José Santiago, LCSW
From Youth at Risk to CEO, Scholar, and Advocate for Transformational Change
Booking Info
Expert In
- Managing Mental Health and Addiction Recovery: Teaching individuals how to understand, manage, and live successfully with mental health disorders and addictions rather than attempting to control what cannot be controlled.
- Dignity, Respect, and Workplace Culture: Creating environments where every person is treated with dignity and respect, fostering a workplace culture that values character, contribution, and human worth.
- Discovering Purpose and Answering Your Calling: Helping individuals identify their gifts, overcome adversity, and align their lives with a meaningful sense of purpose and direction.
- Balancing Nurture and Discipline in Education and Youth Development: Exploring the importance of combining compassion, accountability, structure, and encouragement to help young people thrive.
- Experiential Learning and Transformational Growth: Demonstrating how hands-on experiences, real-world challenges, and reflective learning create lasting personal growth and leadership development.
Experience
- Motivational Speaker, Puerto Rico National Guard Challenge Academy: Delivered presentations focused on resilience, personal responsibility, leadership, and overcoming adversity for at-risk youth and young adults.
- Latter-day Saint Endowed Member and Orator: Recognized for public speaking, faith-based teaching, and delivering messages centered on purpose, dignity, respect, and personal transformation.
- Graduate, Summa Cum Laude, Florida International University: Earned a Master of Social Work (Advanced Standing) degree with highest academic honors, demonstrating excellence in leadership, scholarship, and service.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Group Facilitator: Facilitated more than 1,000 hours of group therapy in mental health and substance use treatment settings, helping individuals develop recovery skills, emotional resilience, and healthier lifestyles.
- Television and Radio Contributor with Iniciativa Comunitaria de Puerto Rico: Featured on television and radio programs discussing substance use recovery, mental health awareness, community empowerment, and pathways to personal transformation.
About José Santiago, LCSW
José is a transformational speaker, clinical social worker, and CEO of Paragon Youth Conservation Program whose life journey embodies resilience, purpose, and the power of personal transformation. A former youth at risk and survivor of gun violence, he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future. Through perseverance, education, and an unwavering commitment to growth, he overcame significant obstacles to become a leader dedicated to empowering others to recognize their own potential and rewrite their stories.
Today, José inspires audiences with a message of dignity, respect, accountability, and hope. Drawing from his lived experience and professional work serving vulnerable populations, he challenges individuals to rise above adversity and embrace their inherent worth. Guided by his personal motto, "I am a human being, and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Those who want respect give respect," José delivers powerful presentations that encourage healing, personal responsibility, leadership, and lasting change. His mission is simple: to help others transform pain into purpose and purpose into impact.