Women in Leadership at Guadalupe Centers

Monday, March 7th, 2022

For women’s history month, Guadalupe Center will spotlight and celebrate the strong women within our organization. This week we will share a few of the talented women who serve in a leadership role at the center.

Alyx Bartrom, Vice-President of Fund Development and Marketing

Alyx Bartrom has been with Guadalupe Centers since 2017. She brings with her over a decade of experience in communications. In her current role as Vice-President, she oversees fundraising and marketing strategies for the organization, with an emphasis on grant management, donor relations, brand awareness and community engagement. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside with her husband and three little boys which make her the strong woman that she is.

As a former competitive gymnast for over 13 years, she admired her coach’s focus, drive, and strength, which remain instilled in her. A piece of advice she would give to her younger self is to always remain open minded and eager to learn. “Being a woman in leadership requires gumption and reminding that little girl inside that ‘you deserve to be at the table.’” For those reasons women should strive to be in leadership roles and positions for change, growth, and progress.

What advice do you want to give to young women?

Find the value in every opportunity or experience but never forget the value that you bring to each of those opportunities or experiences.

Shirley Folch, Director of Human Resources

Shirley Folch has served as Director of Human Resources for GCI since 2019. The quote that she lives by is, “to be a leader is not to be the best. It is about making everyone better.” She holds a BBA in Management from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, MBA in Human Resources Magna Cum Laude, Billing and Coding Certification from National American University, Senior Certified Professional by the Society of Human Resources Management, and currently enrolled in the Doctoral Degree in Business Administration – Human Resources at Walden University.

Shirley shared that her role models were her mom and her aunt Iris for teaching her to keep having faith and never give up. She credits her faith and values for what makes her the strong woman that she is. A few pieces of advice she would give her younger self is “to plan your finances for rainy days. Do not depend on anyone to take care of you. You are the architect of your own life.”

Why should women strive for leadership roles and positions?

“When women become leaders, they provide a different set of skills, different perspectives, and structural and cultural differences that drive effective solutions. A new sense of awareness will also follow to unplug the fine details that may go unmissed from the naked eyes.”

Gladys Esmeralda Jaggers, Director of Workforce & Adult Education

coming soon…