The Hispanic National Bar Association Proudly Welcomes 2011-2012 Leadership
CONTACT:
Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, ztapia@hnba.com, (202) 223-4777
Emily Bengtson, ebengtson@hnba.com, (202) 223-4777
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2011
The Hispanic National Bar Association Proudly Welcomes 2011-2012 Leadership
Benny Agosto, Jr. takes the helm as the first Texas attorney to be HNBA President
Washington, DC – The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is pleased to announce its newly installed Board of Governors for 2011-2012. Benny Agosto, Jr. takes the helm of the national association as its 38th president to serve in the post since the founding of the HNBA in 1972. Deeply committed to community, scholarship, and making a difference, Agosto is a member of many bar associations throughout Texas, such as the Houston Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and sits on the board of directors for several of them well. Mr. Agosto is a founder of the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas (MABATx) Foundation. To date, the MABATx Foundation has raised over $100,000 in scholarships. Agosto is also a co-founder of the HNBA’s Legal Education Fund along with his colleagues Román D. Hernández and Omar Vargas. The Legal Education Fund is the HNBA’s only 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Mr. Agosto is currently a partner with Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend. He is also a regular commentator on legal issues in print and television media and has been highlighted as a Latino Leader by Latino Leaders Magazine, Hispanic Business Magazine, and other national publications and organizations.
“I am honored to carry on the legacy of service and excellence in the HNBA. I look forward to all that we will achieve this year, ‘The Year of the Advocate’,” stated Mr. Agosto. “The incoming board brings together individuals who have a history of service to the community. Together with my distinguished colleagues on the Board, I will advocate for Hispanics in regards to the fair and equitable administration of justice, promote diversity and equitable hiring practices, and continue the advancement of all Hispanics in the national legal community through professional development, advocating for the appointment of qualified Latinos to the federal bench and Executive branch, and through charitable work for Latino students and children,” concluded Mr. Agosto.
“I look forward to working with the Board of Governors under the leadership of Benny Agosto for a successful year advocating for diversity and providing the necessary support and resources to the HNBA’s growing membership,” said Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, HNBA Executive Director.
The following individuals were sworn in on Saturday, September 3, 2011 as the HNBA’s newly elected Board of Governors:
President: Benny Agosto, Jr., Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend (Houston, TX)
President-Elect: Peter M. Reyes, Jr., Cargill, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)
Treasurer: Jorge Barcelo, CCI Control Components, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)
Secretary: Christina Vigil, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Albuquerque, NM)
VP of External Affairs: The Honorable Celeste Villarreal, Austin Municipal Court (Austin, TX)
VP of Membership: Liz Lopez, Barnes & Thornburg LLP (Washington, DC)
VP of Programs: Lawrence Valdivieso, Verizon (Los Angeles, CA)
VP of Regions: Karina Ayala-Bermejo (Chicago, IL)
VP of Sections and Committees: Cynthia Mares, Regulatory Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court (Denver, CO)
National Policy Director and White House Liaison: Claudine Martinez, Vice President and General Counsel, MCT Industries, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM)
National Finance Chair: Miguel A. Pozo, Lowenstein Sandler PC (Roseland, NJ)
General Counsel: Pedro Torres-Diaz, Jackson Lewis (Miami, FL)
Immediate Past President: Diana Sen, LatinoJustice PRLDEF (New York, NY)
Regional Presidents:
Region I (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT): Rene Ortega (Hartford, CT)
Region II (NY): Gelvina Stevenson (New York, NY)
Region III (NJ): Anna Maria Tejada (Jersey City, NJ)
Region IV (DE, PA): Ed Lanza (Wilmington, DE)
Region V (DC, MD, VA, WV): Juan Sempertegui (Washington, DC)
Region VI (NC, SC): Leticia Padilla-Morales (Raleigh, NC)
Region VII (AL, GA, MS): Dara Fernandez (Birmingham, AL)
Region VIII (FL): Teresita Chavez-Pedrosa (Miami, FL)
Region IX (IL, IN, MI, WI): Leopoldo Lastre (Chicago, IL)
Region X (KY, OH, TN): Melinda Molina (Columbus, OH)
Region XI (IA, MN, MO, ND, SD): Melisa Lopez Franzen (Minneapolis, MN)
Region XII (AR, LA, OK, TX): David Maldonado (Dallas, TX)
Region XIII (CO, KS, NE, WY): Meshach Rhoades (Denver, CO)
Region XIV (AZ, NV): Tom Tollison (Phoenix, AZ)
Region XV (NM, UT): Roxie Rawls DeSantiago (Albuquerque, NM)
Region XVI (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA): Jesse Valdez (Bellevue, WA)
Region XVII (Northern CA, HI): Helen Santana (San Francisco, CA)
Region XVIII (Southern CA): Donald Urrabazo (Los Angeles, CA)
Region XIX (Puerto Rico): Ricardo Aponte Parsi (San Juan, PR)
HNBA Affiliate Organizations:
- Broward County Hispanic Bar Association
- Colorado Hispanic Bar Association
- Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association
- Dallas Hispanic Bar Association
- Delaware Hispanic Bar Association
- Dominican Bar Association
- Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
- Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
- Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida
- Hispanic Bar Association of DC
- Hispanic Bar Association of Houston
- Hispanic Bar Association of Michigan
- Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey
- Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County
- Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania
- Hispanic Bar Association of Virginia
- Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
- Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana, Inc.
- Hispanic Ontario Lawyers Association
- Latina Lawyers Bar Association
- Latina/o Bar of Washington
- Latino Bar Association of Las Vegas
- Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County
- Long Island Hispanic Bar Association
- Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association
- Maryland Hispanic Bar Association
- Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys
- Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
- Mexican American Bar Association of L.A. County
- Mexican American Bar Association of Texas
- Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association
- National Prosecutors Association
- New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association
- Oregon Hispanic Bar Association
- Puerto Rican Bar Association (NY)
- Puerto Rican Bar of Florida
- Puerto Rican Bar of Illinois
- San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association
- San Francisco La Raza Lawyers
- Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Association
- Tampa Bay Hispanic Bar Association