craigdailypress.com

New hands soon will take the wheel at a Yampa Valley multicultural group.

A hiring committee for Integrated Community, or Comunidad Integrada in Spanish, recently selected Brazilian native Tatiana Achcar as its new executive director, a news release from the organization reported Thursday.

Achcar will replace Summer Laws, Integrated Community's current executive director, who plans to enter the health and wellness field.

"We are more than pleased Tatiana Achcar will be taking over the helm of the organization," Laws wrote in the release. "Ms. Achcar's communication skills, strategic planning experience and legal experience will allow her to guide the organization along a successful path."

Achcar is the founder and owner of a law firm located near Minneapolis that practices immigration law. She earned her bachelor's degree in anthropology and her law degree from the University of Minnesota, according to the news release.

Achcar's experience in the immigration law field could be beneficial for Integrated Community clients for several reasons, Laws said.

"A lot of times, we get questions from people that concern immigration law," she said, adding that it's a "very complicated type of law" full of frequent changes.

Add to the mix a few fraudulent immigration law services, and there arises a need to educate clients facing the immigration system, Laws said.

Achcar has other links to the Yampa Valley's multicultural community. She grew up in Venezuela and Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish and English, the news release reported.

Her experience includes fundraising, strategic planning and programming - skills she developed at several organizations, including the Centro Campesino, according to the release.

Centro Campesino, a Minnesotan organization, is designed to improve the quality of life for migrant workers and Latino residents in the state's rural areas, according to the organization's Web site.

Achcar also serves in organizations that serve immigrant communities, Laws said, and collaborates with programs similar to Integrated Community.

"She's an excellent candidate," Laws said. "We're lucky to have her in Craig and Steamboat Springs."

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com.