PRESIDENT- 2025
Brian J. Klaes, P.E.,
LEED AP, PMP
Brian is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Texas and New Mexico, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP), and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Brian was born and raised in El Paso receiving his BS in Civil Engineering from UTEP. He began his 22-year engineering career as a project engineer, then went on and became a project manager and then firm shareholder/Vice President with Moreno Cardenas Inc. He has served and held executive positions on numerous engineering societies and professional associations including the following: Texas Society of Professional Engineers (all board positions and Past President, El Paso Chapter), American Water Works Association (all board positions and Past President, El Paso Chapter), Texas Council of Engineering Companies (all board positions and Past President, El Paso Chapter), the State Board of the American Council of Engineering Companies (Treasurer/Vice-Chair Membership/Director, State of Texas), and the UTEP College of Engineering Alumni Network (past Co-Chair).
Most importantly, Brian is a proud husband, father of 5 children, and grandfather to 2 children. He was a youth baseball, soccer, flag football, and/or basketball coach for well over 15 years and is currently serving on the Child Crisis Center of El Paso Board.
Vice PRESIDENT - 2025
Ruth Godfrey
Spectrum Technology
With 25 years of experience in Business Management and Administration, Ruth proudly served on the board since 2017. Currently serving as the Board President, she feels blessed to be able to contribute to the Child Crisis Center and the children they serve. As a native El Pasoan, protecting the most venerable of in our community is personal and something she feels very strongly about. It is her wish to be the best advocate for the Center that she can be and contribute to their mission any way.
Ruth has worked for Spectrum Technologies, a family-owned company in El Paso, for 27 years and currently serve as the Director of Administration. She holds a bachelor’s in business management. She has been married to her husband Grey for 31 years and has two awesome children and three beautiful grandchildren.
treasurer -2025
Lydia Ceniceros, CTP
Franklin Mountain Management
Manager of Treasury and Risk Management
Lydia Ceniceros is an El Paso native who loves our city, its mountains, and most of all its beautiful sunsets. Mrs. Ceniceros has over 15 years of finance and accounting experience. She recently joined Franklin Mountain Management and in her current position she oversees the treasury and risk management functions of the organization. Previously, Lydia was the Treasury Manager at Helen of Troy where she held a similar role and managed the treasury operations and risk management program, globally. Prior to that Lydia was the head of the Treasury Management Department at Capital Bank, a local commercial bank in El Paso, Texas, where she was accountable for the development and implementation of the treasury management platform. She was responsible for the Bank’s treasury operations and the continuous growth of its entire portfolio. Lydia spent the early part of her career at Verde Realty, an Industrial REIT in Houston, Texas, where she oversaw accounts payable, risk management and was the project lead on accounting system integrations.
Mrs. Ceniceros has earned the Certified Treasury Professional designation and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Texas at El Paso. Mrs. Ceniceros is an active member of the community. She has a strong interest in women and children’s well‐being, their rights and education. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Child Crisis Center of El Paso for over 4 years and was part of the YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region Board from 2016 -2018. She has also served as a member of Progress 321 from 2015-2017 and was selected by the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce to participate as a member of Leadership El Paso Class 40 in 2018.
SECRETARY-2025
Denice Vizcaino
Denice Vizcaino is an El Paso native and is passionate about serving her community. She is a Texas licensed Realtor®️ and has a strong, established network within the industry. As a former educator, and through her time in a corporate setting for the Diversity and Inclusion Chapter, Denice is dedicated to making a difference in children's lives by bringing awareness to the Child Crisis Center programs and generating participation and donations that are critical to the success of the organization.
Faith and family are important to her. Denice is a mom of two, Andy and Samantha, and has been married to her husband Jesse for 20 years.
director
Mario Kato
Marathon Petroleum
Refining Chemist
From spinning vinyl to analyzing viscous flows, El Paso native, Mr. Kato has built a career as dynamic as the music he once played on the airwaves on El Paso's Rock Station KLAQ 95.5 FM . With a voice that captivated late-night listeners and a passion for the pulse of rock 'n' roll, Mr. Kato spent years as a rock radio DJ. (known as "Super Mario") crafting playlists that resonated with audiences and mastering the art of connecting with people through sound. His love for storytelling and energy carried over into the next chapter, where science and precision took center stage.
Transitioning from the studio to the lab, Mr. Kato brought his unique flair for detail and innovation to the petroleum industry. As a seasoned petroleum lab engineer at Marathon Petroleum, he become knowledgeable in analyzing samples, optimizing processes, and ensuring quality control in one of the world’s most critical industries. His unique ability to bridge creativity with technical expertise has made him a standout professional in both fields.
Whether rocking the mic or donning a lab coat, Mr. Kato thrives in roles that demand precision, passion, and personality, proving that reinvention is an art form in itself.
Former President of the Board for the Child Crisis Center ( 2022-2024)
DIrector
Stephen T. Buraczyk
Energy Consultant
Steve Buraczyk, a seasoned electric utility executive with 29 years of industry experience, retired from El Paso Electric Company (EPE) in 2022 as the Senior Vice President of Operations. In this role, he managed all aspects of operations and resource planning for the company, encompassing Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, System Operations, and Power Marketing & Fuels. Throughout his career, Mr. Buraczyk held various leadership positions, including Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Vice President of Power Marketing & Fuels, and Vice President of System Operations and Planning. Additionally, he served as a board member of the Western Energy Institute and RMEL and was an executive committee member of the North American Transmission Forum.
Currently, Mr. Buraczyk applies his expertise as an energy consultant, primarily focusing on the electric utility sector. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Alpha Omega Power.
Mr. Buraczyk’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from the University of Texas at El Paso. He is dedicated to community service and currently holds a position on the Board of Directors of the Child Crisis Center of El Paso and he also serves as the co-Director of the Greater El Paso Football Showcase.
DIrector
Judge Phyllis Martinez Gonzalez
Title IV-D Court
Phyllis Martinez Gonzalez is a native Texan. Raised in Houston, she earned her BA, with a dual major in Mathematics and Political Science, from Houston Baptist University and her JD from Texas Tech University School of Law. She and her husband are raising their two daughters, and enjoying their furbabies, in El Paso, where they have lived for more than 15 years. Mrs. Gonzalez serves as a Title IV-D Judge. Before that position, she served as State and Federal Assistant Attorney General in several capacities. Mrs. Gonzalez believes in the power of community, leading her to serve through various organizations, and is thrilled to join our board. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, coffee, and time with her family.
DIrector
DISTRICT ATTORNEY BILL HICKS
District Attorney Bill D. Hicks was appointed to serve the people of El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson Counties on December 14, 2022. He began working immediately to rebuild the office and earn the trust of the people his office serves. In an office with less than 65 attorneys on December 14th, DA Hicks now leads a team of just under 80 attorneys, and is still hiring good qualified trial attorneys who are fighting for justice for the people of the 34th Judicial District.
DA Hicks graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree and then went to Texas Tech School of Law in Lubbock. After law school, in 1997, DA Hicks opened his own law office, the Law Offices of Bill D. Hicks in the hill country, outside of Austin, Texas. In 1998, he closed that practice and returned to his roots in El Paso, Texas, where he joined the 34th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Then, Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Hicks served the citizens of El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson Counties, for over 12 years as an ADA; as a Special Prosecutor assigned to the Metro Narcotics Task Force; the Senior Trial Attorney on the Special Crimes Unit; the Senior Trial Attorney in Charge of Down-District Prosecutions; and finally as a Trial Team Chief in charge of supervising and training new prosecutors in the D.A.'s office. During his time with the District Attorney's office, he was cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and prosecuted in federal court from 2003 to 2008. ADA Hicks prosecuted everything from Class C misdemeanor offenses all the way up to and including Capital Murder charges.
In 2010, Governor Perry appointed Mr. Hicks to be the Judge of the 243rd Judicial District Court where now Judge Hicks served as a State District Judge here in El Paso County for just over two years. Judge Hicks presided over 26 criminal felony and civil jury trials, to include several multi-million-dollar civil cases. Judge Hicks received very high approval ratings from the attorneys in the El Paso Bar Association.
After leaving the bench, now former-Judge Hicks entered into private practice where he practiced criminal defense, family law and personal injury law. Judge Hicks maintained this law practice through a partnership with other attorneys and on his own for just under 10 years before Governor Abbott asked Judge Hicks to go back to doing what he did best, prosecuting the bad guys. Judge Hicks became DA Hicks on December 14, 2022 and was sworn into office on December 21, 2022.
With over 25 years of legal experience; with over 125 jury trials behind him; with the experience of having been in every advocates position in the courtroom; with the unique experience of having been a State District Court Judge; a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney; there is no question that Judge, now DA Bill D. Hicks is undeniably qualified to serve us as your District Attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas.
DIrector
Dr. Stormy Monks, Ph.D.
Texas Tech University
Dr. Stormy Monks is an Associate Professor with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Monks serves as the Regional Director for the Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health (SWCPEH) – Region 6 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. She has served on the Child Crisis Center of El Paso Board of Directors since 2015. She believes in the work of the Child Crisis Center of El Paso and will be forever grateful for the Center’s impact on her own family. Dr. Monks is passionate about bringing awareness to issues of child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence. Her free time is spent with her husband, Len, their nine children, and four grandchildren.
DIrector
Reverend Jessie Lynn Wells (Pastor)
Reverend Jessie Lynn Wells is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and is a God-fearing and dedicated Christian man. He accepted his calling in 2018, and is actively pursuing why God has called him into the ministry to teach and preach the gospel by delivering the inspired Word of God.
He was in the United States Army for 25 years. He concluded his military career at Fort Bliss, Texas, serving as a Platoon Sergeant, Battalion Motor Sergeant, First Sergeant, and the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Division Headquarters, Fort Bliss Operations Center.
As a Christian Leader, he serves as the Pastor and Chaplin for Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home, and currently serves as the Out Reach Ministry Leader for Fellowship of Love Christian Center El Paso, Texas. He plans to become a Pastor of his own Church. His favorite passage of scripture is 1 Peter 5:2.
Reverend Wells believes in serving the military, veterans, seniors, children, and families in the El Paso community. He is a proud sponsor of the Fort Bliss Fisher House of El Paso, Texas. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies, Under Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies, Associates of Arts Degree in Religion, Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a cognate in Business and Religion, Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He is also pursuing a Doctor of Ministry with a cognate in Biblical Studies from Liberty University.
He is married to the beautiful Kimberly Wells. Thirty-one years ago, he made her his bride in Detroit, Michigan; they have two adult children and one granddaughter.
Blessings