BOARD
Our Board

President
Sondra Matthews
Ms. Matthews is a human resources professional who has experience working with governmental and non-profit organizations. Ms. Matthews is a lifelong learner and is passionate about literacy. She believes that Adult Education is a key factor in addressing the skilled worker shortage and enabling adult learners to gain the skills and knowledge to advance in the workforce.

Vice President
Moises Pimentel
Mr. Pimentel brings a wealth of experience of over 7 years within workforce development in Yuma County. He began his workforce development career back in 2013 as a Youth Advisor under the WIOA Youth Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. He is a Business Consultant for ARIZONA@WORK, responsible for engaging business and job seekers with meaningful & sustainable employment.

Secretary
Justin Jahn
With over 13 years of widespread experience in technology, serving in roles such as full-stack developer, network and voice engineer, and systems architect, Justin now serves AEA Federal Credit Union as the Sr. Director of Technology. Above all, a deep-rooted passion for learning and creative problem solving continues to drive Justin to explore the many facets of technology in today’s world and how they might translate to serve the needs of businesses.

Member
Gil Villegas
Gilberto Villegas was born in Yuma, Arizona, but raised on a small community in northern Mexico. He returned to the United States in 1989 to continue his education and earned a Bachelor Degree in Public Accountancy from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona in December 1995. He started working for Yuma County in 1998 as an accountant and left in 2006 as an Assistant Finance Director to continue his work experience with the Town of Buckeye where he was appointed Deputy Finance Director. In 2009, he returned to Yuma County as Deputy Director and has been running the Financial Services Department.

Member
Evelyn Aello
Evelyn Aello currently serves as the Youth Services Case Management Coordinator under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act where she synchronizes the delivery of services and activities to assist high risk youth in achieving their vocational and educational goals. Evelyn has the privilege of guiding and mentoring a team of talented Youth Specialists who in turn provide assistance to youth in our community.
After six years in workforce development, Evelyn knows firsthand the importance of workforce development and education programs and the impact that they have in Yuma County to be able to pursue sustainable economic opportunities. Evelyn believes it is fundamental to empower, inspire, and mentor youth in Yuma County to achieve self-sufficiency through career pathways, education, and employment goals to meet their full potential.
Evelyn supports Yuma County families by volunteering her time with Desert Financial and Tax Services Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program designed to support free tax preparation service for the underserved since 2018.
Evelyn is a City of Yuma – Neighborhood Leadership Academy and Hispanic Leadership Institute graduate. Evelyn is also a member of the Delta Mu Delta Honor Society for Business, Lambda Sigma Chapter.
Evelyn holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Board
New Members
Join
We are seeking talented and qualified individuals to join our Board of Directors. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about education and has a genuine desire to serve the community to get involved!
Interested?
If you have any questions, please contact Jesse Figueroa, Executive Director at 928-343-9363. If you wish to be considered as a candidate for Board Member, please fill out our application.
Role
As a board member, you will participate in the development of policy and major decision-making at board meetings held monthly. Other key responsibilities are monitoring the agency’s goals and objectives, assisting in fundraising activities, as well as, representing the agency in the broader community. We hope you will consider becoming part of our team.
Board Member Application
Click here to download pdf.