Hjarman Cordero

Executive Director

Hjarman was born in Venezuela and is a seasoned professional with 30 years of experience. His background includes working with Christian organizations in both the United States and South America, and he has spent 17 years in local government working with diverse communities in the United States.

Hjarman is excited about the opportunity to serve the Chirilagua community and is eager to help people undergo a life-changing transformation through Jesus Christ. His primary goals are to promote leadership, creativity, and teamwork while empowering individuals and families to thrive spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

He has been married to Heidi for 29 years and they have two young adult daughters who love the Lord and actively serve the community.

He will be operating under the guiding principle of 1 Peter 4:10-11: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

Daniela Jennings

Leadership Pipeline Director

Dani, a true third-culture kid (parents from Colombia and Argentina) hails from Quito, Ecuador where she was the Director of Short-Term Teams & Interns for Misión Mundo Juvenil. Her passion is to empower local leadership and advocate for the marginalized. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Exercise Science and Youth Ministry from North Park University and a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Katherine Posada Membreno

Director of Elementary Leadership

Katherine was a volunteer at Casa Chirilagua before she became a Local Leader. She was the first in her family to graduate high school and was born and raised in the Chirilagua community. She is thrilled to be able to work with Casa to support the community. Katherine loves working with children and she is passionate about child development and educating children for the better good through Christ. In her church she is a Sunday school teacher and participates in her youth group choir. 

Jaqueline Guajardo

Youth Mentor Specialist

Jaqueline was born in Mexico but was raised most of her life in a small town in Oklahoma. She recently relocated to Washington D.C. to finish the remainder of her master’s program at Wesley Theological Seminary in person. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Ministry and Minor in Interfaith Studies from Oklahoma City University. She has experience working with children, youth, and most recently young adults going through rehabilitation. Her work has been mainly with the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church, but she has partnered with various organizations. She is excited to be a part of the Casa Chirilagua team and can’t wait to work with the mentors, students & families.

Lauren Wallace

Business Manager

Lauren lived in New Orleans, LA for 20 years before relocating back to Arlington, VA with her husband and family. She joined our staff part time in May 2019 bringing years of experience as a controller for several small family owned companies. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors degree in Accounting.

Jefferson Aleman

Office Assistant

As a first-generation Salvadorean-American, Jefferson has lived in the Chirilagua community his whole life and started participating with Casa Chirilagua through Teens Club, Bible Study, and Casa2College over the past 7 years. He is currently studying to get his associate degree in Information Technology at Northern Virginia Community College. He is excited to start his position as an Office Assistant and hopes he can be a big help to Casa and the Chirilagua community.

Jayson Mejia

Local Leader

Jayson grew up in Herndon, Virginia. In 2022, he graduated from Herndon High school and has since moved to Manassas, VA. He soon hopes to further his studies at a community college. Jayson worked as a summer camp counselor at CityKidz Camp; there he connected with Casa Chirilagua students and staff. Jayson doesn’t mind the long commute to Chirilagua a few times a week due to his passion for working with youth through Christian ministry. He is excited to see how God works with him in the Chirilagua community and to hopefully help more communities in the future.

Mily Palma

Local Leader

A first-generation Salvadorean-American, Mily was raised and has lived in the Chirilagua community her entire life. Mily was part of Casa Chirilagua’s Casa to College and Bible Study programs for two year. A recent high school grad, Mily is enthusiastic about jumping right into the organization’s mission as a Local Leader supporting Kids Club. She is joyful about what lies ahead as she develops relationships with kids and their families to see the neighborhood transformed by Christ.

Kiery Anaya Reyes

Local Leader

Keiry was born in Alexandria VA; she grew up in the Casa Chirilagua community her whole life and was also part of Kids Club for Elementary and teens Club for Middle School. She is Optimistic and loves working with children and is very eager to start this new journey. In the future she wants to further her studies in childhood development.

Jesse McCain

Board Chair

Pastor & Missions Director, First Baptist Church Alexandria

Eugene Kim

Board Member

Software Engineer

Jose Martinez

Board Member

Community Development Specialist

Deborah Akinyele

Board Member

Executive Director, Women In Voice