Houston Latinos you should know, from La Voz

La Voz de Houston has pulled together a really good list of Latinos in Houston: “35 Houston Latinos you should know.” (And, by the way, when did La Voz start providing content in English? That’s a topic for another day.)

It’s a really good list and you need to and click your way through, if nothing else to see who you did and didn’t already know. On the list:

• Claudia Ortega-Hogue — the director of Civic Engagement of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). (I participated in a Twitter party with her when I was Co-Director of the Houston Chapter of LATISM.)
• Arian Foster — Houston Texans player and who I didn’t even know was a Latino. His mother is Mexican American (according to Wikipedia.)
• Adrian Garcia — Harris County Sheriff and possible mayoral candidate (has he announced yet?). We worked together in the City of Houston Mayor’s Office under Mayor Lee Brown.
• Gonzo247 — one of the best urban artists you’ll ever meet, and one of the nicest guys. He did an art project for the Houston Public Library while I was manager of Public Relations, and I set up several interviews for him to promote the project.
• Andrés Orozco-Estrada — who is the first Hispanic music director for the Houston Symphony. I had the opportunity to meet him during a reception and live show Houston Public Media held to introduce him to Houston.
• Grace Olivares — the Community Affairs Director at Univision 45. I’ve been interviewed by Grace, worked with her on projects that Univision has sponsored, and collaborated on community service social media projects.
• Hugo Ortega — the talented chef and driving force at Hugo’s, Caracol and Backstreet Cafe. I’ve never met him, but I’m a big fan of his work.
• Tony Diaz — founder of Nuestra Palabra. His organization collaborated with mine (Library) on several projects.
• Sylvia Garcia — who was City Controller of the City of Houston during my employment there. She was also at some point a State Senator, a county commissioner, a just and presiding judge, and the national president of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO).
• Chingo Bling — who is a singer and entertainer. I’ve never met him offline, but once interviewed him for a panel that was livestreamed via Google.
• Gwendolyn Zepeda — who was the first Poet Laureate of Houston. I handled most of her publicity and press in her official role during her first year as Poet Laureate.
• Michael Cordúa — owner of some of my favorite restaurants, including Churrascos and Américas. As with Ortega, I’ve never met him but am a fan of his work.
• Alex López Negrete — co-founder of Lopez Negrete Communications and my former boss.
• Macario Ramírez — owner of Casa Ramírez Folkart Gallery and Shop. I met him once a long time ago. I think that counts.
• Dr. Laura Murillo is the President of Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I’ve previously written about how she recruited me as a member to HWIL.
• Dr. Tatcho Mindiola — director at the Center for Mexican American Studies (CeMAS) at the University of Houston. I spent a lot of time in CeMAS while I was a student at UH. And it was at CeMAS where I first met Dr. Laura Murillo, while she worked there.

You need to check out the entire list. You’ll learn a few new things (or meet new people). I know I did.

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NOTES

• SOURCE: 35 Houston Latinos you should know – La Voz.

Sandra Fernandez

Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.