Ana Gaby Becerra is Barracuda’s COO and prior Creative Director. In her previous role as Creative Director, Ana Gaby oversaw the creation of sophisticated, resonant, bilingual campaigns that cohesively tell our client’s stories across platforms and on both sides of the border. She recently transitioned from a creative role into operations and business management. In this new role, she assists the CEO in executing Barracuda’s strategy and vision. Overseeing Barracuda’s internal and external processes ensures that the Barracuda team is running smoothly and working to its fullest capacity. Ana Gaby holds a double degree in graphic design and organizational communication with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Mauro is a dynamic executive leader with a comprehensive engineering, design, public speaking, event production, and multi-venue operations background. Known for collaborating closely with teams to develop and implement innovative and effective strategies, he has extensive experience in facility management and event production across the U.S. and international markets, including Panama and Mexico. As General Manager at ASM Global in Las Cruces, NM, Mauro managed a $3.5M annual operating budget and a diverse team, ensuring smooth facility operations. His career is marked by robust administrative skills, civic engagement, and a knack for fostering relationships and partnerships.

Nicholette Ruiz has recently taken on the new role of Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at Baracuda Public Relations. Nicholette comes to Barracuda PR after playing a vital role as the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the El Paso Chamber where she helped to champion economic development initiatives within the region, as well as advance advocacy efforts on behalf of the business community with local, state, and federal leaders. Prior to this role, Nicholette spent 11 years working in the El Paso County Judge’s Office where she made significant contributions to the development and implementation of key policies and community programs. Most notably, she served as the Senior Policy Advisor to County Judge Samaniego as the County helped the community navigate through a horrific mass shooting, a public health emergency, and an ongoing influx of refugees from all over the world. Earlier in her career, Nicholette initially developed a passion for public service as she served under the leadership of then County Judge Veronica Escobar who now serves as the Congresswoman for the Texas’ 16 Congressional District.

Patricia Garcia has recently taken on the new role of leading our public engagement initiatives. She is CNU-accredited by the University of Miami School of Architecture program based on the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism. She joined Barracuda from KTSM-TV where she served as the digital content manager. She also previously served as Editor of Su Casa Magazine, Associate Editor of the Texas Bar Journal and Features Editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. A graduate of New Mexico State University, Patricia has managed COVID-19 vaccination activations for the Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Reduce the Risk campaign and content creation for BBB Paso del Norte’s El Paso Business Strong campaign among many other public outreach projects.

A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, Gabriel works to establish and expand our clients’ brands. He leads the graphic design team to create cohesive campaigns that effectively communicate the client’s unique story and message. He also works closely with our social media team to create custom graphics and illustrations that reflect the client’s aesthetic voice. Gabriel is flexible and adaptable and is becoming well-versed in creating motion graphics that bring his designs to life. Gabriel’s commitment and passion for the arts in the community are evident in his work. He seamlessly ensures that campaigns are appealing, consistent and optimized for social media, print, direct mail, outdoor, or wherever your story needs to be told.

Regina Garcia leads social media content creation and account curation for some of Barracuda’s most dynamic clients. Constantly keeping tabs on ever-changing trends and policies in the social media world, Regina’s day-to-day duties include executing clients’ social media strategies by disseminating quality content videos and imagery across all communication platforms. She ensures that all social media spending correlates directly to a client’s goals or a particular campaign. Regina is also well-versed in building effective target audiences to deliver laser-focused messages with maximum efficiency. Regina is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Master of Arts in Mass Communication. She is a Certified Social Media Strategist, helping Barracuda become the first certified social media agency in Texas from the National Institute of Social Media.

As Barracuda’s Chief Storyteller, Dave Acosta’s ultra-sharp writing skills and deep understanding of border culture allow him to execute public relations strategies that immediately resonate with the public and the press. In addition to introducing new franchises to the market and gaining exposure for creative clients, Dave leads Barracuda’s storytelling services for the Hospitals of Providence, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and many other clients. Before joining the Barracuda PR team, Dave covered entertainment and music for the El Paso Times. Dave is a University of Texas at El Paso graduate and certified Social Media Strategist.

Joe Najera is an award-winning photojournalist who has spent more than a decade covering the people and places that make Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico special. He puts more than 15 years of experience to work for Barracuda’s clients by shooting high-definition, broadcast-ready media kits; producing live, multi-camera social media broadcasts; and capturing compelling still images which tell a client’s story in an instant. During his time at KFOX-TV, Joe traveled to Cape Canaveral to cover El Paso astronaut Danny Olivas’ first mission into space. Joe’s experience behind the camera also includes managing a team of nearly a dozen photographers at KFOX. In his time at The Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Joe was responsible for all aspects of video coverage during Pope Frances’ visit to Ciudad Juárez.