HispanicBusiness

President & CEO Navidec Inc. Greenwood Village, CO Mr. Armijo has been recognized as a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in Colorado. He is also one of the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Colorado,” and one of the “Top 1000 E-businesses in the U.S.,” according to VarBusiness magazine. The company recorded revenue of $19 million in 1999, and analysts’ projections for 2000 are closer to $40 million. Since June 1999, Mr. Armijo has been the chairman of the company’s subsidiary, DriveOff.com. Navidec helps clients transform their traditional business into e-business.



Ed Avila Co-founder Endeavor Academy, Arroyo Grande High School Arroyo Grande, CA Mr. Avila, a lecturer in the engineering department at the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, developed a program that includes electronics, computers, sensors, robotics, spacecraft, rockets, aircraft, materials/structures and design of new products, which prepares students for college and the high-tech industry. Endeavor now is being copied at another high school through a federal grant. Mr. Avila will be in charge of recruiting students and engineering professionals to teach courses at the new academy. Last November, he was selected as a speaker at California Gov. Gray Davis’ first Aerospace Summit.



Orlando Ayala Senior VP, Worldwide Sales, Marketing, & Support Group Microsoft Redmond, WA “Hispanics in corporate America should do whatever they can to ensure the Latino community has access to the Internet, and should offer their services to support Internet startups,” says Mr. Ayala, the highest-ranking Latino executive at Microsoft. He oversees the sales, marketing and support of Microsoft products worldwide, and he reports directly to Microsoft’s chairman, Steve Baum. He joined Microsoft in 1991 as senior director of Microsoft’s Latin America Region.



Ronald Blackburn-Moreno President and CEO ASPIRA Association Inc. Washington, DC Under Mr. Blackburn-Moreno, ASPIRA has opened more than 20 Community Technology Centers across the country, providing Internet access to thousands of Latinos in low-income areas. The organization is plans to eventually have 40 centers, with more than 1,000 Internet-connected computers. ASPIRA, a national youth organization, provides information on educational opportunities, policies and model programs. He has helped shape federal education legislation, most recently the Higher Education Act, which will increase access to college, make higher education more affordable, and improve teacher quality.



Joaquin Blaya Founder, CEO, and Board Chairman Radio Unica Network Miami, FL Mr. Blaya, who founded the first Spanish-language radio network in the U.S., completed Radio Unica’s initial public offering of 6,840,000 shares of common stock at $16 per share, with the total gross proceeds of about $109 million. The network reaches more than 80 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. through company stations and affiliates nationwide. Mr. Blaya also is chairman of the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.



Lydia Camarillo CEO Democratic National Convention Los Angeles, CA Ms. Camarillo coordinated the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, which attracted international attention with the presidential nomination of Vice President Al Gore. She was the first Hispanic to ever hold that top post in either the Democratic or Republican parties. She is the former executive director of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, and she also was the chairwoman and founding member of the National Community Latino Leadership.