BOARD MEMBERS

Rita Abadi is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed in Clinical Psychology in Brazil, with extensive experience in trauma, crisis intervention, immigration and women’s rights. She is Operations Manager and Psychotherapist at the Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) Program.
Ms. Abadi received her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from New York University in 1998. She brings over 25 years of psychotherapy experience to her practice working with survivors of sexual and domestic violence. In 2004, she designed and implemented the Sex Trafficking Program for SAVI and she continues to actively contribute to the program.
Ms. Abadi participated in the professional group that pioneered child abuse services in Brazil and was awarded a one-year training fellowship in Child Abuse Treatment by Sao Paulo State Government. She also completed a 4-year post-graduate training in Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama. In June of 2015, she was awarded the Immigrant Woman Leaders Fellowship by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs for her work against violence against women. In October of 2015, she was saluted as “Advocates of NYC”, by the Mayor’s Office to
Combat Domestic Violence in recognition of the work with survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking. She partakes in multidisciplinary teams and sits at the New York City Mayor’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, the Queens Borough President’s Office Immigration Task Force, and MOIA’s Women’s Cabinet, among others.
Ms. Abadi has in-depth experience creating and delivering trainings and workshops to professionals, students and the community. She regularly presents on Human Trafficking, Child
Abuse, Male Victimization, Vicarious Trauma, Sexual and Domestic Violence. She has worked internationally in Colombia and in Brazil.

Elisabeth has been on the Voces Latinas board since 2015. She originally began as a volunteer, teaching conversational English classes and computer workshops to members of the community.
Elisabeth received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Italian Studies from John Cabot University in Rome. She has a Master's Degree in Government and Politics from St. John's University. For over 15 years she has worked in the nonprofit sector, specializing in fundraising, event planning, community outreach, and volunteer management. Elisabeth is currently the Director of Alumni Affairs & Advancement Events at the Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School.

Sandra Bennett-Pagan is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice providing behavioral health services for diverse populations. She specializes in the integration of clinical social work and art therapy skills to address the needs of trauma-exposed adults. Sandra recently completed 22+ years as the Regional Women’s Health Coordinator with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Region II, where she led women's health initiatives in collaboration with federal, state, territorial, and tribal government agencies, community-based organizations and key stakeholders in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. She facilitated projects in women and HIV/AIDS, prevention of violence against women and girls, trauma-informed care, women’s behavioral health, and human trafficking prevention affecting at-risk women and girls. Sandra has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University, NY, NY and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, PR.

Judith Flores MD is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has maintained active practice for over 30 years.
She is a native of New York Puerto Rican, raised in Central Harlem who received her primary and secondary education through the New York Catholic school system.
She attended Fordham University and graduated with a Bachelors in Science,
She earned her medical degree from The Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine and was trained in Pediatrics and Community Medicine at The Residency Program in Social Medicine of The Montefiore, Albert Einstein School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics and in Health Care Quality and Management, and is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and the American Public Health Association.
Her interest in community medicine leadership and population health was well established by the time she began her career. She started working at the New York medical college program for maternal and child substance use disorder and quickly moved on to positions in medical leadership both in Federally qualified health Centers and in the largest municipal health system in the U.S., the NYC Health and Hospital corporation.
Her career has been a blend of Executive leadership, Chronic Disease Management and Academia. Her leadership positions have included being Chairwoman for departments of Ambulatory Care at two municipal hospitals, Woodhull medical and Mental Health Center and Coney Island Hospitals, and also held the position of Chairwoman for the National Hispanic Medical Association.
In these positions, she has leads multiple advocacy initiatives that address Health Equity Practice and Policy and has dedicated her professional life to addressing issues of Health Care Disparities in the communities she serves.
She remains in clinical practice, educating and mentoring physicians, advanced level practitioner and Community Health Workers. She has several publications and has held several academic appointments including at New York University as a Clinical Associate Professor in the department of Pediatrics.

Luis Scaccabarrozzi is a public health leader, advocate, and community mobilizer dedicated to advancing health equity for immigrant, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, and Spanish-speaking communities in New York City. His work reflects more than two decades of service across the HIV field, migrant health, and community-based program development—continuously grounded in the belief that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.

Luis currently serves as the Director of Research and Grants Management at Amida Care, New York’s largest Medicaid Special Needs Plan (SNP) serving people living with HIV, members in gender-affirming care, and those facing intersectional barriers related to immigration status, trauma, poverty, and stigma. At Amida Care, he leads grant development, partnership strategy, and data-driven research while spearheading initiatives to connect newly arrived migrant communities to Medicaid coverage and lifesaving HIV prevention and care. He is chair of the New Migrants & Medicaid Task Force at Amida Care that gained citywide collaboration working to align policies, documentation navigation, and service pathways for Medicaid-eligible migrants arriving in New York.

His dedication to community mobilization began with organizations like AID FOR AIDS International and AID FOR LIFE, where he helped pioneer early health fairs, community education models, and culturally grounded workshops designed by and for Latin American immigrants. These events were among the first of their kind in NYC and later became models replicated across the sector by other community organizations. This work increased access to HIV treatment education, medication access programs, and health literacy for Spanish-speaking people with limited healthcare access. Through this experience, Luis developed a strong capacity for bringing community insight into program design and ensuring that personal stories remain central to advocacy and funding investment.

Luis’s leadership extends nationally through his role on the Board of Directors of the National Working Positive Coalition (NWPC)—a national coalition addressing workforce equity for people living with HIV (PLWH), LGBTQIA+ individuals, and communities impacted by marginalization, stigma, and economic exclusion. Through NWPC, he build bridges between public health, employment, immigration advocacy, and policy, ensuring that HIV is addressed holistically—not just as a health issue, but as a matter of socio-economic justice.

His experience with public funding, philanthropy, City Council processes, and research allows him to support the organization’s growth through strategic planning, partner cultivation, and storytelling rooted in the lived realities of the community. Luis is known for his ability to translate personal narratives into systems change—connecting the stories of the people Voces Latinas serves with data, policy, and investment strategies that honor their dignity and power.

With roots in community organizing and a career deeply connected to immigrant experience, Luis approaches his work with Voces Latinas from both professional expertise and personal conviction. His goal is to help the organization expand access to culturally grounded HIV services, gender-affirming care navigation, safety from violence, harm reduction resources, and empowerment programs for immigrant women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people living with and at risk for HIV.

Luis holds a Master of Public Health (MPH), is soon to be pursuing a Master of Health Administration (MHA), and has extensive experience in research, evaluation, grants management, storytelling with data, and partnership development. He has worked with—and alongside—community-based organizations across NYC including Voces Latinas, AID FOR AIDS, AID FOR LIFE, Iris House, Exponents, African Services Committee, Alliance for Positive Health, and the New York Transgender advocacy community.
Above all, Luis remains committed to amplifying community voices, nurturing collaborations rooted in trust and cultural pride, and building systems where immigrants and Spanish-speaking communities are not only served—but centered.