8/14/2019 US Army: HHM Bios http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us-army-hhm-bios 1/48 National Hispanic Heritage Month 15 September – 15 October 2003 Resource Information National Hispanic Heritage Month is commemorated, by Presidential proclamation, from September 15 th through October 15 th each year. The theme this year is: “Hispanic Americans: Honoring Our Past, Surpassing Our Present, and Leading Our Future.” The U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Programs has completed a project in support of the 2003 national observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. For this project, we have collected the biographical data on forty-seven (47) Hispanic Americans who have made significant accomplishments in education, science, government, community service, and other professions. The Resource Information was compiled by Ms. Alice Ramirez, currently a student at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, working this summer for the MEDCOM Office of EEO Programs at Fort Sam Houston. We want to thank Ms. Ramirez for her hard work and dedication to this project. We encourage Army Hispanic Employment Program Managers and committee members to use this information as resource material, for displays, or for guest speaker invitations. We also invite you to share this information and the MEDCOM EEO website address with other agencies, organizations, schools, and members of the general public who may be interested in this Resource Information. Our point of contact is EEO Specialist, Mrs. Carmen Lopez, who has served as the Action Officer for this project. For more information, contact Mrs. Lopez at our EEO e-mail address: [email protected]. DELIA RAMIREZ TRIMBLE Director Office of EEO Programs
National Hispanic Heritage Month is commemorated, by Presidential proclamation, from September 15th through October 15th each year. The themethis year is:
The U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) Office of Equal EmploymentOpportunity (EEO) Programs has completed a project in support of the 2003national observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. For this project, we havecollected the biographical data on forty-seven (47) Hispanic Americans whohave made significant accomplishments in education, science, government,community service, and other professions.
The Resource Information was compiled by Ms. Alice Ramirez, currentlya student at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX,working this summer for the MEDCOM Office of EEO Programs at Fort Sam Houston. We want to thank Ms. Ramirez for her hard work and dedication to
this project.
We encourage Army Hispanic Employment Program Managers and committee members to use this information as resource material, for displays, or forguest speaker invitations. We also invite you to share this informationand the MEDCOM EEO website address with other agencies, organizations,schools, and members of the general public who may be interested in thisResource Information.
Our point of contact is EEO Specialist, Mrs. Carmen Lopez, who hasserved as the Action Officer for this project. For more information,
Dora G. Alcala was sworn in as Mayor onMay 9, 2000, and is the first woman ever electedMayor in the history of Del Rio, Texas. Sheretired as Director, Civilian Equal EmploymentOpportunity Training at the Defense EqualOpportunity Management Institute (DEOMI), PatrickAir Force Base, Florida. During her 37 years ofservice with the U.S. Air Force (USAF), she workedin the area of Human Resources Management,Financial Management, Education and EqualEmployment Opportunity. In 1990, she attained therank of Senior Executive. She was appointed andserved as the Deputy for Equal Opportunity for theUSAF. During her assignments in the Human ResourceManagement area, she held high managerial levelpositions in Del Rio, Texas; San Antonio, Texas;Albuquerque, New Mexico; Montgomery, Alabama;Washington, D.C. (the Pentagon); Arlington,
Virginia; and Cocoa Beach, Florida. Mrs. Alcalahas a Master’s Degree in Management from WebsterUniversity. She is also a graduate of the AirUniversity’s Academic Instructor’s School andlater became the Director of the Ira C. EakerCenter for Professional Development in Montgomery,Alabama. In December 1988, she was featured on thecover of Hispanic Times magazine. For more information:http://www.cityofdelrio.com/mayor.htm
Point of Contact: Address – The City of Del Rio, 109 W. Broadway
Del Rio, Texas 78840Telephone – (830) 774-8558E-mail - [email protected]
Dr. Tomas A. Arciniega was named one of theTop 100 Hispanic Influentials by Hispanic
Business magazine, September 1997 and receivedthe Service Award for Distinguished
Administrator and Policy Maker presented by theHispanic and Business Alliance for Education,Inc., 1991. His professional experience has beenin education, serving as an administrator forvarious universities. He is the immediate pastChair, Board of Directors, of the HispanicAssociation of Colleges and Universities. Hisrecent publications include Achieving Equality
of Opportunity in American Education: A
Continuing Nagging Problem for America, and The
Nature and Importance of Minority Leaders in the
Decade Ahead. He is the Trustee Emeritus of theBoard of Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation ofNew York Foundation.
President, Mexican American Physicians Association
San Antonio, Texas
Biographical Data:
Dr. Diana Ballesteros was born in CorpusChristi, Texas, the second of 9 children. Sheattended the University of Texas at Austin from 1975-78 and received a liberal arts degree with a major inbiology and chemistry. She did apply to medicalschool at this time, but was not accepted at any ofthe Texas schools to which she applied. After makinga promise to her father before he died in 1986 thatshe would reapply to medical school, she enteredmedical school in 1988 (at age 32) and became asingle mother during her last two years of study.After completing medical school in 1992, she moved toSan Antonio with three children in order to do herresidence training in Family Practice. In 1995, shecompleted her residency and entered private practicefor two years, combining occupational medicine withfamily medicine. In 1998, she became a teachingphysician for the Family Practice Residency Program
at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio’sdowntown urban area. She is still teaching and servesa medically underserved and underrepresent-ed area ofTexas that needs more primary care physicians(especially minority because of the high incidence ofSpanish-speaking patients) to practice in thecommunity. She sees herself first and foremost as aphysician. She is very proud to be simply a goodhuman being and a doctor who is able to help peoplemedically and help youth to achieve their goals.
For more information:http://wwww.mapa-sa.org/
Point of Contact: Address – 9901 IH-10 West, Suite 800, San Antonio, Texas
In July 2001, Hector Barreto was unanimouslyconfirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 21st administrator ofthe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In thiscapacity, he oversees the delivery of financial andbusiness development tools to America’s entrepreneurs.
With a portfolio of direct and guaranteed business loansand disaster loans worth more than $45 billion, SBA isthe largest single financial backer and facilitator oftechnical assistance and contracting opportunities forthe nation’s small businesses. Mr. Barreto’s position,and his lifetime of involvement with the small businesscommunity, has also made him America’s highest-rankingsmall-business advocate. Immediately before beingnominated to his current post by the President, Mr.Barreto was himself a business owner, as well as beingVice Chairman of the Board for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. Mr. Barreto has received special recognitionfor his contributions to America’s small-businesscommunity from the U.S. Congress, the CaliforniaLegislature, the American Heart Association and theAmerican Red Cross. Recognized by Hispanic Business
magazine as one of America’s “100 Most InfluentialHispanics,” Mr. Barreto has also been praised by theLatino Coalition for being a role model to Latino youth,and the Hispanic College Fund has commended hisleadership in advancing Hispanic businesses.
For more information:
http://www.sba.gov/admin/about.html
Point of Contact:Ms. Maribel PlacenciaAddress – 409 3rd Street, S.W., Suite 7000, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Manuel Berriozabal is a mathematician, a collegeprofessor, and a visionary with the unusual talent ofturning his visions into reality. The best example is theincredibly successful Prefreshman Engineering Program(PREP). He formed PREP at the University of Texas at SanAntonio (UTSA) in 1979 in partnership with the U.S.Department of Energy and several colleges and universitiesbecause of his concern about the low number of minoritystudents who successfully completed college studies inscience and engineering. PREP is a mathematics-basedacademic enrichment program. Its focus is on thedevelopment of abstract reasoning and problem solvingskills. Participants study mathematical logic, probabilityand statistics, technical writing, some topics inengineering, physics, and computer science. They alsolearn about careers in science and engineering. When SanAntonio PREP first started, the conventional wisdom wasthat the program was doomed to failure because middle
school and high school students would never want to spendeight weeks during the summer on a college campus studyingmathematics and its applications. Twenty-two years ofoperation have belied these low expectations. Since 1979,this program has been replicated as the Texas PrefreshmanEngineering Program (TexPREP) in 15 Texas cities on 25community and senior college campuses and since 1996 asPROYECTO Access on 9 campuses in 8 other states. Since1979, over 18,000 middle school and high school studentshave completed at least one eight-week summer of TexPREP;81% were minorities and 54% were women.
For more information:http://www.texprep.org
Point of Contact: Address – 501 West Durango Blvd., San Antonio, Texas 78207
Rear Admiral Betancourt is currently assignedas Commander of the U.S. Navy Mine Warfare Commandheadquartered at Naval Air Station (NAS), CorpusChristi, Texas. Previous assignments at sea
include a tour of duty aboard the USS Frederick(LST 1184) as Executive Officer. His assignmentsashore have included duty as Aide and FlagLieutenant to the Commander, Naval Forces,Marianas, and duty in the Office of the Chief ofNaval Personnel, Washington, D.C. as SpecialAssistant for Officer Accession Programs. He is therecipient of military decorations that include theDefense Superior Service Medal, the Legion ofMerit, and the Bronze Star, among others. RearAdmiral Betancourt is a graduate of Pan American
University, Edinburg, Texas (now the University ofTexas-Pan American) and holds master’s degrees fromthe Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, TuftsUniversity, and from the Industrial College of theArmed Forces, Washington, D.C.
For more information:http://www.elnavy.com/hispanicsnavy/admiral3.jsp
Point of Contact: Address – 2300 E. Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20372
Congressman Henry Bonilla was born in San Antonio, TX,attended South San Antonio High School and earned a Bachelorof Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.Most of Congressman Bonilla's professional career has beenin television news. Having started as a reporter in San
Antonio, he later became a producer for WABC, the flagshipstation of the ABC network in New York, then Assistant NewsDirector for WTAF in Philadelphia, returning to KENS-TV inSan Antonio in 1986 as Executive Producer/News. In 1989, heassumed the role of Executive Producer for Public Affairs atKENS, a position that involved heading up civic andcommunity projects on behalf of the television station.Congressman Bonilla’s election in 1992 marked the first timea Hispanic Republican was elected to Congress from Texas. Atthe beginning of his first term, he was chosen to serve onthe House Appropriations Committee, a position not held by a
Republican freshman in more than 25 years. He currentlyserves as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee onAgriculture, and a member of the Subcommittee on ForeignOperations and the Subcommittee on Defense. CongressmanBonilla was selected by President-Elect George W. Bush andthe Republican National Committee (RNC) to serve as one ofthree co-chairmen of the 2000 Republican NationalConvention. He has represented the 23rd District for morethan a decade. It is the largest Congressional district inTexas accounting for 22.3 percent of the total square milesin the state. It is larger than every state east of theMississippi and covers two time zones.
President & CEO, Hispanic Association on Corporate
Responsibility (HACR), Washington, D.C.
Biographical Data:
As President & CEO of HACR, Ms. Cabraloversees a coalition of the largest and mostinfluential national Hispanic organizations in theU.S. In keeping with its mission of includingHispanics in corporate America at a level
commensurate with their economic contributions,HACR has established partnerships with 23 of thenation’s most prominent corporations to measureHispanic inclusion in core areas: employment,procurement, philanthropy and governance. Inaddition, Ms. Cabral serves on the President’sCouncil on the 21st Century Workforce. Prior tojoining HACR, she served as Deputy Staff Directorfor the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee andsimultaneously served as Executive Staff Directorof the U.S. Senate Republican Conference Task Force
on Hispanic Affairs. Ms. Cabral is a graduate ofthe University of California, Davis (PoliticalScience) and earned her Masters degree in PublicAdministration from the John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment at Harvard University.
For more information:http://www.hacr.org/president_bio.htm
Point of Contact: Address – 1444 I Street NW, Ste 850, Washington, D.C.
In 2001, the California State University (CSU) Board ofTrustees appointed former U.S. Secretary of the Army LouisCaldera as CSU Vice Chancellor for University Advancement.As Army Secretary, Mr. Caldera made expanding high schooloutreach programs and improving educational opportunitiesfor soldiers a cornerstone of the Army's efforts to reverserecruiting and retention shortfalls while increasing theskills and technical competencies of soldiers in the force.He created the Army University Access Online distanceeducation program that enables soldiers to earn college andgraduate degrees while serving. He directed the expansion ofthe highly beneficial Junior ROTC program to hundreds ofhigh school campuses nationwide. Additionally, he improvedopportunities for non-high school graduates to join the Armyafter first earning a GED with the Army's support through anew GED-Plus enlistment option. Mr. Caldera served in theCalifornia State Assembly from 1992-1997, representing the46th District centered in downtown Los Angeles and
surrounding neighborhoods. Mr. Caldera left the Assembly inSeptember 1997 after he was appointed by President BillClinton to be Managing Director and Chief Operating Officerof the Corporation for National and Community Service, theparent organization to the Americorps, Senior Service Corpsand Learn and Serve America community service programs. Lessthan a year later, President Clinton nominated Mr. Calderato be Secretary of the Army. Born in El Paso, Texas, Mr.Caldera was raised in Whittier, California. In 1974, he wasappointed to the U.S. Military Academy. After graduatingfrom West Point, he served as a commissioned officer in the
U.S. Army for five years. He left the Army to pursuegraduate studies. In 1987, he received a law degree and anMBA from Harvard University.
For more information:http://nesline.calstate.edu/Archive/00-01/010604-CO.shtml
Point of Contact: Address - CSU, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach, CA 90802-4210Telephone – (562) 985-2500
U.S. Surgeon General, Commander, USPHS Commissioned
Corps, Assistant Secretary for Health (Acting), U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Data:
Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona was sworn in as the17th Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Serviceon August 5, 2002, and assumed the role of ActingAssistant Secretary for Health on February 9, 2003. Bornand raised in New York City, Dr. Carmona dropped out ofhigh school and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. Whileenlisted, he received his Army General EquivalencyDiploma, joined the Army's Special Forces, ultimatelybecoming a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, and beganhis career in medicine. He graduated from the Universityof California, San Francisco, with a bachelor of sciencedegree (1977) and medical degree (1979). At theUniversity of California Medical School, Dr. Carmona wasawarded the prestigious gold-headed cane as the topgraduate. He has also earned a masters of public health
from the University of Arizona (1998). Dr. Carmona hasworked in various positions in the medical fieldincluding paramedic, registered nurse and physician. Dr.Carmona completed a surgical residency at the Universityof California, San Francisco, and a National Institutesof Health-sponsored fellowship in trauma, burns andcritical care. Dr. Carmona is a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons, and is also certified incorrectional health care and in quality assurance.
Dr. Max Castillo assumed the position of President ofthe University of Houston (UH)-Downtown in 1992. Since then,Dr. Castillo has been preparing the university for a veryexciting future. Among his accomplishments are theconstruction of the $23 million Academic Building and JesseH. Jones Student Life Center and the securing of $18.3
million in tuition revenue bonds in 2001 for theconstruction of another academic building. He is responsiblefor expanded educational access through the Weekend College,the Urban Teacher Education program, on-line and courseofferings at off-campus locations, and the development ofthe university’s first two graduate degree programs inCriminal Justice plus an M.A. in Teaching. Dr. Castilloserves on the boards of the Hispanic Association of Collegesand Universities (HACU) and the American Council onEducation (ACE). Dr. Castillo previously served on the ACECommission on Minorities in Higher Education and is a former
commissioner of the Southern Association of Colleges andSchools. He has been active in forging partnerships for theuniversity in the international arena with Mexico, China,the United Kingdom and France. Dr. Castillo received the1990 Meritorious Service Award from the Texas Association ofChicanos in Higher Education and was recognized in 1987 asone of the nation’s top influential Hispanics by Hispanic
Business magazine. He is a graduate of St. Mary’s Universityin San Antonio, Texas and received his doctoral degree ineducation from the University of Houston.
For more information:http://www.dt.uh.edu
Point of Contact:Ms. Julie Vazquez, Secretary
Address – UH-Downtown, One Main St., Houston, TX 77002Tele hone – 713 221-8246
Dr. Chang-Diaz became a NASA Astronaut in 1981and in 1993 was appointed Director of the AdvancedSpace Propulsion Laboratory at the Johnson SpaceCenter. A veteran of seven space flights, Dr.Chang-Diaz has logged over 1,601 hours in space,including 19 hours and 31 minutes in three spacewalks. Among many other recognitions, he is therecipient of 2 NASA Distinguished Service Medals,
the Medal of Excellence from the CongressionalHispanic Caucus, and the Flight Achievement Awardfrom the American Astronautical Society. He is agraduate of the University of Connecticut andcompleted his graduate and doctorate studies inapplied plasma physics at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT). In addition to hismain fields of science and engineering, he workedfor 2½ years as a house manager in an experimentalcommunity residence for de-institutionalizingchronic mental patients, and was heavily involved
as an instructor/advisor with a rehabilitationprogram for Hispanic drug abusers in Massachusetts.He is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at RiceUniversity and the University of Houston inHouston, Texas.
For more information:htt : www. sc.nasa. ov Bios htmlbios chan .html
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American CityVista
San Antonio, Texas
Biographical Data:
As the founder and chairman of AmericanCityVista, Henry Cisneros brings executive andurban planning experience to the community-buildingventure he formed with KB HOME in August 2000.American CityVista’s focus is to build asignificant number of homes – “villages within the
city” – in the central neighborhoods of majormetropolitan areas. Dr. Cisneros was President andChief Operating Officer of Univision Communicationsin Los Angeles, the fifth-most-watched Spanish-language television network in the nation. From1993-1997, Dr. Cisneros served as the Secretary ofthe U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. In 1981, he was elected the firstHispanic American Mayor of a major U.S. city – SanAntonio. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’sdegree in Urban and Regional Planning from TexasA&M University, a Master’s degree in PublicAdministration from Harvard, and a Doctorate inPublic Administration from George WashingtonUniversity.
For more information:http://www.americancityvista.com/
Point of Contact: Address – 454 Soledad, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78205
UC Riverside Chancellor, University of California,
Riverside, California
Biographical Data:
France A. Córdova, a nationally recognizedastrophysicist was named chancellor of the University ofCalifornia's (UC) Riverside campus on April 9, 2002. Dr.Córdova served as chief scientist at National Aeronauticsand Space Administration (NASA) before going to UC SantaBarbara in 1996. She previously headed the department of
astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania StateUniversity and served as deputy group leader of the SpaceAstronomy and Astrophysics Group at the Los AlamosNational Laboratory. Dr. Córdova served as professor ofphysics and vice chancellor for research at UC SantaBarbara. As vice chancellor, in addition to her regularduties, she initiated a program to encourage and fundresearch across disciplines. From 1993 to 1996, she waschief scientist at NASA, serving as the primaryscientific advisor to the NASA administrator and theprincipal interface between NASA headquarters and the
broader scientific community. Dr. Córdova is the winnerof NASA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal.She was named one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics"by Hispanic Business magazine in 1997 and 2002 and hasbeen named one of "80 Elite Hispanic Women" by themagazine. She attained a Ph.D. in physics from theCalifornia Institute of Technology in 1979.
For more information:http://www.ucop.edu/news/archives/2002/april09art1.htm
Chair, U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Washington, D. C.
Biographical Data:
Cari M. Dominguez is the nation’s 12th Chair of the U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She wasnominated by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmedby the U.S. Senate. Her five-year term expires on July 1, 2006.Ms. Dominguez serves as the chief executive officer of the five-member Commission, which is responsible for enforcing Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the AgeDiscrimination in Employment Act, the Pregnancy DiscriminationAct and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In conjunction withfellow Commissioners, she also guides the development andestablishment of EEO policy and approves high impact and novellitigation actions. As EEOC chair, Ms. Dominguez continues herdistinguished career in the federal government, having servedfrom 1989-1993 in the U.S. Department of Labor as AssistantSecretary for Employment Standards and as Director of the Officeof Federal Contract Compliance Programs. In the latter capacity,she launched and led the Labor Department’s “Glass CeilingInitiative,” designed to remove invisible barriers from theworkplace. Ms. Dominguez brings to the Commission a broadperspective and a wealth of expertise in employment andworkplace issues gained in a variety of settings: as a smallbusiness owner, as a consultant, and as a corporate executive.Ms. Dominguez has served on numerous non-profit boards. She wasrecognized as one of the “80 Elite Hispanic Women” and one ofthe “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the Country” by Hispanic
Business magazine. The American Biographical Institute haslisted her as one of the “Two Thousand Most Notable AmericanWomen.” Ms. Dominguez holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from theAmerican University’s School of International Service in
Washington, D.C.
For more information:http://www.eeoc.gov/dominguez.html
Point of Contact: Address – 1801 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20507
As Assistant Secretary of the Air Force forManpower and Reserve Affairs, Mr. Dominguez heads afour-division department with responsibilities at theAir Force policy level that include force managementand personnel, equal opportunity and diversity,Reserve affairs and Air Force review boards. Prior tohis current appointment, he served as AssistantDirector of Space, Information Warfare, and Command
and Control in the Office of the Chief of NavalOperations. From 1983 through 1994, he was theResearch Project Director at the Center for NavalAnalyses, general manager of Tech 2000, Inc., and invarious capacities in the Office of the Secretary ofDefense (Program Analysis and Evaluation). Mr.Dominguez graduated in 1975 from the U.S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point, NY and was commissioned asecond lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He left themilitary in 1980 after various assignments. Mr.Dominguez holds a Master’s degree in business
administration from Stanford University. Among othermilitary and civilian awards, Mr. Dominguez wasawarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive RankAward in 1998.
For more information:http://www.af.mil/bios/bio_5240.shtml
Point of Contact: Ms. Mary Young, Hispanic Employment Program Manager
Address – HQ, U.S. Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington,D.C.
Father Virgil Elizondo is the creator ofCatholic Television of San Antonio and co-founder ofthe Mexican-American Cultural Center (MACC). Heovercame the entrenched prejudice of his youth bycelebrating every culture as a gift from God, amessage he has spread to world leaders and humblechurchgoers for much of the past 40 years. Aninstructor of Latino spirituality at the Universityof Notre Dame during the week, Father Elizondoreturns to San Antonio on weekends to create avariety of television programs as executive producerof Catholic Television. In 2002, his message of peaceand diversity received national recognition when hereceived the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award atthe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts inWashington, D.C. Father Elizondo is considered thefather of U.S. Latino theology because of his work inbringing the importance of culture to the attentionof the Catholic Church. He insists religion and
ethnicity can – and must – become uniting factors. Atthe core of his theology is the realization thatJesus was born a Galilean. That makes him a mestizo –a product of two cultures. Father Elizondo brought aLatino voice to U.S. theology that has foundworldwide currency thanks to the increased blendingof cultures everywhere. Father Elizondo founded theMACC in San Antonio in 1972 to train men and women inLatino ministry to understand not only the Spanishlanguage but also the diverse cultures Latinos bringwith them from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other
parts of Latin America.
For more information:http://www.buscapique.com/latinusa/buscafile/sud/macc.htm
President, Lehman College, The City University of New York
The Bronx, New York
Biographical Data:
Throughout his 30-year career in education, Dr.Fernandez has focused on methods to improveeducational outcomes, especially on programs toprovide the preparation and encouragement needed formore minority students to enter, and succeed incollege. His published books and research reports dealwith the causes of Hispanic school dropout, the
desegregation of Hispanic students, and bilingualeducation policy. Dr. Fernandez is Chairman of theBoard of Directors of the Hispanic EducationalTelecommunication System, a national distance learningconsortium of eighteen colleges and universities; ViceChair (Chair-elect) of the Board of Directors of theAmerican Association of Higher Education (AAHE); and amember of the New York State Commissioner ofEducation’s Advisory Council on Higher Education. Dr.Fernandez has received numerous awards including theNational Society of Hispanic MBAs Award (2002), and
the P. Gus Cardenas Award from the HispanicAssociation of Colleges and Universities (2000).
For more information:http://www.lehman.cuny.edu
Point of Contact: Ms. Vickie Alli
Address – 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, New York10468
On February 26, 1996, Dr. Antonio Flores became the thirdpresident and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges andUniversities (HACU). Established in December 1986 with 18founding members, HACU has a growing membership of more than330 colleges and universities across the United States,Puerto Rico, and abroad. HACU-member institutions throughout
the nation collectively enroll more than two-thirds of allHispanic Americans in higher education. The associationrepresents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) whereHispanics constitute 25 percent or more of the totalenrollment at either the graduate or undergraduate level orboth and Associate Member Institutions where Hispanicscomprise a minimum of 10 percent or 1,000 of the totalenrollment. HACU’s international membership was started inthe 1996-97 school year with three pioneering members andcurrently includes 30 institutions in Mexico, Central andSouth America, and Spain. Dr. Flores’ complexresponsibilities are carried out with the collaborative anddedicated teamwork of more than 60 professional staff at HACUheadquarters in San Antonio and in Washington, D.C. Dr.Flores has extensive professional experience in highereducation. He is a member of numerous associations includingthe Washington Higher Education Secretariat, the AmericanEducational Research Association, the American Associationfor Higher Education, Independent Sector, and othersconcerned with the advancement of higher education. He is theChairman of the Board for the Adelante! Leadership andScholarship Fund and Chairman of the board of the HispanicAssociation on Corporate Responsibility.
For more information:http://www.hacu.net/about_hacu/afbio.shtml
Point of Contact: Address – 8415 Datapoint Dr., Suite 400, San Antonio, TX 78229
On March 18, 1970, Pope Paul VI appointedReverend Flores to serve as Auxiliary to theArchbishop of San Antonio. He was consecrated aBishop on May 5, 1970 in San Antonio. Bishop Floreswas the first Mexican American elevated to thehierarchy of the Catholic Church in the UnitedStates. In 1972, Bishop Flores was instrumental inestablishing the Mexican American Cultural Center inSan Antonio, on whose Board he serves as HonoraryChairman. He also founded the National Foundation forMexican-American Vocations. In 1976, he helped foundthe National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which hashelped hundreds of students earn their Bachelor ofArts, Masters and Doctoral Degrees. On May 29, 1978,Bishop Flores was installed as Bishop of the Dioceseof El Paso, Texas. He served in that capacity untilOctober 1979 when the Pope named him Archbishop ofSan Antonio. He was the former Chairman of the Texas
Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on CivilRights and received the American Jewish Commmittee’s“Human Relations Award.” In 1995, he was awarded theFord Salute to Education Award sponsored by the FordMotor Company. In 1976, he co-founded the annualTeleton Navideno. The proceeds from this telethon goto help abandoned women with children, the elderly,the unemployed and the infirm and to help payemergency rent, utilities and for medication. In1958, he began sponsoring a benefit breakfast for theBexar County Battered Women’s Shelter that continues
to be held every year.
For more information:http://www.archdiosa.org/left.htm
Point of Contact: Address – 2718 W. Woodlawn, San Antonio, Texas 78228
University of New Mexico (UNM) Political ScienceProfessor, F. Chris Garcia, was named the 17th
President of the University of New Mexico on August 1,2002. Dr. Garcia has been a UNM Professor of PoliticalScience since 1970. He has also taught at theUniversity of California at Los Angeles, Indiana
University, the University of California at Davis,California State University at Fullerton, FullertonCommunity College and the University of NorthernColorado. At UNM, Dr. Garcia was Interim Provost andVice President for Academic Affairs, 1998-2000; Dean ofthe College of Arts and Sciences, 1980-86; Assistantand Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,1975-80; and Assistant Director of the Division ofGovernment Research, 1970-72. He is the author oreditor of 10 books and more than 50 monographs,articles, chapters, and reviews. Dr. Garcia earned his
Bachelor’s Degree in Government in 1961 and hisMaster’s in Political Science and Education in 1964,both from UNM. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Sciencefrom the University of California at Davis in 1972.
For more information:http://www.unm.edu/president/bio.htm
Point of Contact: Address – The University of New Mexico, Scholes Hall 160,
President, The University of Texas at Brownsville and
Texas Southmost College
Brownsville, Texas
Biographical Data:
Dr. Juliet Garcia joined The University of Texas System asPresident of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas (UTB)in 1992 after serving as President of Texas Southmost College(TSC) for six years. While at TSC (a community college), she wasrecognized as the first Mexican American woman in the nation to
become president of a college or a university. A partnershipknown as UTB/TSC offers a full range of occupational-technical,continuing education, and community education programs withcertificate and associate degrees traditional to the communitycollege. In addition, UTB/TSC also offers baccalaureate andmasters degrees traditional to a university. During her tenureas president of UTB/TSC, the campus has grown from 49 acres toover 325 acres, with an increase in construction value from$44.9M to $114.5M and full time student enrollment has increasedfrom 7,358 students to over 9,300 students, an increase of about27%. In 1995, the National Conference for College Women StudentLeaders named Dr. Garcia as a Woman of Distinction and shereceived the first-ever VIDA Award from NBC and HispanicMagazine for her contributions in education. Dr. Garcia hasserved as Chair of the American Council of Education, thenation’s foremost educational policy organization representingmembers of 1,800 colleges and universities. Dr. Garcia wasselected to participate in the South Africa Project by TheAmerican Council of Education, USAID, and Ford Foundation toassist universities in South Africa after the end of apartheid.Since 1995, Dr. Garcia has been invited to speak annually to theHarvard IEM program for higher education leaders. Dr. Garcia wasmost recently appointed to the Ford Foundation Board.
For more information:http://pubs.utb.edu/president/bio.htm
Point of Contact: Address – The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost
The Honorable Al Gonzales was commissioned as Counselto the President in January 2001. Prior to his commission,he served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Beforehis appointment to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999, heserved as Texas’ 100th Secretary of State from December 2,1997 to January 10, 1999. Among his many duties as Secretary
of State, Mr. Gonzales was a senior advisor to the Governor,chief elections officer, and the Governor's lead liaison onMexico and border issues. Prior to his appointment asSecretary of State, Mr. Gonzales was the General Counsel toGovernor Bush for three years. Before joining the Governor'sstaff, he was a partner with the law firm of Vinson & ElkinsL.L.P. in Houston, Texas that he joined in June 1982. Whilein private practice, Mr. Gonzales also taught law as anadjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.Among his many professional and civic activities, he waselected to the American Law Institute in 1999. He was a
board trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation from 1996 to 1999,a board director for the State Bar of Texas from 1991 to1994, and President of the Houston Hispanic Bar Associationfrom 1990 to 1991. He was a board director of the United Wayof the Texas Gulf Coast from 1993 to 1994, and President ofLeadership Houston during this same period. Among his manyhonors, in 2002 Mr. Gonzales received an honorary Doctor ofLaws from the Catholic University of America, he wasrecognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Rice University bythe Association of Rice Alumni, and he was honored by theHarvard Law School Association with the Harvard Law SchoolAssociation Award. Mr. Gonzales served in the U.S. Air Forcebetween 1973 and 1975, and attended the U.S. Air ForceAcademy between 1975 and 1977.
For more information:http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/gonzales-bio.html
Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman began her duties on August 13, 2001,as the 5th president and 1st woman president of Palo Alto Collegein San Antonio, Texas. Until then, Dr. Guzman was Executive VicePresident for Institutional Advancement, Administration andCommunity Relations at Austin Community College (ACC) for fouryears. In this capacity, she balanced the college’s budget, was
involved in the promotion of a new image and logo for thecollege, successfully negotiated a $12 million campus facilitybrought in within budget and was responsible for a more than 100%increase in grant funds within a year’s time. Previously at ACC,Dr. Guzman served as the Campus CEO/Vice President of the CypressCreek Campus. Dr. Guzman holds an Ed.D. in education from theUniversity of Houston, a master’s in sociology from TexasSouthern University in Houston, Texas and a bachelor’s ineducation from Stout State University in Wisconsin. At thenational level, she has served in several high-profile positionsin education. Under the Clinton administration, she was a senioradvisor to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard W.Riley and Chair of the Presidential Commission on Excellence inEducation for Hispanic Americans. She also served as ProgramOfficer of the National Science Foundation’s Alliance forMinority Participation in Washington, D.C. Also, nationally, Dr.Guzman served on the board of the National Sciences ResourceCenter and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, as vicechair of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund(MALDEF) and as a national consultant for the National ScienceFoundation’s State Systemic Initiatives Technical Assistanceteam. She is also the author of numerous articles andpublications and has appeared on a number of TV and satellite
programs on education. For more information:http://www.accd.edu/pac/pacmain/news&Info/presbio1.htm
Point of Contact: Address – 1400 Villaret Blvd., San Antonio, Texas 78224
Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and socialactivist, is the most prominent Chicana (Mexican American woman)labor leader in the United States. She is co-founder and firstvice president of the United Farm Workers union. For more thanthirty years, she has dedicated her life to the struggle forjustice and dignity for migrant farm workers. Honored with
countless community service, labor, Hispanic, and women’s awards,Ms. Huerta is a role model for Mexican-American women. Sheattended schools in her hometown of Stockton, California. Then,unlike most Hispanic women of her generation, she went on tocollege. She earned a teaching certificate, but was frustratedwith the limitations of the job. She realized she wanted to domore than just teach children. She wanted to help those who cameto school barefoot and hungry. Ms. Huerta soon found her niche incommunity work and social activism. She joined the AgriculturalWorkers Association (AWA), a community interest group in northernCalifornia. Through her work with the AWA, she met Cesar Chavez,the director of the Community Service Organization (CSO) inCalifornia and Arizona. He and Ms. Huerta eventually branched offto found the National Farm Workers Association in Delano,California, in 1962. After 1972, this influential union would beknown simply as the United Farm Workers (UFW). Over the years,Ms. Huerta has committed her energies to the UFW as a leader,speaker, fundraiser, negotiator, picket captain, and advisor togovernment leaders. In the 1980s, she helped found KUFW—RadioCampesina, the union’s radio station in California. She continuedtestifying before state and federal committees on a range ofissues, including the use of pesticides on crops and other healthmatters facing migrant workers.
For more information:http://www.ufw.org/direct/htm
Point of Contact:Address – UFW, c/o CFT, 2550 N. Hollywood Way, Suite 400, Burbank, CA
Dr. Rumaldo Z. Juarez, a native of Robstown, becamethe 17th president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville inAugust 2002. Dr. Juarez served as dean and professor inthe College of Health Professions at Southwest Texas StateUniversity from 1994-2002. From 1981 to 1994, he worked atthe University of Texas (UT)-Pan American in Edinburg,where he served as department chair and professor of the
Department of Sociology and Social Work and also asexecutive director of the UT System Texas-Mexico BorderHealth Coordination Office. Dr. Juarez also has taught atthe University of Arizona and has had adjunct appointmentsat the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, UT MedicalBranch-Galveston and the University of North Texas.Between 1979 and 1981, he was a social science analyst inthe Office of Evaluation and Technical Analysis, Office ofthe Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S.Department of Health and Human Services in Washington,D.C. His postgraduate experience includes the W.K. KelloggFellowship, the Gerontological Society of AmericaFellowship and the Management Development Program at theHarvard University Graduate School of Education. He hasreceived several awards, including the Association ofSchools of Allied Health Cultural Pluralism Award, TexasSociety of Allied Health Professions Outstanding ServiceAward, LULAC Outstanding Service Award, UT-Pan Am ServiceAward and UT-Pan Am Distinguished Faculty Award. Dr.Juarez received his doctoral degree in rural sociologyfrom Penn State University and has bachelors and master’sdegrees in sociology from Texas A&M University in CollegeStation. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S.
Army Medical Service Corps and is a Vietnam Veteran.
For more information:http://www.tamuk.edu/administration/juarez.shtml
Point of Contact: Address – Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University
Biographical Data:Born and raised in a tiny barrio in Laredo, Texas
where she overcame the fierce challenges of poverty,discrimination and illiteracy, Consuelo CastilloKickbusch grew to become a successful leadership rolemodel for her community. Breaking barriers and settingrecords in the military, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)(Retired) Kickbusch rose to senior officer position andbecame the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the CombatSupport Field of the U.S. Army. Acknowledged as acharismatic, passionate and entertaining speaker, Ms.Kickbusch carries her powerful message of what it takesto be an effective leader in today’s global marketplaceto hundreds of colleges/universities, corporations andgovernment institutions, both here in the U.S. andabroad. During her distinguished military career, sheheld a variety of demanding and critical leadershippositions ranging from Executive Officer for InformationSystems Command to Technical Advisor to the JointCommand and Control Warfare Center to Company Commanderof an all-male platoon. Ms. Kickbusch has earned
numerous military decorations including the Legion ofMerit, the National Defense Service Medal, and theMeritorious Service Medal (four times). She has beenrecognized by National Image, Inc. with the UniformedServices Award for her significant contributions and in2002 an independent research firm, Market DataEnterprises, identified her as one of the top Hispanic
motivational speakers in the country. In 1996, LTCKickbusch retired as a twenty-year veteran and foundedEducational Achievement Services Inc. to realize herpersonal dream and mission of preparing tomorrow’s
leaders today .
For more information:http://www.latinaspeaker.com/consuelo’s_bio.htm
Point of Contact: Address – Educational Achievement Services, Inc., 11807
Secretary Martinez is the nation’s 12th Secretary of Housingand Urban Development. He was unanimously confirmed by the UnitedStates Senate, and took his oath of office on January 24, 2001.Under the leadership of Secretary Martinez, HUD is expandinghomeownership opportunities to more Americans, particularly
minority and low-income families, through innovative budgetinitiatives and partnerships with community-based housingproviders. He has undertaken a comprehensive process to empower anprotect homebuyers, and is actively working to reform and simplifythe home-buying process and make it less expensive for consumers.Before he came to the Department, Secretary Martinez was theelected Chairman of Orange County, Florida, in Orlando, and servedon the Governor’s Growth Management Study Commission. He previouslserved as President of the Orlando Utilities Commission, on theboard of directors of a community bank, and as Chairman of theOrlando Housing Authority. Born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, Secretar
Martinez fled to America in 1962 as part of a Catholic humanitariaeffort called Operation Pedro Pan that eventually brought 14,000children to this country. He graduated from Florida StateUniversity College of Law in 1973. During his 25 years of lawpractice in Orlando, he was actively involved in communityactivities. He served as Vice President of the Board of CatholicCharities of the Orlando Diocese, and has a deep appreciation forthe work of faith-based social service agencies going back to hisarrival in America almost 40 years ago.
For more information:http://www.hud.gov/about/secretary
Point of Contact: Address – 451 7th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20410 Telephone: (202) 708-1112, TTY (202) 708-1455
Mrs. Shirley Martinez was appointed to the SeniorExecutive Service in September 2001. As the U.S. Air Force(AF) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equal Opportunity, sheis responsible for policy, guidance, direction and oversightof all plans and programs affecting equal opportunity for AFmilitary and civilian personnel. Mrs. Martinez began her
federal career in 1975 at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB),Texas. She worked in staffing, classification and equalemployment opportunity positions at various AF bases in SanAntonio, Texas and Maryland. After a break in service in1986, she re-entered the work force with the Department ofthe Interior in Washington, D.C. as Staff Assistant to theAssistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget. Inthat capacity, she coordinated special studies involvingdepartmental objectives with other federal agencies, theExecutive Branch, the Domestic Policy Council andconstituent groups. In 1990, she was promoted to the grade
of GM-15 responsible for oversight of special emphasisprograms for the department. She subsequently worked asAssociate Director of Affirmative Action and SpecialEmphasis Programs with the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, Washington, D.C. Prior to her current appointment,Mrs. Martinez returned to work with the AF at the SanAntonio Air Logistics Center at Kelly AFB, Texas inlitigation support and discrimination complaints. She hasbeen recognized by many organizations, served as a Liaisonfor the White House Initiative on Education Excellence, andwas selected in 2002 as one of the 100 Most InfluentialHispanics by Hispanic Business magazine. Mrs. Martinez
received her bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) from theUniversity of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
For more information:http://www.af.mil/bios
Point of contact: Ms. Mary Young, Hispanic Employment Program Manager Address – HQ, U.S. Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Tele hone – (703) 693-2699
Major General, Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research
and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland
Biographical Data:
Major General (MG) Lester Martinez-Lopez graduatedfrom medical school at the School of Medicine at theUniversity of Puerto Rico and completed his Master’sDegree in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in1983. He joined the active Army in 1978 at Fort Bragg,North Carolina, where he received his specialty training
in family practice. He received his aerospace medicinetraining at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas from 1983 to1985. Throughout his Army career, MG Martinez-Lopez hasheld a variety of command positions. Most recently, he wasin command of the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotionand Preventive Medicine, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, fromJanuary 2000 to March 2002. On March 22, 2002, he assumedcommand of the U.S. Army Medical Research and MaterielCommand and Fort Detrick, Maryland. His personal awards,decorations and badges include the Legion of Merit, theDefense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army AchievementMedal, and the Senior Flight Surgeon Badge. He is adiplomate of the American Board of Family Practice andAmerican Board of Preventive Medicine. MG Martinez is afellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.
For more information:http://mrmc.detrick.army.mil/hdqbios.asp
Point of Contact: Address – USAMREMC-MCMR-ZA, Building 810
Through a decade as a U.S. Representative, CongressmanBob Menendez, who represents New Jersey's 13th CongressionalDistrict along the Hudson River overlooking the Statue ofLiberty, has made a stellar and rapid rise to the highestlevels of influence in the U.S. House of Representatives,and the highest levels of prominence in American political
life. Today, he is the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus,elected by his colleagues on November 14, 2002. In thatpost, Congressman Menendez is the 3rd-ranking Democrat inthe U.S. House, the highest-ranking Hispanic inCongressional history, and the only Hispanic ever elected toa leadership position, in either chamber, by either party.During the 107th Congress, his nationally recognizedleadership also earned him appointments as Chairman of boththe Democratic Task Force on Education and the DemocraticTask Force on Homeland Security, an appointment also made inrecognition of the effects September 11th has had on hisCongressional District, which is right across the HudsonRiver from Manhattan and Ground Zero. Congressman Menendezalso served on the Select Committee on Homeland Securitythat created the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Hecurrently serves as the Ranking Democratic Member of theWestern Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House InternationalRelations Committee. An attorney in private practice,Congressman Menendez received his B.A. from St. Peter'sCollege in Jersey City and his law degree from RutgersUniversity.
For more information:
http://menendez.house.gov/leadership/
Point of Contact: Ms. Judi Wolford, D.C. Scheduler
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial
Management and Comptroller, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Data:
Michael Montelongo is Assistant Secretary of theAir Force for Financial Management and Comptroller,Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He isalso the principal adviser to the Secretary of theAir Force, Chief of Staff and other senior Air Forceofficials for budgetary and fiscal matters. With a
budget of more than $80 billion, he serves as theAir Force's Chief Financial Officer responsible forproviding the financial management and analyticalservices necessary for the effective and efficientuse of Air Force resources. He was sworn in Aug. 6,2001, and is the senior Hispanic official in the AirForce. Mr. Montelongo entered public service in 1977as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and completed theU.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., in1978. He then served in line and staff positions,from platoon to Department of the Army levels at
varied U.S. and overseas posts. An Air DefenseArtillery Officer, he was Special Assistant to theCommander in Chief of U.S. Southern Command,Speechwriter and Special Assistant to the Army Chiefof Staff, and a congressional fellow in the U.S.Senate. In 1996, he entered private industry. Mr.Montelongo has served as Vice President of CommunityServices for the Harvard Business School Club ofAtlanta, on the board of directors for the GeorgiaVoter Hispanic Registration Campaign and directingyouth and young adult ministries for the Atlanta
archdiocese.
For more information:http://www.af.mil/bios/bio_6507.shtml
Point of Contact: Mr. Sean Randall, Confidential Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (FM&C),
Mr. Navas was nominated on June 6, 2001 by President GeorgeW. Bush to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpowerand Reserve Affairs), and was sworn in on July 17, 2001. In thiscapacity, he acts on matters pertaining to manpower and personnelpolicy within the Department of Navy. His purview also includespersonnel readiness, quality of life and health care programs andissues affecting active duty and reserve Sailors, Marines, andDepartment of Navy civilians. Mr. Navas retired as a MajorGeneral and his last active duty assignment was as the Director,Army National Guard (ARNG). As ARNG Director from 1995 to 1998,General Navas managed a $6 billion budget and was responsible forover 362,000 citizen-soldiers across 54 states and territories.Prior to this assignment, General Navas served in a variety ofsenior level positions in the Department of Defense, such as theARNG Deputy Director, Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau,Military Executive of the Reserve Forces Policy Board and as theDeputy Assistant Secretary of Defense/Chief of Staff for Reserve
Affairs. Mr. Navas is a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and wascommissioned as a Regular Army Officer in 1965. He left activeduty as a Captain in 1970 and joined the Puerto Rico ARNG. In theGuard, he commanded a Combat Engineer Company and Military Policeand Infantry Battalions. Mr. Navas holds a Master of Science inManagement Engineering from the University of Bridgeport inConnecticut. He has attended numerous military schools, includingthe Command and General Staff College, and Inter-American DefenseCollege.
Dr. Nevarez was appointed as the first HispanicPresident of the University in 1981. He is now one ofthe longest tenured Hispanic college or universityPresidents in the United States. Having served over twodecades, he has guided the institution through a merger
with the University of Texas System, and its evolutionto a doctoral research university for South Texas.Under his leadership the University has added 18 newbachelors, 24 masters, and 3 new doctoral degrees.Prior to his appointment, he served the university asan assistant professor, Associate Dean of Men, and VicePresident for Student and University Affairs. Dr.Nevarez has served on various committees and councils,including the American Council on Education, theHispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, andserves as Vice-Chair of the Council of Public
University Presidents and Chancellors. He was namedOutstanding Educator in 1985 by Ronald Reagan, named tothe “100 Influential U. S. Hispanics” by Hispanic
Business Magazine in 1986, 1987, and featured in theDecember 2000 issue of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher
Education. Dr. Nevarez has a Master’s Degree inElementary Education from Michigan State University anda Ph.D. in Science Education from New York University.
For more information:www.panam.edu
Point of Contact: Address – 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78541
Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ellen Ochoabecame an astronaut in July 1991. Her technicalassignments to date include flight software verifica-tion, crew representative for flight software andcomputer hardware development, crew representative forrobotics development, testing and training, Assistantfor Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office,directing crew involvement in the development and
operation of the Station, and lead spacecraft communi-cator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control, and Acting DeputyChief of the Astronaut Office. A veteran of four spaceflights, Dr. Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space.As a doctoral student at Stanford, and later as aresearcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASAAmes Research Center, Dr. Ochoa investigated opticalsystems for performing information processing. She isa co-inventor on three patents for an opticalinspection system, an optical object recognitionmethod, and a method for noise removal in images. As
Chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch atAmes, she supervised 35 engineers and scientists in theresearch and development of computational systems foraerospace missions. Dr. Ochoa has presented numerouspapers at technical conferences and in scientificjournals. She received a bachelor of science degree inphysics from San Diego State University in 1980, andmaster of science degree and doctorate in electricalengineering from Stanford University in 1981 and 1985,respectively.
For more information:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html
Point of Contact: Address – Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas77058
Dr. Tessa Martinez Pollack is the seventh president andthe first Hispanic to hold the presidency of Our Lady of theLake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Pollack,whose experience includes leading in multi-campus, multi-college, and multi-cultural institutions, oversees theUniversity’s six locations in San Antonio, Dallas andHouston. The University, a Catholic liberal artsinstitution, prepares individuals for professional careersthrough degree programs offered by the College of Arts andSciences, the School of Education and Clinical Studies, theSchool of Business, and the Worden School of Social Service.From 1969-1971, she taught students at one of the poorestdistricts in the state of Texas. President Pollack’sappointment to the presidency of Our Lady of the LakeUniversity caps her 30-year career in higher education. Priorto her appointment as President of Our Lady of the LakeUniversity, Dr. Pollack served 13 years as president of twoof the most-modeled community college institutions in the
nation. In 1988, she was named president of the MedicalCenter Campus of Miami-Dade Community College, an institutiondedicated exclusively to the health care professions inMiami, Florida. From 1996-2002, she served as president ofGlendale Community College (GCC), the second largest andoldest college of the Maricopa County Community CollegeDistrict (MCCCD) in Arizona. She has been widely published,and she is the recipient of numerous awards including theArizona Woman Award in 2001. Hispanic Business Magazine hasnamed her among the “100 Influentials.”
For more information:http://www.ollusa.edu
Point of Contact:Ms. Susan SchleicherTelephone – (210) 431-3900
On February 8, 2000, Alfred Rascon received the Medal ofHonor for his extraordinarily courageous acts in Vietnam. Hewas originally nominated for the medal by his platoon in 1966,shortly after the battle, but the paperwork was lost in aconfusion of bureaucracy. In 2003, Major (MAJ) Rascon wasrecalled from retirement to active duty with the U.S. ArmyOffice of the Surgeon General and has completed assignments inAfghanistan and Iraq. MAJ Rascon previously served as the 10th
Director of the Selective Service System, nominated to that
post by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S.Senate on May 22, 2001. Prior to that appointment, he wasretired from the Selective Service System after serving as itsInspector General. His career as a Federal employee spans 38years with the Department of Army, Immigration and Naturaliza-tion Service, Drug Enforcement Administration andInternational Criminal Police Organization. MAJ Rascon’smilitary background began in 1963 when he persuaded hisparents to sign a waiver allowing him to enlist in the Army atage 17. He was sent to Vietnam in 1965 as a paratrooper withthe 173rd Airborne Brigade and in 1966 was seriously woundedduring Operation Silver City. As a result of his injuries, hewas honorably discharged and subsequently devoted his time toworking and attending college. In 1967, he became a U.S.naturalized citizen and rejoined the Army. He attendedInfantry Officers Candidate School, was commissioned a 2nd
Lieutenant, and served in a number of combat arms assignments(including a 2nd tour in Vietnam) until his honorable dischargein 1976. In late 1976, he accepted a position as an Armymilitary liaison officer in Panama from 1976 until 1984. Hehas been honored by many organizations. They include the CATOInstitute in its publication In Defense of Nation: The
Contributions of Immigrants; Hispanic Magazine naming him one
of the 200 Most Influential Hispanics in America; the HistoryChannel in its presentation “Hispanics and the Medal of Honor ;” and the BBC in a series called “Instinct.” MAJ Rasconhas degrees in management and liberal studies and was recentlyhonored by the Uniformed Services University with the degreeof Doctor of Medical Jurisprudence, Honoris Causa inrecognition of his gallantry in service.
For more information: Protocol Office Office of the Sur eon General U.S. Arm
President and CEO, MANA, A National Latina Organization
Washington, D. C.
Biographical Data:
Ms. Riojas, a native of San Antonio, Texas, has had adiverse career in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.Prior to assuming the role of President and CEO Of MANA, Ms.Riojas served as National Director of Federally EmployedWomen, Inc; Executive Director of the National Network ofRunaway and Youth Services; Director of Equal Opportunity forthe Department of Agriculture in a Senior Executive Service
position; and President of ALMA consulting Services. Prior tothat, she specialized in Hispanic placement with the Reagan-Bush Presidential Transition Team and in White HousePersonnel. Upon completion of those assignments, she handledpersonnel responsibilities for the Offices of the Secretariesof Agriculture and Defense. She served as Executive Assistantto the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, ReserveAffairs and Logistics; and Executive Assistant to the Directorof the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.Including serving on the Commission on the Status of Women inTexas and Virginia, she has received numerous professional and
civic awards. She is proud to be the recipient of the TomasRivera Leadership Award from the National Hispanic University.In 1997, Senator Orrin Hatch appointed her to the SenateAdvisory Task Force on Hispanic Affairs and in 1998 she wasawarded the President’s Outstanding Achievement Award from theNational Association of Hispanic Federal Executives. She iscurrently an advisor to the Lifetime Network, the Women’sPolicy Journal of Harvard University, and To The Contrary , aPBS Women’s news panel weekly program. She served as theelected National Chairwoman of the American GI Forum and Vice-Chair of the Hispanic Education Foundation.
For more information:http://www.hermana.org/organization/presceo.htm
Point of Contact: Address – 1725 K Street NW, suite 501, Washington, D.C. 20006
Dr. Gloria Rodriguez’s lifetime work has been devoted toAVANCE, Inc., a not-for-profit organization whose mission isto build the self esteem, confidence and competence ofpredominantly poor Latino parents and children within a familyand community context. Under her leadership, AVANCE has grownfrom a $100,000 organization in 1973 serving 35 parents to $26million today serving over 20,000 individuals and over 650employees. AVANCE has twice been recognized by the WhiteHouse, received further recognition by news mediaorganizations to include the New York Times and ABC World NewsTonight, and been featured in numerous philanthropicmagazines. AVANCE has been included in three First Ladiesbooks and was the recipient of the Annie E. Casey FamiliesCount Award. Dr. Rodriguez has served on numerous national andinternational boards and task forces including The President’sAdvisory Commission on Educational Excellence for HispanicAmericans. She has been a consultant for PBS television,recognized for her work in Parade magazine, named one of 25Influential Working Women by Working Mother’s magazine, and
twice named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in theU.S. by Hispanic Business magazine. Her awards are numerous.She Co-Chaired the 97th American Assembly Series entitled“Reweaving the Social Tapestry: Public Policies for AmericanFamilies,” was a delegate to the White House Conference onFamilies, and the United Nation’s Conference on the Status ofWomen. Dr. Rodriguez served on a national delegation on child-care in France, on health care in Israel, and as a consultantto the State Department on school reform in Chile. Dr.Rodriguez received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education fromthe University of Texas at Austin and is the author of Raising
Nuestros Niños: Bringing Up Latino Children in a BiculturalWor ld (Simon and Schuster).
For more information:http://www.avance.org/about_us/about_ceo.htm
Point of contact: Ms. Rita San Miguel
Address – 301 S. Frio, St., Suite 380, San Antonio, TX 78207 Tele hone – 210 270-4630 FAX 210 270-4612
As Mrs. Bush’s spokesperson and communicationsstrategist, Ms. Rodriguez counsels the First Lady on how bestto promote her education messages. Since the terrorist attacksof September 11, 2001, she has identified, initiated andimple-mented a variety of media opportunities that haveincreased Mrs. Bush’s visibility nationally and around theworld. In February 2000, Ms. Rodriguez was named President andCEO of LA Convention 2000, the host committee for the first
Democratic National Convention of the 21st century. As chiefexecutive officer, she oversaw the strategic planning,operations, outreach, fundraising, finance and communicationsfor LA 2000. Previously, she served the administration ofMayor Richard J. Riordan (Los Angeles) who appointed her hisPress Secretary in March of 1994. In 1997, she took a leave ofabsence from City Hall to become Director of Communicationsfor Mayor Riordan’s reelection campaign in which he defeatedhis challenger with 70% of the vote. Ms. Rodriguez returned tothe City staff and was promoted to the position of DeputyMayor in 1998. Prior to public service, Ms. Rodriguez worked
at Southern California Edison, the nation’s second largestelectric utility. She was among 60 California women selectedto the 1995 class of Leader-ship California and is a pastboard member of the East Los Angeles YMCA and the Los AngelesChapter of the International Assn. of Business Communicators.Ms. Rodriguez has been recognized by numerous communityorganizations for her professional achievements; been a guestlecturer at USC, CSUN and Pepperdine University; and hasappeared and been profiled on numerous television newsprograms. She is a product of California’s public educationsystem, earned her A.A. degree with honors from East Los
Angeles College, received her bachelor’s in businessadministration from California State University and hascompleted studies toward a master’s degree in communicationsat the University of La Verne.
Dr. Ricardo Romo became the fifth president ofthe University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in May1999. Raised in San Antonio, he graduated from FoxTech High School on the city’s West Side and attendedthe University of Texas (UT) at Austin on a trackscholarship, where he earned a bachelor of sciencedegree in history. He was the first Texan to run amile in less than four minutes, and his UT Austinrecord still stands. Dr. Romo holds a master’s degreein history from Loyola Marymount University in LosAngeles and a doctorate in history from theUniversity of California (UC) at Los Angeles. Hebegan his university teaching career at CaliforniaState University at Northridge and then taught at UCSan Diego. In 1989, Dr. Romo returned to hisundergraduate institution, UT Austin, to teachhistory. Before he assumed the UTSA presidency, heserved as vice provost for undergraduate education at
UT Austin. Dr. Romo earned national respect as anurban historian, and he is best known for his 1983book East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio. The book,which is now in its eighth printing, details thegrowth of the largest Mexican American community inthe United States and describes its contribution toSouthern California’s early 20th-century development.From 1987 to 1993, Dr. Romo directed the Texas officeof the Tomas Rivera Center, housed at TrinityUniversity in San Antonio. The center is a nationalorganization that evaluates the impact of
governmental policies on Latinos.
For more information:http://www.utsa.edu/today/romobio.cfm
Point of Contact: Address – 6900 North Loop 1604, W, San Antonio, Texas 78249 Telephone – (210) 458-4011
Lieutenant General (LTG) Ricardo S. Sanchez is theCommanding General of U.S. Army V Corps and all coalitionground forces in Iraq. He was a Distinguished MilitaryGraduate of Texas A&I University, Kingsville, Texas, andcommissioned a second lieutenant of armor in the RegularArmy in 1973. In his Army career, LTG Sanchez held avariety of command positions. Most recently, he served asdeputy chief of staff of the U.S. Southern Command inMiami, Florida, and later as that command's director ofoperations. LTG Sanchez later served as the assistantdivision commander for support for the 1st InfantryDivision, followed by assignment as the deputy chief ofstaff, operations at Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe inHeidelberg, Germany. On July 10, 2001, LTG Sanchez becamecommanding general of V Corps' 1st Armored Division. Heheld that position for nearly two years before assumingcommand of the corps on June 14, 2003. LTG Sanchez'sprofessional education includes the Armor Officer basicand advanced courses, the Command and General Staff
College, and the U.S. Army War College. He holds abachelor's degree in mathematics and history from TexasA&I University (now Texas A&M University, Kingsville) anda master's degree in operations research and systemsanalysis engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.The general's awards and badges include the DefenseSuperior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze StarMedal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint ServiceCommendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, ArmyAchievement Medal, the Southwest Asia Campaign Medal, theLiberation of Kuwait Medals (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) and
the Master Parachutist Badge.
For more information:http://www.vcorps.army.mil/www/staff/LTGS.htm
Dr. Salvador Santiago-Negron is a Puerto Ricanpsychologist who in 1985 was appointed President of CarlosAlbizu University (CAU), which has campuses in San Juan,Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida. He completed his under-graduate education at the University of Puerto Rico and
obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.In 1982, he completed a post-doctoral Masters in PublicHealth at the Harvard School of Public Health. Under hisleadership, CAU has grown from a professional school ofpsychology serving approximately 100 students, to amultidisciplinary university with a current student body ofclose to 2,000. Throughout his Presidency, Dr. Santiago-Negron has fervently dedicated his professional endeavorsto increasing the participation of minority constituenciesin underrepresented professional sectors in the UnitedStates and Puerto Rico. He has promoted the training of
culturally sensitive professionals who, regardless of theirethnicity or race, will be capable of servicing apluralistic and diverse society. Dr. Santiago-Negron is adiplomate of the American Board of AdministrativePsychology and is certified by the American PsychologicalAssociation in the treatment of substance abuse anddependence. He is past president of the Puerto RicanAssociation of University Presidents and is the currentpresident of the Puerto Rican Association of Presidents ofPrivate Colleges and Universities. He has received manydistinguished awards from numerous organizations, the mostrecent including the Cultural Diversification Awardpresented by The National Council of Schools inProfessional Psychology (NCSPP).
For more information:http://www.albizu.edu
Point of Contact:Ms. Lily CuadraAddress – Carlos Albizu University-Miami Campus, 2173 N.W. 99th
In 1997, Sara Martinez Tucker took the helm of the HispanicScholarship Fund (HSF), the nation’s leading organizationsupporting Hispanic higher education. Throughout its 28-yearhistory, HSF has awarded more than 61,000 scholarships, totalingin excess of $115 million, to deserving students studying atmore than 1,700 universities and colleges throughout the U.S.,Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. During her tenure, Mrs.Martinez Tucker has focused on an aggressive goal for theorganization of doubling the rate of Hispanics earning collegedegrees to 18 percent. She has successfully secured a $50million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the largest direct giftever granted for Hispanic higher education; negotiated HSF’sparticipation in the $1 billion Gates Millennium ScholarsProgram; established strategic partnerships with Fortune 1000companies and national and regional foundations; and hasorganized workplace giving campaigns and community fundraisingevents. These successes have enabled HSF to increase scholarshipawards from $3 million to more than $22 million per year. Underher leadership, HSF has expanded its focus beyond collegeretention adding community college transfer, graduating high
school seniors, and community outreach programs to reinforce theimportance of higher education in the Hispanic community andproviding the tools for students and parents to become familiarwith the college application and financial aid processes. In2001, President Bush appointed Mrs. Martinez Tucker to the Boardof Directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association (widelyknown as Sallie Mae). She was chosen as one of America’s top 80elite Hispanic women by Hispanic Business magazine (2003),honored by HispanicOnline.com with the Latino’s Choice Award forFavorite Hispanic Leader (2002) and for three consecutive years(1997-99) included in Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Most
Influential Hispanics. Mrs. Martinez Tucker received herbachelors (journalism) and masters (business administration)degrees from the University of Texas.
For more information:http://www.hsf.net
Point of Contact:Mr. Miguel Salinas, Communications Officer
Address – HSF, 55 Second St., Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105– - -
Major General (MG) Alfred A. Valenzuela wascommissioned from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio,Texas as a Distinguished Military Graduate and awarded aBachelor of Arts Degree in Government. He holds a Masterof Arts in Political Science, with emphasis on LatinAmerican Studies and National Security Affairs. His
military education includes the Field Artillery Basicand Advanced Courses, Defense Strategy Course, Army WarCollege, National Security Management Course, andAirborne Course. Additionally, he is a graduate of theInter-American Defense College, Command and GeneralStaff College, Armed Forces Staff College, and Air WarCollege. MG Valenzuela has served in a variety ofcommand and staff positions. His last assignment was asDeputy Commander in Chief, U. S. Southern Command. Amonghis decorations are the Defense Distinguished ServiceMedal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit,Soldier’s Medal (for heroism), Bronze Star for Valor,Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint ServiceCommendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, ArmedForces Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medaland the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. MG Valenzuela hasserved on the Board of Directors for the Eagle ScoutAssociation, Torres Rivera Institute for Policy, beenselected to the Hall of Fame for the Boys Club, and ison the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s University. Hewas recently named one of the “100 InfluentialHispanics” by Hispanic Business magazine.
For more information:http://www.usarso.army.mil./usarso.htm
Point of Contact:Ms. Nancy Montañez, SecretaryTele hone – (210) 295-6335
Ms. Varela is CEO of San Antonio-based The Cartel Group,which is among the top three largest independently owned andoperated Hispanic marketing communications firms in thenation. The Cartel Group, of which Ms. Varela is the majorityprincipal and owner, includes Cartel Creativo, Cartel Contacto(based in New York), Cartel Impacto, Cartel Cultural Force Media,and Cartel Strategic Management. Ms. Varela has been recognizednationally for her business savvy, high-energy, and unrelenting
drive in taking The Cartel from zero to over $70 million inannual billings in seven years. She says she likes to take thesame approach in becoming a strategic marketing partner withclients to help them meet or exceed their financial goals. At TheCartel Group, she directs over 80 highly talented, multiculturalcommunications and marketing professionals who handle a widearray of communications projects for national companies and theU.S. Army. As a native of Mexico City who personally experiencedthe immigration process to the United States, she considersherself a “Hispanic Sociologist.” She is so committed to sharingher knowledge that The Cartel plans to start the first University
of Hispanic-American Marketing. “Despite that the Census Bureauconstantly reminds us that 1 of every 4 Americans will beHispanic by the year 2050, there is a dearth of individuals whoare bilingual, multicultural and trained to effectivelycommunicate with Hispanics. If schools don’t produce theseprofessionals who are in high demand, then we will,” she says.Last year, she was featured on Fox Cable News after The Cartelwas named Champion of the Advertising Industry by Pat SummerallProductions. She is a founding member of the Association ofHispanic Advertising Agencies and served our country as a memberof President Clinton’s advisory commission on Latin Americanaffairs. Also, she frequently speaks at national conferences onHispanic marketing communications issues.
For more information:http://www.thecartel.com/personnel_mktg.asp
Point of Contact: P.R., 4318 Woodcock Dr, Suite 200 78228
Mr. Gaddi H. Vasquez was sworn in by PresidentGeorge Bush as the first Hispanic-American Directorof the Peace Corps on February 15, 2002. He alsoserved in the administrations of former CaliforniaGovernors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and GrayDavis and was twice appointed by former President
George H. W. Bush to federal commissions. He has a22-year public service career at the city, county,state, and federal levels of government and anequally long record of activity in community affairs.Mr. Vasquez has been the recipient of numerous awardsfor his leadership and community service and has beenrecognized by many organizations to include theMexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund andthe U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is agraduate of the University of Redlands and has servedas a trustee professor at Chapman University. Mr.
Vasquez is a native of Carrizo Springs, Texas.
For more information:http://www.peacecorps.gov/about/management/director.cfm
