HispanicBusiness

Linda Chavez-Thompson Executive Vice-President AFL-CIO, Washington, DC

The highest-ranking Hispanic in organized labor, Ms. Chavez-Thompson was appointed to the President's Initiative on Race and serves as vice-chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank for research about the African American community, has appointed her to its board of governors for a three-year term.



Desmond Child Songwriter/Producer Deston Entertainment, Miami Beach, FL

For more than two decades, Desmond Child has exerted strong influence in the music industry. He has collaborated on more than 40 hit records and Grammy-winning songs, writing and producing for such artists as Bon Jovi, Michael Bolton, Cher, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Kiss, and Garth Brooks. This year he wrote and produced half of the tracks for the album Ricky Martin, including the hit single "Livin' La Vida Loca." Mr. Child also won this year's Premio Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina's "Pop Song of the Year" award for another Ricky Martin song, "La Copa de la Vida."

Henry G. Cisneros President and COO Univision Communications Inc., Los Angeles, CA

The Univision network continues its domination of U.S. Spanish-language media through its 21 owned-and-operated stations, 28 affiliates, and 939 cable deals nationwide. Mr. Cisneros, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development and mayor of San Antonio, acts as company ambassador to the Hispanic and advertising communities.



Maria Contreras-Sweet Secretary California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, Sacramento, CA

The first Latina appointed as California's secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing, Maria Contreras-Sweet oversees 13 departments that maintain the state's industrial and financial infrastructure. The collective budget for this government conglomerate is $9 billion. Ms. Contreras-Sweet, a former member of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, has served as founding president of HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) and of her marketing firm, Contreras-Sweet Co.



Luigi Crespo Executive Director Republican National Hispanic Assembly, Washington, DC

Campaigns & Elections magazine calls Mr. Crespo a "rising star of politics." As head of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, he directs and coordinates outreach operations for the party. He is also the publishing director of American Hispanic and RNHA Weekly. He serves on the advisory board of the Republican National Committee, the Hispanic Youth Foundation, the National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, the Public Relations Society of America, and the American Association of Political Consultants.



Ted Cruz Policy Advisor George W. Bush for President Campaign

This young Harvard law school graduate currently serves as a full-time policy advisor to the Bush campaign. He was formerly a law clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court. His publishing credits include articles on law and economics for the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, the University of California Hastings Law Journal, and the New York Law Journal. He has appeared on more than 20 television and radio programs, including "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," NBC News, and "Good Morning America."