Latino Power Players

Alicia Guevara is the first Black and Latina CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, with over 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Soon to become CEO of America Needs You, Alicia is committed to social justice, access, & inclusion for young people. A Columbia University graduate and a native New Yorker, Alicia supports and guides NYC youth and enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and 2 children.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self, “Alicita, sit confidently at the table that has been set for you. Remember that you have the attributes, passion, and tenacity to make the difference you want to see in the world.” I would also thank her for always carrying La Raza and La Comunidad on her strong shoulders with such grace and compassion.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My Latinidad is rooted in the experience of being Arawak, Yoruba, Cantonese, and Isleña. My heritage is a reminder of the ancient wisdom my ancestors held and the many sacrifices they made – ancestors whose names I may never know and others who raised me as an act of love to carry forth and become their wildest dreams realized. I am a manifestation of the heritage that lives within me. “Soy Latina a mucha honra” 

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
From scaling operations to expanding career access for Opportunity Youth to leading with empathy through a global pandemic, my career highlights reflect a commitment to workforce preservation and quality outcomes. I am most proud of centering young people’s voices, promoting staff development, galvanizing support from donors to activate the mission, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion by fostering a strong sense of belonging for all.

Jennifer Gutiérrez is a community organizer and council member for New York City’s 34th District, covering parts of Bushwick, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Ridgewood. Born in Queens to Colombian immigrants, she is the first Colombian-American on the City Council. Gutiérrez has quickly become a leader on key issues like tech equity, universal child care, and pioneering protections for manufacturing businesses. 

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Ask more questions and don’t apologize or be shy about it. If you’re the kind of person that your friends go to for advice, you need to be open to taking that advice too. Lastly, utilize public libraries more.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
I think my Colombian heritage, the customs my parents and family exposed me to and my family’s immigrant story have had a tremendous impact on me. It has shaped my work ethic, and my commitment to serving my community, it has taught me to build and work with others – and to take pride in my work.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Aside from being elected to this seat, my proudest accomplishment has been passing legislation that prioritizes working families and providing the childcare support they need. Additionally, I am proud of the legislation I’ve championed to support new parents, ensuring both their health and the health of their babies, so they can contribute to building strong, healthy communities.

Mrs. Sally Hernandez-Piñero was appointed to the NYC H+H Board of Directors on January 1, 2019, and subsequently appointed chair of the MetroPlusHealth Board of Directors. She began her career at Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services as a staff attorney and went on to become general counsel of the State of New York Mortgage Agency; deputy borough president of Manhattan; and deputy mayor for finance and economic development during Mayor Dinkins’ administration. In the corporate sector, she worked at Fannie Mae as a managing director; as counsel for Kalkines, Arkey, Zall & Bernstein; and as senior vice president for corporate affairs for the Related Companies. She was a member of ConEdison’s Board of Trustees for 23 years.

In the early 1990s, Cristina Herrera was on the front lines of the movement to protect and support sex workers, immigrants, trans people, those at risk for, or who had acquired HIV. By 2007, Cristina used the struggles she faced as an immigrant trans woman, her vast knowledge of peer service provision, and her reputation as a community leader to found Translatinx Network (TN.)

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Never give up – when you get tired you can rest, but you cannot stop. We are immigrants, trans, non-binary, intersex, and queer people. We are strong, talented, and hard-working. However, many of us live in poverty and work in underground economies. We have been separated from our countries, our families, and our cultures. We face hate and discrimination. But we are resilient, we have made so much progress, and we will continue if we don’t give up.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
I arrived from El Salvador in 1980. It was a place of immense beauty – mountains, beaches, forests, and extraordinary people. But the country of my ancestors, the country we loved, was experiencing a devastating civil war. That dichotomy of radiance and uncertainty taught me that no matter the adversity, we must continue to do what is right, to make our environment safer and better for others.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Opening our new office at 127 West 26th Street was a proud moment – not just for me but for everyone in our communities. We occupy almost 10,000 square feet of welcoming, safe, accessible space that declares, “our communities deserve opportunities for progress in a beautiful and respectful environment where we can be our truest selves.” We offer more programs, services, and events to more clients and have hired more highly qualified staff from within our communities. Pride is more than a flag.

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez is president and CEO of Urban Health Plan (UHP), a network of community health centers located in the Bronx, Harlem, and Queens. Through her leadership and vision, she built Urban Health Plan into a first-class health care organization. It is one of the largest community health centers in the state. She devoted her career to increasing access to quality, affordable health care and reducing health disparities in underserved communities.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to not be so hard on myself and others. Everyone, for the most part, tries to do their best. I would also say you should be patient and understand the value of time. Everything truly does work out. And lastly, learn to pick your battles. They are not all that important. 

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My heritage has given me a true sense of who I am, where I came from and the struggles that were endured by those who came before me to allow me to be where I am today.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
One of my proudest moments was having Urban Health Plan, my professional home for the past 40 years, be recognized at its most recent street naming. This recognition served as a true validation of our organization as an established recognized institution that has consistently provided quality health care to hundreds of thousands of individuals over its past 50-year history.

Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis is serving her second term representing New York’s 11th Congressional District which encompasses Staten Island and parts of Southern Brooklyn. Malliotakis was named to the House Committee on Ways and Means for the 118th Congress. She is the proud daughter of immigrants, her father from Greece, and her mother a Cuban exile of the Castro dictatorship. Malliotakis has been focused on making America’s cities safe again, securing the southern border, tackling inflation to strengthen our economy and unleashing America’s energy potential. She is also a passionate advocate for animal rights.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be? 
Everything happens for a reason. Like many people, when I was young, I would sometimes get upset over things not working out the way I planned, but in hindsight, I learned that it is all for a reason. For example, when I ran for mayor of New York City, the election outcome wasn’t what I wanted, but the Campaign prepared me to serve in a different capacity by elevating my name recognition and informing the public about my political platform that is an alternative to what the majority of New York City elected officials (mostly Democrats) offer. Now I’m happy and proud to fight for my community and city as the only Republican member of Congress.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today? 
My mother fled the communist country of Cuba, and she has always been very passionate about preserving our freedoms and having the choice to elect the leaders we want. That same passion was instilled in me at a very early age and is the foundation for the policies I support and the anti-socialist agenda I fight for each and every day.  

What is the proudest moment of your career so far? 
I am proud every time when I’m able to get a win for the community, deliver resources for our police and hospitals, help our developmentally disabled, or help a constituent with a problem. Perhaps my proudest moment is working to get 9/11 widows and children the funds they deserved from the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. For two decades, they were denied equal payments as other victims and when I got to Cong

Christopher Marte was born and raised on the Lower East Side, where his father owned a bodega and his mother worked in a garment factory before becoming a home attendant. When he wasn’t stacking cans, he attended local public schools and after-school programs. Eventually, his father’s store had to close down because of rent hikes, and Christopher started to see the community he loved get torn apart by luxury development and corrupt politicians.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Being from an immigrant family on the Lower East Side has really shaped the policy fights we have taken on, namely against big real estate and displacement,  as well as the effort to end the 24-hour workday. These are some of the issues that hit the immigrant community the hardest and issues that we will continue to fight.

State Senator Monica R. Martinez immigrated to the U.S. at age three, driven by her parents’ sacrifices to pursue public service. Starting as a high school teacher and middle school administrator, she became a Suffolk County Legislator in 2014, where she championed anti-gang initiatives, environmental justice, and animal rights. In the State Senate, Martinez sponsored crucial legislation on women’s health, public safety, and environmental protection, solidifying her commitment to her community’s well-being.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Never forget who you are and where you came from. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and have your best interests at heart. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something or that you’re not good enough. Turn negativity into positive action. Remember, success comes with setbacks, but how you handle those setbacks is what will set you apart from others. Keep pushing forward, and never lose sight of your goals.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Heritage encompasses many things – food, dance, cultural teachings, religion, and personal experiences. Arriving in the U.S. at a young age wasn’t just about assimilation; it was about embracing cultural acceptance while honoring my roots. My parents taught me to never forget our humble beginnings and the sacrifices made to build a life of opportunity. My Salvadoran heritage instilled deep pride in me as an immigrant living the American dream, shaping who I am today.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
One of my proudest moments, aside from being the first Salvadoran woman elected to the NYS Senate from Suffolk County, was sponsoring groundbreaking legislation in my first term. As a former educator, I witnessed the devastating impact of non-consensual intimate image dissemination, inspiring me to outlaw it both as a county legislator and state senator. My passion for protecting women and the most vulnerable drives the work I do every day.

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez is the eighth chancellor of The City University of New York, serving 233,000 students across 25 New York City colleges. He has focused his tenure on championing student equity, building career opportunities for graduates and creating innovative academic offerings. The first educator of color and the first Latino to lead CUNY, he is one of a select few U.S. education leaders who has led both a baccalaureate and a community college.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
I would tell myself to go for every opportunity that comes my way. The more opportunities that I have said “yes” to, the more I have been able to learn. My career has taken a number of different paths, but the common thread that unites everything I have done is the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than myself.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Growing up in Puerto Rico, I saw what public higher education did for my father and grandmother, as it afforded me many opportunities. I have been privileged to experience even more, studying Latin American studies in college, leading the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and serving my home as part of the Governor’s cabinet. Through this, I have learned a tremendous amount about the stories of those who have come before me.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
One proud moment that sticks out is the success that we have had at CUNY in providing career opportunities for our students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. I take pride in helping serve as the bridge between our talented students and New York’s employers, calling myself the “patron saint of paid internships” in jest because I know how transformative it is to earn money while gaining skills.

Zenaida Mendez is the founder and president of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus. Ms. Mendez currently holds the esteemed position of director of Manhattan Neighborhood Network El Barrio Community Media. Mendez founded the NDWC to ensure the equitable participation of Dominican women and Latinas in general in the United States Civil Society. She currently sits on the board of the New York Women in Film & Television and Harlem SGL – LGBTQ Center.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Make education your first priority, read educational books, travel the world, and embrace who you are.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My parents instilled in me pride and confidence. They also taught me not to be swayed by people’s titles and positions. 

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
My community involvement led me to hold a leadership position under David Dinkins’ administration, a historical event as he was the first African American Mayor of the City of New York. Founding the National Dominican Women Caucus, I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa with a delegation of women of color that included feminist political activist, Angela Davis. I have been blessed to continue to raise my voice to affect change in society.