Community Impact

Pico y Pala by Sergio Barajas
Pico Y Pala: The Excitement Is Building: NHCA at AVANCE Is Almost Here

NHCA at AVANCE Global arrives September 14–16 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where construction leaders will find sessions, capital access, and relationships

Patty Arvielo New American Funding
Patty Arvielo runs the country’s largest Latina-owned mortgage lender. This September she brings Thrive and Lead to the Bellagio at AVANCE Global.

The New American Funding cofounder brings her Thrive and Lead mentorship program to AVANCE Global, with a roster of women she knows personally and a hard line against what she calls fluencers

Arturo Castañeda-Contreras Storytellers and Creators
Arturo Castañeda Contreras dressed many influencial and cultural leaders. Now He’s designing for the workers who raised him.

After a decade at Ralph Lauren and a career in bespoke fashion, Arturo Castañeda-Contreras launches AC Workwear, a tribute to the blue-collar communities that raised him

Pico y Pala by Sergio Barajas
Pico Y Pala: The Missing Middle Isn’t Just Housing—It’s Builders

The missing middle isn’t just housing—it’s builders. NHCA’s Build the Builder program is opening pathways for emerging contractors, tradespeople and developers

Edda Santiago Covenant House International
Edda Santiago is the Queen of Reinvention at Covenant House International

Who walks away from big law money to focus on combating homelessness? Edda Santiago.

Rafaela Monasterio Asset Living
Rafaela Monasterio Paves the Way for Continued Asset Living Expansion

Rafaela Monasterio continues to create a best-in-class compliance organization at Asset Living

Pico y Pala by Sergio Barajas
Pico Y Pala: Still Standing, Still Believing

Two centuries after Francis Scott Key searched for a flag through the smoke, Hispanics are still rising—and still believing in America’s promise

Hispanic Executive Thumbnail
Hispanic Executive’s Most Ambitious Chapter Yet

Publisher Pedro A. Guerrero on why Hispanic Executive is moving from elevating Latino leaders to also informing them

Tony Rico Goya Foods
Tony Rico Helps Keep What Makes Goya Great While Expanding

Thirteen years later, Tony Rico may still have the same title, but his HR leadership is one to admire and emulate

Berenice Tenorio Nuestra Cocina
Berenice Tenorio is Elevating Mexican Gastronomy on the Global Stage

Berenice Tenorio on founding Nuestra Cocina, whose products are distributed through leading retailers across the US and internationally

Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Ramirez Smithfield Foods
Manny Ramirez Grows From Procurement Fanatic to People Leader at Smithfield Foods

Manny Ramirez, director of strategic sourcing at Smithfield Foods, on trading individual wins for people-first leadership shaped by his immigrant roots

Phyllis Barajas Conexión
Conexión Grows to 26 States 20 Years In

Phyllis Barajas reflects on how the organization she founded made it through COVID-19 stronger than ever

Daniel Garcia Steptoe & Johnson
Daniel Garcia: From Shrimper in the Gulf to Energy Attorney

Steptoe & Johnson’s Daniel Garcia on his unlikely path to energy law and how the next generation can find their way, too

Betty Francisco Boston Impact Initiative
How Betty Francisco Rewrites the Rules on Impact Investing

Betty Francisco and Boston Impact Initiative have sent millions into communities of color, and they keep finding ways to grow that reach exponentially

Cristal Lambert Educational Testing Service
Cristal Lambert Builds Leaders, Lifts Communities

How ETS’s Assistant General Counsel leads the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey into its next chapter

Ray Mercedes TAIT
Ray Mercedes Is Washington Heights’ Finest

Ray Mercedes continues to create opportunities for others while being an incredible success story himself

The VIDA Team Works Nonstop to Support Rio Grande Valley Students

The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement team combines tenure with a drive to evolve to create generational progress in South Texas

VIDA Success Stories Aren’t Easy, But They’re Possible

The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement is helping create the potential for generational change in the Rio Grande Valley

How VIDA Integrates New Tech to Better Serve Its Students

The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement supports new tech that will keep counselors, learners, and administrators on the same page

Sustainability Through a Latino Lens: Cultural Traditions of Resourcefulness

Long before sustainability became a corporate strategy, Latino communities were living it. What those traditions of resourcefulness and community reveal about the future of sustainable innovation.

VIDA x Open AI
VIDA Lands OpenAI Foundation Grant to Prepare Learners for the Future

The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement continues to attract national commitments for the workforce readiness of the people of South Texas