GOVERNOR PAWLENTY NOMINATES TWENTY TO ATTEND HISPANIC LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the nomination of twenty prominent Hispanic Minnesotans to attend the Hispanic Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. on July 12 and 13, 2004. 

The twenty nominees are:  Richard Aguilar, Gabriel Castaneda, Issac Contreras, Theresa Dawson, Rick Fuentes, Victor Gomez, Gabriela Harper, Juan Lazo, Ruby Lee, George Perez, Alberto Quintela, Jr., Edgardo Rodriguez, Omar Salas, Juliana Salcedo, Ytmar Santiago, Rick Sosa, Richardo Vallejos, Val Vargas, Maria Vega, and Elsa Vega-Perez. 

Richard Aguilar, of St. Paul, is the President and CEO of Aguilar Productions.  He previously served as a member of the board of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was the founder and past chair of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  Aguilar was appointed to the Metropolitan Council by Governor Pawlenty in March 2003.  He was selected as one of the “Hundred Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S. ” by Hispanic Business Magazine. 

Gabriel Castaneda, of Edina, is the owner of Castaneda Companies, Ltd.  He has served as a Board Member of the Advertising Federation of Minnesota, and as President and Board Member of the Tour Minnesota Association.  An attorney, Castaneda received a J.D. degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Pauland a M.B.A. from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Glendale, Arizona. 

Issac Contreras, of St. Paul, is Sales Manager at the Hitching Post Motorsports.  He previously served as Sales Manager at Fury Motors.  Contreras is a founding member of the Humboldt Junior High Site Council and was appointed by then Mayor Norm Coleman to represent St. Paul District Three on the Capital Improvement Board.  Contreras is a veteran of the United States Navy. 

Theresa Dawson, of Duluth, is the librarian/media specialist at the Marshall School in Duluth.  She also serves as a member of the Adelante Cultural Center, which brings Hispanic culture to Duluth students.  In 2003, Governor Pawlenty appointed Dawson to the Minnesota Council on the Affairs of Chicano-Latino People.  Dawson received a M.A. in Information Media from St. Cloud State University.  She was born in Trujillo, Peru. 

Rick Fuentes, of Minneapolis, is a Reporter for WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities.  A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, he has also worked as a reporter in Columbia, Missouri; Santa Barbara, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada.  Fuentes has taught English Literacy for English as a Second Language classes and volunteers for numerous Latino groups in the Twin Cities.  He was born in Pachuca, Mexico. 

Victor Gomez, of Apple Valley, is President and CEO of Victory Consulting, a human resources, political and public relations consulting firm.  He is a recipient of the Bravo Award for furthering the Community Affairs & Diversity Initiative of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.  Gomez also received the Minnesota Leadership Award for contributions to and excellence in workforce development and diversity recruiting. 

Gabriela Harper is Owner and Principal at the Nu Group, a marketing communications consulting firm in St. Paul.  She previously worked as an Account Supervisor for CREO International, a division of Martin Williams Inc.  In 2003, Harper received the ARC Bronze Award of the Midwest Direct Marketing Association.  She received a master’s degree in modern languages from the National University of La Plata.  Harper was born in Argentina. 

Juan Lazo, of Grand Rapids, is the CEO and Owner of Treasure Bay Companies Inc., which includes Treasure Bay Printing, Arrow Sports Embroidery and Screen Printing, and Photo Express One Hour Photo and Portrait Studio.  From 1996-2001, Lazo served as the Mayor of Grand Rapids.  In 2003, Governor Pawlenty appointed Lazo to the Minnesota Council on the Affairs of Chicano-Latino People.  He was born in Chiclayo, Peru. 

Ruby Lee, of Oakdale, is Program Officer at the Saint Paul Foundation.  She previously served as Marketing/Community Strategist for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.  Lee also worked for what is now the Minnesota Council on the Affairs of Chicano-Latino People.  She currently serves on the Casa de Esperanza Community Advisory Committee.  In 1991, Lee received the Cinco de Mayo Volunteer of the Decade Award from the Concord Street Business Association. 

George Perez, of Mendota Heights, is Chief Judge of the Minnesota Tax Court.   He has served on the Board of Governors of the Minnesota State Bar Association and as a Member of the Judicial Selection Committee of the National Hispanic Bar Association.  Judge Perez was named Tax Judge of the Year for 2002-03 and is a Past President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.  He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. 

Alberto Quintela, Jr. is the Chief Deputy Secretary of State of Minnesota.  His public service in Minnesota also includes work as Assistant to St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, Special Assistant Attorney General, Assistant State Insurance Commissioner, and Assistant to the State Human Rights Commissioner.   He is a graduate of University of Minnesota Law School and received a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Edgardo Rodriguez is a Business Consultant for the Metropolitan Economic Development Association.  A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he has worked for a “big six” accounting firm and as a senior level executive in a Fortune 500 firm.  He serves as Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  Rodriguez also serves as a Member and Contributor to the Latino Economic Development Center.  

Omar Salas, of Cottage Grove, is a human resources/marketing consultant.  He previously served as Talent Resource Manager at Cargill in Minneapolis, and as Co-Founder/Director of Business Development at Diversity Village in St. Paul.  Salas is a member of Rivercentre Diversity Marketing Committee.  In 2003, Governor Pawlenty appointed Salas to the Minnesota Council on the Affairs of Chicano-Latino People. 

Juliana Salcedo, of Minneapolis, is a second-year student at the University of Minnesota Law School.  She has worked as a volunteer for Centro Legal, Inc. and is a member of the Latin Law Student Association.  Prior to law school, Salcedo worked as an Intern and Secretary in the Office of Florida Governor Jeb Bush.  She received a B.S. in International Affairs from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. 

Ytmar Santiago is Executive Director of the Minnesota Council on the Affairs of Chicano-Latino People.  Her previous public service includes working for the Puerto Rico Attorney General’s Office, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and the City of St. Paul.  Santiago is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico Law School.  She was born in Puerto Rico. 

Rick Sosa, of Woodbury, is Vice President and Branch Manager of US Bank.  He served as Hispanic Initiative Chair for US Bank in Minnesota.  Sosa’s banking career includes positions at Cherokee State Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.  Sosa is a Board Member of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is a Coach for the Woodbury Athletic Association.  He is a graduate of Univa Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Val Vargas, of Andover, is a founder and current CEO of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  She also serves as President of Vargas Company, a tax/accounting and consulting firm.  Vargas serves on the Minnesota Small Business Procurement Advisory Council and the State Urban Initiatives Board.  She was awarded the 2003 Latina Leadership Award by the National Association of Women Legislators and Lawmakers. 

Maria Vega, of St. Paul, is a Field Interviewer for Westa Corporation.  An active volunteer, she is a tutor for young adults with reading disabilities.  Vega also helps develop cultural music skills in children at the nonprofit organization, El Arco Iris.  Vega is a former member of the Twin Cities Community Improvement Budget Committee.  She is President of El Miracle Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. 

Elsa Vega-Perez is a Senior Program Officer for the Otto Bremer Foundation in St. Paul.  She is Chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy and a former Board Member of El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad, a Latino fund under the Saint Paul Foundation.  She currently serves as a trustee to Twin Cities Public Television, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and the Metropolitan State University Foundation Board. 

Governor Pawlenty was asked by U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas to nominate twenty leading Hispanic Minnesotans to attend the summit, which was organized as a national effort to create a policy-based dialogue between government leaders and Hispanic leaders from communities across America. 

Summit speakers will include members of Congress and representatives of the Bush administration.  The summit will focus on proposals to create jobs, ensure economic growth, educate our children, provide affordable health care, and strengthen our families.