MEET THE LIP STAFF
Julie Laurence, LMSW
Senior Assistant Vice President
Julie Laurence comes to LIP with many years of experience working with girls and young women, with a focus on creating safe and nurturing, gender responsive communities, and youth leadership development.
Beatriz Coronel, MA
Assistant Vice President
Beatriz Coronel is a Suicide Prevention trainer. For 15 years, she has developed community based mental health prevention and intervention programs, and initiatives for Latina teens and their families in an effort to decrease their risk factors, and maladaptive behaviors, while increasing their protective factors.
Chasity Ortiz
Senior Case Manager, Bronx
Chasity Ortiz is the Senior Case Manager. She has been a vital member of LIP since 2014. She is passionate about working in the Mental Health field with at risk families. Her goal is to develop a sanctuary of protective factors and coping mechanisms to uplift the youth and help them build resilience and a successful life. She enjoys developing cathartic programming that empowers the youth to externalize their feelings.
Email: cortiz@comunilife.org
Sophia Benitez
Yonkers Case Manager
Sophia is the Case Manager for Life is Precious - Yonkers. She has her Bachelors in Biology and since has pursued a focus in Public Health. A culturally connected community based approach has become her life passion. Her goal with this program is to set a standard of care for Mental Health that can transcend beyond this program and into the daily lives of the youth.
Lorraine Flores
Washington Heights Case Manager
Lorraine is a proud Ecuadorian who was born and raised in the Bronx. She majored in Sociology & Psychology and has more than 10 years of experience in the Mental Health field working with adolescents, and their families. Her goal is to make a difference and create a community wide impact. She believes that although we cannot control what happens in our lives, we can learn how to cope, how to respond, and how to react to our challenges without giving up. One person, one family, one day at a time.
Erika Contreras
Queens Case Manager
Erika is pursuing a master’s in Psychology at Long Island University. She is inspired daily by the Latino community, and her goal is to help families and their teens succeed socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. She would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology and hopes to fulfill that dream soon
Altagracia Mantilla
Poughkeepsie Case Manager
Altagracia is the Poughkeepsie LIP Case Manager. She is passionate about helping Latina youth overcome suicide ideation by providing counseling and social work services. She is a graduate of John Jay College with a degree in Criminal Justice & a double minor in Psychology and Law. As a former LIP member, she has strived, thrived and survived!
Kimberly Ortega, MSW
Brooklyn Program Coordinator
Kimberly is an Afro-Latina from the Dominican Republic, born and raised in Brooklyn. She graduated with her MSW in 2021 and is passionate about the social work/mental health field and the work that comes with it. She is a true believer that when given the opportunity and support, communities can be empowered to overcome any struggle in order to achieve their goals. Her goal is to always provide the people that she works with an open and judgment free space to celebrate the highs, and learn how to navigate the lows.
Julie Perez
LIP Service Coordinator
Julie Perez is the LIP Service Coordinator. She has been part of the Comunilife family for over 10 years. She is passionate about serving her community, and ensuring that the LIP participants, and their families receive the support they need. Julie’s work at LIP ranges from data collection, to coordinating intake appointments, and keeping our sites functioning.