Terry Olivas-De La O, C.O.T.A./L, ROH
Founder of Family Success by Design
Terry Olivas-De La O, C.O.T.A./L, ROH, has been an Occupational Therapy Practitioner for over 30 years. She has dedicated her work and advocacy for those with physical and mental health needs at the community, state, and national levels. She continues to volunteer numerous hours toward cultural competency and social justice issues. She has received several awards and recognition for her work in many areas. Her most cherished award, was being honored in 2009 with the American Occupational Therapy Roster of Honor, one of only thirty one recipients in the nation.
Ms. Olivas-De La O was the first Latina Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant to be voted by the national member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc to hold voice and vote a Board Director, which she did for over five years. She actively participated in policy-making decisions, advocating on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. for the rights of those who need Occupational Therapy Services. She was also the first Latina to hold Chairmanship for the AOTA Cultural Competence and Diversity Committee, where she assisted the association and its members in raising cultural competency for those served by Occupational Therapy Practitioners.
In 2003, Ms. Olivas-De La O, envisioned and founded the first Young Latino Men’s Conference in the state of California, first in the nation. This unique conference aimed to foster self-esteem and awareness in young Latino males, through education and mentorship. Nationally recognized, it continues annually under the direction of Ms. Olivas-De La O’s founded non profit, Family Success by Design.
In 2009, Ms. Olivas-De La O co founded The Black and Brown Young Men’s Summit to address bringing our young men together in celebration of cultural and education to promote understanding and successful lives with Unity.
In 2010, Ms. Olivas –De La O, co founded with her daughter, Infinie De La O, The Young Woman’s Summit to address the need of ending bullying at a community, state and national level. Their one day summit is designed to empower young woman to become leaders of their communities to engage in learning tools to proactively and successfully address prevention and intervention of all types of bullying in the name of Phobe Prince, www.phoebeslaw.com and all who have been bullied.
A domestic violence survivor herself, Ms. Olivas-De La O sees the need for community involvement in addressing social change. She has turned her own sympathy into action, volunteering countless hours to safe homes and shelters, where she has linked her professional and private passions to develop an design life changes for many women, men and youth whose lives have flourished with her help.
Mentoring is a huge part of Ms. Olivas-De La’s life and implementation into her work and volunteerism. She addresses issues of those in foster care by providing her occupational therapy knowledge to address not only life skills, but life long goals of daily successful skills through her uniquely designed individual sessions and mentoring projects.
As the CEO and Founder of Family Success by Design, Inc and a successful small business owner of another company Ms. Olivas-De La O strives to further to serve the communities most in need with her expertise in Occupational Therapy and community advocacy. She brings to the business her passion to assist families and children in need, so that they may strive further themselves, toward higher education, healthier lifestyles and more productive and successful futures.
