Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD EXECUTIVES


Arminda “Mindy” Figueroa Headshot

Arminda “Mindy” Figueroa

Founder and CEO at Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications (L2L)

Founder and CEO, Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications (L2L) is celebrating her 12th year at the helm of L2L, a multiple award-winning engagement solutions agency headquartered in downtown Fort Lauderdale with satellite offices in NY, NC and Puerto Rico. A true maverick, Figueroa is a long-recognized leader in the traditional, multicultural, direct and digital marketing fields. She has built a successful career focused on generating awareness of the essential role of the multicultural market in corporate America. Prior to launching L2L, Figueroa was Project Director for Scholastic Media, and oversaw the launch of the #1 ranked PBS children’s television series, Maya & Miguel. Previously, she held senior marketing positions at The Bravo Group (a Young & Rubicam agency), Univision.com, Verizon and Anheuser-Busch. Figueroa is the published author of An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Surviving a Business Implosion featured in Money Matters Top Tips To Success – Volume 2; and, sought-after presenter at industry seminars and conferences. Most recently, she served as one the two featured speaker at sold out Customer Experience and The New Majority Trends for 2020, guest panelist for Women In Business Roundtable of South Florida Business & Wealth; Latinas & Power Symposium in Connecticut, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce – Women’s Council & Digital Marketing Seminar, Fort Lauderdale Hispanic Business Group, CHAT Summit (Cultural Heritage Alliance for Tourism), Radio Ink, The Conference Board on Diversity & Inclusion; and Hispanic Unity of Florida’s E Summit on women entrepreneurs. She has written, co-authored and published several articles related to healthcare patient education and other topics in multiculturism in Portada, Huffington Post Latino Voices and has been quoted in Adage, Billboard Magazine, Miami Herald, Money Matters, HearPreneur, Bloomberg SFL, Telemundo, Univision, Sun Sentinel among other publications. Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Figueroa served as an advisor to Gov. Rick Scott for the South Florida relief efforts for Puerto Rico and is the proud founder of the philanthropic grassroots organization, Adopt a Puerto Rican Family. Figueroa served on the board of the Hispanic Federation for 16 years and helped raise more than $25M as part of the gala committee. Today, she serves on the board member of the Tower Club of Fort Lauderdale, member of the Corporate Advisory Council of Hispanic Federation, Hispanic Leadership Council of Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; a founding member of the Women’s Council of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Marketing Council of Hispanic Unity. She has been recognized by El Diario/La Prensa as one of the “50 Most Influential Latinas,” by South Florida Business Journal as one of the top “Influential Business Women of 2017,” and she also received the Golden Mouse Award for Multicultural Marketing Leader of the Year by the Florida Chapter of Women in Ecommerce. In 2018, she was awarded the Diversity in Business by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, she was selected as one of the FACES of Latin Marketing by the 50 FACES of Gold Coast Magazine.
Erika Gianni Headshot

Erika Gianni

Vice President of Operations at Bixal

Ms. Gianni has 15+ years of global experience in digital strategy, marketing, and operations. Her passion lies in instilling a people-first perspective into the heart of global operations and executing strategies that position organizations to meet their goals. In her current role at Bixal, Erika is VP of Operations, where she is combining a data-driven mindset with state-of-the-art digital practices to lead the organization through an ever-evolving marketplace and streamline operations. Previously, at a large, global technology company Erika transformed the way customers tried, purchased, and used solutions by leading a team of user experience designers to redefine the customer buying experience. In addition, at a global footwear company, she developed the Americas eCommerce division from the ground up. Erika also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras where she collaborated with community leaders to plan and conduct small business training. As an alumna of FSU for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Erika is proud to serve on the advisory board for the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. She also holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an M.S. in User-Centered Design from Brandeis University.
Yvette Martinez-Wilson Headshot

Yvette Martinez-Wilson

Ms. Martinez-Wilson is an accomplished executive with more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the technology industry. She brings exceptional success and valuable insight to strategic planning, business development, and sales and marketing functions. Her leadership and creativity, as well as deep understanding of domestic and international market segments, indirect market development, and strategic alliances have led to dynamic gains in revenues, competitive advantage, and market share in startup to Fortune 500 arenas. She leverages a highly successful sales background, in addition to achievements in operation management and process improvement areas. Yvette is currently consulting in the areas of business development and marketing. She has held leadership roles at Syniverse Technologies, Tech Data/Synnex, Brightstar US, and Verizon Wireless. She was named DiversityMBA.com Top 100 Executives and Emerging Leaders in 2013. Yvette holds a Master of Science in Management and Marketing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Hartford, and Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Connecticut. Yvette is involved in her community and local charities focused on families and children. She also loves to travel and more importantly spend time with family and friends.
Chris Miller Headshot

Chris Miller

Vice-President Sales, Latin America - Commercial & Residential Solutions at Emerson

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS


Arturo Del Rio Jr. Headshot

Arturo Del Rio Jr.

CEO & Co-Founder at Salesmaster ai

Arturo Del Rio Jr., CEO & Co-Founder of Salesmaster ai, is a thought leader and international speaker who has a deep passion for creating and executing visionary sales and marketing strategies and technologies and sharing them with others. For close to two decades, he's worked side by side with some of the world's most recognizable brands, including IBM, to create record-breaking revenue-generating go-to-market strategies, teams, and multi-tier channels of distribution focusing on both expanding existing and developing new emerging markets. Moving forward with his vision for Salesmaster ai, Arturo couples his passion for growth with disruptive artificial intelligence-based technologies to bring to the Global Marketplace the World's first end-to-end AI-Powered Growth Suite. In addition to his interests in Salesmaster ai and Eccotech a software and application development company, Arturo is an owner and Advisory Board member to ProSafe Hotels, an organization dedicated to providing Panic Button solutions to the most vulnerable and is currently working to introduce this Safety technology into schools and universities.
Guadalupe “Lupe” Alcala Headshot

Guadalupe “Lupe” Alcala

Assistant Vice President - Marketing at State Farm® Insurance

Lupe began her career with State Farm® as an Auto Field Claim Representative in Moline, Illinois. Throughout her 25 years with the company, she has held various leadership roles in claims, customer response center, auto and commercial underwriting, Purchasing, Risk and Compliance, Workplace Protection, and Process Improvement. She is currently an Assistant Vice President in Marketing. Lupe has a strong passion for lifelong learning. She graduated from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL. She received her CPCU insurance designation in 2007 and completed the CLU insurance designation in 2013. Throughout her career, she has leveraged her cultural background to help the company better meet the needs of the Hispanic community. Lupe is active in her community and served on the National Hispanic Corporate Council Board of Directors as the elected representative for State Farm Insurance and served two terms as Chair. She currently sits on the UnidosUS board representing State Farm Insurance.
Dr. Sindy Chapa Headshot

Dr. Sindy Chapa

Director and Associate Professor

Dr. Sindy Chapa is the Director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University (FSU). She is one of the country’s leading researchers on cross-cultural consumer behavior and how it relates to marketing, advertising, and all other aspects of business. A faculty researcher at FSU, Dr. Chapa, also teaches popular courses on Hispanic marketing and advertising strategy. Dr. Chapa previously served on the faculty of Texas State University where she co-founded the Center for the Study of Latino Media and Markets. Dr. Chapa co-authored Hispanic Marketing: The Power of the New Latino Consumer and has been published in other books and top academic journals. Her work can be found in the International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Business & Economics Research, Journal of Marketing Communication, Journal of Spanish Language Media, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Multidisciplinary Business Review, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, and in Consumption, Markets, and Culture: Resonant Representations. She is a member of the Coca-Cola Company Hispanic Council and serves in the executive committee of FELAFAC (The Latin American Schools of Communication), ALMMACR (Association of Latino Media and Market Communication Research), and on the editorial review board of the Journal of Spanish Language Media and Journal of Cultural Marketing. Dr. Chapa earned both an MBA and Ph.D. in International Business from St. Thomas University and the University of Texas-Pan American. She is originally from Tamaulipas, Mexico. She is also the proud mother of three young boys, all going through the very same processes of acculturation she highlights in her research.
Orlando Comas Headshot

Orlando Comas

Sr. Strategic Growth Director at The Miami Herald

Orlando Comas is the Sr. Director of Strategic Growth for the Miami Herald Media Company, leading sales teams responsible for key accounts generating nearly $20 million in annual revenue. He develops growth strategies that drive sales of the company’s digital media as well as diverse products and services, generating double-digit growth in revenue for the organization. Orlando has more than two decades of experience in sales and marketing, with a focus of digital advertising. He joined MHMC in 2001 as Digital Media Consultant and has held a number of positions within the Miami Herald, Knight Ridder Digital, McClatchy Interactive and McClatchy (parent company of MHMC). He has led the company’s digital transformation by implementing strategic programs for 30 newspapers in 28 U.S. markets. Orlando has a B.S. in Business with a minor in Marketing and a Master’s in International Business from Florida International University in Miami. Born in Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish, he is married with one daughter and lives in Weston, Florida
Joseph “Joe” Facundo Headshot

Joseph “Joe” Facundo

Sr. Environmental Consultant at National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS)

Mr. Facundo is a Sr. Environmental Consultant with over 40 years’ experience as a Systems Technologist within the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) with expertise in meteorological observational systems and data processing platforms. Subject Matter Expert in commissioning major NWS systems and managing a variety of NWS observing programs while working with the FAA, DoD and the World Meteorological Organization at both the national and international levels. Since retiring from Federal Service, Mr. Facundo is serving as an Environmental Consultants to both small and large companies providing insight into NOAA’s mission and supporting the company’s business development efforts. He is an active member of the NWS’ Weather Ready Nation initiative and the American Meteorological Society where he authored extended abstracts, joint journal articles and as a joint author of a chapter within the book, Mesoscale Meteorology. He has received numerous awards as a NOAA employee along with the AMS Certificate for Outstanding Support as a member of the Network of Networks AMS committee responsible for assessing and investigating ways to integrate new observing networks into a cohesive national network. Mr. Facundo has supported the Hispanic Marketing Center for the past several years and is a proponent of its mission and vision of expanding focus on the up and coming field of marketing to multi-cultural groups. He has participated in the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Legislative Session in Washington DC as well as the Maryland Hispanic Business Conference as a panelist. Additionally, He has supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities through direct involvement with the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences-Meteorology (NCAS-M)) advocating the development of students -- including at the Phd level -- for Federal service by creating internships and then recruiting them into NOAA along with assisting NCAS-M with their various academic centers of excellence. Mr. Facundo is a Vietnam-era veteran and graduated from Florida State University in 1978. He began his federal career as an FSU-intern during the mid-1970’s while studying meteorology. Throughout his career and as a consultant, he has supported the FSU Veterans program and worked with meteorological scientists at the university.
Rafael Jaramillo Headshot

Rafael Jaramillo

Commercial & Residential Solutions President for Latin America at Emerson Climate Technologies

Rafael is a leader who knows how to leverage his strategic agility, business acumen to achieve desired business results. He is experienced in leading initiatives in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. He is currently Commercial & Residential Solutions President for Latin America in Sunrise, FL. In this role, he provides overall strategic leadership for sales growth, operational excellence, and financial control. He is also responsible for the development of Emerson’s team in the region supported by the Emerson values. Prior to this, Rafael worked Office Automation equipment – 9 products in 5 in in 5 years. Process Automation – Rosemount / Emerson – 29 yrs Rosemount Minnesota 2088 (patents), 3051CA, Global Manufacturing System. Assignments in Minnesota – Singapore – Texas – Chihuahua – Mexico City – Switzerland – Brazil – Houston – Florida Rafael also contributes by dedicating time in Boards of Non for Profit organizations, such as Junior Achievement (Chihuahua and Houston), Mexican Medical Mission (Hospital in the state of Chihuahua Mexico), NPH USA, (Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos). Rafael earned his Masters in Electrical Engineering Oklahoma State University – BSEE, MSEE, MMIE Stanford University – Executive Development Cornel University – Next Generation Manufacturing Leading at Emerson Graduate
Dr. Felipe Korzenny Headshot

Dr. Felipe Korzenny

Founder and Emeritus Director at Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication

In the Fall of 2003, Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D., became Professor of Advertising and Integrated Marketing and Management Communication at Florida State University (FSU). He received a B.A. in Advertising from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Mexico; an M.A. in Communication Research from Michigan State University; and a Ph.D. in Communication Research from Michigan State University. Prior to joining Florida State University, Dr. Korzenny founded Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research (H&AMCR) to help Fortune 1000 companies open doors to culturally diverse markets. H&AMCR was one of the first companies in the United States to explore multicultural market research. In 1999 H&AMCR merged with Cheskin to serve clients with integrated research and consulting services. He is co-author of the book written with his wife, Betty Ann, Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective, published by Elsevier, 2005, and Hispanic Marketing, 2nd Edition: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer, published by Routledge, 2011.
Dr. Betty Ann Korzenny Headshot

Dr. Betty Ann Korzenny

Co-Founder and Senior Advisor at Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication

Betty Ann Korzenny, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. She is co-author with her husband, Dr. Felipe Korzenny, of the book, Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective, published by Elsevier, 2005, and Hispanic Marketing, 2nd Edition: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer, published by Routledge, 2011. Her professional responsibilities prior to FSU, were as COO of Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research and Cheskin. She also has held management positions in aerospace, technology and banking institutions with responsibilities for strategic planning and organizational development. Korzenny received a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Administration and Higher Education, an M.A. from Michigan State University's Program of Graduate Education Overseas in Education, and a B.A.from Vassar College in Child Study/Education. Her multicultural interests have predominated in both her academic and business experience.
Adrien Lanusse Headshot

Adrien Lanusse

VP of Consumer Insights; Marketing and Advertising at Netflix

Adrien Lanusse is an accomplished marketing executive with 20 years of multicultural and international marketing research and strategy experience. His passion lies in understanding the cultural nuances of diverse ethnic audiences based on extensive consumer qualitative and quantitative research, and translating those insights into solid brand strategy. Mr. Lanusse currently is Director of Consumer Insights at Netflix, where he works with marketing and product teams to understand global and domestic consumers. He previously was the head of Cheskin Added Value’s Intercultural Strategy & Design Studio where he worked across multiple industries with clients such as Time Warner, Wells Fargo, Wrigley, and BlueCross BlueShield to build solid brand strategies targeted to ethnic consumers. Mr. Lanusse is multilingual and multicultural of Mexican and French background, and has lived abroad. He attended the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University (Magna Cum Laude), with graduate studies at the École Supérieure de Commerce in Rouen, France. He also has an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Eduardo Perez Headshot

Eduardo Perez

Vice President of Hispanic Strategies at PM3

Marketer, entrepreneur and thought leader. Currently president of a full service advertising agency specialized in helping brands understand and market to U.S. Multicultural and Hispanic consumers. Frequent speaker sharing expertise in marketing and the U.S. Hispanic segment. Specialties: Full service advertising and marketing communications; specialized in helping companies market to HISPANIC and MULTICULTURAL consumers. Strategy, creative development, broadcast production , market research, experiential marketing. Our client experience includes NAPA AUTO PARTS, Cox Communications, Starz, Encore, Discovery Channel, ING, Beazer Homes USA, Georgia Lottery, American Cancer Society, AutoTrader.com, Pollo Tropical, and Wachovia.
Yesenia Reyes Headshot

Yesenia Reyes

Managing Director at Accenture

Yesenia Reyes is a Managing Director in Accenture’s Health & Public Service practice. As a project leader and change practitioner, she brings her public sector clients deep experience in the areas of project management, organizational change management on large financial transformations, design and customer-centered innovation initiatives, workforce and leadership learning and development, and strategic communications. Yesenia has worked with public sector clients in Texas, New York, California, and Florida. In addition to her client work, Yesenia has a passion for coaching and mentoring. She serves as the Executive Sponsor for Accenture’s North America Hispanic American Employee Resource Group (HAERG). Yesenia also works with individuals in career development and coaching, and in her community with local non-profit organizations. Yesenia came to Accenture from a career in non-profit organizational management and leadership. For 12 years, Yesenia led family assistance and education programs and organizations in Dallas, Texas. Her educational background is in Medical Anthropology and Community Health Programs, having attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and the University of Texas, School of Public Health, in Houston, Texas. Yesenia lives in Tallahassee, Florida. She enjoys travel, reading, cooking, and music.
Leif Roll Headshot

Leif Roll

Marketing Vice President at State Farm

Leif Roll is Vice President of Marketing at State Farm's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. He is passionate about product development and innovation and committed to my team and their development. As an executive, Leif is known for his creativity, technical knowledge, and getting things done through his highly engaged and competent team. Leif joined State Farm in 2000 as an Assistant Vice President of Marketing, where he helped launch State Farm’s foray into banking and mutual funds. In 2004, he was promoted to Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Marketing Communications. He assumed his current position as department head for Enterprise Marketing & Sales in 2013. Prior to coming to State Farm, Leif spent 18 years in the banking industry, working for Mellon Bank, First Union Bank, and KeyBank, where he focused on marketing and product development. In this capacity, he specialized in building credit, deposit, and investment products for the retail, small business, and private banking lines of business. Leif received his undergraduate degree from Denison University, in Granville, Ohio, and his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina. Leif lives with his beautiful wife, Ginia, in Bloomington. They have three wonderful children: Jensen, Giles, and Georgi, two dogs, one cat, and many fish.
Izmira Santiago Mikel Headshot

Izmira Santiago Mikel

Director, CSR & Foundation Relations at TelevisaUnivision, Inc.

With a true understanding of education's power to uplift, Izmira Santiago Mikel has dedicated her career to promoting causes that seek to open doors for all—including underrepresented populations throughout the United States. With over a decade of experience in philanthropy management across a variety of sectors, Izmira serves as the Director of CSR & Foundation Relations for TelevisaUnivision and well as the Executive Director for the Univision Foundation. Izmira previously served as an Associate Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she led projects that help push the organization's mission forward postsecondary success, strategy execution, and DE&I. But no matter what project she's working on, Izmira combines technical expertise with influential people skills to create efficiencies. Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Izmira was a Business Analyst for the Department of Homeland Security where she made important contributions to initiatives meant to better equip low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented populations with the skills needed to participate in the knowledge economy. Izmira was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Her parents placed a high value on education and participated in organizations championing human rights, education, and community programs. Izmira followed suit—hoping to help others from minoritized backgrounds. She studied music and sound engineering in college and went on to earn her MBA. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband Eli and young son Miles. Izmira serves on the Advisory Board of Directors for organizations such as A Picture's Worth, Friends of Puerto Rico, and the Black Economic Advancement Network. When she's not working or helping others, Izmira loves playing with her son, reading, traveling, digging for obscure vinyl records, and attending concerts and comedy shows with her husband.
Peter Villegas Headshot

Peter Villegas

Co-Chairman at Mercury

Peter R. Villegas is Co-Chairman of Mercury, an international public strategy firm focused on providing results for the world’s most successful companies, leading advocacy groups, governments, political parties, NGO’s, and prominent and political figures. Peter serves as a national leader, developing and managing the execution of local, regional and national strategies that position companies as a leading corporate citizen across the U.S. with a focus on the multi-cultural communities. Peter’s responsibilities include managing relationships with key local, state and national political, community, business and civic leaders. Recognized as a regional and national corporate leader, Peter has led various corporate, civic, political, and community issues and initiatives, totaling 30 years of experience in corporate America including subject matter expertise in the financial services and consumer goods industries. In 2019 & 2020, Peter was recognized by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the Most Influential Latinos in the country. Peter is also a Board member of the following organizations: • California State Athletic Commission, Vice Chair • Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Secretary • Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute • National Association of Latino Appointed & Elected Officials • U.S. Conference of Mayors Business Council • Delta Aeroméxico Corporate Leadership Advisory Council • Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Advisory Board • Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing • UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Senior Fellow • Inland Empire Economic Partnership, Chairman • Latino Leadership Institute • Georgia Association Latino Elected Officials • Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board • CHOC, Latino Advisory Board
Mayte Sera Weitzman Headshot

Mayte Sera Weitzman

Public Relations at Goya Foods of Texas

Mayte Sera Weitzman is an award-winning communications professional with more than 30 years of experience in strategic public relations, brand development and community relations. Today she runs the public relations efforts at Goya Foods of Texas managing the many media and community promotions throughout Texas and is responsible for both diversity initiatives and community outreach in the United States, Texas, and in Latin America. Prior to joining Goya her boutique Public Relations firm, the W Group, was Goya’s agency of record in Texas. She oversees the media and community public relations efforts like the Goya Gives Program and coordinates donations and aid in Texas, Mexico, Venezuela and Central America. She is also part of the team that handles internal communication While still in college, Mayte began her career in public relations and internal communications at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1989. When she graduated, she became a senior account executive at De La Garza Public Relations in Houston, where she successfully opened the firm’s offices in Mexico City. Given her success with De La Garza Public Relations, which created a higher profile for her, she then worked for Pierpont Communications. At Pierpont she began and grew the Hispanic division for the agency. As her professional reputation grew, so did her responsibilities. Mayte then became the U.S. Public Relations Manager for AeroMexico. She is proud that she was instrumental in implementing the airline’s first worldwide public relations policy and crisis plan. As the official media spokesperson for AeroMexico in the U.S., Mayte was also a key in implementing the public relations efforts for the Sky Team global airline alliance. In 2003 Mayte founded her own public relations firm, The W Group. During her 17 years as an entrepreneur, she was the liaison between corporate America and the Houston Hispanic community. Mayte is proud that she created opportunities for the Hispanic community while representing firms and non-profits. She oversaw a number of successful diversity initiatives, multicultural projects and media campaigns. Mayte served as a bridge between her clients and the community, helping her clients grow and enhancing their reputation. The W Group was the agency of record in Houston for numerous large multicultural groups. Her impact and service to the community was recognized which allowed her to assume projects and clients that she believed in. Mayte has been recognized with many awards for her work and civic contributions. She has spearheaded several educational initiatives including serving as the Chairman and founder of the Cy-Fair Independent School District Hispanic Parent Advisory Board; she served on the Houston Drop-Out Task Force and established for the Houston Super Bowl XXXVIII the Super Quiz Super Challenge program. Mayte is currently the President-Elect of the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston and looks forward to her presidency in 2021. Her longstanding service to the community is reflected by the many organizations she has served among some of the recognitions she has received, Senior Female Corporate Executive of the Year in 2002, by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Her efforts in behalf of the community were noticed and she was honored in the Tributo a la Mujer Hispana by Sucesos Newspaper in 2010. Other awards and recognition came from the American Heart Association, Empresaria del Año; by the Cámara de Empresarios de Houston in 2017 and recently the Latino Leaning Center honored her in 2019 with the Legacy Barbara Bush Humanitarian of the Year Award which received Congressional recognition. She has served the Houston Food Bank Hunger Relief Advisory Board, the Houston Texans Hispanic Advisory Board, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board, the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau Board; the U.S. Mexican Chamber of Commerce serving on the Executive Committee and as Transportation Chair, Latin Women’s Initiative, Collaborative for Children and La Rosa Family Services. She is a graduate of The Center for Houston’s Future and United Way’s Project Blueprint and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Public Relations from the University of Houston and an Executive Community MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. A Cuban but born in Mexico, she has lived in in Mexico, California and Texas while also studying in France. Because of her own multi-cultural background, Mayte is proficient in three languages and understands multi-cultural issues and diversity. Mayte lives in Houston with her husband Javier Weitzman and two children.