Nora Gimpel, M.D., Professor and the Vice Chair of Community Health in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Ntarupt Board Member
Gimpel is a 2021 Ntarupt DiSRuPToR Awards Awardee because of her commitment to equitable healthcare and resources access for all North Texans. She’s a true champion of sex education and Ntarupt and serves on the board. She has participated in Ntarupt’s Spanish language parent education events and sits on Ntarupt’s Board of Directors.
- Dr. Gimpel earned her medical degree at the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine and performed her residency in family medicine at the Center of Medical Studies and Clinical Research in Buenos Aires.She joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2004. In addition to her departmental roles, she is Director of the Medical School’s community health scholarly activity and distinction tracks and Director of the Community Medicine Fellowship Program. She serves on the board of the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics and on the board of the North Texas Alliance to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Dr. Gimpel’s work focuses on community-based participatory research (CBPR). She has mentored numerous pre- and postdoctoral students in CBPR principles, training them to create innovative research models and culturally appropriate approaches to care for the underserved. She has published several academic articles and delivered scores of international, national, and regional presentations on CBPR and topics related to community medicine. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the Dallas County Medical Society, the North American Primary Care Research Group, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine, and Alpha Omega Alpha. She also works with numerous community service organizations in the Dallas Fort Worth area. In 2018, Dr. Gimpel was awarded the Dr. John L. and Louise Roan Professorship in Family Medicine. In 2016-2017, she held the Fellowship in Leadership Award from Alpha Omega Alpha. In 2015, she earned the Exemplary Teaching Award from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
Francisco Gámez, Mexican Consulate
Francisco is a 2021 Ntarupt DiSRuPToR Awards Awardee because he has focused on promoting and increasing access to sexual and reproductive health services for the Hispanic community of North Texas. He has brought valuable information to his community through his work at the Ventanilla de Salud at the Mexican Consulate in Dallas. Thanks to the support and proactivity of him and his team, Ntarupt has been able to participate in health events at different Latin American consulates and reach communities that have limited access to health resources. Francisco has been a valuable ally for Ntarupt.
Evelyn Delgado, Healthy Futures, President, Executive Director
Delgado is a 2021 Ntarupt DiSRuPToR Awards Awardee recipient because of her great work with the Healthy Futures organization, Texas is Ready coalition, and the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition and so much more. Ntarupt is proud to stand with Healthy Futures as a partner ensuring more Texas youth have access to medically-accurate reproductive health resources.
Marisa Perez Diaz, District 3 State Board of Education
Marisa is a 2021 Ntarupt DiSRuPToR Awards Awardee because of her unwavering commitment to medically accurate, evidence-based, and inclusive health instruction for all Texas students. During revisions to sex education curriculum standards, she bravely and compassionately spoke out for the needs of all students, including those who may face discrimination for their sexual orientation or gender identity. She brings a servant’s heart to her public service, always keeping in mind the greater good to her constituents and to Texas students.
- Marisa B. Pérez-Díaz, the District 3 State Board of Education member, was elected to the Board of Education in November 2012 and took office on Jan. 1, 2013. She is the youngest Latina, nationally, to have ever been elected to serve on a State Board of Education and is now serving her third term on the board having been re-elected in 2014 and 2018. Perez-Diaz served on the Committee on Instruction from January 2013 to December 2016. Since January 2017, she has served as vice chair of the Committee on School Initiatives. She now serves as a member of the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund which oversees the Permanent School Fund, the nation’s largest education endowment. The committee also oversees policies for some funding and auditing functions. During her time on the Board, Pérez-Díaz has been instrumental in the redevelopment of high school graduation requirements, the update and approval of the Long-Range Plan for Texas Public Education and the rebranding of the Permanent School Fund. Additionally, she has been a leading voice in the fight to approve and implement Mexican American Studies and African American Studies courses for high school credit in Texas. Perez-Diaz’s passion for child advocacy and public service manifested itself during her tenure with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Her training and certification in child welfare range from child development and advanced risk assessment to planning diversity initiatives and community engagement. Harnessing her expertise and skills, she went on to serve as a district-level administrator in several Texas school districts. As the District 3 board member, Perez-Diaz represents the citizens in the following counties: Bee, Brooks, Duval, Gonzales, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Lavaca, Live Oak, McMullen, Starr, Wilson and parts of Bexar and Hidalgo counties.
Mary Valadez, Associate Vice President Grants at the Texas Women’s Foundation
Mary is a 2021 Ntarupt DiSRuPToR Awards Awardee because of all of the great work she does to empower women, girls on a daily basis! Mary heads up the Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) is a seven-year programmatic response and broad cross-sector collaboration aimed to empower and affirm young women of color ages 12-24. Ntarupt Dallas is honored to run that initiative. Through research collaborative grant-making and advocacy, YWI-Dallas and YWI-Houston is amplifying the collective power of young women to identify and address core issues, and create solutions toward meaningful systemic change.
- Mary Valadez joined the Texas Women’s Foundation in 2005 and is currently Associate Vice President for Grants. In addition to her work supporting all facets of the Foundation’s grant making efforts, Mary also leads the Foundation’s Young Women’s Initiative. The purpose of the Young Women’s Initiative is to amplify the collective power of young women to identify and address core issues, and create solutions toward meaningful systemic change. Prior to joining Texas Women’s Foundation, Mary focused her energy on the public sector including the Dallas Independent School District and the City of Dallas and various state agencies. Because public service is at the heart of her interests and because of her own lived experience as a Latina, working at the intersection of gender and race is where she gravitates. Mary has served on numerous community boards and advisory boards supporting social services, education, community health care, and women’s leadership. She is originally from Central Texas, attended the University of Texas at Austin and has been a resident of Dallas, Texas for over 30 years.
