HispanicBusiness

Emilio Gonzalez
Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
An international affairs specialist, Dr. Gonzalez has spent much of his career involved in foreign affairs and international security policy issues. The Cuban immigrant leads an organization of more than 15,000 federal and contract employees responsible for the processing of immigration benefits. Before joining the Department of Homeland Security, Dr. Gonzalez completed a 26-year career in the U.S. Army where he was a military attaché to U.S. embassies in El Salvador and Mexico and headed the Office of Special Assistants for the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Southern Command.

Tino Hernandez
Chairman
New York City Housing Authority
As chairman of the NYCHA since 2001, Mr. Hernandez runs the largest public housing authority in North America, providing housing for more than 175,000 low- and moderate-income families. Mr. Hernandez, who grew up in public housing on the Lower East Side, worked as deputy commissioner for adult services at the New York City Department of Homeless Services where he led efforts to convert city shelters into places that address mental health, substance abuse, and unemployment.

Joseph V. Medina
Commanding General Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler and Deputy Commander, Marine Corps Bases, Japan
U.S. Marines
Brigadier Gen. Medina, a 30-year veteran of the Corps, currently commands one U.S. Marine base in Japan and is deputy commander for the entire Marine presence there. Educated at USC, his career has taken him from an initial posting leading a rifle platoon to head of the contingency plans branch overseeing NATO's Kosovo operation. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he headed a ship-borne task force – the first Marine general ever assigned to command Navy ships -- which interdicted the flow of supplies and foreign fighters opposing the coalition presence.

Robert Menendez
U.S. Senator
New Jersey
Mr. Menendez moved from being the third-ranking Democrat in the House to New Jersey's junior senator – and only the sixth Hispanic ever to serve in the Senate -- when he was appointed to fill out Jon Corzine's term earlier this year. Now running for re-election to a full six-year term, the 52-year-old stresses leadership in reforming the country's intelligence and public health systems. Mr. Menendez grew up the son of a Cuban immigrant, and after graduating from St. Peter's College and Rutgers School of Law, served as a school board member, a mayor and a state legislator before entering the House in 1992.

Hector E. Morales
Executive Director
Inter-American Development Bank
Mr. Morales, the United States executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank since 2004, is one of a group of directors representing 48-member countries. The board decides what Latin nations will receive IDB funding for projects such as oil and natural gas. Before working for the U.S. government, Mr. Morales was an advisor to companies involved in Latin America and U.S. Hispanic markets. He worked as senior vice-president of Viamericas Corporation, the company that offered the first prepaid money transfer card in the United States.

Daniel Ramos
Principal Deputy General Counsel
U.S. Air Force