The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) voted last week to elect Stephen Chavez, principal of Chavez Marketing & Communications and publisher of the LatinoFoodie blog, president of the 2014 national Board of Directors.
Quickly expanding across the country with local chapters in Los Angeles and New York and affiliates in Washington, D.C., Miami and Chicago, HPRA also selected the HPRA Officers and Board of Directors for two-year and one-year terms beginning January, 2014. Chavez said, “Our goals for HPRA in 2014 are to offer a full, well-rounded year of programming and professional development; to improve our communication and engagement with the industry, and to grow our national membership.
“Besides being the only national professional association solely dedicated to Latino PR practitioners, the true value of HPRA member comes from the culturally relevant thought leadership and quality of content being shared and generated by top leaders in their respective fields of entertainment, consumer, sports, fashion, food, and non-profit,” said Chavez. “I am pleased to be at the helm of a national board that has the dedication and caliber as this one.”
The HPRA 2014 National officers serving a one-year term in this position include:
- President, Stephen Chavez of CMC PR in Los Angeles
- Vice President/President-Elect, Andy Checo of MundoFox in New York
- Treasurer, Lourdes Rodriguez of VPE PR in South Pasadena
- Vice President of Programs, Antonio Hernandez of Globovoz in Chicago
- Vice President of Membership, Melissa Smith, PR consultant in New York
The 2014 Board of Directors include:
- Mario Flores of SportivoPR in Los Angeles
- Marco Antonio Gonzalez of Herbalife in Los Angeles
- Daisy Cabrera, Communications Consultant and Media Trainer in Miami
- Victoria Wales of GSA in Washington, D.C.
- Lucia Matthews of Diálogo Public Relations in San Diego
- Delia Lopez, Communications Consultant in Los Angeles
- Veronica Potes of Univision Communications in New York
- Claudia Mejia-Heffner of the JeffreyGroup in New York
- Natalie Boden of Boden PR in Miami
David Henry of NextWorks in New York will serve as immediate past President.
HPRA continues to be the leading resource for communication professionals and those seeking expertise in the Hispanic market. Members have access to first-rate programming, such as:
- Professional development webinars covering key industry topics
- Discounted membership rates for national industry conferences
- Exclusive networking opportunities with top journalists and industry thought leaders
The organization also raises scholarships for full-time college students pursuing a career in communications. Over a quarter million dollars in scholarships has been awarded to college and university students of Latino descent pursuing careers in communications.