Speakers

Carmen Ordonez

Carmen Ordonez is a spokesperson, author, stylist, TV personality and founder behind the widely successful fashion blog, Viva Fashion. Since its launch in 2008, Carmen has been featured in media outlets such as Elle, Seventeen Magazine, The Style Network and is a regular guest on Univision’s Despierta America and a fashion writer for Vista Magazine. Carmen has also worked, as a spokesperson for leading brands such as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and last year was one of 10 bloggers to be a part of jcpenney’s MNG by MANGO campaign. This year, Carmen continues to share her fashion on a budget mantra by becoming the 2012 Hispanic spokesperson for David’s Bridal.

Yoly Mason

Yoly Mason is a freelance writer, video blogging fanatic and the editor of the popular blog Cuponeando.net. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she embraced her Spanish writing skills at the same time that Cuponeando was poised to fill the void of helping the Latina community that until then did not have a Spanish resource for savings. In 2011, she founded Las Blogueras, a blog and Facebook community of Latina bloggers that prefer to communicate in Spanish. Being completely bilingual, she is the personal finance blogger for Fox News Latino. Yoly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science which explains why she loves all things social media and launched her own Android/iPhone apps for Cuponeando.

Aurelia Flores

Aurelia Flores, former teenage single mother and domestic violence survivor, is Senior Counsel for a Fortune 500 company and founder of PowerfulLatinas.com. A seasoned national speaker and trainer on leadership topics and diversity, Aurelia’s legal specialty is in intellectual property. Aurelia went to Stanford Law School and is a Fulbright Fellow.

Eliana Tardio

Eliana Tardio is a professional in public relations and marketing and sales management, but her best title is advocate for families of children with special needs. Her advocacy work has been nationally and worldwide recognized. She runs a popular blog called RedSocialElianaTardio. and blogs on her personal site, Eliana Tardio, Blogs de Mamás and Voxxi. Eliana is a native of Bolivia and came to United States 7 years ago pregnant from her son “Emir” who was born with Down syndrome, 3 years after she gave birth to her second child, her daughter Ayelen; who was surprisingly born with the same condition.

Tracey Friley

Tracey Friley is an entrepreneur and travel philanthropist that uses social media as a platform to celebrate culture, humanity, diversity & travel. She blogs at OneBrownGirl.com®, she travels, she operates a travel camp for girls, produces travel events, and is creator of The Passport Party Project™, an initiative that gifts girls with their very first passports. She thinks Brown is beautiful and doesn’t mind saying so.

Mercedes Sanchez

Mercedes Sanchez is an award-winning blogger and has been described as online influencer by national brands. In 2006, Mercedes launched BeChicMag.com–an online magazine and digital lifestyle channel covering fashion, beauty and entertainment. Mercedes has a background in multimedia journalism having worked at the New York Post, NBC and LATV as a features writer and segment producer. With over eight years’ experience creating original content and videos on fashion and beauty, she is a sought-after brand ambassador.

Lisa Quinones-Fontanez

When Lisa’s son, Norrin, was diagnosed with autism in May 2008, she found herself in a world she did not understand. She soon realized that the Latino experience with autism was rarely represented in mainstream media. In 2010 Lisa founded the blog AutismWonderland. The blog documents Lisa’s family experience with autism as well as provides resources and book/product reviews. Lisa is currently working on a historical fiction novel A Thousand Branches. A chapter excerpt from A Thousand Branches received Honorable Mention in Glimmertrain’s Family Matters October 2010 competition.

Ruby Wright

Ruby is a wife and mother to 2 little ones. She is the Blogger at growingupblackxican.com where she blogs about raising her kids to be proud of their 2 cultures- Black and Mexican. Her family recently moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and are transitioning from being a military family to a civilian family. She is passionate about family, education and all things crafty.

Lynn Ponder

Lynn Ponder is the Founder of webcitygirls a social media brand with interactive platform for brands to connect with consumers that covers red carpet & corporate events from a social media pov. Ponder was recently selected by The Huffington Post as a TwitterPowerhouse Passionista and is owner of film production company Peliculas Ponder. Previously Lynn was a renowned Producer in the Hispanic Ad Industry with extensive experience working with Fortune 500 Companies.

Chantilly Patiño

Chantilly Patiño is the multicultural blogger and publisher behind MulticulturalFamilia.com and BiculturalMom.com, as well as the Managing Editor for NewLatina.net. She is also the creator of both an online website directory and deals site aimed at multicultural families. Chantilly strives to educate and empower modern families by connecting them with the stories, products and services that matter to them most

Tania Luviano

Tania Luviano is a five time Emmy award winning journalist, the host of the “Women’s Channel” on Terra.com, freelance reporter for NBC San Diego and contributor for Fox News Latino. She is founder of Latina Mom TV, www.LatinaMomTV.com a site where Latina moms share their stories through video on how to balance motherhood, careers and men while trying to juggle the never-ending stream of responsibilities of a Today’s Latina Mom.

Ericka Sanchez

Ericka Sanchez is founder of the bilingual blog NibblesandFeasts.com and co-founder of the breakfast blog The2GoodEggs.com alongside Nicole Presley (PresleysPantry.com).  Ericka also develops recipes for Nestle’s Kitchens, Meals.com and SpanglishBaby.com under The Culture of Food section. She has been featured on iVillage.com, NBC Latino and has worked with prestigious brands such as The National Milk Processor’s Board, the Idaho Potato Commission, Nestle’s El Mejor Nido and Maseca’s Amigas Blogueras.

Romina Tibytt

Romina Laura Tibytt is founder and publisher of the Spanish-written blog, MamaXXI’s ( http://www.MamaXXI.com). With a great growing rate among readers, this blog-style website has become one of the most important Mommy blogs representing Latina moms in the country, with companies and brands increasingly becoming interested in sponsoring the site due to its influential and strategic content. Romina also works as a  Blogs en Español guide in About.com, New York Times company and freelances for: Blogs de Mamás de Todobebé.

Nicole Presley

Nicole Presley is a culinary enthusiast who lives to cook, eat, breathe and talk food.  She writes an original recipe food blog called “Presley’s Pantry” from her home in East Los Angeles with the primary focus on comfort food.  Nicole is currently in the midst of filming a series of short cooking webisodes that can be seen on her blog. The webisodes that have gone live were met with a standing ovation from many of her peers / readers. In Summer of 2012 Fresh and Easy Markets will be packaging and selling a salad Nicole created.  Apart from working on Presley’s Pantry she is co-creater of “The Two Good Eggs”, a breakfast blog that is starting to break out of it’s shell.

Amber Ortega

Amber is the owner/author of Thrifty Ninja and co-founder of Sassy Social Media. Amber began her writing career in 2006 and has worked for several websites including Mahalo, KidGlue, Digigasms and Myspace. Throughout her career she has learned the importance of Social Media and how to effectively use it to improve business, traffic and influence.

Bren Herrera

Bren Herrera ( @BrenHerrera ) is a Cuban born Renaissance woman covering all things haute lifestyle from travel, fashion, art, gourmet cuisine to comida casera. She has been cooking Latin and fusion cuisine for 18 years, and professionally for 7, having developed a passion for entertaining at an early age. In 2008 she launched her critically acclaimed food blog, Flanboyant EatsTM (@FlanboyantEats). The blog’s popularity has landed her TV gigs appearing with Emeril Lagasse, a private stodge and demo with Chef of the Century, Joel Robuchon and continues to do TV having recently appeared on CNN Español, reaching over 30 million viewers.

Joscelyn Ramos Campbell

Joscelyn Ramos Campbell has over 10 years of experience as an award-winning former federal government public relations executive and spokesperson. She is listed on CNBC.com and various news outlets as one of the ‘Top Latino Social Media Stars and Leading Hispanic Bloggers’. Joscelyn is the owner of Mami Innovative Media, LLC, a communications and digital marketing company providing services to brands, corporations, individual clients, non-profits and small businesses. She is founder of Mami of Multiples, a nationally syndicated Parenting Columnist for the Examiner and co-hosts the popular Chicas Chatting Blog Talk Radio Show. In addition, Joscelyn is the Executive Editor for Multiplicity Magazine..

Flor de Maria Rivera

Flor de Maria Rivera is a TV personality, journalist, stylist, entrepreneur, brand ambassador and fashion blogger. In 2009, Rivera launched a very successful fashion blog, www.flordemariafashion.com, the first bilingual personal style blog in the United States. Since the launch of her blog, she has appeared in multiple media outlets including, NBC, Univision, Telefutura and El Observador to name a few. Rivera has dedicated 12 years of her career to the world of television, radio, print, and public relations. She has worked as a sports anchor, reporter, producer, commentator and writer for different media outlets, including Telemundo and Univision. Presently, you can see her hosting fashion segments for Univision and Telefutura, writing a fashion column for Mamas Latinas, working with different brands and helping television personalities, professional athletes and various other professionals look their best through both general wardrobe planning and selecting specific attire for special events.

Maybelline Valenti

Maybelline Valenti was born and raised in Venezuela where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Science in Communication, she is a freelance writer and the founder and publisher of the Spanish-written blog, Naturalmente Mamá (http://www.naturalmentemama.com/) where she blogs about natural parenting and Eco-friendly life style while staying in budget. She is a cloth diaper advocate and has been featured in Tu voz en Tu Vida from AOL Latino and D’Latinos Magazine to name a few.

Lamar Tyler

Along with his wife Ronnie, Lamar Tyler is co-creator of the award-winning site BlackandMarriedWithKids.com. They also created the documentaries Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and Men Ain’t Boys in efforts to provide positive images of life in the African American community. You can reach Lamar on Twitter or via his Facebook fan page for his films.

Laura Tellado

Laura “Laurita” Tellado is a writer and health blogger. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. She’s passionate about raising awareness about Spina Bifida, and quality of life issues, particularly through her blog, Holdin’ Out for a Hero: http://holdinoutforahero.org. She also blogs bilingually at Espresso con Leche: http://espressoconleche.com. She credits her parents with inspiring her in everything she does. Laurita directs the Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) Central Florida chapter, and won the “Best Latina Health Blogger” Award at the LATISM 2011 Awards.

Alicia Borchardt

Alicia Borchardt began her blogging/vlogging career as a hobby in 2009. Beginning with simple videos on YouTube, she has taught herself the art of video editing and production. Growing her YouTube subscriber base to near 5000 dedicated viewers with video views now totaling over 1000,000,000 total views. Alicia’s main focus in her blog http://www.aliciavlogtv.com/ and videos cover current fashion trends, recipes, makeup tutorials, cosmetic and product reviews. You can read some of her online interviews at lifebehavior.net a Spain based internet magazine and WhoHub.com.

Rosy Cordero

Rosy Cordero is a freelance writer, celebrity expert, social media junkie and founder of popular entertainment blog, AccidentalSexiness.com. Rosy was picked by Telemundo as one of the top Hispanic influencers in 2011 to help kick-off their inaugural social media initiative, Social@Telemundo and has been selected to represent the Hispanic Market at various P&G and Marshalls/TJ Maxx events nationwide. She works with networks like NBC, USA, Starz, Showtime, The CW, Mun2 and has interviewed notable celebrities. Her blog has earned the “Best of Blog” Award for Pop Culture in 2010 and 2011 from the Sun Sentinel.

Dariela Cruz

Dariela is an established graphic designer and blogger based in San Diego, California. After working in corporate environments for 15 years, Dariela co-founded “Dari Design Studio”, a full house studio offering a broad range of design services as well as simple and affordable ongoing Photoshop web-classes. She also runs a bilingual lifestyle blog, Mami Talks, which is full of culture, stories and inspirations infused with her unique designs and photographic touch.

Yolanda Machado

Yolanda is the owner/editor of Sassy Mama in L.A. and Founder of Sassy Social Media. Yolanda began blogging professionally in May 2011 and within month, landed her spot amongst top sites and influencers. She has been awarded the CBS LA Most Influential Lifestyle Blogger Award and was in the Top 5 Southern California Bloggers in Circle of Moms. Yolanda is a Blogging Tools and Essentials Contributor for Latina Bloggers Connect, and Lifestyle Contributor for MomsLA.

Ted Rubin

Ted Rubin is a leading social marketing strategist who in March 2009 started using and evangelizing the term ROR, Return on Relationship™… a concept he believes is the cornerstone for building engaged multi-million member databases many of whom are vocal advocates, like the ones he built for e.l.f. Cosmetics and OpenSky. Ted is CollectiveBias Chief SocialMarketing Officer and on Advisory Boards of Blue Calypso, OpenSky, SheSpeaks, Zuberance, and Taptank. Many in SocialMedia know Ted for his enthusiastic, energetic and undeniably personal connection to people. Ted is the most followed CMO on Twitter and believes… It’s All About Relationships!

Daniela Ramirez

Daniela Ramirez was born and raised in Venezuela, she moved to Miami to study Business Marketing in 2006. After opening her two blogs she found her true passion and decided to study Fashion Merchandising. Currently, she is editor in Chief of Fab Chic and Fit- a blog about fashion, beauty, and fitness- she also posts her daily outfits on her personal fashion blog Nany’s Klozet. She believes that in order to look good, you just have to feel good- and that to be “fashionable” you don’t need a huge wardrobe, just a little bit of creativity.

Divina Rodriguez

Divina Rodriguez (@DancingHotdogs ) is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications and years of experience as a Marketing professional. Divina is co-founder and editor of www.dancinghotdogs.com and a Partner with Trumpeting Media a leading Social Media and event planning company that uses the power of social media for Social good.  She is a Brand Ambassador, a Social Media consultant and has been featured as an expert panelist in leading blogger conferences.  She lives her life like it’s an adventure and brings along her wonderful husband, sons and pups along for the ride.

Gaby Natale

Gaby Natale is a TV host, entertainment & style blogger and executive producer of SuperLatina, the two-time EMMY-nominated syndicated talk-show that airs through Telemundo. Gaby Natale is head of Aganar Media making her one of the few women in the entertainment industry who owns her own TV studio. She’s worked developing branded content and campaigns for MetroPCS, State Farm and Direct Energy among other brands. As a media personality, Gaby has secured interviews with headliners like Enrique Iglesias, Thalia, Gloria Trevi, Paulina Rubio, Edward James Olmos and former president George Bush.

Maria Vargas

Maria Vargas ( @LaChicaGamer) is a college student that loves all things related to video games, comic books, sci-fy movies, tech and social media. In a video games world, pretty much dominated by males in 2010, she decided to give Latina gamers a voice in the blogosphere by founding LaChicaGamer.com In her short tenure she has reported from Dragon-Con, is an award winning tech blogger, been a speaker at BlogHer 2011 worked with brands like Ubisoft, Nintendo America and contributes to major tech sites. Her blunt but refreshing product reviews have made her an influencer to gamers and Latina moms that prefer Spanish.

Mirna Arce

Mirna Arce is the founder of Ahorros Con Cupones and happily responsible for finding the best deals for her readers. Eager to share her story and change the misconceptions of couponing within the Latino community She began to blog in her native language of Spanish in  2010. Mirna was able to utilize the media tools to create a rapidly growing community in order to succeed with her newfound purpose.

Michelle Hernandez

Michelle Hernandez created Family Love in My City, a blog that inspires families to engage, explore their cities and mix family life, fun and culture. She is a native of San Antonio, Texas, wife and mother to 6 year-old boy/girl twins, in a Spanish dual language program. Michelle also writes for the San Antonio Express News, San Antonio’s leading newspaper and homepage MySA.com. With a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas San Antonio, she is also a full-time accountant.

Dr. Aliza A. Lifshitz

Dr. Aliza A. Lifshitz, founder and editor-in-chief of VidaySalud.com, is a renowned physician, author and health commentator. For over 20 years she was Univision’s health expert, appearing on TV Mujer, Hola América, Noticias y Más, and Primer Impacto. Her call-in program, El Consultorio de la Dra. Aliza, airs nationally on Univision Radio.  She writes columns for People en Español, Ser Padres, the impreMedia newspapers and Vista. Her book, Mamá Sana, Bebé Sano, is in its third edition. Dr. Lifshitz practices at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.  She was president of the California Hispanic Medical Association and has served in various capacities at LACMA, CMA and AMA.

Laura Termini

Laura Termini (@chicanol) is an actress, broadcaster and businesswoman that has been featured in over 20 soap-operas and plays. She is also a radio personality and producer and her voice has been featured in countless TV and Radio commercials, such as in the US. Spanish language voice in President Obama’s 2008 Presidential Campaign. As the creator of Natural, Orgánica y Latina she shares her expertise in organic lifestyle and holistic nutrition with Latin women. Her audience can relate to her unique style, tips, experiences, interviews and outlook on life. You can find Laura Termini on twitter.

Sara Inés Calderón

Sara Inés Calderón is a reporter, bloguera and editor originally from Los Angeles, but who’s spent many years in her family’s native Texas. She worked as a reporter for the old media — The Brownsville Herald, The Austin American-Statesman/¡ahora sí! and The San Antonio Express-News. She then transitioned to new media in 2009, starting with social media reporting for Inside Facebook and later by co-founding and becoming the editor of NewsTaco.

Helena Osorio

Helena Osorio is first and foremost the proud Mom of a 4 yr old. She balances marriage and motherhood with her full time job as a Broadcast Producer for a Global Advertising Agency. Based in sunny Miami, FL she is pursuing a Certificate in Creative Writing and shares her love for story telling, life, laughter and all things Miami on her blog PinkGuayoyo.com

José Sánchez

José Sánchez is a graphic designer, blogger and vlogger in Puerto Rico. His experience as a father led him to share the important work of raising their two kids in Puerto Rico. José creates PiccoloMondoPR.com as a space to write and share their own family videos with the mission of stimulating entertainment and fun between children and parents through activities that promote imagination and learning. PiccoloMondoPR wants to motivate children and parents to make up their own adventures and fantasiesthrough the exploration of nature, play and imagination. His blog / vlog is the first established in Puerto Rico for a father who shares the experiences with their children and the first to transcend to the public interest televisionchannel of the Government of Puerto Rico, (PRTV) in 2011.

Silvina Jover-Cirillo

Silvina moved to the U.S. from Uruguay in 2004. She finished her undergraduate and graduate studies in Utah and Colorado, respectively. After spending 6 years as a successful entrepreneur in the language and intercultural communications fields, in 2011 she immersed as a social media manager and strategist. From her position in Alma, the only Hispanic agency included in Ad Age’s A-List in 2010 and 2012, she works for brands such as State Farm, McDonald’s and Clorox. After living across the U.S. and the world, she can now be seen with her husband and 6-year old son around Coconut Grove, FL.

Karl Weiss

Karl Weiss, founder and president of Latino Perceptions, has 20 years’ experience in marketing research. Karl earned an MBA at the University of Oregon with bachelor’s degrees in marketing and statistics. He started Market Perceptions in 1990 and formed Latino Perceptions in 2005 to commit more resources to the Hispanic market. Industry specialization includes health care (Kaiser Permanente), automotive (Toyota) and food and beverage (McDonalds).

As a first-generation American, although of German rather than Hispanic-descent, the study of culture and its impact on behavior has always been a fascination of Karl’s. He enjoys the opportunity to share what he has learned by teaching at the University of Colorado and parenting his nine year-old twins, although he says his children pay far less attention than his students.

Maria Machuca

Maria Machuca is communications director for the United Farm Workers (UFW). Born and raised in México, she immigrated to the U.S. when she was 15 and graduated from California State University-Fresno with a bachelor’s in communications. Maria spent 16 years in journalism before joining the UFW in 2008. She has overseen several grassroots marketing campaigns, including Take Our Jobs, which highlighted the conditions of farm workers; the need for immigration reform, and involved Steven Colbert of The Colbert Report. Maria also produces the daily UFW’s Spanish-language radio show, focusing on farm worker issues. When not working, she’s reading a good book or playing with Coco, her rescue dog.

Francisco Terrero

Francisco Terreros joined Genesco Sports Enterprises in March as the Director of Soccer, where he is responsible for FMF and CD Chivas’ rights in the U.S. Previously he was The Columbus Crew’s director of Hispanic business development. His creative thinking and dynamic leadership resulted in many new multicultural partnerships. He oversaw the growth of the team’s Hispanic supporter’s group. Before the Crew, Terreros was Real Salt Lake’s Hispanic sales and marketing manager, where he rallied Latino supporter groups through grassroots marketing. Terreros founded the Hanging Cleats Foundation in 2004, a nonprofit designed to benefit children around the world with soccer equipment and clinics. He is an United States Soccer Federation licensed coach.

Fernando Rodriguez-Vila

Fernando Rodriguez-Vila is the news editor for Univision News, where he is responsible for content development on new media platforms. Rodriguez-Vila has further extended Univision’s commitment of entertaining, informing and empowering the fastest growing segment in the U.S. across new media. Leveraging Univision’s unparalleled connection with Hispanics, Rodriguez-Vila is leading the efforts to create new content experiences that engage audiences with cultural fluency, regardless of platform or language.

Before joining Univision, he was a contributor for PODER magazine, where he wrote about conflict resolution and reconciliation. Rodriguez-Vila was also a founding team member of the Americas Business Council, serving as a content curator for conferences and producer of “A Ritmo de Cambio.”

Chiqui Cartagena

Chiqui Cartagena is vice president of Corporate Marketing for Univision Communications Inc. She is responsible for developing and implementing corporate marketing strategies, positioning Univision’s broad portfolio of brands and creating proprietary consumer research.

Cartagena is a Hispanic media and marketing pioneer with 25 years of experience developing, launching, and leading including People en Español. Previous roles include SVP of Business Development, Story Worldwide; managing director, Hispanic Ventures, Meredith; senior director, Columbia House’s Club Música Latina; GM of Hispanic at TV Guide.

Cartagena is the author of “Latino Boom! Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business in the U.S. Hispanic Market” and is working on a new book.

Alberto C. Saldamando

Alberto C. Saldamando is a Freelance Technology Blogger based in Orlando, FL. With a passion for computers, videogames, anime, the Internet and other things geek, Alberto writes for Impremedia’s Piensa Digital and his own ElMundoTech Blog (with a site in the works). He is also a Guest Writer for WiredLatinos.com, a Co-Director for the LATISM Central Florida chapter, a Collaborator for GamePro en Español, and winner of the Best Latin Tech Blogger award at the 2011 LATISM Awards. In his travels, he has attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo, CTIA Wireless, Kennedy Space Center, Game Developers Conference, and other events. Alberto holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Central Florida, and is expecting new certifications in Information Technology.

Raul E. Cisneros

Raul E. Cisneros is the deputy director in the Center for New Media and Promotions at the U.S. Census Bureau. He directs digital media production and promotional work in the center along with Web and social media activities.

In 2009 and 2010, Cisneros was the chief of the 2010 Census Publicity Office, where he oversaw a $362 million communications contract for an award-winning 2010 Census advertising and outreach campaign.

Cisneros has extensive public relations and leadership experience at the national and state levels.
He has been named to Hispanic Business magazine’s list of 100 leading influentials.

Edwin Pagán

Edwin Pagán is the Founder-In-Chief of LATIN HORROR (www.latinhorror.com), an online curated portal dedicated to the fans of the genre of horror. Launched in 2008 the site has become a prime destination for the genre’s fanbase, as well as an established brand with a direct link to this niche market. Due to the site’s dynamic growth, a specialized arm of the brand is being lunched in 2012 called #MIEDOmarketing – that is geared to promoting horror-related content to the Latino/Hispanic and pop-culture sectors. Pagan is also a filmmaker, media branding consultant, and curator and lives in New York City.

Sebastian Aroca

Sebastian Aroca is an entrepreneur and a customer centric Hispanic Market Consultant. He co-founded Hispanic Market Advisors, company that provides Website translation and Spanish SEO/SEM services, and has over 10 years of professional experience managing regional customer programs and client acquisition strategies in the areas of sales and digital marketing, primarily for the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American & Caribbean markets. Aroca is a contributor writer at BusinessWeek’s Business Exchange in the topic Hispanic Marketing and at MediaPost Publications (Engage:Hispanics), among others. To contact Sebastian Aroca, please visit his Google Profile or go to LinkedIn and send him a message

Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush

Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush is Managing Editor of Fox News Latino. Prior to helping launch foxnewslatino.com, Vourvoulias-Bush served as Corporate Executive Editor of impreMedia where he planned online, multimedia and print editorial strategy for all impreMedia news brands including La Opinion of Los Angeles, El Diario/La Prensa of New York. He joined El Diario/La Prensa in 2005 serving as its Executive Editor overseeing the growth in the paper’s readership in print and online. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Editor of TIME Magazine’s Latin America Edition and Director, TIME Americas. There he assisted in managing the launch of TIME Magazine’s Spanish and Portuguese language weekly supplements.

Maria De Los Angeles

Maria De Los Angeles is an award-winning freelance wordsmith who writes about all kinds of fun stuff — from sex to pirates, travel, social media, spirits (the imbibing kind), culture, fishing and more on her blog Sex and the Beach. Maria is a co-host for a live-stream online radio show called Social Chats and is a former “agent” for the Ford Fiesta video social media campaign. She also recently won a grant from Comcast to make short films about Hialeah.

Maria is very involved in the South Florida social media scene and creates events such as HeartCamp and SxSe. She occasionally teaches customized workshops for bloggers, specializing in newbies. Follow her @vicequeenmaria.

Jose A. Marquez-Leon

Jose A. Marquez-Leon is the National President, CEO, and Founder of Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA). A 30 plus year veteran, Jose Marquez-Leon serves as lead advocate on state and federal issues related to the role of Latinos in the technology sector. He is charged with coordinating organization-wide strategic planning for LISTA initiatives and is Executive Director of fifteen Tech Councils nationwide.

Since LISTA’s inception it has developed programs to take our community from the schoolroom to the boardroom. Programs are designed to introduce technology into classrooms, encourage IT and science professions among young adults, facilitate technology-related professional development through certification training and job-matching and recognize Latinos within the IT industry that are making a difference.

Linda Lane González

Linda Lane González founded Viva Partnership, a marketing communications agency focusing on the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets in 1997. She has worked with world-class clients including Verizon, Tire Kingdom, Hallmark, QVC, NTB, Burlington Coat Factory, BJ’s Wholesale, Smuckers, Michelin, Meow Mix, Dexatrim, Presidente Beer, Entenmann’s and LasikPlus among others.

Linda has been active in numerous Hispanic organizations and is currently in her second year on the AHAA Board of Directors and co-Chair of the AHAA Annual Conference. She was named one of the Top 50 Women-Led Businesses in Florida by The Commonwealth Institute in 2011 and 2012.

Stephen Chavez

As Co-founder and Publisher of the LatinoFoodie blog, Stephen and his co-editor Art Rodriguez share key insights into cultural trends happening in the food and beverage space, along with some of their favorite recipes, food products, cultural events, Latin-inspired restaurants and chefs. For the past 20 years, Stephen has spearheaded Hispanic public relations on behalf of major food and beverage companies, including Kellogg, Kikkoman, McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Dreyer’s Ice Cream, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group to name a few.

Mando Rayo

Mando is vp of engagement at Cultural Strategies. Mando’s experience is deep rooted in the community. Rayo offers content and training that focuses on building capacity and creating change with multicultural prospects, specifically the Latino community for nonprofits and for-profits alike.

Mando’s alter ego, as Austin’s resident taco ambassador for TacoJournalism.com, brings flavor and fun to his work and has been building the taco community in Austin through reviews, taco insights, taco tours and taco buzz via social media. Rayo has been featured in the New York Times, Chronicle of Philanthropy & NPR’s MarketPlace.

Manny Santos

Manny Santos, Director of MultiVu Latino, the Hispanic division for MultiVu – the broadcast and multimedia arm of PRNewswire- is a three-time Emmy Award-winning media professional with over fifteen years of experience in television and video production, as well as marketing, advertising and public relations.

Manny provides creative strategic counsel and full client support to interactive marketing and PR initiatives that combine traditional and emerging communication tactics driving brand awareness and higher audience reach for MultiVu Latino clients.

Alma L. Crossley

As Director for Diversity Initiatives at GM, Alma L. Crossley works to achieve Diversity business goals by establishing relationships with key advocacy groups and consulting across various functions, including: Marketing, Sales, Public Relations, Human Resources, Purchasing, and Dealer Network Planning.

Throughout her 25 year career, Alma has held various positions within General Motors. She has acted as a business consultant to Dealership Operations and developed and implemented various marketing and promotions programs to drive GM business on National and Local levels.

Alma graduated from General Motors Engineering & Management Institute (1990) and the University of Phoenix in (MBA 1997).

Araba O. Dowell

As Group Manager of Southeast Region Communications, Araba Dowell has overall responsibility for GM’s product and brand management, media relations and diversity outreach in 10 states.
Prior to GM, Araba served as a communications manager in several companies including: Manager of Marketing Communications for Premiere Global Services, Managing Account Supervisor for Ketchum Communications, Director of Marketing/Communications for March of Dimes of GA and Corporate Communications and Media Relations Officer for Bank of America.

A graduate of Oxford College (1991) and Emory University (1993), Araba serves on the board of directors for the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association.

Stephanie Camargo Ruiz

Stephanie Camargo Ruiz is a Group Manager for The Axis Agency and an on-site extension of the Southeast Regional Communications team for General Motors. Stephanie is responsible for increasing awareness of GM brands amongst key influencers and traditional and non-traditional media.

Stephanie has previously held positions at Ketchum Communications where she helped counsel clients on integrated programming, new product launches and media relations and at Burson-Marsteller where she developed and executed pan-regional strategic communications plans for multinational firms and implemented communications strategies and media outreach efforts for clients.

Stephanie has a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida.

Hector Galán

As one of the most prolific documentary filmmakers in the United States, Hector Galán has contributed over a hundred hours of programming to major television series such as Frontline, American Experience, and to cable networks, and PBS primetime. Galan has also produced many critically acclaimed and award-winning independent films through his company Galán Inc. Television/Film founded in 1984 in Austin, Texas. Galán theatrically released his feature documentary, Los Lonely Boys Cottonfields and Crossroads in 2006. Most recently, Galán completed principal photography in the Middle East and Europe and is in post- production on a six hour series, The Road from Christ to Constantine and is starting production this summer on Children of GIANT, a documentary feature set in the West Texas town of Marfa, Texas that explores social issues throughout history, weaving a scenic exploration of the Academy Award winning film, George Stevens’ Giant, with contemporary interviews. Also in pre-production is The War Within, a documentary series for PBS that tells the story of Latinos in America’s Wars, from the American Revolution to the present. Galán is a founding board member of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and has served as a mentor of the CPB Producer’s Academy and the NALIP Producers Academy and currently sits on the PBS Content Committee. He is also a frequent guest lecturer and keynote speaker at universities and national conferences throughout the country.

Brian Pacheco

Brian Pacheco is the Spanish-Language Media Strategist at GLAAD. He graduated UC Berkeley with a B.A. in History. Brian has extensive academic training in Spanish composition and grammar, is fluent in French and proficient in Portuguese. At GLAAD, he has helped media trained dozens of community members and leaders and worked on research related to Latinos in the U.S. and in Latin America.

Monica Trasandes

Monica Trasandes is the Director of Spanish-Language Media at GLAAD. She was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and grew up in San Diego. She has a B.A. in International Relations from U.C. Santa Barbara and an MFA from Emerson College in Boston. She has worked as a reporter and as a magazine editor. At GLAAD, she has media trained dozens of community members and leaders, and has herself done more than 30 interviews on local news casts as well as nationally aired shows including Despierta América, Noticiero Telemundo, Conclusiones on CNN en Español, and many others. She works every day with journalism professionals, serving as a resource.

George Carrancho

As Manager of Diversity Markets, George Carrancho is a member of American Airlines unique team which specializes in marketing and outreach for leading consumer markets including Hispanic, LGBT, African-American, Asian-American and People with Disabilities. Through this role, Carrancho also provides direction on American’s Hispanic advertising strategy and dedicated microsite, www.aprendi.com — the first user-content driven social travel resource in Spanish for the U.S. Hispanic traveler. The South Texas native is a 1993 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies. He is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.

Luis Caballero

Luis Caballero is a value-driven executive and change agent with experience in National and Regional brand marketing, advertising, and promotions in both the general and Hispanic markets. He has a strong, extensive track record for achieving results in multiple industries by recognizing critical business needs. Luis knows how to mobilize teams to achieve company objectives, without compromising ethics and stewardship for all constituencies.
Additional experience includes digital/social media development, strategic concept development and deployment, campaign development and execution, brand, project and budget management.
Recently, Luis has been coaching/mentoring mid-level executives to reach their full potential in their career and in life.

Alfredo Ayala

Alfredo Ayala is responsible for leading Research & Development project teams in identifying technology differentiators and adapting and creating new forms of technology to facilitate the needs of Walt Disney Imagineering as well as numerous other divisions within The Walt Disney Company.

Ayala has helped to design and create innovative effects for projects including the Haunted Mansion, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and a Kim Possible interactive entertainment experience at Epcot. Most recently he was part of a team working on the next generation of Audio-Animatronics figures called Autonomatronics. Many of this past and present cutting-edge projects are categorized as Classified or Top Secret.

Alfred M. Ayala has been with Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development for over 15 years, where he holds over 10 patents and has developed many trade secrets in technology, design, and art. Alfredo was the recipient of the 2007 Walt Disney Imagineering Spirit of Inovention award. Imagineering has presented an amazing opportunity to work on a wide range of projects across many disciplines. Some of his developed technology has helped Walt Disney teams win the prestigious THEA award for Soarin, Mission Space, Finding Nemo, and Kim Possible Game.

He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, American Chemical Society, and the American Optical Society.

Bel Hernandez

Bel Hernandez is an award-winning journalist and CEO of Latin Heat Media, LLC, an integrated media and entertainment company and publisher of Latin Heat Magazine, the first, and still only, entertainment trade publication focused on Latinos in Hollywood (www.latinheat.com) founded in1992. She served as Executive Director of the non-profit Latino Entertainment Media Institute which produced the Latin Heat Entertainment conference for six years.

Currently she is executive producer of the first English-language TV talk show Let’s Talk!, a Latina POV talk show hosted by 4 professional, opinionated Latinas (www.letstalkshow.net).

Ms. Hernandez served as a member for the prestigious Peabody Awards Board, for six years the last as the first ever Latina/o Chair of the board. She is a graduate of the Stanford Publisher’s Course and has been recognized for her work by the Hispanic Public Relations Association, The National Hispanic Media Coalition, the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Women in Theater Festival.

In November 2012 she will add author to her long list of accomplishments as one of eight authors of the anthology 8 Ways to Say I Love My Life to be published by Arte Publico.

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

Carlos R. Bermúdez

Carlos R. Bermúdez was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and graduated from Las Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1995 he received his first writing assignment on Valdez, an NBC pilot starring Cheech Marin and Bill Macy. From there, he went on to create Los Beltrán for Telemundo Network. He was Executive Producer and head writer for this critically acclaimed series that in just two years earned a Golden Eagle Award, an Alma Award, an Imagen Award and two GLAAD Award nominations. In 2009, Carlos sold one of his feature film scripts, The Miracle of Spanish Harlem, which was produced in NYC by Vista Clara Productions. Most recently another one of his scripts, Anything is Possible was produced in Detroit Michigan by D Street Films. He has three additional feature films, Ticket to Heaven, Shooting Stars and Hope Beyond Hope in a production slate with D Street Films to be produced before the end of 2012. 
Most recently Del Patio Films in association with the Puerto Rico film commission tapped Carlos to pen the adaption of a novel by Charles J. Kane, Murder in the House of Diamonds.

Rene Alegria

Rene Alegria is the founding CEO of Mamiverse Media, a company dedicated to providing empowering content for online Latina moms and families. A twenty-year veteran of creating content for the Hispanic community, he was also the founding former Publisher of Rayo/HarperCollins, an award-winning publishing imprint centered on giving voice to the Latino experience through books. He has worked with and nurtured some of the most celebrated Hispanic authors/celebs from around the world, including: Univision’s Jorge Ramos, Maria Elena Salinas, and Maria Antonieta Collins, Project Runway’s Nina Garcia; PBS’s Ray Suarez; Grammy Award-Winning artists Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz; People en Espanol’s Armando Correa; ABC’s John Quiñones, among many others.

Daniel Rosenstein

Daniel Rosenstein is in charge of managing the SEO and Pay Per Click campaigns for Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, inc. and has been in the Internet Marketing industry for the last 5 years. Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Inc., founded in 1993, is one of the nation’s largest credit counseling organizations in the country and has helped over 5 million people with financial issues.

Luis Arellano

Luis C. Arellano is the Founder and CEO of Contigo Global Philanthropy. In this role, he serves as a philanthropic advisor for athletes and celebrities, non-profit organizations and corporations. Luis has more than 7 years of combined experience in the private sector, public service, non-profit, and philanthropy.

His education includes an MBA from Florida Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. Along with serving on the ASU Chavez Programs Advisory Committee and the United Farm Workers Advisory Committee (AZ), he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Ivy League Project and Dancers and Health Together (DAHT, Inc.) and a mentor at Phoenix Youth at Risk.

Lorraine Ladish

Born in Madrid, Spain, of Spanish father and American mother, she is bicultural and bilingual. Ladish is the author of 17 books, including “I´m Pregnant, Now What?” “Have Fun with Your Kids,” and her forthcoming “Success Diaries,” based on her blog of the same title— all are available in Spanish. She is now working on a chick lit novel in English. Ladish is the mom of two girls, ages 10 and 7, and lives in Sarasota with her blended family. Read more about her at www.lorrainecladish.com

Jeanne D. Stitt

Jeanne D. Stitt is Vice President of Integration and Multicultural Markets at UnitedHealthcare, a division of UnitedHealth Group.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Stitt leads UnitedHealthcare’s efforts to transform the company to serve the increasingly diverse U.S. population. Her mission is to grow the business by reducing health disparities and offer health care coverage solutions that meet the needs of a diverse marketplace. Her multicultural responsibilities encompass three centers of excellence: Latino Health Solutions, Generations of Wellness (focused on the African American population), and Asian American Markets.

Stitt spent her childhood in Mexico City and her teen years in Boston. She has a BA from Duke University, an MBA from The University of Michigan, and an executive degree from The Wharton School and the Leonard Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Russell A. Bennett

Russell A. Bennett is Vice President of Latino Health Solutions at UnitedHealthcare (UHC) in Cypress, California.

He is leading efforts to enhance the company’s resources to serve and grow the Hispanic/Latino membership.

UnitedHealthcare now serves over 2.2 million Hispanic members with employer-sponsored plans.

Bennett lived in Mexico for 30 years, and is fully bilingual and bicultural.

He served as the founding executive director of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, U.S. Section.

Prior to that, he was the director of international and multicultural services for Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, the largest nonprofit health care provider along the U.S. Mexico border.

Estaurdo V. Rodriguez, Jr.

ESTUARDO V. RODRIGUEZ, JR. is a Principal and Counsel on Media and Communications at The Raben Group, where he brings years of experience with media and message development in addition to extensive experience with government affairs and specialized marketing to Hispanic communities.

Mr. Rodriguez splits his portfolio between a number of non-profit organizations, which include the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) and corporate clients including Time Warner Cable.

In addition, Mr. Rodriguez serves as a Democratic Strategist and news commentator appearing on CNN, CNN en Español, Univision’s Despierta America, national and local Univision and Telemundo. He has also served the U.S. Department of State as an independent political analyst in Latin America, specifically in Colombia and Bolivia, discussing U.S. / Latin America relations as well as the influence of the U.S. Hispanic vote.

Priority projects and campaigns include the creation of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino 501(c)3, which supports the work of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, and Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary, which focuses on the role of Latinos in the judicial appointments process and played a significant role in the debate and confirmation process of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Mr. Rodriguez began his professional law career at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, where he worked as an attorney under Secretary Henry Cisneros and later Secretary Andrew Cuomo.

Raised in Washington, D.C., Mr. Rodriguez received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Barry International Catholic University in Miami, Fl., and his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in New York City. Mr. Rodriguez is a co-founder and former President of the Hispanic Lobbyists Association (HLA), and member of the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. (HBA-DC).

Juan Proaño

Juan Proaño is President of Plus Three. Plus Three improves the way nonprofits fundraise. Plus Three has raised $300 million dollars for its non-profit clients, manages 10 million members, and over 1 million relationships with Latinos online. Juan has 17 years experience in the areas of product development, strategic marketing, and software integration.

Juan manages the social media for the Friends of the American Latino Museum which has surpassed 100,000 followers on Twitter, 70,000 Fans on Facebook, and 67,000 through its website, bringing its total reach to over 237,000 supporters.

Juan was named one of the Top 100 Hispanic Entrepreneurs by Hispanic Trends magazine, and Plus Three was recognized as one of the top 100 fastest growing Hispanic business for three-years in a row.

Rosie Taylor

Rosie Taylor is the founder of Rosiemedia, a marketing company that helps small business owners create a system of marketing and energize their revenues by saving time and money with a proven strategy. A solid Public Relations and social media strategist, Rosie’s specialty is in getting visibility for business owners as trusted experts in their industries. Her company provides Duct Tape Marketing programs in addition to PR and social media strategies for companies who want to broaden their market.

Etienne Hernandez-Medina

Etienne Hernandez-Medina, President/Founder, H&M Communications, is a seasoned entertainment and consumer marketing and communications professional with more than 19 years of experience across a wide range of industries, including film, entertainment, technology/telecommunications, food and beverage, packaged goods, tourism/lifestyle, sports, and media.

As President of H&M Communications, he currently oversees campaigns on behalf of Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Comcast, Crackle.com, and XIX Entertainment, among others.

Currently based in Los Angeles, Etienne has also held senior management positions at four of the top international public relations agencies firms, as well as at Arenas Entertainment, then a division of Universal Pictures.

Albert Rodriguez

Albert Rodriguez was appointed Chief Revenue Officer of the Company’s consolidated operations and General Manager of the Miami television market on January 3, 2011. Mr. Rodriguez is responsible for overseeing the revenue and profit performance of the Company’s consolidated operations, including radio, television, interactive and entertainment divisions, and the day-to-day operational matters of the Miami television market.

Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was the Chief Revenue Officer of the television segment and General Manager of the Miami television market from October 12, 2010 to January 6, 2011, General Manager of the Miami television market from January 21, 2010 through October 11, 2010, and General Sales Manager for the Miami radio market from November 1999 through January 2010. Prior to joining the Company’s television segment, from November 1999 through January 2010, Mr. Rodriguez was the General Sales Manager for the Company’s radio properties in Miami – WCMQ-FM Z92.3 “Z92”, WRMA-FM 106.7 “Romance”, and WXDJ-FM 95.7 “El Zol 95.” In 2005, Mr. Rodriguez set the record for El Zol 95.7 being the highest billing station in Florida’s history.

Ibi Fleming

As senior vice president and managing director for North America, Ibi Fleming is responsible for all business, strategic, sales and marketing functions across the region, which includes the U.S., Canada, Jamaica, and the Caribbean.

Fleming, a 13-year Herbalife veteran, joined the company in 1998. She began her Herbalife career as an assistant to the vice president of personal care training. Subsequently, she served in product marketing as manager of ‘giftables’ before joining the North America team.

During her tenure with the North America region, Fleming served in multiple capacities; first as manager of the West Coast and then director, senior director, and most recently served as vice president of sales and marketing for the U.S. Latin market. The Latin market currently represents approximately 60 percent of North American sales and has been one of the company’s fastest growing markets under her leadership.

In 2011, Poder Hispanic magazine included her in the prestigious annual list of the “Nation’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics” in the U.S.

Gabriel Reyes

Gabriel Reyes is considered one of the pioneers of Hispanic marketing in the Entertainment Industry. He recently won the Digital Campaign of the Year from the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) and has been featured on CNN’s Latino in America. He has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Latinos in Hollywood” by The Hollywood Reporter as well as “100 Most Influential Latinos” by Hispanic Business Magazine.

Reyes is President and Founder of Reyes Entertainment, one of the premier marketing and public relations firms focused on the bilingual media markets. Founded in 1997, Reyes Entertainment has worked with many Hollywood studios, networks and Latino stars promoting major film releases, network and cable TV series, DVD launches, concert and special event publicity as well as corporate communications.

Reyes Entertainment currently serves a roster of clients highlighted by The NY Intl. Latino Film Festival, Coca-Cola, PBS Networks, and WWE, among others. Reyes is also a Lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin, teaching Integrated Communications in Latino Entertainment.

Javier Farfan

Javier Farfan, Senior Director of Cultural Branding at PepsiCo, joined PBA in June 2010 to oversee PBA’s efforts to build brands and drive volume with key cultural groups (including Hispanic, African-American, and Asian-American consumers and influencers). Javier is responsible for leading the strategy, program development, communications for these groups, working closely with brand teams across Pepsi.

Before joining PepsiCo, Farfan served as Product Marketing Group Manager at Microsoft and was responsible for marketing and communications efforts specifically within the U.S. Hispanic market. Farfan also served as the Director of Marketing for MTV Networks where he helped launch a Hispanic cable network, MTV Tr3s. At MTV Tr3s, he spearheaded consumer marketing and strategic partnership initiatives to drive brand awareness, programming launches and key Hispanic marketing efforts. Prior to joining MTV Networks, Farfan spent his career in the finance and consulting industry at JP Morgan Chase and Accenture Consulting, respectively.

Farfan, a New York City native, holds a Master of Arts from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Maria Agui Carter

Maria Agui Carter is a filmmaker, scholar, and President of Iguana Films in Boston. A native of Ecuador, she grew up in NYC. She is a former staff producer for WGBH, PBS’ flagship station. She works in a variety of formats, from dramatic shorts such as the Spanish language Un Par De Sueños (Cleats), featured in Discovery En Español’’s Director’s Showcase, to PBS series (such as the Jazz and Hip Hop special, The Devil’s Music, praised by the New York Times as a “jaw-dropping,” and “true documentary” that “engages viewers in a conversation as vigorous as the art it chronicles), and the NEH funded No Job for a Woman, set it WWII and slated for international broadcast in 2013. Ms. Agui Carter has served as a visiting artist and film scholar at Harvard, Tulane and Brandeis Universities, and has been the recipient of Peabody Gardner, Warren, Rockefeller, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting fellowships. Her newest film Rebel, a feature documentary film based on the rediscovered memoirs of a Cuban woman soldier of the American Civil War,recently sneak previewed at the 2011 White House forum on Hispanic Heritage, and is slated for national PBS broadcast. She is Chair of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and a member of the Writer’s Guild of America. She serves as a mentor, lecturer, and production consultant around the country.

Merarys Ríos-Vargas

Merarys Ríos-Vargas is a Statistician Demographer with the Ethnicity and Ancestry Branch at the U.S. Census Bureau. She is the lead demographer on Hispanic Origin statistics in the 2010 Decennial Census, U.S. Virgin Islands Census and other surveys.

She has presented on behalf of the Census Bureau at numerous conferences and since 2006, has represented the Bureau as a commentator on Voice of America, CNN, Univision and others. She is the coauthor of The Hispanic Population: 2010, among other reports.

Rios-Vargas is the recipient of the U.S. Census Bureau Bronze Medal Award for her contributions to the 2010 Decennial Census.

Carlos Gutierrez

Carlos Gutierrez was born and raised in Miami, Florida. As an undergraduate student at Tufts University, he majored in Spanish Literature with a minor in Communications & Media Studies. His honors thesis project, a documentary entitled Journey into Exile, garnered numerous awards at festivals including the NY Independent Film Festival and the World Fest Houston. After graduating with his B.A., Mr. Gutierrez worked as a television commercial producer in advertising for three years for agencies CP+B and DDB. He was awarded a Graduate Fellowship in order to attend New York University Master’s Film Program.

Carlos’ thesis film, Wet Foot/Dry Foot, was nominated for the Student Academy Awards and is in development as a feature film. The film was selected as the winner of the Showtime Network’s 7th Annual Latino Filmmakers Showcase and had its world premiere on the network. His script Black and Blue, based on Wet Foot/Dry Foot, was named one of three finalists in the FADE IN Awards for Best Feature Screenplay in 2008. His follow-up film Escondido (Hidden) premiered on Showtime Networks and was produced by Showtime as part of the Latino Filmmaker Showcase. Mr. Gutierrez is also developing two more feature films as a writer/director.

While still a student at NYU, Carlos then signed with NY-based Production Farm for representation as a television commercial director. His commercial for the New York International Latino Film Festival, titled Typecasting, was awarded an Emmy for Best P.S.A. and a Bronze trophy at the Ad Age Latino Awards. Moving from NYC to LA, Carlos then signed with LA-based production company Cortez Brothers for spot representation. In 2010, Carlos and two partners (Sammy Albis & Tom Woodrow) started Magnet Filmworks, a boutique production company that services both the general market and Hispanic for advertising work.

Chris Cox

Both in his home town of Fredericksburg Virginia and in his adopted town of Austin, Texas (he got there as soon as he could), Chris Cox had worked in theater, short films, and music journalism, but nothing had ever really taken off. While working as a bartender at a brewpub in Austin, Texas, Chris met Martin, Tony, and Korey who starred on a local access tv show called “The Reel Deal” who were considering, after several years, bringing it to a halt. Chris talked them out of it and himself into a spot on the show where they reviewed theatrical release movies for Austin for a number of years, garnering several local awards along the way. Eventually the time came to put up or shut up, and thanks to Korey’s animation skills, “The Reel Deal” turned into a web site, with Chris and the others transposed into cartoons. Shortly after they got attention from YouTube postings of their reviews, they were bought by a bigger company where they became the legend known today as Spill.com.

Paulo Andrés

Paulo Andrés has been a talent manager for over 11 years handling actors across the board from developmental clients to series regulars.

Starting out as a performer. In 1996, he became partner in The Actors’ Network where his dedication to each member and his knowledge of the business transformed it into the leading organization for the working actor that it is today.

In June 2004 he formed a partnership with Kurt Patino and opened LINK Talent Group. On May 1, 2008, with great anticipation, they merged with Rachel Rothman to create Rothman/Patino/Andrés Entertainment, expanding their collective company.

Some of Paulo’s clients include: long time actor Kevin Dobson, Shalim Ortiz (HEROES), Marlene Forte (DALLAS), and Ethan Erickson ( Melrose Place). His hugely successful commercial client Chad Brokaw is well known as the loveable “CHAD the Alltel guy.”

Kety Esquivel

Kety is VP of Social@Ogilvy. She has spoken at the World Bank, SXSW and BlogHer and has been quoted in stories for the WSJ, PBS, CNN, Televisa and Univision.

Her work has taken her to China and Ethiopia with the UN. She has coached executives in the US, Canada and LatinAmerica. She directed Latino outreach for the Clark Presidential Campaign, was the New Media Manager for NCLR and interim CEO for LATISM. She served on the Cornell Board of Trustees.

Kety is a founding board member of HPRA DC and a blogger on the HuffingtonPost: http://huff.to/nwxkyQ.

Rory Lassanke

Rory Lassanske is one of the most active and influential blogueras en Español. She started blogging in 2009.
Her award-winning blog, MamaContemporanea.com, is the ultimate resource for modern Latina moms in the U.S and around the world. Rory has worked on many successful campaigns, and is the ambassador for brands such as Pampers, Johnson’s Baby, Que Rica Vida, Vive Mejor, Hunt’s and Terra.

She is a current contributor to Blogs de Mamas de TodoBebe, Plaza Familia, Las Blogueras.com, and previously contributed to Ser Padres (Mimo’s blog), and others.

Her passion for Social Media has resulted in opportunities to co-host exclusives for site events for various brands.

Rory has been featured on Univision, Telemundo, and CNN en Español.

Anu Gunn

Anu Gunn ( actor/producer ) has appeared on shows and series on Vh1, MTV, A&E, Sci-Fi, The Style Network and over 200 indie, student and studio projects. He lives in LA and is currently working closely with two-time Oscar and Grammy winner A.R. Rahman (composer, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) in addition to two indie features one of which is Hollywood Whores at this festival.
www.AnuGunn.com

Michael Olguin

A public relations veteran with 25 years’ experience, Michael is an innovative thinker that challenges convention. In 1992, he founded Formula which has established itself as a progressive national PR boutique agency, thanks to his integrated marketing approach and ability to connect brands to core consumers. Its sister agency, FORMULATIN, launched in 2008 to serve Fortune 1000 brands targeting the Hispanic community.
Michael has been quoted as a PR expert and published various opinion pieces in outlets such as PR Week, PRSA, American Express’ Open Forum, Hispanic Market Weekly and Shopper Marketing, among others.

Freddy Balsera

Freddy Balsera is the Founder and Managing Partner of Balsera Communications. He assists corporations and organizations craft communications campaigns promoting their issues, projects, products, or services. Since 1999, Mr. Balsera has been able to generate results for Fortune 500 and publicly traded companies, national political organizations, labor unions and financial institutions as their communications strategist. He also served as President Barack Obama’s Sr. Hispanic outreach adviser in 2008 and will continue in this role in 2012. Last year he was nominated by the President to serve on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy which oversees all public diplomacy activities for our country throughout the world. He is currently awaiting confirmation by the US Senate.

Sonia Diaz

As a Senior Account Executive at Balsera Communications, Sonia leads US Hispanic and public affairs campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and grassroots organizations.

Before joining BC, Sonia worked extensively within the travel and tourism industry for both the public and private sector, representing resorts and destinations throughout the Caribbean and Central America. Her roles included managing crisis communications, media relations, leading digital initiatives and social media, managing television production, industry relations, and strategic counsel and assessment for the client. Sonia loves music, the beach and cooking, a passion that she expresses through her picture food blog, The Domestic Diner. www.thedomesticdiner.tumblr.com

Cesar Prato

Cesar Prato is the Senior VP of Digital Strategies at SOI TV. He has over 25 years of experience in business development and marketing expertise in Venezuela, Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market. During his career, Prato has had the opportunity to design business strategies and growth initiatives for business in the fast food, media, consumer goods, and technology sectors, for companies such as Churromania, Evenpro, CANT Verizon, RCTV, and Publiteca.

He is originally from Venezuela, but left his country to attend Louisiana State University where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. He enjoys playing golf and giving speeches about social media and social TV.

Karla Fernandez Parker

Karla Fernandez Parker is a multi-cultural marketing professional and consultant with over 20 years of proven sales results who knows the importance of utilizing and incorporating social media into an overall campaign to ensure its success. She has leveraged social media for numerous clients including package goods and political clients as well as for clients that include Adolphus Rice, the City of San Antonio and Franklin Electronics.

Karla founded K. Fernandez and Associates back in 1996, and since inception has served base of national and regional clients including United Healthcare, Brach’s Confections, Mountain King Potatoes and McCormick & Company, among others.

Jewel Figueras

Jewel Figueras is the Head Chick in Charge at JewelsFablife.com. She is one of the most influential bloggers in South Florida, working with brands like Disney, General Motors, Bloomingdale’s, Ritz Carlton Hotels, and MAC Cosmetics. A native of Washington, DC, she now lives with her family in Miramar, FL.

Mónica Talán

Mónica Talán is SVP of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Univision Communications, Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing corporate and internal communications, programming public relations, social media and corporate events. Since joining in 2008, Talán has been instrumental in helping drive coverage of Univision to enhance the Company’s visibility in the media landscape. She created the Corporate Communications department and has since effectively transformed the Company’s relations with key media, stakeholders and influencers. Her strategic approach and unique experience in media relations have helped further elevate the Univision brand. Before that, she spent more than 10 years at Fleishman-Hillard, serving as senior vice president/partner, and senior counselor and strategist. Previously, she was Public Relations manager for Enron Latin America and served as International Media Coordinator for the Texas Department of Commerce.

Borja Perez

Lourdes Stephen is the co-host of “Sal y Pimienta,” which airs on Sundays and offers the best of Hispanic entertainment. Before that, Stephen was a national correspondent for newsmagazine, “Primer Impacto.” Since joining Univision in 2003, she has covered a range of major events including the 9/11 attacks, President Ronald Reagan’s funeral, the death of singer Celia Cruz, the FIFA® World Cup in Germany and Puerto Rico’s 2008 gubernatorial election. Among the key personalities Stephen has interviewed include former Gov. George Pataki, Donald Trump, Alex Rodriguez, Penélope Cruz and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She has also secured exclusive interviews with Dominican President Leonel Fernández and the serial killer known as the “Zodiac Killer,” among others. Born in the Dominican Republic, Stephen holds a bachelor’s in advertising from Universidad Iberoamericana and a master’s in journalism from Boston University. Among her accolades are the “Premio Nacional de la Juventud” (Dominican Republic’s national youth award) and the Dennis Kauff Memorial award.

Borja Perez

Borja Perez is responsible for all 360-degree Integrated Solutions and Multiplatform Story Telling Strategy at Telemundo Network; driving overall growth of Telemundo’s Digital Media business. Perez works closely with Telemundo’s Studios, Marketing, Public Relations, Sales, International and Community divisions. He ensures that Telemundo’s Digital Media programs are truly integrated into the network’s growing “Original Content Strategy.” In addition, Perez is charged with identifying trends in the digital media market, seeking growth opportunities for Telemundo’s online community and delivering this audience best in breed applications, services, and programs. Recently, Perez was appointed to lead the new strategic social media unit, Social@Telemundo and digital distribution for NBC/Telemundo.
Social@Telemundo will focus on delivering its fans across Facebook & Twitter interactive experiences tied to TV programming. With dedicated Social Media resources tied to each of Telemundo’s shows and novelas, Social@Telemundo aims to take the entire TV viewing process to a more engaging level. Building off the success of its Interactive Broadband Series “Telemundo Live” and mobile social initiatives Telemundo plans to expand its focus on sharing more access to its studios, shows and talent in Spanish and English.
Borja Perez was named Vice President of Digital Media & Integrated Solutions for NBC/ Telemundo in February 2009 and reports directly to Jacqueline Hernandez, COO, Telemundo and Peter Blacker, Senior Executive Vice President of Digital Media, Telemundo

Prior to his current role, Perez was the Yahoo! Telemundo Alliance Leader, responsible for growing the Yahoo! Telemundo virtual joint venture’s target audience and revenue goals.

With more than 10 years of experience in the U.S. and global Hispanic market including Germany and Spain, Perez was Director of U.S. Hispanic and International Business Development, AOL Inc. AOL Media Networks. In this role, he developed strategic alliances and content partnerships as well as oversaw the execution of all AOL Latino marketing and public relations programs for the U.S. Hispanic market, International and Multicultural markets. Prior to his roles at AOL Inc., Perez held posts at UOL Inc., The Bravo Group (Young & Rubicam), BBDO and Ericsson, where his knowledge and expertise of the global Hispanic market were essential to each client’s strategic market growth.

Perez is Co-chairman of the IAB Multicultural Committee, a Board Member of the US-Spain Chamber of Commerce, an Advisor Committee member of The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies as well as an active member of The International Advertising Association.

Piedad Palacios

Ms. Palacios is a bi-coastal film and tv executive and producer. She specializes in the Latino and Latin American market. She is Chair of the Miami Dade Film & Entertainment Advisory Board. She recently produced “SoBe Real”, an independent feature film shot in Miami, and has several film and tv projects in development. She also worked as VP/Executive Producer for an Artmiamitv an Internet media platform where she produced over thirteen videos. She has produced screenwriting workshops in Miami. She has worked on projects with Patrick Crowley (Bourne Ultimatum), Bill Badalato (About Schmidt), Tom Musca (Stand and Deliver). Palacios relocated to Miami from LA as Special Projects Representative for the MPAA, Latin American office to program Latin American films, as well as workshops in Miami and Latin America. Prior to that, she was Director of Development at Paloma Production, a Jerry Perenchio company, where she reviewed over eight hundred scripts and brought filmmakers. She was Co-Executive Producer of “Bela Donna”, directed by academy nom, Fabio Barreto, starring Natasha Henstridge. She was in charge of the Latino American Program at the Sundance Institute, where she organized a Creative Writers Workshop for the Nobel Prize author Gabriel Garcia Márquez. She has been consultant to several film festivals. Palacios was juror for the Sunlight Production Fund Award given by IFP in Miami, Juror at the Miami Shorts Film Festival, President of the Bogota International Film Festival and juror at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. She was also juror for the AFI Finishing Funds Award; Board Member of the national Hispanic Media Coalition in Los Angeles and the Latino Task Force in Santa Monica, where she brought the AFI Film Festival to the city. She holds a BA in Dramatic Art swith honors from UC Santa Barbara and attended UCLA film school. Her photographs have been published in the New York Times and she was a recipient a W.E. DuBois poetry award.

Jacques Hart, CEO of Roar Media

Jacques Hart is co-founder and CEO of Roar Media, an integrated marketing-communications and digital-communications consultancy. He specializes in helping traditional companies transform their legacy business operations and marketing programs into next-generation platforms that help increase market share, conversions and revenues.

Jacques is nationally known in digital and earned media for his focus on delivering winning results during more than 15 years of providing strategic counsel to leading Internet enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. For Jacques, the key is a bias for media-agnostic programs, focus on quality customer and user experiences, along with innovative ideas, quantitative analysis and effective communication..