Who We Are

Veronica Nieves is the Founder and President of Raíces Art Therapy, Inc. A proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran, she built Raíces from a foundation rooted in years of study, service, and lived experience. Art has been part of her life since childhood, first as something joyful, then as a way to process and regulate through the hard parts, and today still as a personal decompressor. That relationship with creative expression is not incidental to this work. It is the root of it.

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Before enlisting, Veronica studied criminal psychology and art, developing an early understanding of how the mind processes trauma and how creativity can support healing. Her military service deepened that foundation, and the years that followed brought graduate-level study in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, alongside frontline community service with organizations including the American Red Cross, CERT, Team Rubicon, The Mission Continues, Habitat for Humanity, and Veterans Treatment Court. Each of those roles carried its own training in mental health, crisis response, disability support, and working with people navigating difficult chapters of their lives.

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When the vision for Raíces took shape, Veronica completed focused training in art therapy practice and therapeutic facilitation, including coursework through Scholistico and additional professional development in healing and life coaching. She continues to research, collaborate with her team, and adapt programming to meet the specific needs of each population she serves.

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Her professional background in cybersecurity, compliance, and emergency management informs how Raíces is structured: with attention to safety, ethics, and consistency that makes the creative work possible. Through Raíces, she designs non-clinical, trauma-informed expressive art experiences for children, adults, seniors, and veterans. Programming is currently delivered in partnership with community organizations including NAMI and Lighthouse Vision Loss Center, with a focus on self-awareness, stress regulation, and finding meaning in their stories.

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She founded Raíces to bridge the gap between emotional wellness and accessible creative support so participants feel seen, supported, and empowered, one creative step at a time.

We’re proud to introduce Dr. Victoria Otano, a board-certified family medicine physician with Bayfront Health Medical Group.

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Dr. Otano provides inclusive, compassionate care with expertise in:

Primary care for all ages
LGBTQ+ and HIV care
PrEP and HRT
Preventive screenings & chronic condition management

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Fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Otano is passionate about health equity and breaking down barriers in underserved communities. She also mentors future Latino physicians and advocates for representation in healthcare. 

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We’re honored to have her as part of our mission to build healthier, more inclusive communities! 

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Heather brings extensive experience in designing, delivering, and leading programs and curriculum focused on leadership, management, and talent development. Throughout her career, she has created and managed transformative learning experiences for both veteran and non‑veteran communities, consistently centering people and mission in her strategic approach.

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She is currently working at Warrior Scholar Project as Chief Programs Officer,  and prior to that, Heather served as Senior Vice President of Programs at Beneath the Service, where she led program strategy and expansion. Before her time at Beneath the Servce, she spent more than eight years as Vice President of Programs at The Mission Continues, guiding national program portfolios that empowered veterans through service and leadership development. Her earlier career includes seven years as Director of Learning and Development at Teach For America, as well as work as an independent global consultant, learning center director, and high school teacher at the former Cleveland Junior NJROTC High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Heather holds a degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has earned multiple coaching and learning certifications, including advanced behavior studies with DISC facilitator and speaking credentials.

She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, a Marine Corps veteran, and their two teenage daughters.

Kendra's therapeutic career spans over 15 years, encompassing a wide range of experiences in diverse settings across locations such as Florida and Philadelphia. During this time she has witnessed firsthand the systemic barriers and limited resources that impede growth for individuals grappling with childhood trauma, domestic violence, substance use disorders, and mental health challenges. While Kendra initially viewed the legal system as a simple mechanism for justice, her undergraduate studies in criminal justice profoundly shifted this perspective. She shared how she came to understand criminal behavior not as isolated acts, but as a result of complex social and psychological factors. This new understanding, coupled with a foundation in constitutional and criminal law, ignited a passion for advocating more informed and humane approaches within the criminal justice system.

Her early career included working in a juvenile treatment facility with youth aged 11-18 facing complex behavioral needs, including sex offenses, aggression, truancy, and theft. This experience underscored the power of specialized interventions and the potential for positive change in at-risk youth. However, she soon realized that a traditional criminal justice path didn't fully align with her deeper purpose. This led her to outpatient counseling and, ultimately, to pursue a Master of Science in Psychology to gain a more profound understanding of human behavior.

For the remainder of her career, Kendra has remained dedicated to the therapeutic field, working in various roles such as outpatient counseling for mental health and substance use disorders, mobile therapy for elementary-aged youth with family-based services, trauma-informed therapy in schools for students primarily with emotional disturbance diagnosis, and holds her current position as a behavioral healthcare manager within the healthcare system where she supports patients with mental health and and substance use disorders. This role takes an integrated approach working closely with their medical providers. Beyond her direct roles, Kendra has actively pursued initiatives that reflect her commitment to advocacy and healing. This includes launching a podcast focused on inner work and healing, assisting in CME planning for physicians on the impact of stigma on substance use disorder care, developing and delivering training to educational systems on supporting LGBTQIA+ youth during tragedy, and actively participating in DEI ambassador meetings. These endeavors are not just her passion; they are her purpose.