Bachman Lake Together Announces New Board Members Dedicated to Advancing Educational and Community Growth in Bachman Lake

Bachman Lake Together (BLT) is proud to welcome four exceptional leaders to its Board of Directors: Angelica Leveroni Gomez, María del Carmen Hernández, Leslie Garner and Yosira Rodriguez. Each brings a unique blend of expertise, passion, and lived experience that will help strengthen BLT’s mission to ensure that all children in the Bachman Lake community enter school ready to learn and thrive. 

From philanthropy and nonprofit leadership to grassroots advocacy and community engagement, our new board members share a deep commitment to education, equity, and family empowerment. Their collective experience will enhance BLT’s work in fostering strong early learning environments and expanding access to critical resources for families. 

We are thrilled to have Angelica, María del Carmen, Leslie and Yosira join our leadership team and look forward to the impact they will make in the years ahead. Learn more about each of our new board members below.

Angelica Leveroni Gomez 

Angelica is a Senior Program Officer on the national education grantmaking team at Schusterman Family Philanthropies, where she manages the teacher workforce portfolio. Her work is focused on expanding high-quality teacher preparation routes, strengthening pathways into the profession for aspiring Black and Latino teachers, and integrating instructional supports for multilingual learners across investments.  

Before joining Schusterman, Angelica served as a Capital Commitment Fellow in DC Public Schools. She also held roles as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, grade-level chair, and assistant principal at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston. She began her career as a 2007 Teach for America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley, where she taught bilingual elementary reading. 

Angelica holds a BA from the University of Michigan, an MPH from Harvard, and an MBA from UC Berkeley. She serves on the boards of Generation Teach, Ensemble Learning, and Fort Worth STEAM Academy.

María del Carmen Hernández 

María del Carmen Hernández is a dedicated community leader passionate about early childhood education and family empowerment. Originally from Querétaro, Mexico, she has lived in Dallas since 2005 and is a proud mother of four.

Her advocacy began as a parent seeking early learning opportunities for her children, leading her to engage with programs like AVANCE, Community Action Network (CAN), and Lumin Education. Through these experiences, she discovered her passion for leadership and became a trusted voice for families in her community.

María del Carmen has supported key initiatives, including Rosa es Rojo’s “El Camino Rojo” program and BLT’s Compartiendo Sueños. She earned her GED in 2022 and has represented BLT in national leadership programs. She also served on the Lumin Education Family Council, holding roles from secretary to vice president.

Now, as a BLT board member, she remains committed to family engagement and expanding access to early education.

Leslie Garner 

Leslie Garner’s commitment to service is deeply rooted in her upbringing in San Marcos, where her mother, an emergency room nurse, and her father, a criminal defense attorney, exemplified compassion and dedication to supporting others. With a career spanning nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and social impact, Leslie brings a wealth of expertise. 

As Executive Director of the Hirsch Family Foundation, Leslie oversees grantmaking, community engagement, and strategic initiatives that focus on closing opportunity gaps and fostering equity. Her career has also included leadership roles at Southern Methodist University, Goldman Sachs, and the social enterprise Verb, where she developed her skills in financial strategy, organizational development, and advocacy. 

Leslie’s passion for creating a fairer society extends to her personal life, where she models servant leadership for her children by engaging in hands-on volunteer work, from organizing voter registration drives to serving breakfast at shelters. Her MBA from Southern Methodist University and background in arts and music education fuel her innovative approach to fostering community and opportunity. Leslie embodies the belief that service, whether through strategy or action, is essential to building a better future.

Yosira Rodriguez

Yosira Rodriguez is a passionate advocate for early childhood education and family empowerment. Originally from La Lima, Honduras, she earned a degree in Business Management from the Technological University of Honduras before moving to Dallas in 2013 with her husband and two children.

Her journey in community leadership began in 2018 when she joined Bachman Lake Together’s Community Action Network (CAN). Through this experience, she gained valuable insight into the U.S. education system, empowering her to make informed decisions for her children and support other families in navigating early education.  

As an active member of CAN, Yosira has helped promote Pre-K enrollment, facilitated parenting workshops in local schools, and contributed to BLT’s strategic initiatives. Now, as a member of BLT’s Board of Directors, she is committed to ensuring that more families have access to the resources and opportunities that set children on a path to success.