El Centro announces the hiring of two new employees

News Release:

El Centro is pleased to announce the hiring of two new employees – Aude Negrete and Irene Salazar Caudillo.

Aude Negrete, Director of Community Services in Johnson County, is located in El Centro’s Olathe office at 500 E. Santa Fe. Ms. Negrete’s responsibilities include community outreach, assisting clients with health, employment and emergency assistance. 

Ms. Negrete past experience in public affairs and community organizing includes an internship for Delia Garcia, the former representative from Wichita in the Kansas Legislature; served as community organizer for Casa de Maryland, a community organization serving immigrants in Maryland. Most recently Ms. Negrete was Kansas State Director for the Obama Presidential Campaign. Ms. Negrete is a graduate of Shawnee Mission West High School and the University of Kansas, where she earned Bachelor degrees in Arts and Political Science.

 Irene Salazar Caudillo is hired as Chief Program Officer and will oversee programs in Kansas City, Kansas and Johnson County.  Ms. Caudillo has a wealth of experience in health and human services organizations in Greater Kansas City. She began her career as Director of Children and Youth Services at El Centro from 1991-94; Director of Family Strengthening Programs for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas from 2004 – 2011; and most recently Director of Clinic Operations for Swope Health Services since 2011.

“We are delighted to welcome Aude Negrete and Irene Caudillo to El Centro.  Both women have impressive backgrounds and bring a wealth of experiences to our organization” said Mary Lou Jaramillo, CEO.  El Centro was established in 1976 and provides an array of culturally competent programming, including: early childhood education, health care case management, financial education, domestic violence intervention and health outreach/prevention programs.

El Centro’s newest educational program, La Conexión, is designed to help businesses and organizations better understand and connect with the diverse Latino population. Although El Centro attracts clients of all ethnicities and backgrounds, the agency is humbly proud of our unique expertise and aptitude to provide bilingual services to best meet the needs of Kansas City's growing Hispanic population.