The largest hybrid multi sector, multi-generational gathering of Latinx professionals.

Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) represents Texas’ 20th district in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Serving his fifth term, Rep. Castro is a member of on the House Intelligence and
Education and Labor Committees, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as Chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations,
and Global Corporate Social Impact, and is the immediate past Chairman of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus. Rep. Castro also founded the Congressional Pre-K and Child Care Caucus, the
U.S.-Japan Caucus, and the Congressional Caucus on ASEAN. Before Congress, Rep. Castro
graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School, and served five terms in the Texas
Legislature.

Rosie Perez is an actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film Do the Right Thing (1989), followed by White Men Can’t Jump (1992). Perez’s performance in Fearless (1993) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades.

Perez earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for In Living Color (1990–1994) and another Emmy nomination for her work in The Flight Attendant (2020–present). She has performed in stage plays on Broadway such as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the Dark. She was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View during the series’ 18th season, and portrayed the superhero Renee Montoya / Question in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Birds of Prey (2020).

Chris Estrada is an actor and writer, known for This Fool (2022), Golden Toad Sketch Comedy (2009) and Keeping Company (2021).

Frankie Quiñones is a stand-up comedian, actor and creator, best known for his character work. Frankie is currently filming one of the lead roles in the ABC Studios Hulu show, entitled THIS FOOL from creators Chris Estrada, Fred Armisen, Jake Weisman, Pat Bishhop and Matt Ingebretson.

Ivette Rodriguez is the founder and president of AEM, a 24 year old Marketing and Public Relations agency specializing in campaigns for a diverse slate of film, television and documentaries from major studio films to independent and award winning titles in both English and Spanish.

Prior to starting her own firm, Ivette held positions at Arista Records, Columbia TriStar and Live Entertainment.

Ivette has dedicated much of her career fighting for fair and just representation, equity, gender parity for the Latino/a community and has lent her expertise and advisory to many National Latino organizations and initiatives including NHMC, CHCI, NCAA, Voto Latino, and The National American Latino museum.

In early 2020 as a result of report after report of what appeared to be an active erasure of Latinos in Hollywood, Ivette co-founded LA Collab with Mitu co-founder Beatriz Acevedo with the support of the City of Los Angeles to accelerate access for Latinos in entertainment and double representation in front and behind the camera.

Ivette is an executive member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences’ Marketing & PR branch and co-chair of the Aperture 2025 diversity and inclusion committee.

Dr. Hassan Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of Career Catalyst, an education technology and multimedia endeavor within the Kapor Center, 

designed to cultivate confidence in young people of color from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue academic and professional STEM opportunities, increasing their odds of being full participants in the future of work and innovation economies, leading to more gainful employment and economic security. 

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Hassan became a teacher in his community after serving several years as a child protective investigator. Dr. Brown has since worked in various capacities across the country addressing systemic resource, workforce, and education inequities in municipal, school district and nonprofit spaces. His recent research focuses on cultivating and sustaining participatory principles and practices in venture philanthropy. 

Dr. Brown is passionate about bridging the gap between social justice, workforce education, and emerging technologies. Brown has served as the director of Harvard Innovation and Ventures in Education (HIVE). He has also been a startup advisor for the Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning (HILT), and currently serves as a startup advisor for Headstream, an accelerator from Second Muse that focuses on youth wellbeing and centering youth voice in the discourse around emerging technologies. He brings over a decade of cross–sector experience in teaching, collective impact, community organizing, philanthropy, business development, and strategy & operations. 

Dr. Brown holds a Bachelor‘s degree from Morehouse College, Master‘s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Masters in Education from Hunter College, and Doctor of Education Leadership degree from Harvard University. Hassan lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Crystal and their dog, Ziggy. He loves traveling abroad and has lived all across the country. He is a foodie and a hip–hop aficionado with a playlist for every mood and moment. Dr. Brown can be found at careercatalyst.org and Instagram (docfromdablock_).

Carlos Mark Vera is the Co-Founder and current Executive Director of Pay Our Interns. Originally from Colombia, Carlos was raised in California, but moved to Washington, D.C. to attend American University. While at AU, Carlos was an unpaid intern at the White House, the European Parliament, and the House of Representatives. He knows firsthand the struggles of trying to survive while interning for free.  Under his leadership, Pay Our Interns successfully convinced Congress to pass more than $31 million in funding for interns and has helped nonprofits, companies, and presidential campaigns create their internship programs.

Carlos’ efforts on Capitol Hill led him to be named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, Echoing Green Fellow, Camelback Ventures Fellow, a Top 20 Changemaker by NBC Latino, and an Aspen Ideas Fellow. He has been featured in The Washington Post, NPR’s All Things Considered, The New York Times, CNN and The Atlantic. He has also written for The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, USA Today, and NBC Latino.  Carlos proudly served in the Army Reserves as a mechanic for 8 years.

Alberto Ferreras is a New York-based writer, filmmaker, and content creator known for the HBO docu-series “Habla”, and the stage play “Hamlet in Harlem”, and the novel “B as in Beauty”.  In 2021, Ferreras created “Somos”, the first commissioned piece of the National American Latino Museum, for their first permanent exhibit at the Molina Family Gallery at the National Museum of American History in DC. “Somos” includes 150 portraits of Latinos from all walks of life.

Kenny is the Vice President of campaigns and partnerships at Voto Latino. He is also a proud alumnus of the Obama WH and a New Mexico native.

Nancy Torres is a Partner at Ulu Ventures, a top seed stage Latina-led venture firm in Silicon Valley funding diverse teams creating industry-leading market opportunities. Prior to joining Ulu Ventures, Nancy worked in Technology Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, and obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School and MPP from Harvard Kennedy School. She started her career working in the tech industry across data analytics, business development, and venture design roles at Google, Uber, and IDEO. Nancy is a Co-Founder and Board Director for the Latinx MBA Association, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to advancing Latinx business leaders. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nancy is a proud first-generation Latina of Colombian descent, hailing from Prince George’s County, Maryland outside of Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Garcia is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Latino Business Action Network (LBAN), a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the United States by advancing Latino entrepreneurship. LBAN collaborates with Stanford through the jointly supported Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI).

Carlos Vazquez is President and CEO of Miami EdTech, a non-profit that provides professional development & curriculum to teachers and school districts & helps them integrate Computer Science, Computational Thinking, and Entrepreneurship into Core Content areas like Math and Science.

Yulkendy Valdez is a Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneur and public speaker. She is currently a product manager at Visible Hands, a pre-seed fund and accelerator for overlooked founders – Black, Latinx, women, and non-binary. 

She speaks in global stages from Lyon to St. Gallen on the future of work, Women of Color in Technology, Mentorship and Sponsorship, and anything Millennials and Gen-Zs of Color.

JOSE ANTONIO TIJERINO is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, social impact, and culture through innovative leadership.  HHF under Tijerino’s leaderhip is recognized as a creative, agile, impact-focused organization recognized by The White House, US Congress, Fortune 500 companies, other nonprofits and the Government of Mexico. Tijerino is also executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center, which are broadcast on PBS.   

Prior to HHF, Tijerino was an executive at Fannie Mae Foundation, Nike, Burson Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe. 

He was honored with the Ohtli Award, Lifetime Achievement Award by National PTA, Vision Award by Silicon Valley Latino Leadership, MALDEF Award for Human Rights, Community Service Award from Telemundo, Civilian Impact Award by US Army, Brillante Award by National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Digital Hero Award by MMTC, and Hispanics in Philanthropy, among others. 

Aniyia Williams is a systempreneur, creator, inventor, tech changemaker, and investor. She is a principal on the Responsible Technology team at Omidyar Network, empowering people to help the tech world live up to its promise of changing lives for the better. Aniyia is also co-founder of Zebras Unite, founder and board chair of Black & Brown Founders, co-convener of the Black Innovation Alliance, and previously founded the fashion tech company Tinsel.

Jane The Virgin TV writer, Rafael Agustin talks about his newly published book, illegally yours A funny and poignant memoir about how as a teenager, he accidentally discovered he was undocumented and how that revelation turned everything he thought he knew about himself and his family upside down.

Illianna Acosta has nearly 20 years of professional experience in AdTech, Partnerships, and Media Sales. She completed her Undergraduate Studies at Florida International University and has an MBA from Cornell University. Today, she is a Senior Manager of Channel Sales, managing Global AdTech Partnerships that help to accelerate innovation, revenue, and customer growth at LinkedIn. She is also the Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HOLA), is the National Board Secretary of the 100 Hispanic Women Organization, continuing to invest in her passion and commitment to helping under-represented groups to best position and market themselves to elevate their professional careers, and is the Co-President of the  Cornell Johnson School Northeast Regional Alumni Organization.

Nelson German, Executive Chef/Owner of alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa, tells the stories of the African and Caribbean diasporas through cultural foodways at his two award-winning restaurants/bars in Oakland, Calif. Not only has German paved his way to national notoriety (highlights in Glamour, Delish, Washington Post, Food & Wine; commercials for Coca Cola, Impossible Foods, Pam Cooking Spray; contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef – Season 18/Portland), he’s established himself as a community leader and curator of Oakland culture. German’s exquisite menus and architecturally-rich spaces invite a diversity of conversations and connections with Afro-Dominican recipes celebrating his roots. Contemporary techniques meet Chef Nelson’s favorite family dishes from his mother and grandmother’s recipe books.  

Born and bred in Manhattan’s Washington Heights, German began his career in New York City at the popular seafood destination Joseph’s Citarella and the Gramercy Park Hotel with Chef Yugi Wakiya, from whom he learned refined approaches to Asian flavors. Six years after graduating from culinary school, German became Executive Chef at Absinthe Wine Bar (NYC) and Jerry’s Cafe (NYC). In 2010, German and his wife moved to Northern California and he continued to immerse himself in studying the art of Mediterranean cuisine while cooking through his travels in France, Italy, and Spain.

German is among the celebrity chefs at the upcoming prestigious Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival (September 2022). He’s a featured panelist at Culinary Institute of America’s “Worlds of Flavor” International Conference and Festival (Napa, Calif., November 2021), and German participated in the James Beard Foundation’s “Summer Taste America” culinary series. German was named one of Plate magazine’s “2020 Chefs to Watch,” and “Best Chef 2022” from East Bay Express. 

Bel Hernandez is the Founder/CEO of Latin Heat Media, a multi-media and entertainment and news company. She co-founded the first, and still only, entertainment trade publication focused on Latinos Latin Heat in 1992, now found on www.latinheat.com.

Dubbed as “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood” by Moviemaker magazine in 2000. She served six years as a member on the prestigious Peabody Awards Board, the last year as the first ever Latina/o Chair. Presently she serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board of Farmworker Justice and on the Advisory Board of the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation.

Ms. Hernandez has been recognized for her journalist endeavors by the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Latina Style Magazine, La Opinion, The ALMA Awards, Hispanic Lifestyle, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Media Coalition, the City of Los Angeles, the HPRA and Women in Theater Festival.

She has executive produced various TV shows as well as served as host on TheTRENDTalk on METV, KCBS’s HOLA! LA. and Let’s Talk! She also recently produced The David Damian Show.

She is also a published author as part of the anthology “8 Ways to Say I Love My Life”.

She is the co-founder of LATINAFest, a festival Celebrating All Things Latina. LATINAFest develops and supports Latina entrepreneurs by creating a space for showcasing their businesses, promoting sales, exploring business survival tips and networking.

Through her work, Ms. Hernandez fulfills the Latin Heat Media mission of creating content by Latinos, about Latinos, for universal audiences.

Her consulting areas of expertise include:
The Latino Market and in Entertainment | Editorial Partnerships | Historical perspective of Latinos in Hollywood | Event Branding | Cultural consultant to TV & Film Productions | Celebrity partnerships with brands, organizations, & Film Projects |

Danielle Telleria serves as the senior manager of marketing for Hello Alice, a multichannel platform dedicated to helping small business owners unlock access to funding opportunities and the supportive learning resources, services, and networks needed to thrive. With a community of more than a million business owners spanning the United States, Hello Alice is building the largest community of entrepreneurs in the country while tracking data and trends to increase owner success rates. 

In her role at Hello Alice, Danielle leans on more than a decade of experience in print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and multimedia marketing to develop strategies around and execute content, resources, and experiences aimed at empowering Hello Alice’s growing community of entrepreneurs. She additionally develops and hosts educational webinars for Hello Alice members and oversees social media channels.

Before joining Hello Alice, Danielle spent five years growing an all-Latina-run, handcrafted jewelry company with her best friend. Understanding first-hand the grit and resources necessary for successfully navigating small business growth fuels her commitment to Hello Alice’s mission of providing equitable access for every American with an entrepreneurial spirit. 

When she’s not supporting small businesses within the Hello Alice ecosystem, you can find Danielle checking out small shops in her hometown of Miami, chasing perfect bites, wine, and sunsets with her husband, Robert. 

Danielle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Print Journalism and Theatre Arts and a Master of Arts degree in communications from the University of Miami. 

ABC TV’s Marcela Isaza is the host of On the Red Carpet and  responsible for the production of news packaging for the Entertainment feed to our daily billion viewer cliental.

Roberto is the Founder and CEO of Braven Agency, a digital marketing agency, and
SMRTS, a SMB success tracking software company. He is also Google’s California Digital
Coach training and scaling diverse small businesses. In 2020, he was appointed by the
Mayor of Los Angeles as the city’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). In 2022, he was
appointed to the board of directors to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Roberto has run over 500 marketing and entrepreneurial workshops, in English and
Spanish, on behalf of tech companies and universities that include Google, Quickbooks,
Facebook, Univision, Stanford, UCLA, and Shopify. Roberto’s work includes partnering
with various governments, city officials, chambers, non-profits, and accelerators to bridge
the digital divide. He is a visiting professor for CSULB School of Business where he
teaches digital marketing and social media analytics. He is also a board member of
CSULB’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Prior to entering the private sector, Roberto worked for the Canadian Foreign Service as
well as the U.S. State Department where he focused on foreign direct investment and
political engagement. Roberto holds a certificate in Scaling Businesses from Stanford
School of Business, an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a B.A.
from UCLA. He is also passionate about humanitarian work and worked with humanitarian
nonprofits in Barranquilla, Colombia, to raise awareness and support for Venezuelan
refugees, in 2020.

Mario X. Carrasco is Co-Founder and Principal of ThinkNow, an award-winning, technology-driven cultural insights agency based in Burbank, CA. The agency enables companies and government agencies to discover the cultural drivers that influence consumer decisions. 

Under his co-leadership, ThinkNow has successfully launched several innovative initiatives, including ThinkNow ConneKt™, a MarTech segmentation solution focused on the multicultural market and DigaYGane.com, one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panels in the industry. 

During his nine-year tenure at ThinkNow, Carrasco’s expert knowledge of multicultural consumers and his passion for unveiling the story behind the numbers is evident in his editorial contributions to Forbes, eMarketer, Quirk’s Magazine, Online MR Magazine, and MediaPost. 

Carrasco has been recognized for his accomplishments. Under his co-leadership, ThinkNow was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in 2018 and 2019. Carrasco was named the Next Gen Market Research (NGMR) 2018 Industry Change Agent of the Year and, in 2017, received the SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is also an SBA Emerging Leader Recipient. Carrasco is a Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Institute Graduate and USC Marshall School of Business alum.

Arianna Davis is the Senior Director of Editorial & Strategy at Oprah Daily, where she oversees the digital editorial direction across the brand. She is also the author of What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly, a self-help book inspired by the life of icon Frida Kahlo. Additionally, Arianna is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Digital & Print Media Master’s program. Throughout her career, on-camera she has interviewed everyone from Hillary Clinton to Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, and the cast of Bridgerton, and she has served as an entertainment expert for outlets like Access Hollywood, Tamron Hall, VH1, TLC, and more. She lives in New York City with her puppy, Leo, and is currently working on a novel.

Maria Salamanca is a Partner at Unshackled Ventures, a fund that fills a unique space in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, funding teams with immigrant founders at the earliest stage of pre-seed and seed. Maria joined the fund in 2015, during her time she has been involved in 50+ investments and has evaluated more than 6,000 deals. In 2018, she was first Latina named Forbes 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital and Business Insider’s Under 30 Rising Stars. Her support for the Latinx community also won her the the 2017 California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Shark of Year.

Previous to joining Unshackled, Maria worked at FWD.us an immigration lobbying group founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Ron Conway, Reid Hoffman and other tech leaders. She attended UC Berkeley where she studied Government and Legal Studies

Jonathan Jayes-Green, Vice President of Programs at Marguerite Casey Foundation. (They/Them) is an organizer, orator, strategist and believer. They are the former National Latinx Outreach Director for the Elizabeth Warren for President Campaign, where they focused on connecting the movement and the campaign in service of building big, structural change for Latinx and immigrant communities.

Jonathan is also the Co-Founder and former Founding Director of the UndocuBlack Network (UBN), a multigenerational network of Black undocumented immigrants organizing their own communities and building power. UBN was built at the critical intersection of immigration and racial justice focusing on organizing, deportation defense, advocacy, wellness, and storytelling. Jonathan has also served in the Office of the Governor of Maryland as the liaison to the Caribbean and Latinx communities and worked on statewide campaigns and ballot measures like the Dream Act and marriage equality.

Jonathan received an Associate’s from Montgomery College (MD) and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Goucher College. They have been the recipient of the Haas Jr. Outstanding LGBT Leadership on Immigration Award, American Immigration Council’s Immigrant Youth Achievement Award, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Inspira Award and the Frederick Douglass 200 List by the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center.

Jolynn is Kapor Capital’s Chief of Staff. She is passionate about creating generational wealth for underserved communities and fostering an ecosystem of diverse investors, emerging fund managers and startup founders. An entrepreneur herself, Jolynn started her own record label at age 20 and built a career in music business, recruitment and public relations. She holds a BA in Development Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, with a minor in Education.

Previous to Kapor Capital, Jolynn was the Director of LatinSF- the economic development arm of the city of San Francisco focused on investment between the Latin American region and the city. Under her tenure, Jolynn secured $25.5 Million in investment, generated 350+ jobs and advised over 100 Latino/Latin American startup founders in venture fundraising, go-to-market strategy and US market intelligence. In 2019 she was featured as Telemundo’s Hispanic Heritage Community Business leader.

Jolynn is a proud San Francisco native of Ecuadorian descent. In her free time, she’s enjoying live music, eating Bolon, or taking off with her daughter to a nature getaway

Christian strongly believes in the promise of America, and that begins first with California’s estimated 15 million Latinos. As the Vice President of Policy at LCF, Christian leads the foundation’s efforts to advance policy solutions that will improve the lives and political power of California’s Latinos.

Christian served as the Senior Governance Specialist at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, he worked with the nation’s top political, corporate, and nonprofit leaders to develop the next generation of Latino leaders in policy. He also managed CHCI’s transition towards the use of impact metrics and led two successful strategic planning sessions with CHCI’s leadership. Prior to CHCI, Christian worked at the Aspen Institute for the College Excellence Program. He helped administer the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Competition honoring the top performing community colleges in the nation. Dedicated to the advancement of Latino communities, Christian began his career as an AmeriCorps member where he served as a college counselor at Cristo Rey New York High School in East Harlem, New York.

Christian received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University in International Politics. In his free time, Christian enjoys cooking, watching Dodgers baseball, and traveling.

A healthcare business leader with more than 15 years of policy experience, Mariza founded Zócalo Health in 2021 with a vision to enhance the primary care experience and overall health journey for Latino families.  Prior to founding Zócalo Health, Mariza was on the founding team for Amazon Care and AWS’s Health and Human Service Vertical where she led business development initiatives for Amazon customers. Prior to Amazon, she focused on developing innovative solutions for Medicare and Medicaid populations for companies such as Omada and Alere Health/Optum. Her experience in Medicaid and Medicare started during her tenure at the US Health and Human Service Department where she led policy programs for health information exchange. She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Policy from The George Washington University and currently lives with her family in the Greater Seattle area.

Erik is a healthcare tech strategist with more than 20 years of leadership experience. In August 2021, he founded Zócalo Health to deliver a first-class family medicine experience for the Latino community.

Before founding Zócalo Health, he served as a founding team member and senior leader at Amazon Care where he led several technical teams. Erik was a key contributor to Amazon’s COVID-19 response and global testing initiative. A seasoned entrepreneur and health system leader, he previously directed a health IT portfolio at Tenet Health and was the founding Head of Operations and Technology at EverlyWell.

He currently sits on the Rogers Behavioral Health Board of Directors. In October 2020, he was selected as one of Business Insider’s 30 under 40 who are working to transform U.S. healthcare. Erik is passionate about delivering customer-obsessed healthcare solutions to fulfill his vision of a more personal and equitable healthcare system. When not working to grow Zócalo Health, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the outdoors, or playing sports.

Dr. Sarah Lopez was born and raised in Orange County, California. She attended medical school at the University of California, Irvine and business school at UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business. She was part of UCI’s first Program In Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) cohort, a program focused on training highly qualified doctors who are culturally competent and dedicated to serving the diverse population of Southern California. After medical school, she did her Emergency Medicine residency at LAC+USC, one of the nation’s top EM training programs. She stayed there an extra year to start the first Emergency Medicine Hospital Administration Fellowship, which continues to accept new fellows every year.She is currently practicing Emergency Medicine, regularly taking care of patients in the ER and sits on the board of local non-profits, working to build trust between healthcare institutions and the community.

Adriana Herrera is the Founder and CEO of PayDestiny, on-demand salary negotiation software that empowers professionals to build skills and confidence to maximize their pay.

Adriana is a social entrepreneur known for being able to translate a product’s social mission into viable financials. Adriana previously co-founded GrandIntent, a B2B competitive analytics platform for Internet Retailer 500 e-commerce marketers that protected personal identifying information, and FashioningChange, an e-commerce recommendation engine for sustainable and fairly made shopping.

She is among the 0.27% of Latinas to have secured institutional capital. As a first generation Mexican American she has circumvented many obstacles and is passionate about empowering others, especially those who identify as being underrepresented or under-resourced, with access to tools to achieve their goals.

Her work building tech for social good earned her an invitation to contribute a column to The New York Times, funding from Facebook to participate in an engineering bootcamp, an invitation to participate in the number two tech accelerator in the country, MuckerLab, as well as global features in media such as Entrepreneur Magazine as a ‘Do Good Business Entrepreneur To Watch’, NBC Universal as a Top 10 Latino Innovator, Forbes, Fast Company, TechCrunch, amongst many other media outlets.

When not working she enjoys exploring farmers markets to discover new ingredients to cook with and the humbling process of becoming a better surfer. She mentors girls interested in STEAM, advocates for the rights of Persons with disabilities, and hacks on side projects.

She welcomes opportunities to connect with others and can be reached via email at adriana@paydestiny.com, on LinkedIn, or Twitter. 

Jaime Mantilla is a Senior Distinguished Engineer for the Capital One organization responsible for digital servicing and marketing channels. As a Senior DE, Jaime builds bridges across multiple organizations and teams, engineering solutions to bring great experiences to our customers as well as first class platforms to our associates. A proud first generation Ecuadorian-American, Jaime is very active in Hispanics in Tech and Distinguished Engineer communities as well. He has been at Capital One since late 2020 after accumulating a wealth of experience in Investment Banking and Consulting engineering roles. He has a Computer Science degree from Pace University and a MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. A father of two beautiful girls and lucky husband to his college sweetheart, Jaime enjoys playing the piano and the guitar, dancing to Latin music and hiking.

Jasmine Fuego is a southern raised,Oakland based coach, event producer, and musical artist. Jasmine is the Founder of the Healin’ Myself online intensive which supports women in crushing their impostor syndrome, finding their inner confidence, and creating a plan to live their #bestlives now.

You can find Jasmine performing or speaking at festivals and conferences across the country, producing unique events, or blowing up your Instagram feed with her iconic #MorningMeditations. She created her LLC in 2014 which has worked with brands such as AFROPUNK, She the People, and the Black Joy Parade. In addition to her online work, Jasmine is currently producing a pilot for a children’s television show about mindfulness & confidence.

Mario X. Carrasco is Co-Founder and Principal of ThinkNow, an award-winning, technology-driven cultural insights agency based in Burbank, CA. The agency enables companies and government agencies to discover the cultural drivers that influence consumer decisions.

Under his co-leadership, ThinkNow has successfully launched several innovative initiatives, including ThinkNow ConneKt™, a MarTech segmentation solution focused on the multicultural market and DigaYGane.com, one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panels in the industry.

During his nine-year tenure at ThinkNow, Carrasco’s expert knowledge of multicultural consumers and his passion for unveiling the story behind the numbers is evident in his editorial contributions to Forbes, eMarketer, Quirk’s Magazine, Online MR Magazine, and MediaPost.

Carrasco has been recognized for his accomplishments. Under his co-leadership, ThinkNow was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in 2018 and 2019. Carrasco was named the Next Gen Market Research (NGMR) 2018 Industry Change Agent of the Year and, in 2017, received the SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is also an SBA Emerging Leader Recipient. Carrasco is a Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Institute Graduate and USC Marshall School of Business alum.

Sergio A. Gonzalez is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education Studies Program at Claremont Graduate University. He just received his M.A. in Applied Gender Studies on the way to the Ph.D. He earned his M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California (USC) and his B.A. in Communication Studies from Manhattanville College. Sergio writes from the core of who he is: joto, Latinx, feminist, hijo de a first-generation Madre and Mexican Immigrant Padre, jotería scholar, activist. As Lorde (2007) states, “I HAVE COME to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood” (p. 40). For this reason, his connection to Jotería (queerness) derives from his experiences navigating the Ivory Tower and trying to understand where he can exist within that space. As a scholar/activist, he focuses on co-creating counternarratives of queer Latinx/a/o individuals within higher education. Currently, he is a Research Associate at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, and Justice (SDPI) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. His research interests focus on Jotería pedagogy, social justice, undocumented/Dacamented students, and Queer Latinx students in higher education.

I am a higher education promoter to first generation students empowering them through culturally relevant student service practices. Queer Chicano scholar, first generation college bound student. Chicana/o Studies prof. When I am not working with students, I enjoy dancing Banda and learning about financial literacy.

Dr. Carmen Rojas (she/her) is the president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Prior to joining Marguerite Casey Foundation, Dr. Carmen Rojas was the co-founder and former CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that invests in entrepreneurs, community organizers, and government leaders to create replicable and revenue-generating solutions that improve conditions for low-wage workers. For more than 20 years, Carmen has worked with foundations, financial institutions, and nonprofits to improve the lives of working people across the United States.

Prior to building The Workers Lab, Carmen was the Acting Director of Collective Impact at Living Cities. She supported 22 of the largest foundations and financial institutions in the world in order to improve economic opportunities for low-income people–supporting projects in the fields of economic and workforce development, energy efficiency, and asset building. From 2008 to 2011, Carmen was the Director of Strategic Programs at the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, where she oversaw the foundation’s Green Access and Civic Engagement programs. Alongside her work at the foundation, Carmen also taught in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to this, Carmen was the Coordinator of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Task Force on African American Out-Migration to address African American displacement from the city.

Carmen currently sits on the boards of the General Service Foundation, Certification Associates, Blue Ridge Labs, Beyond12, Children’s Defense Fund, San Francisco Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Counciland the AstraZeneca US Health Equity Advisory Council.

Carmen holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.

Lori Castillo Martinez is the Senior Vice President of Global Equality and Employee Relations at Salesforce — currently serving as the interim Chief Equality Officer. In her role she focuses on building a culture of belonging while driving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the entire employee lifecycle. As the leader of Global Employee Relations she addresses experience, retention, and accountability through fair, trusted, and inclusive practices. In her position she works to accelerate workplace equality by integrating talent and DEI processes, guided by the voices of employees. She is also the co-chair of the Salesforce’s Racial Equality and Justice Task Force, committed to driving racial equity in the company and the world.

Previously, Lori spent nearly a decade at a Fortune 5 healthcare company where she created the first enterprise-wide strategy, processes and systems for key legal, ethics, and regulatory risk areas. She also led the company’s Latinx Employee Resource group — helping to advocate and create community for women and people of color. Before that, she spent 11 years at an industry leading semiconductor company working in HR and compliance. Throughout her career, she has made a tangible difference in practice and culture in both the life sciences and tech sectors.

Luis Martinez, MSOL is an Afro-Latino from Honduras and raised in Brooklyn, New York with an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership, Luis is an advocate, networker and ecosystem builder for Blacks, Latinos in tech & innovation throughout the United States and abroad.

A Former Pro Basketball Player and U.S. Navy Veteran, currently he is the Director for Startup Grind San Diego. Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting 3,500,000 entrepreneurs in over 400 cities.

Luis felt the need to create a movement aimed at creating the super ecosystem for Black & Latino Founders, Venture Capitalist & Angel Investors. The lack of access and information about tech and innovation that flows to these underrepresented communities is causing these communities to be behind in Math, Science & current Technology.

Also, there is a disconnect between minorities that have been successful in tech & innovation and those back in communities in which they came from. By creating “We Tha Plug”, Luis is connecting businesses, organizations, and individuals, leveraging their resources and talents to build a stronger Black & Latino tech and innovation community through collective efforts.

An attorney and racial-justice advocate, Jessica advances Free Press’ mission of building media and technology that serve truth and justice. A former Lifeline recipient, Jessica has helped fend off grave Trump-administration cuts to the program, which subsidizes phone-and-internet access for low-income people. She was part of the legal team that overturned a Trump-FCC decision blessing runaway media consolidation. Jessica is a leader in the fight to push tech companies to crack down on hate and disinformation. She co-founded Change the Terms, a coalition of more than 60 civil- and digital-rights groups that works to disrupt online hate, helped lead the Stop Hate for Profit campaign’s Facebook advertising boycott and sits on the Real Facebook Oversight Board. Previously, Jessica was the executive vice president and general counsel at the National Hispanic Media Coalition, where she led the policy shop and coordinated campaigns against racist and xenophobic media programming. Prior to that she was a staff attorney and teaching fellow at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Public Representation. Jessica has testified before Congress on multiple occasions on issues including Net Neutrality, media-ownership diversity and affordable internet access.

Lucy Flores is a former Nevada State Assemblywoman, former candidate for Congress, lawyer, and media entrepreneur.

The daughter of immigrants, Lucy was raised in a low-income community by a single father. In 2010 Lucy, along with three Latina colleagues, became the first Latinas elected to the Nevada legislature in the history of the state.

After leaving elected office, Lucy served as Vice President of Public Affairs at mitú where she successfully developed and executed social impact and political content strategies. After mitú, Lucy went on to launch her own digital media brand, Luz Collective, producing digital content and events with a focus on the enormously expanding and influential Latina community.

Lucy continues to be a political leader having served on the DNC Unity Commission, the board of Our Revolution, and currently serves on the board of the national Women’s March. She also provides political commentary on national media outlets and speaks frequently throughout the country on both political matters and digital media strategies. Lucy continues to advocate heavily for women’s rights, immigration reform, and criminal justice reform.

Betty Francisco is an entrepreneur, business executive, attorney and community leader. She is known as a powerful convener and changemaker, unapologetic about creating visibility for Latinx and POC leaders. The Boston Business Journal named Betty as one of the 2020 Power 50 – Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People, and in 2018, Boston Magazine named her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Boston. Betty is currently the CEO of Boston Impact Initiative, a social impact investment fund that invests to close the racial wealth divide in Eastern Massachusetts. She is the co-founder of Amplify Latinx, a social venture that is building Latinx economic and political power by significantly increasing Latino civic engagement, economic opportunity and leadership representation in Massachusetts. Betty is also co-founder of the Investors of Color Network, a consortium of Black and Latinx accredited investors working to close the racial funding gap in startup capital.

She was the General Counsel at Compass Working Capital where she oversaw the organization’s legal affairs, compliance, and risk management. Before that, she served as EVP, General Counsel for Sports Club/LA and Reebok Sports Club/NY, a fitness brand acquired by Equinox Fitness. Betty began her legal career as a Senior Business Law Associate at Edwards Wildman (now Locke Lord) representing start-ups, corporations and investors. She serves on the Boards of Directors of The Boston Foundation, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Beth Israel Lahey Health, and Roxbury Community College. Betty obtained her J.D. and M.B.A. from Northeastern University, and her B.A. in History from Bard College. You can learn more about Betty at http://bettyfrancisco.com.

A community builder and connector at heart, Ana Flores is the founder and CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina, the first network of Latina influencers founded in 2010 with a mission to elevate the voices and stories of Latinas through the power of community. #WeAllGrow has evolved into the go-to community for Latinas driving social and economic impact. The company’s annual #WeAllGrow Summit was named by Forbes.com as one of “19 Conferences Every Creative Should Attend.”

A sought-out speaker and thought leader in the areas of representation, Latinx identity, building community and gender equality, Ana has been recognized by the United Nations Women’s L.A. chapter as a Champion of Change and by People en Español as one of “Las 25 Mujeres Más Poderosas.” In 2016 she was invited to speak on two occasions at the White House, including the United States of Women Summit on gender diversity and women empowerment issues. Ana also sits on NALIP’s Diverse Women in Media Initiative Advisory Committee.

Born in Houston, Texas, raised in El Salvador and a graduate of the University of Florida, Ana is now settled in Los Angeles, where she lives with her daughter.

Yadira is an advocate for Latinx civic empowerment and has worked tirelessly throughout her career to advance the rights and collective power of the Latinx community, as a proud daughter of immigrants. She co-founded and is currently serving as Co-Executive Director of Poder Latinx, a civic and social justice organization dedicated to building Latinx political power.

Previously, Yadira served as the Development Director for Mi Familia Vota, where she helped raise over $20 million and expanded the number of strategic partnerships with major organizations and allies to increase year-round civic participation within the Latinx community. She was also proud to support the Fast for Families Campaign for immigration reform during her time in the Immigration Department at the SEIU. Yadira is proud to serve on the boards of three nonprofits, Dialogue on Diversity and Family Values @ Work Action, and Western Resource Advisors as well as sitting on the managing committee for Democracy Partners, a firm committed to fighting for progressive values and a truly democracy society for all human beings.

Yadira has been selected as a 40 under 40 honoree by the Leadership Center for Excellence and an Up and Coming Practitioner Finalist by the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference. Most recently, she was selected as an American Express Ngen Fellow and a 40 under 40 honoree by the American Association of Political Consultants. Yadira earned a bachelor’s degree from UC, Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree from the George Washington University. You can follow her work at @YadiraSanchezPL and @PoderLatinx.

Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón is the Director of Research and Civic Engagement for the Division of Social Sciences at UCLA. Dr. Ramón is a social psychologist who has worked on social justice issues related to equity and access in higher education and the entertainment industry for over fifteen years. She is the co-principal investigator of the Hollywood Advancement Project and manages its graduate research team. She is the co-author (with Dr. Darnell Hunt) of the annual UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report series that the project produces. She is also the managing editor of LA Social Science, an e-forum that showcases the vibrant and cutting-edge knowledge generated within the Division of Social Sciences at UCLA. She co-edited a book (with Dr. Hunt) titled Black Los Angeles: American Dreams and Racial Realities (New York University Press, 2010). She is the inaugural Latino Film Institute Scholar. Dr. Ramón has a B.A. in psychology from Stanford, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

As Executive Director, Ben is responsible for the overall design, strategic vision, and execution of all domestic and global endeavors for the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, NALIP. Ben serves as the year-round industry liaison for executives and content creators in the Latino Lens Incubator programs, working with the top agencies in the world to curate and match these creators with key industry professionals who can accelerate their careers forward. Ben oversees the NALIP Media Summit, Diverse Women in Media Initiative, the Latino Media Fest and Latino Lens programs. He strives towards uniting his passion for inclusive storytelling and his roots in film production in his role as Executive Producer of the Latino Lens Incubator Series. Recently, Ben’s role as an Executive Producer has led to him consulting for the major Hollywood studios and networks as well as the partnership of NALIP with Goldhouse for the #Latinxgoldopen, to amplify Latino-centric projects for financial success on opening weekend. An advocate and champion of #Diversity, #Inclusion, and #Belonging, Ben has been quoted on domestic and global publications and outlets, such as Variety and Slate France. In addition, Ben has delivered keynotes and participated in speaking engagements in the world’s leading festivals and markets including Telluride, Outfest, LA Brazilian Film Fest, New Filmmakers from Spain, DocsDF, DGCine in the Dominican Republic, SANFIC Co-Prod Market in Chile, MIP Cancún, Sundance, TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, FICG & Morelia, and European Film Market in Berlin.

Alicia Menendez anchors MSNBC’s “American Voices with Alicia Menendez” Saturday and Sunday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. ET. She is also the author of “The Likeability Trap” and host of the “Latina to Latina” podcast.

Menendez joined MSNBC in October 2019. Prior to joining the network, Menendez served as a correspondent on “Amanpour & Company” on PBS and formerly hosted a nightly news and pop culture show on Fusion called “Alicia Menendez Tonight.” Her reporting and interviews have appeared on ABC News, Bustle, FusionTV, PBS and Vice News.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Menendez has been called “Ms. Millennial” by The Washington Post, “journalism’s new gladiator” by Elle, and a “content queen” by Marie Claire.

From marching 76-straight miles, to hunger striking for 26 days, Dr. César A. Cruz has dedicated his life to justice. Born in México, he migrated to the U.S. with a single mother. Dr. Cruz is from Jalisco, México of Huichol/Mexica roots. César grew up in South Central L.A. and moved to study at UC Berkeley earning a B.A.-History. A 27-year vet in education, he most recently served as the Dean at Arise High in Oakland.

César is the co-founder the Homies Empowerment Program now in its 12th year. The grassroots organization is evolving to become a community-based school for youth who have been given up on. Their mission is to help youth channel the healer, warrior, scholar and hustler within on their journey towards individual and community emancipation.

Dr. Cruz is also the author of “Revenge of The Illegal Alien,” and “Bang for Freedom.” He was the first Mexican immigrant male to receive his Doctorate in Ed. Leadership (Ed.L.D.) at Harvard University. Dr. Cruz is considered one of America’s 30 education thought leaders by the Christian Science Monitor. However, he is proudest to be a husband, and father of three children: Olin, Amaru and Quetzali.

Clayton Davis is Variety’s Film Awards Editor. When not just predicting the upcoming Oscars or Emmys, he is one of the hosts of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast” and the video web series, “The Take.” He’s been an awards, film and television analyst and critic for more than 15 years, appearing on various publications and multimedia platforms including co-hosting the Oscars Pre-Show on ABC. Davis also founded and is president of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association, and is a board and active member of the Critics Choice Association. In addition, he’s also a member of BAFTA, AAFCA, HCA and NYFCO.

Gabriel Ramirez is a Queer Afro-Latinx poet, activist, and teaching artist. Gabriel has received fellowships from The Conversation Literary Arts Festival, Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo, Miami Book Fair, and a participant of the Callaloo Writers Workshop. Gabriel has performed on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, United Nations, Lincoln Center, Apollo Theatre, and other venues & universities around the nation. Gabriel was featured in Huffington Post, VIBE Magazine, Blavity, Upworthy, The Flama, and Remezcla. You can find his work in various spaces, including Youtube, and in publications like The Volta, Split This Rock, Winter Tangerine, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, VINYL, and in Bettering American Poetry Anthology (Bettering Books 2017), What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump (Northwestern University Press 2019) and The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT (Haymarket Press 2020). Follow Gabriel @RamirezPoet and RamirezPoet.com.

Dr. Michael McAfee became President and CEO of PolicyLink in 2018, seven years after becoming the inaugural director of the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink. His results-driven leadership, depth of knowledge about building and sustaining an organization, and devotion to serving the nation’s most underserved populations made him the obvious choice to lead the 20-year-old PolicyLink as Angela Glover Blackwelltransitioned to founder in residence.

During his time at PolicyLink, Michael has played a leadership role in securing Promise Neighborhoods as a permanent federal program, led efforts to improve outcomes for more than 300,000 children, and facilitated the investment of billions of dollars in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. He is the catalyst for a new and growing body of work — corporate racial equity — which includes the first comprehensive tool to guide private-sector companies in assessing and actively promoting equity in every aspect of their company’s value chain. Michael carries forward the legacy to realize the promise of equity — just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

Michael also understands the urgency of now. The nation is rapidly becoming a majority people of color. In cities and towns across the country many people are embracing the concept of equity and intent on achieving racial and economic equity for all. At the same time, as the word is used more, the concept of equity is in danger of becoming diluted, just another catchphrase of civil society, leaving the true promise of racial and economic inclusion unrealized.  Michael is determined that this will not happen.

Michael is ensuring equity does not become watered down. He is turning movement leaders’ eyes toward redesigning the “rules of the game” so that all people in America — particularly those who face the burdens of structural racism — participate in a just society, live in a healthy community of opportunity, and prosper in an equitable economy. He is achieving this by enacting liberating public policies targeted to the 100 millionpeople living in or near poverty, the majority of whom are people of color.

His legacy will lie in his efforts to stand in transformative solidarity with others, collectively charting a course to Win on Equity. He is building a well-planned, well-coordinated, well-executed, and sustained campaign that frees America’s democracy from the oppressive blend of patriarchy, capitalism, and racism.

Before joining PolicyLink, Michael served as senior community planning and development representative in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). While at HUD, he managed a $450 million housing, community, and economic development portfolio where he partnered with local leaders to create more than 3,000 units of affordable housing and 5,000 jobs and to ensure access to social services for more than 200,000 families. Before his public service, Michael served as the director of community leadership for The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts. He was instrumental in positioning the organization to raise $121 million from individual donors, an accomplishment recognized by the Chronicle of Philanthropy for receiving more contributions than any community foundation in America. Michael’s commitment to the needs of people of color and those living in poverty extends to his work on the boards of Bridge Housing, Independent Sector, North Lawndale Employment Network, One Degree, and Sweet Beginnings, LLC, each of which is committed to creating opportunity for those among the 100 million economically insecure people in America.

Previously, Michael served in the United States Army and as Dean’s Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He earned his Doctor of Education in human and organizational learning from George Washington University and completed Harvard University’s Executive Program in Public Management.

He is a sought-after speaker on community and economic development, leadership, organizational development, racial equity, and youth development. His articles have appeared in Academic Pediatrics, Cascade, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; Community Development Innovation Review, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Harvard Education Press, New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Voices in Urban Education, published by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Michael lives in the Oakland Hills with his wife, Maja, and their two Brussels Griffons (Gigi and Griff). He is an avid off-road hiker and practitioner of yoga.

Julissa Arce is a writer, social justice activist, and nationally best-selling author of My (Underground) American Dream and Someone Like Me. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, TIME Magazine, CNN, CNBC, Vogue and other outlets. Her forthcoming book You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation is powerful dual polemic and manifesto against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants in America. Instead, she calls for a celebration of our uniqueness, our origins, our heritage, and the beauty of the differences that actually make us Americans.

Prior to becoming an author and immigrant rights activist, she built a successful career on Wall Street working for Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, and had seemingly achieved the American Dream—yet she was not part of what legally defined American.

Julissa immigrated to America from Mexico at the age of 11 and was undocumented for almost 15 years, some of them spent rising to prominence on Wall Street. In order to help other young people in similar circumstances, Julissa co-founded the Ascend Educational Fund (AEF). AEF is a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students in New York City, regardless of their ethnicity, national original or immigration status.

Julissa was named one of People en Español’s 25 Most Powerful Women of 2017 and 2018’s Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles. She is a leading voice in the fight for social justice, immigrant rights and education equality. She is a contributor to Crooked Media, CNBC, TIME, and other outlets. Her first book is currently being developed as a television series with producer and actor America Ferrera.

She serves on the board of directors of the National Immigration Law Center. She was officially sworn in as an American citizen in August of 2014. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two cats, Nikko and Pancho.

Liz Rebecca Alarcón is a social entrepreneur and Latinamericanist. She’s the Founder & Executive Director of Pulso, a non-profit media startup building trusted relationships with more than 1 million Latinos across the United States through culturally relevant news, history and culture content to then leverage those relationships for civic participation. Liz’s writing and commentary on Latin America and Latinos in the US has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Miami Herald & El Nuevo Herald, among others. She is a former Fulbright Scholar to Costa Rica and an alum of the University of Miami and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Maria Aceves (she/her/they/them) is an Investment Operations Analyst with Capital Group, one of the world’s largest investment Management organization.  As a non-binary latinx they have been an advocate within the company to bring awareness to the unique challenges that the Latinx LGBTQIA+  community faces.  Actively involved in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion communities within Capital Group’s corporate structure.