Yazmil Soriano is a proud first-generation Dominican-American from New York City and a single mother by choice to her 9-year-old daughter, who loves both mathematics and the arts. She lives and serves in the Newtown community of Sarasota, Florida, alongside her sorority sister and best friend of more than 20 years and her lively, comedically inclined goddaughter.

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A lifelong believer in the power of education and community leadership, Yazmil holds a B.A. in Psychology from LIU CW Post, an MBA in Health Care Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and an MSc in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy.

Yazmil’s professional journey began as a birth doula and early childhood educator, where she saw firsthand how culturally affirming and inclusive language can build trust, safety, and connection with families. Her commitment to family-centered practice led her to become actively involved in the development of the Newtown Family Center in Sarasota. As both a parent whose child attends Dreamers Academy and a dedicated community member, she joined the center’s steering committee and cohort while completing the National Family Support Network’s Standards of Quality and related trainings.

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Through this work, Yazmil helped co-design the center alongside community residents. She later expanded her expertise by training in the Trauma-Informed Community Development (TICD) framework developed by the Neighborhood Resilience Project in Pittsburgh. This experience deepened her commitment to community-driven leadership and reinforced the alignment between TICD principles and the National Family Support Network’s Standards of Quality—both grounded in working alongside communities rather than for them.

 

Today, Yazmil serves as the Implementation Manager for SRQ Strong’s TICD program, where she supports neighborhood experts in building relationships, gathering community-informed data, and shaping the Newtown Family Center into a place defined by its residents. Grounded in the Standards of Quality from the beginning, her work promotes shared ownership, strengthens family leadership, and helps cultivate sustainable community-driven solutions that will support families for years to come.