Our Team

Juan carlos cruz

I'm so blessed to present S.O.T.A.M FA to our communities here in the D.M.V. (D.C, Maryland, and Virginia) Our Academy is far beyond the beautiful game of futbol . For S.O.T.A.M FA, It's a lifestyle we take pride in, especially in educating, mentoring, and developing our students.

Our Moto: Building Student Athletes!

We want to create successful members of the community on the field & off the field, in their schools & in their homes! As an academy, we promote academic excellence and Social Awareness, everyday preparing them and giving them the proper tools to have a prosperous academic career. Soccer is our Safe Haven! From little to no experience all the way to advanced and ready for competition - our doors are open for you all!

We can't wait for you to be part of our mission!

Welcome to S.O.T.A.M FAmilia

elias rivera

I was born to serve and help others. That's what I've done as a pastor for the past 35 years. Through my work as a pastor I have, I have been able to be a part of many different missionary projects.  About 17 years ago, a group of youth from my church started talking about a type of  evangelism that would attract and allow me to work with other young people. We spoke of SOTAM and the idea behind it, but that was that. Then when I heard that SOTAM's dream was alive, my heart was overwhelmed with joy.  In 2017, we were invited to participate in our first ever trip to El Salvador to be part of the SOTAM Outreach Ministry staff. Working in that camp with those young people impacted my life in a great way. I could see how the church could fulfill the Great Commission that given to us. If SOTAM can be a way of serving our Lord’s will , then I too want to be a part of SOTAM, and serve God’s purpose.

Alexis Smith

Alexis Smith came to believe in the power of non-profits and community organizations while working with the Inter-American Foundation to help identify and fund organizations in Latin America that were making a difference in their communities. In her own community, she worked for the American Red Cross organizing blood drives at churches, local businesses, and community organizations in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. She is an avid sports fan who understands how important sports are for children, both physically and socially, and is proud to have supported SOTAM and its mission from the very beginning.

Allison Alt

Allison Alt is a public service professional, attorney, and business for good expert with more than a decade of experience working with all sectors to create social impact on behalf of low-income and vulnerable populations. Allison is the CEO & Founder of Business for Good, LLC, a global community and platform that trains business professionals to use business for good through triple bottom line decision-making and social enterprise. Allison previously ran the only youth-led movement for business for good at Social Impact 360, where she trained young entrepreneurs to build companies that solved social issues. She teaches and influences the ideas and businesses of the next generation of young CEO’s and innovators as an advocate, speaker, podcaster, policy influencer, and executive, having built my own organizations for social impact since the age of 16. Allison's expertise spans legal, federal and state government, policy, advocacy, communications, workforce development, poverty, coalition building, teaching, curriculum development, youth development, and education. Highly experienced in philanthropy, non-profit programming, corporate social responsibility, partnerships, grant portfolio management, employee engagement and volunteerism.

Noteworthy recognitions include:
➪ Forbes 30 Under 30 Fellow
➪ NationSwell Council: Service & Solutions Leadership
➪ 40 Under 40 Leadership in Washington, DC
➪ Common Purpose Global Leadership Program Graduate
➪ President's National Volunteer Award
➪ Work of Heart Award: Most Outstanding UF Volunteer
➪ Leadership Arlington's Young Professionals Class Graduate
➪ ProInspire Management Fellow
➪ Global Pact For Impact: A Pact to Strengthen Social Business Economy in Partnership with the French Embassy Under High Patronage of French Republic President Emmanuel Macron
➪ Speaker: Global Youth Economic Opportunity Summit (Social Business & Youth Entrepreneurship)
➪ Guest Lecturer: Georgetown Law - Entrepreneurship & Law Course
➪ Speaker: The World Bank Group, Developing Soft Skills in Youth Employment
➪ Speaker: Department of Education & The White House, Intergenerational Solutions in Education
 

james tellez

Hello!! My name is James Tellez!! I have been directly linked to SOTAM since its inception in 2015, and I am really excited to be a part of a brand that is stepping into a new dimension!! SOTAM is a dream come true for me. From a young age, I have always wanted to be a part of an organization whose end goal is helping humanity both spiritually and physically. Here at SOTAM, it’s a double blessing because I have the privilege of building on top of a foundation that I have been a part of. Please keep SOTAM in your prayers!  😊 

Katie Pagett

Katie hails from Texas but has lived in the DMV for over 13 years. She grew up playing sports year-round and still enjoys recreational team sports when she is able to participate. As a Christ-Follower, she believes in reaching out to the communities around her, both near and far, having traveled to Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as domestic mission trips. She is wrapping up a Masters in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton College in the spring and looks forward to contributing her years of education and experience to furthering the Kingdom of God here on earth through sport, as a SOTAM Board Member.

Oscar Ruiz

 Mr. Oscar Ruiz has more than fifteen years of experience in non-profit and international organizations, as well as the Federal government working on the topic of disabilities; diversity and inclusion in Latin America and the United States. Mr. Ruiz was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After graduating from high school, Mr. Ruiz decided to expand his horizons and went to get his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Florida. After graduating from college in 2001, he decided to start his professional career at the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), working with grassroots development projects in Latin America. At the IAF he created the first disabilities outreach program at the agency. Mr. Ruiz participated at the UN Second AdHoc Committee on the Convention for Persons with Disabilities in 2003 and organized the first Afro-Latino panel at the Annual National Council of La Raza (current name is Unidos US) in 2004.  

After working at the IAF for several years, Mr. Ruiz decided to pursuit a JD. After graduating from law school in 2008, he returned to Washington, DC, to start a new endeavor at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), promoting the topic of diversity and inclusion at the organization. At the IDB he helped established the first Disability Accommodation Fund and organization-wide telework policy. After his time at the IDB, he went back to the Federal government to work at the Department of Transportation, Office of Civil Rights. Currently, Mr. Ruiz works as a Disability and Equal Employment Opportunity Subject Matter Expert for the US Department of Defense (DoD). His task at DoD is to promote and create policies to improve diversity and accessibility for the military personnel. In addition to the vast experience working in topics to promote diversity and equity supporting the under-represented groups, Mr. Ruiz has written and published several articles in academic journals. He has been invited to speak on different topics for various domestic and international organizations like the World Bank, IDB, Library of Congress, International Youth Foundation, just to name a few.