Jerry Tello is from a family of Mexican, Texan, and Coahuiltecan roots, and was raised in the South Central/Compton areas of Los Angeles. Over the last 40 years, he has dedicated himself to the service of individuals, families, and communities and has spoken to more than half of a million people and trained thousands of service providers across the nation. Mr. Tello is considered an international expert on the topics of transformational healing, men and boys of color, racial justice, and community peace and mobilization.
Mr. Tello is co-founder of the National Compadres Network and is currently serving as the director of training and capacity building. He has authored numerous articles, videos, and curricula addressing fatherhood, youth “rites of passage,” culturally based family strengthening, and healing the healer. He is the author of Recovering Your Sacredness, A Father’s Love, a series of children’s books, and co-editor of Family Violence and Men of Color. In addition, Mr. Tello was a principal consultant for Scholastic Books on an international bilingual literacy curriculum and has published a series of motivational health and healing CDs. Mr. Tello has appeared in Time, Newsweek, Latina, and Lowrider magazines. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 Maria Shriver’s Annual Advocate for Change award, the 2015 White House Champions of Change award, two California Governor’s Awards, the Ambassador of Peace Award presented by Rotary International, and the 2012 Presidential Crime Victims Service award.
Mr. Tello continues to serve families and communities directly at the Sacred Circles Center in California and is a member of the Sacred Circles performance group, which is dedicated to community peace and healing.
In addition, Mr. Tello was a principal consultant for Scholastic Books on an international bilingual literacy curriculum and has published a series of motivational health and healing CDs. Mr. Tello has appeared in Time, Newsweek, Latina and Lowrider magazines. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 Maria Shriver’s Annual Advocate for Change award, the 2015 White House Champions of Change award, two California Governor’s Awards, the Ambassador of Peace Award presented by Rotary International, and the 2012 Presidential Crime Victims Service award.
Mr. Tello continues to serve families and communities directly at the Sacred Circles Center in California and is a member of the Sacred Circles performance group, which is dedicated to community peace and healing.
