Statewide nonprofit Al Éxito, which supports the advancement of Iowa’s Latino students, announced a leadership change Monday.

Dawn Martinez Oropeza, who has led Al Éxito as executive director since 2013, will step down effective July 1 to pursue new interests, a news release said. Al Éxito Assistant Director Ivania “Gabby” Guerra Ceron will serve as the organization’s next executive director, starting July 1.

During Martinez Oropeza’s tenure, she increased Al Éxito’s operating funding tenfold and its programming from a monthly mentorship model with eighth grade girls in four rural communities to 30 programs and 800 youths from fifth grade to college, with weekly programs led by trained facilitators.

“Dawn’s leadership and dedication to Al Éxito scholars has had a critical impact on hundreds of Iowa’s Latino youth,” said Jose Luis Hernandez, co-president of the Al Éxito board of directors. “She’s driven innovative, transformative opportunities for students to achieve academic success and leadership capacity.”

Martinez Oropeza was named a Woman of Influence by the Des Moines Business Record in 2016 and is a recipient of the Louise Rosenfield Noun Visionary Award. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California-San Diego and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Guerra Ceron is an immigrant from Santa Ana, El Salvador, and grew up in Des Moines, graduating from North High School. A first-generation college student, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in ethics and public policy, a minor in Latinx studies, and a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Iowa.

Guerra Ceron started her career at Al Éxito as an administrative assistant and then served her first stint as assistant director. She worked for Please Pass the Love, a school mental health organization, for two years before returning to Al Éxito in 2023.

Guerra Ceron has served as co-founder and tri-chair for Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition and serves on the Iowa Safe Schools board of directors. She also recently completed Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s HealthConnect fellowship and was recognized in 2023 as a Business Record Forty Under 40 honoree.

Al Éxito is also marking its 15th anniversary this week and planning a community Quinceañera fundraiser and event for 2026. Just as a Quinceañera marks a girl’s transition into adulthood, this milestone reflects the organization’s growth and commitment to the community, Martinez Oropeza said in the release.

The event will honor Al Éxito founders, madrinas and padrinos (or godparents), sponsors and supporters, who are invited to help support the event. Those interested can contact Martinez Oropeza at dawn@alexitoiowa.org.