Franciso Javier (Frank) Figueroa
Francisco Javier (Frank) Figueroa, Latin America sales manager for Continental Airlines in Los Angeles, was elected to the chairmanship of the Chamber of the Americas (COA), an international not-for-profit trade organization with headquarters in Denver. A member of the COA since it was founded in 2001, Figueroa will lead the organization as it fosters trade in the Western Hemisphere. At Continental, Figueroa oversaw travel agency sales to Latin America for western states. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, Figueroa moved to Duarte, Calif., in 1972 and served as president of the Duarte school board in 1999 and 2004, and was its vice president in 1998 and 2003.
Aida M. Alvarez
Aida M. Alvarez, director of PacifiCare Health Systems UnionBanCal was nominated for election to the Wal-Mart board. Alvarez was administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet from 1997 to 2001. She was also founding director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, served as financial regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from 1993 through 1997 and was vice president in public finance at First Boston and Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. The Wal-Mart board of directors will vote this month on Alvarez’s nomination.
Carlos Slim Helú
The family of Latin America’s richest man, Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú bought $288 million in Univision stock, amounting to a 2.8 percent stake in the company. Slim Helú scion 39-year-old Carlos Slim Domit made the buy through Slim family real-estate company Inmobiliaria Carso. Slim Domit sits on the Mexican Grupo Televisa board which owns about 11 percent of Univision and provides much of the Los Angeles-based Spanish-language broadcaster’s content. But Slim Domit, subsequently withdrew from a Grupo Televisa plan to bid on Univision, which is exploring various options including the company’s sale. Univision is reportedly valued at between $12 and $13 billion.
Mary Zerafa
Mary Zerafa was appointed to the post of General Manager of ImpreMedia Digital, putting her at the helm of online media activities at the nation’s largest Spanish-language newspaper publisher. ImpreMedia publishes La Opinión and La Opinión Contigo in Los Angeles, El Diario/La Prensa and El Diario Contigo in New York City, La Raza in Chicago, El Mensajero in the San Francisco Bay area, and La Prensa in Central Florida. Zerafa, who launched laopinion.com, previously served as corporate director of marketing for ImpreMedia and vice president of market development and new media for La Opinion, Impremedia’s largest newspaper.
Regina Montoya
New America Alliance (NAA) CEO Regina Montoya was elected to the Washington Mutual board of directors. Montoya has been the NAA’s CEO since September 2005 where she has developed strategic plans to fulfill the organization’s mission to promote the economic and civic advancement of Latinos. Prior to leading the NAA, Montoya was founding president of WORKRules, a Texas workforce training, media and community relations company. Montoya, a Harvard Law School graduate also served in the White House as an assistant to the President and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Steven Preston
Following the resignation of Hector Barreto, Steven Preston, executive vice president of the The Service Master Company, was nominated by the president to take the post of Administrator of the United States government’s Small Business Administration. Preston’s nomination awaits approval by the Senate. At Service Master, a leading provider of home services, ranging from lawn care to home warranties, Preston led the Strategic Services team. He also previously served as Service Master’s CFO, as senior vice president and treasurer of First Data Corporation and as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers.
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) appointed nine new directors to its national board and added one to its advisory board. A combination of corporate executives, market experts and real estate practitioners moved into leadership roles at the organization. The additions include ADT’s Rueben M. Stokes, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s Jackson Cosey, New Century Financial Corporation’s Marc Loewenthal, Star Funding’s Jason Madiedo, Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s Carmen Mercado, Freddie Mac’s Craig Nickerson, UNIcasa Franchising’s Migdalia Norat, Realty World/Solano Realty’s Hector Ontiveros, GMAC Real Estate’s Victor J. Raymos, and Ebby Halliday Realtors’ Maria Samano.
Hector Barreto
Hector Barreto, who resigned his post as Administrator of the Small Business Administration, has accepted the role of chairman of the Latino Coalition, a Washington, D.C. lobby group. The Latino Coalition monitors public policy’s affects on the Latino community. Baretto will remain at the SBA until a new administrator is confirmed. Barreto was SBA administrator since 2001, the second-longest tenure of any administrator at the organization. Barreto served as chairman of the board at the Latin Business Association in Los Angeles and was vice chairman of the board for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
