Our Board

Our Board and Staff

We are blessed with a group of dedicated professionals with a proven record of service.

Maria del Carmen Uceda
Founder/President
Maria del Carmen Uceda is a certified family educator. Over the last 17 years, she has participated in conferences and held seminars for mental health professionals, college students, organizations and coalitions dedicated to the health and wellbeing of children and families. In 2002, she founded Las Obras de Nuestra Madre de las Américas. During her professional career she has consulted and worked with the Hogg Foundation of Mental Health, Parkland Hospital, Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations, Methodist Hospital, Timberlawn Mental Health Hospital, the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas, the Mental Health Association of Dallas, and the University of Dallas as well as other organizations and churches.

Joseph Caton, MSSW
Board Member
For over 40 years, Mr. Caton has been serving families in various settings. As the founding Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Dallas, the largest provider of charitable services in the area, he ensured the needs of Latino families were met. Currently, as a licensed clinical social worker with a Master's degree in that field, he advocates for families. Being the past Regional Director of the Ohio Youth Commission and Executive Director of Edgemeads of Ohio, he has ample experience working with health and faith systems. He has also been an advisor and mentor to many different companies and organizations throughout the years.

Mary Ann Niles
Board Member
Ms. Niles is the Quality Assurance Director and Legislative Liaison for Green Oaks Hospital, a leading mental health and addiction services provider in the Dallas area. She has worked as a healthcare professional for a psychiatric hospital in business development and quality assurance over the past eight years and has earned the respect, trust and appreciation from her peers and community organizations. She is a former board member of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill and is currently a member of the Coalition on Mental Illness. She has received multiple awards for her work in the community and has chaired mental health conferences in North Texas.

Jesus Gras, ME
Executive Director
With over 20 years of experience in business management and as a consultant, Mr. Gras brings a wealth of knowledge in an array of industries and companies. Gras was a senior consultant at Management and Business Consultant, cofounder of SBD Spanish Book Distributor and a certified teacher in bilingual education. An industrial and systems engineer with a Masters in Engineering and Manufacturing Management, Gras has specialized in project management and logistics with an emphasis in social concerns.

Jesus Sandoval, MSSW
Director of Special Projects
Mr. Sandoval has over 26 years of experience leading non-profit organizations and evaluating programs for the Latino community. A master’s level social worker with National Institutes of Health, Office of Minority Health, and HRSA expertise, he has been instrumental in making our programs a success. He was the executive director of Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Organizations and has been board member and advisor to many local, national, and federal organizations.

Edmundo Beltrán, PhD
Director of Training Services
Dr. Beltrán has over 35 year experience as a renowned psychologist in Latino America and was the founder of the Peruvian Academy of Psychology and a professor of psychology for prestigious universities. A published author, he is also a certified Life Coach who has seen the positive impact of changing behaviors in fathers and their families. Dr. Beltrán coordinates the replication of our programming to lay peer facilitators.

Certifications: Las Obras' staff receives on an ongoing basis the highest quality of training and pastoral development to effectively serve Latinos in prevention and early intervention. Some of the organizations that have certified us: The University of California Riverside's Project F.U.E.R.S.A., Rainbow Days (Dallas), the Catholic Diocese of Dallas/Department of Youth and Young Adults, The National Association of Catholic Family Ministers, and PAIRS Communication for Couples.