Bridges Institute | AFT National Trainer Biographies

In May 2019, Dr. Kimberly Harmon-Welch became a part of Northeast Houston AFT’s Professional Development team. Her responsibilities include being an active member, serving as a co-site representative, and presenting Professional Development for her local, state federation, and the national federation. In July 2019, she became a local trainer for the Managing Behavior in School Communities module for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). In September 2019, she was nominated as a national trainer for the Trauma-Informed Schools module, where she is currently working to provide professional development. Kimberly holds a Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and Bachelors’s degree in both Music Education and Vocal Performance. She has been an elementary school teacher since 2003. In addition to holding a Texas educator certification, Dr. Harmon-Welch holds an English Second Language (ESL) certification, a Nevada certification in education, and a California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST) certification. As a public-school teacher, she has taught grades K-1 and 4-5. She has served on the PBIS committee, school improvement committee, a student-teacher, and first-year teacher mentor, and has taught as a co-teach teacher. She has also held a position as a reader for the state of Nevada Writing Assessment. As a private school teacher, she taught grades PK,1,3,4, and 6. She has served on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation committee and as a student entrance test coordinator.

Dr. Claudia J. Nolasco-Morales graduated from the University of Houston College of Education in May 1997 and started her teaching career immediately that summer. She served as a Bilingual Teacher, Lead Teacher, Mentor, Program Specialist, Administrator, and Dean of Instruction while working for two major public school systems in the Houston area. Dr. Morales earned a master’s degree in 2009, and ten years later, she completed her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Concordia University Texas. Dr. Morales is an AFT National Trainer; she is certified in the Trauma-Informed Schools and Managing Behavior Modules. Her Texas Educator certifications include Bilingual Education, Special Education, School Administration, and a Montessori Early Childhood Credential. Dr. Morales currently serves as the Professional Development Director at the Houston Federation of Teachers.

Carol Villarreal is a trainer for the Strategies for Student Success modules. She holds a Bachelor’s in Elementary and Early Childhood from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Literacy Education with a Reading Specialist Certificate from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She currently works in Northside ISD in San Antonio, where she is a Middle School Reading Specialist. I have been teaching since 2003 and is a member of Northside AFT, where she is the Site Coordinator for the Professional Development Committee.

Monico Vitela has been teaching visual arts in San Antonio ISD public schools since 2014. he is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts and completed his teaching certification through the UTSA Teacher Certification Program. Monico is the campus representative and a professional development instructor for the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel. He is a national trainer for the American Federation of Teachers in the Foundations for Effective Teaching module. His passions include: painting and drawing, learning family recipes, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Jarvis is a native Michigander born, raised, and educated in Detroit, Michigan. As both an educator and an attorney, Jarvis has a lifelong passion for advocacy and community change. Having begun his professional career as a classroom teacher in Houston, TX in 2003, Jarvis then pursued his dream to become an attorney where he practices in the area of civil litigation. In 2016, he returned to his education roots in Houston, Texas, where he currently resides teaching at the college level while serving the district’s alternative schools as a Teacher Specialist. Jarvis also currently serves as a district trainer for non-violent crisis prevention, proactive classroom management, culturally responsive teaching, and positive behavior intervention support (PBIS). As a district trainer, he is responsible for selecting, writing, and delivering professional development content to adult learners. Since 2016, he has trained over 500 teachers, administrators, and other personnel in related content subjects. Additionally, Jarvis is a national trainer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for the Union Solution to Student Trauma modules and a local trainer for the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT) for the Managing Behavior in School Communities modules. Jarvis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley.