La Casa De Esperanza To Name Building After Former President

WAUKESHA, WI— A community-based organization, dedicated to serving Waukesha's low-income and Latino population since 1966, announced it is naming its community center after the former president.

La Casa de Esperanza posted on social media a save the date reminder for Sept. 1 for the unveiling of the Dr. Anselmo Villarreal Community Center.

"We are naming our community center after Dr. Villarreal after serving La Casa for 31 years," Maria del Pilar Wadina, VP of community engagement, told Patch.

Patch is trying to reach Villarreal for comment.

Anselmo Villarreal, former president, left in March to become leader of the national social justice not-for-profit group known as Southwest Key based in Austin.

Villarreal turned over his La Casa duties to its long-time Chief Operating Officer Shari Campbell, who serves as interim president until a successor is selected.

Under Villarreal's leadership, La Casa has expanded its programs and services to respond to the changing needs of the community. His accomplishments include strategic planning to ensure efficient agency-wide service delivery; vastly expanding community collaboration; leading two successful capital campaigns for a new community center, building renovations, and program initiatives totaling over $12 million; and starting social enterprise projects through the national Denali initiative and Café Esperanza Food Service Training Program.

In 2003, Villarreal played a key role in establishing a La Casa de Esperanza Foundation Board that is dedicated exclusively to attracting financial support to ensure the future viability of La Casa's programs and services, according to the La Casa website.

Villarreal began his career in the federal government of México, the country of his birth and college education. After graduating from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico, he came to the United States to advance his career by earning a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1986. In 2014,Dr. Villarreal earned his Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service at Cardinal Stritch University, the website said.