajar en procesos de organización popular, especialmente con mujeres, defendiendo los derechos laborales y educativos. Formó parte del equipo interdisciplinario del Instituto Centroamericano de Espiritualidad donde brindó apoyo individual y grupal a líderes en el proceso de crecimiento personal. Ella instruyó a un grupo diverso de asistentes internacionales que le permitieron interactuar con diferentes culturas, lo que la llevó a ser seleccionada para brindar capacitaciones a una variedad de países en Centro América, América del Sur, México y Republica Dominicana. Como resultado de estas enriquecedoras experiencias, Sonia fue promovida a Directora de Asesores en Capacitación de la Universidad Rafael Landívar de Guatemala. Bajo su dirección, el programa pasó de atender a 250 estudiantes a 850 estudiantes. Al emigrar a los EE. UU.,

Christian Maxwell – Executive Director of Bay Area

Originally from Los Angeles, I moved to San Diego at the age of 21 where I lived there for 14 years before I came to the Northern California area. I have 2 Bachelors, 2 Masters, 1 official Doctorate in Human Psychology / Industrial and Organizational Leadership and 1 that I am completing in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in trauma. With over 20 years of experience in non-profit education, I have made it a mission to become an advocate for education and the populations that it serves. Through my years I have worked with community leaders to promote education within the underserved communities.

I have been an advocate for education and the pursuit of quality education for over 15 years. I have enjoyed helping and volunteering my time as a coach, as a mentor, and advocate for students across the nation. It is a goal to help refine the support that is given to families about education.

Each student deserves to have resources that enhance their educational experience. Diverse learning environments have a positive effect on students and how they use their critical thinking skills, their civic commitment, and aids in the preparation to work in a more global economy.

In my spare time I like to read, cook, and I love sports. I have coached youth sports for over 14 years, and it was a very rewarding experience. I am a single parent with two teenagers in college who have volunteered along my side through the years.

Emma Cabrera – Executive Director of Los Angeles

Emma Cabrera serves as the Executive Director of PIQE’s Los Angeles Regional Office. As Executive Director, she provides leadership and guidance by analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of operations.  Ms. Cabrera also maintains proper organizational structure and effective personnel, partnering closely with senior management to plan the future growth of PIQE’s presence in the region, as well as its strategic response to the education and industry trends.  Prior to joining PIQE, Ms. Cabrera was an Associate Director of Education at St. Annes and Regional Site Director at PACE. Ms. Cabrera is also a former Healthy Families, First Five L. A. Program Supervisor at Wellnest.

For over 23 years, Ms. Cabrera has worked in the field of education.  She began her educational career as a room parent and was the Chairperson for the Policy Committee at ABC Child Development and the Chairperson for DELAC at San Gabriel School District. She has worked with students and parents at levels from birth to K in non-profit organizations. Ms. Cabrera has worked closely with LACOE while employed at Delegate agencies from Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Ms. Cabrera joined PIQE on April 25^th,2022. Ms. Cabrera has a B.A in Child Development with an emphasis in Administration from CSULA where her thesis was utilized as an example for the next few quarters, and a M.A. Child Development with an emphasis in Trauma Studies from Pacific Oaks College, Ms. Cabrera also possess a Family Development Credential.

Ms. Cabrera is passionate about helping families and empowering them to become self-efficient and community resourceful. Ms. Cabrera strongly believes in education equity. She grew up in Magdalena, Jalisco, a small rural agricultural community. Ms. Cabrera’s parents valued education highly and expected all their children to become professionals. Ms. Cabrera is proud of her two sons who are professionals in accounting and finance.

Mildred Gains – Director of National Partnerships

Mildred Gains is the Executive Director of PIQE’s Bay Area regional office. She provides leadership and guidance by analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Ms. Gains also maintains a proper organizational structure and effective personnel, partnering closely with senior management to plan the future growth of PIQE’s presence in the region, as well as its strategic response to the education and industry trends. After 15 years of for-profit experience, she joined PIQE in 2001 and has served as a course facilitator and an Associate Director in three other PIQE offices in southern California. In 2008 she was promoted to Executive Director of the San Jose office, and three months later she took on the added responsibility of running the Bay Area office, successfully managing both locations for two years. For the last two years, Ms. Gains has also served as one of the trainers for PIQE’s Best Practice model.

Prior to joining PIQE, Ms. Gains worked as a financial planner, preparing comprehensive financial plans for union members and their families with respect to college tuition, retirement, and investments. She also has 10 years of experience in customer service and corporate training. Ms. Gains received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from Chapman University in 1999.

Ms. Gains is passionate about helping others. She is active in her community, partnering with California National Guard, Grizzly Challenge Charter School, and local churches to mentor high-risk youth who have dropped out or are at risk of not graduating high school. Ms. Gains has also turned her love for making jewelry into a business that helps to sustain the feeding of less fortunate individuals in her home town. Ms. Gains is a proud mother of two grown children and lives in Vallejo, California, with her husband, Craig, and their two dogs, Sparky and Buddie.

Executive Director Lilian Esther Hernandez

[Coming soon]

Executive Director Gabriel Rios

Gabriela Rios currently serves as the Executive Director for PIQE’s Modesto and Fresno Regional Office. She provides leadership and guidance by analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Ms. Rios also maintains proper organizational structure and effective personnel, partnering closely with senior management to plan the future growth of PIQE’s presence in the region, as well as its strategic response to education and industry trends. Prior to her promotion, Ms. Rios had served for a little over five years as an Associate Director for the Modesto office.

Prior to working with PIQE, Ms. Rios knew that her heart wanted her to pursue a career in the field of education. She began her career working for the migrant program as a home tutor. She later went on to serve as a high school youth counselor on behalf of the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE). She went on to join the staff at Ripon High School as one of their Spanish teachers. Through these experiences, Ms. Rios gained great insight and a better understanding of the families which PIQE serves on behalf of the Modesto Regional Office. These experiences shaped her path towards a career around parent engagement. Ms. Rios obtained a B.A in Spanish and a BCLAD credential from California State University, Stanislaus.

Ms. Rios was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US at the age of ten. Although she struggled in a new land and unaware of language, her parents did not falter in reminding her of the importance of working hard and above all the power of getting educated. She is the first in her family to graduate not only from high school, but also from college. She is passionate about PIQE’s mission and sees her parents in the families she serves. Ms. Rios wants to serve as a role model to others who doubt that college is possible for them. She is happily married to Francisco Rios and together they have two beautiful children: Maximiliano and Mateo. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling with them.

Executive Director Sergio Rosas

Sergio Rosas currently serves as the Executive Director for the San Diego office. He is responsible for the expansion of the San Diego office goals by cultivating and enhancing partnership with current and new stakeholders. Mr. Rosas also maintains proper organizational structure and effective personnel, partnering closely with senior management to plan the future growth of PIQE’s presence in the region. 

 Prior to PIQE, Mr. Rios served as a the director of programs for the Mental Health America of San Diego County. He provided oversight of several agency programs including Strengthening Families, Breaking Down Barriers, Father 2 Child, Father 2 Child Mentoring, Mental Health First Aid, and Visions Club House in Chula Vista Ca. Mr. Rosas received a Master in Human Resources with a  Concentration in Professional Development & Corporate Training/Executive Certificate in Public and Non-Profit Leadership from Chapman University.

Mr. Rosas is passionate member of his community. He has over 35 years of experience of professional education leadership with experience delivering courses in the military and community colleges.