Nicholas D. Torres was appointed President by Congreso’s Board of Directors in September 2001, after proving his skills as an effective administrator, systems thinker, educator and change agent in the agency’s Division of Children and Youth Services. Under Mr. Torres' leadership, Congreso has grown into a nationally-recognized organization promoting Education and Workforce Development as models for transforming lives by moving individuals up the economic ladder and out of poverty.
Mr. Torres has driven the creation of the first community-based CareerLink focused on Latino employment in the State of Pennsylvania and led the implementation of Congreso’s Employment Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) Center which transitions participants from welfare to employment with family sustaining wages. Drawing from his background in education, Mr. Torres has also spearheaded models for partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to encourage youth to graduate from high school and attend post-secondary education as well as to connect out-of-school youth with educational and employment opportunities.
To strengthen Latino communities, Mr. Torres recognizes the importance of coordinating Congreso's efforts with local, state, and national organizations. In 2002, he founded the Eastern North Philadelphia Youth Services Coalition (ENPYS) of which Congreso continues to be the lead agency. This Coalition unites community-based organizations in Eastern North Philadelphia to provide culturally appropriate supportive services to youth.
Currently Mr. Torres is the Southeastern Chair of the Governor's Commission on Children and Families, the co-Chair of National Council of La Raza's Northeast Affiliates, serves on the board of Philadelphia VIP, and will begin his tenure on the WHYY advisory council in June of 2008. Mr. Torres previously served as the Chair of the Southeastern Pennsylvania United Way's Professional Advisory Council and was recognized by Leadership Philadelphia as one of the 101 Philadelphia Connectors in December 2006. Demonstrating his commitment to the community, Mr. Torres has served as a mentor to local youth for many years.
In January of 2008, Mr. Torres received a prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship. Eisenhower Fellowships engages emerging leaders from around the world to enhance their professional capabilities, broaden their contacts, deepen their perspectives, and unite them in a diverse, global community—a network where dialogue, understanding, and collaboration lead to a more prosperous, just, and peaceful world. With this fellowship, Mr. Torres will travel to Chile and Argentina for a period of six weeks to examine education and employment models utilized by various non governmental organizations to reduce poverty in the region.
Before coming to Congreso, Mr. Torres served as a family/child therapist for a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization and taught 3rd and 4th graders in a bilingual classroom setting in Bronx, New York, through Teach for America and AmericaCorps. Mr. Torres holds a M.Ed in Counseling Education from the University of Texas at Austin.