the list: 101 top movers & shakers in america

the list: 101 top movers & shakers in america home about us contact us help search: search tips the list: 101 top movers & shakers in america. from: latino leaders  |  date: 12/1/2005  |  author: allen, kerri; ferraez, jorge; lora, francis; renta, lara santiago print digg del.icio.us for the second year in a row, we are presenting you with our list of the 101 most influential individuals in the latino community. this year's work has been centered around not just accurately updating those names who stayed from last year's list, but also searching for those who started shining lest year and have been key figures in their own fields. more than a half of them stayed, mainly because their power and influence as a result of their professional activities and positions are still there and will be for some time. a good number of them are new names that are emerging as real movers and shakers because above all, their influence is strongly felt in many circles. a few examples are big corporation ceo's such as bill perez at nike and antonio perez at kodak. it is, however, still uncommon to see this level of latinos in large corporations. antonio villaraigosa, who wasn't on the list last year, this year is one of our biggest luminaries. the highly acclaimed l.a. mayor is one of the brightest stars in the latino galaxy and surely a man of a tremendous influence and power. our list, as usual, is a subjective one. its main purpose is to identify who's who in our community. these leaders are the ones shaping the future of latinos in this country and their work and example is followed by thousands that perceive them as role models. they are the cutting edge of this expanding universe that is the latino community and pretty much the ones who will make history leading that expansion; socially, politically and economically speaking. naturally, these 101 leaders are not the only ones, but certainly all of them are key in understanding the leadership of today's most influential latinos. please join us in celebrating their leadership and accomplishments. where they live california dominates by far, with 27% of the 101 residing there, followed by new york with 16.80% and texas with 8.91%. state tot % arkansas (ar) 1 0.99% california (ca) 28 27% colorado (co) 2 1.98% washington d.c. (dc) 19 18% florida (fl) 5 4.95% illinois (il) 6 5.94% michigan (mi) 2 1.98% new jersey (nj) 1 0.99% new mexico (nm) 4 3.96% new york (ny) 17 16.80% oklahoma (ok) 1 0.99% oregon (or) 1 0.99% other 3 2.97% pennsylvania (pa) 1 0.99% texas (tx) 9 8.91 virginia (va) 1 0.99% total 101 100 where they come from this category refers to the ethnic origin of the 101 leaders. not all of them are hispanic; in those cases, their heritage is listed as "usa". mexico continues to dominate with just over half the total names on the list. cuba and puerto rico tied for second place with a combined percentage of 25.7% or just over a quarter of the list. the countries included in the category "otter" are: chile, argentina, canada, ecuador, spain, and the dominican republic. breakdown by countries: usa 9 cuba 13 puero rico 13 mexico 55 colombia 2 venezuela 3 other 6 level of education this year we are including a breakdown of our influentials' level of education, impressively enough, a full 80% of the influentials have college degrees, with 49% having advanced degrees, whereas only 9% has a high school education or lower. the category "other" includes those whose education level was not specified or who either had some college exprience or less-than a secondary education. secondary/high school 9% bachelors degree 31% masters degree 22% doctorate 27% other 11% how old are they? more than 50% ere between the ages of 51 and 61. the next closest group is only ten years younger. this year, however the 62-72 age group grew by 3.87%. 51-61 54.50% 51-61 54.50% 18-28 2.02% 29-39 6.06% 40-50 21.20% 51-61 54.50% gender breakdown of the total 101 individuals profiled, 77 were males, 23 were females and 1 was a family. 23 females 23% 77 males 76% 1 family 76% who's in diana campoamor eduardo castro wright tom castro lloyd chavez linda chavez-thompson hector de j. ruiz moctesuma esparza george feldenkreis ricardo fernandez raul fernandez emilio garza oswaldo "ozzie" guillen phillip hardberger alex lopez negrete los tigres del notre aida maisonet--giachello marilou martinez-stevens janet murguia alex padilla douglas patino john paton nancy pelosi antonio m. perez rudy perez william "bill" perez samuel a ramirez sr. and jr. harry reid judith rodin marcos rodriguez robert rodriguez manuel "manny" sanchez tony sanchez shakira ann marie tallman alisa vaidez rodriguez jeff valdez daniel villanueva sr. antonio villaraigosa daddy yankee who's out pablo raul alarcon sr. and jr. luis alfaro xavier becerra alain belda henry bonilla fernando botero alfredo brener santiago calatrava louis caldera frances cordova alfonso cuaron carolyn curiel olga dominguez fernando espuelas emilio and gloria estefan daisy exposito--ulla ana maria fernandez--haar lisa fernandez the bill and melinda gates foundation luis gutierrez leopoldo e. guzman salma hayek antonia hernandez oscar hijuelos the robert wood foundation douglas w. knight the macarthur foundation james m. mcnamara mario molina ricardo montalban armando ojeda harry pachon alex rodriguez loretta sanchez arnold schwarzenegger h. lee scott solomon trujillo juan vazquez the profiles: placement by alphabetical order--001 area of influence--arts name--isabel allende job title--writer, journalist highest academic level: ba in journalism age: 63 residence: san rafael, california who she is: the daughter of a diplomat father and a distant niece to then-chilean president salvador allende, she traveled broadly during her childhood but returned to her homeland as a teenager following a military coup in 1975, she fled to venezuela. she worked for various magazines and television stations, but she eventually found her niche in writing novels. when she discovered that her grandfather was dying, allende began to wirte him a heartfelt letter four years later, this transformed into her first and most acclaimed novel, the house of the spirits. allende has lived and worked in the u.s. since 1988. her most recent novel, zorro, made the new york times' bestseller list. why he made the list: she is one of the foremost latina writers in the world, whose works have sold more than 35 million copies and been translated into 27 languages. her recent trilogy of children's novels, city of the beasts, kingdom of the golden dragon and forest of the pygmies, surprised many of her adult fans and won new ones. aside from her prowess as a world-renowned author for all ages, she heads the isabel allende foundation, in honor of her daughter paula who died of porphyria disease in 1992. the foundation sponsors esperanza grants to assist women and children in healthcare, education, employment, while paula scholarship educational grants and espiritu awards promote literacy, education, and healthcare. our prediction: there are a few biographies on the leading latina as well as one for children (isabel allende: award-winning latin american author by mary main) but we're looking for an autobiography one of these days. contact: isabel allende foundation (415) 289-0992 002 corporate leaders linda alvarado president and ceo, alvarado construction, inc academic level: b.a. in economics, pomona college age: 53 residence: denver, colorado who she is: born in albuquerque of mexican descent, the only girl out of six children, alvarado graduated from pomona college in claremont, california guided by her mothers philosophy of "start small, but think big" having watched her mother help support the family by taking in laundry and ironing work. alvarado's first job was on a construction site, but as a project accountant. now, alvarado is the president and ceo of alvarado construction company, one of the fastest growing commercial general contracting firms in the country. why she made the list: at a time when women made up less than 1% of the workforce in construction, alvarado became a construction site manager and decided to start her own construction company today, with over 450 employees and revenues of more than $41 million per year, alvarado construction is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry. her construction company has built the denver broncos stadium, the colorado convention center and denver international airport. part owner of the colorado rockies, the first woman and the first hispanic to own a professional major league baseball team, alvarado's list of achievements is a long one. she serves as chairman of the board of the denver hispanic chamber of commerce and as commissioner of the white house initiative for hispanic excellence in education. our prediction: with her several business interests and ties to the community, look for linda to expand her businesses as well as her philanthropies across colorado as well as nationally. alvarado will win several more awards for her business success and for being a female role model. contact: alvarado construction, inc. (303) 629-0783 003 corporate leaders ralph alvarez president, mcdonald's north america academic level: b.b.a., university of miami age: 56 residence: oak brook, illinois who he is: born in cuba and raised in miami, alvarez first incursion in the world of fast-food in 1977 when he was hired by burger king. alvarez joined mcdonald's in 1994 after a lengthy career at burger king corporation and later with wendy's international, inc. in 2004, he was promoted to president of mcdonalds' usa division, and shortly thereafter to president of mcdonald's north america. in this role, alvarez is responsible for the complete operations of mcdonald's restaurants in the u.s. and canada. why he made the list: as president of mc donald's north america, alvarez oversees the operations of more than 15,000 restaurants in total-as well as the finance and strategic planning functions of the company thanks to alvarez's savvy vision, mcdonalds now includes several healthier choices in its menu and is doing an exceptional job at promoting a healthier concept of the brand. in addition, recognizing the increasing buying power of the latino market, alvarez and his staff have pioneered a unique ad campaign that blends mainstream and hispanic diversity in a series of bilingual ads. our prediction: the fast food industry has gotten a beating from the health conscious sector of society, and mcdonalds did not escape the attacks. still, not one to easily give up, alvarez took the "if you can't beat them, join them" route and revamped the menu to appear healthier. with the recent announcement that mcdonalds will start printing nutrition information on every item in its menu, alvarez has taken a bite out of critics and will for-sure get a big chunk of change in his pockets in the process. contact: mc donald's (800) 244-6227 004 federal government hector barreto small business administrator academic level: b.b.a., rockhurst university age: 44 residence: washington, dc who he is: barreto was born into a small business family; his father was one of the original founders of the u.s. hispanic chamber of commerce (ushcc). prior to leading the sba, he was the president of barreto insurance and financial services in los angeles, california. following in his father's footsteps, he served as the vice chairman on the board of the ushcc. during the 2000 campaign he became acquainted with then governor george w bush and became a campaign surrogate for bush with the hispanic community. a native of kansas city, missouri, he and his wife robin have 3 children. why he made the list: barreto leads the nation's efforts to aid the nation's nearly 25 million small businesses, including 1.2 million hispanic-owned businesses. given his personal experiences running a family business, barreto appears uniquely equipped to manage the growth in minority businesses. last fiscal year alone, the sba backed more than $16 billion in loans to small businesses. since taking charge of the sba, the number of loans more than $1 billion in financing for the hispanic businesses has more than doubled. loans to minorities increased to 25,000 loans in 2004 from 10,000 loans in 2001. barreto's sba created a new spanish language web portal: 222.negocios.gov. our prediction: given the boom in female and minority-owned small businesses, barretto will be in a prime position to expand his reach and fulfill his agenda. his awareness of the financial needs of the latino community, as well as his favorable position within the administration, will leave the door open for even greater impact within the latino financial arena. contact: small business administration (202) 606-4000 005 corporate leaders javier benito executive v. r and chief marketing officer, starwood hotels & resorts worldwide, inc. academic level: m b.a., university of chicago age: 42 residence: white plains, new york who he is: benito was born in mexico city from a spanish father and a mexican mother. he had the chance to move from mexico to canada to complete his last year of high school and improve his english. he then studied economics at the university of california in san diego, and in 1987 he obtained an mba from the university of chicago. on march 28, 2005 starwood hotels & resorts worldwide, inc. announced the appointment of the former coca cola and procter & gamble executive to executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the global hotel giant. benito has an impressive global marketing experience from brand powerhouses coca cola and procter & gamble. why he made the list: benito is a rising star in the latino firmament. his global experience has proven essential in the successful advancement of the companies that he's worked for. at coca cola, benito was the mastermind that made fanta coca cola's most popular brand in latin america. at starwood, benito will be responsible for all aspects of marketing worldwide and for redefining brand positioning for westin, sheraton, four points by sheraton, the luxury collection, st. regis and w hotels. our prediction: with his proven track record, benito will move starwood hotels & resorts worldwide, inc. from a competitive hotel conglomerate to a powerhouse of the hotel industry. contact: starwood hotels and resorts worldwide, inc. (914) 640-8100 006 third sector susan v. berresford president, the ford foundation academic level: ma. radcliffe college age: 59 residence: new york, new york who she is: susan v berresford is the current president of the ford foundation, a position that she's filled since 1996. berresford attended vassar college and then studied american history at radcliffe college, from which she graduated cum laude in 1965. she is a board member of the council on foundations and a member of the trilateral commission and the american academy of the arts and sciences. why she made the list: heading one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, berresford is in charge of an organization that not only helps latinos but also underprivileged people all around the world. berresford's responsibilities include managing an organization that "strengthens democratic values and reduces poverty and injustice" through grants that benefit a vast amount of latin countries, including guatemala, paraguay, brazil, puerto rico, as well as low income-latino populated communities in the u.s. created with gifts and bequests by henry and edsel ford, the foundation is an independent organization, with its own board, and is entirely separate from the ford motor company our prediction: plagued by the evils of funds mishandling, the non-profit arena has been hurting for a while, and the surge of smaller, group-specific not-for-profit organizations has for sure put a dent in the ability of organizations like this to maintain a constant influx of funds. expect berresford, a strong critic of fund abusers, to continue to fight at the highest levels to maintain a steady flow of cash to the foundation ... and to exceed everyone's expectations. contact: the ford foundation (212) 573-5000 007 state/local government michael bloomberg mayor of new york city academic level: m.b.a., harvard business school age: 63 residence: new york, new york who he is: bloomberg was born and raised in a jewish-american family in medford, massachusetts, a boston suburb. he attended johns hopkins university, where he joined phi kappa psi, and graduated in 1964 with a b.s. degree in electrical engineering. later he received his mba degree from harvard business school. why he made the list: bloomberg presides over one of the world's most important and dynamic cities. with wide appeal across the board, his liberal, republican approach has been quite successful in the big apple, securing a notable chunk of the latino vote. despite new york's lost bid for the 2012 olympics, bloomberg has taken it in stride. his role has taken on even greater importance following the attacks on september 11th, 2001 in which mayor rudy giuliani became the public face of new york. in an era of terrorism warnings and high stakes, bloomberg seems to have brought a certain sense of security to new york. one of the wealthiest people on the planet, he brings with him a savvy knowledge of financial management sorely needed in the troubled economy. our prediction: bloomberg is a fascinating political force. respected by republicans for his economic policies and supported by democrats for his liberal social beliefs and support of abortion rights; bloomberg has wide appeal in new york. he may prove to be the example to follow within the republican party, as he ran for a second term ... and won. contact: new york office of the mayor (212) 442-4900 008 finance fred buenrostro ceo, california public employees retirement system academic level: juris doctor, mcgeorge school of law age: 56 residence: sacramento, california who he is: born in california of mexican descent, fred buenrostro has years of service in public administration in the golden state. among other posts, he's served as the chief deputy of director the california department of personnel administration, prior to becoming calpers' chief executive officer in december 2002. calpers, the nation's largest public pension fund, handles over $2.5 billion in member contributions and provides retirement and health benefits to more than 1.4 million current and retired california public employees and their families. why he made the list: as the system's seventh ceo, buenrostro oversees employees, budget, and operations spanning investments, health, and retirement benefits administration, actuarial and employer services, and other supplemental programs. buenrostro joined calpers with more than 25 years experience in public service, including more than 15 years on both the calpers and california state teachers' retirement system boards. in april of this year, buenrostro shared the stage with former soviet president mikhail gorbachev when fred was awarded the millenium award by global green u.s.a. for his contributions towards the advancement to shape a more sustainable and secure world. our prediction: having recently won a settlement in court, calpers is expected to see a recovery of more than $200 million in funds. these recovered funds will enable an already confident buenrostro to propel calpers into an even higher level of profit, placing calpers in an even stronger strategic position and helping to add credibility to fred's already proven track record. contact: california public employees retirement system (800) 260-0659 009 federal government george w. bush president of the united states of america academic level: m.b.a. harvard university age: 46 residence: washington, d.c. who he is: born in connecticut and raised in texas, bush grew up in the realm of oil and politics. he tried his hand at business before joining his father's presidential campaign, and soon entered the arena himself by gaining the texas governor's seat in the 1994 elections. a staunch conservative, bush's presidency is closely associated with christian ideals. he is married to laura bush and has two daughters, jenna and barbara. why he made the list: in the midst of key judicial and administrative nominations, bush stands to influence the direction of the country for the next 40 years. by nature of his position, bush influences every ethnic and socioeconomic group on some level. re-elected with an unprecedented amount of latino support for a republican president, bush has done little for the latino community, concentrating all his efforts instead toward the war on terrorism. his administration has lagged behind in supporting initiatives that would directly impact the latino community, a fact not gone unseen by many voters. our prediction: under strong criticism over his handling of the katrina crisis and the republican rejection of his supreme court nominee harriet miers, bush also faces waning support for the war in iraq. as the economy continues to plummet and the death toll continues to rise for troops in iraq, bush's legacy will be marred by his most recent setbacks, and his fading popularity may have a serious impact on the success of the republican party during the next election. contact: the white house (202) 456-1414 010 third sector diana campoamor president, hispanics in philanthropy (hip) academic level: m.a. in communications, university of miami age: 55 residence: san francisco, california who she is: born in cuba, ms. campoamor is a naturalized us citizen who currently resides in the san francisco bay area. prior to joining hip, campoamor served as a director at the shalan foundation, the mexican american legal defense fund (maldee), the united way and the ywca. she has served on the boards of the council on foundations, independent sector; the inter-university project for latino research, california hacr, horizons foundation, brava! for women in the arts, as well as several other nonprofit organizations. why she made file list with campoamor at the helm and through the funders' collaborative for strong latino communities, the hip has raised more than $20 million from 114 donors and has made grants to more than 250 latino-led nonprofits across the americas. in 1990, when aida rodriguez hired diana as president, the hip's annual budget was approximately $50,000 dollars. in 2000, campoamor helped launch the funders' collaborative for strong latino communities, after a three-year planning process. over the past few years, the collaborative has dispersed more than $19 million to over 250 latino-led, latino-serving nonprofits. our prediction: as the network continues to grow and as the funders' collaborative enters a new phase, campoamor will develop models of work that recognize current trends and that build on its strong foundation. under her leadership, the hip will continue to develop new initiatives to increase funding and they will continue to reshape the craft of philanthropy into a vehicle for strengthening latino communities across the americas. contact: hispanics in philanthropy (415) 837-0427 011 federal government roel campos commissioner, securities & exchange commission academic level: j.d., harvard law school age: 56 residence: washington d.c. who he is: campos was born in harlingen, texas, of mexican-american parents. he later married his high school sweetheart, mini villarreal, now a houston doctor, with whom he has two children. prior to coming to the sec, he was one of two principal owners of el dorado communications, a houston-based radio broadcasting company in the 1980's, he served as a federal prosecutor in los angeles. his most famous case involved the trial and conviction of three men for the 1985 kidnapping and murder of u.s. drug agent enrique "kike" camarena. he is now widely known for high profile prosecutions against big players in the corporate and private sectors. he has often emphasized his desire to "protect the weak from the big bullies." why he made the list: campos has truly broken down a barrier and made history. as one of only five appointed sec commissioners, he regulates all publicly traded companies, financial markets worth literally trillions of dollars. since his appointment, campos has been a courageous advocate for corporate reform, believing that they have way too many protections and privileges, as opposed to smaller enterprises. our prediction: with the dearth of latinos in the higher echelons of securities and the stock exchange, campos's role within the sec is of notable impact. his stance on corporate reform, of particular relevance in the post-enron age, combined with his impeccable record of service make him an embodiment of the rise and importance of latino power and affluence. as latinos become a greater buying and selling force, campos's role in the markets will gain even greater importance. contact: securities and exchange commission (202) 551-4120 012 federal government richard carmona u.s. surgeon general academic level: m.p.h., university of arizona age: 55 residence: washington, d.c. who he is: richard carmona was born in 1949 and grew up in harlem in new york city. he was the first child of the poor, puerto rican carmona family to graduate from college. he did so, however, only after dropping out of high school to join the army. he later obtained his g.e.d. and went on to become the u.s. surgeon general. carmona is a charismatic man with a compelling personal story. he has an illustrious record of public service, including serving as an army green beret in vietnam, a police officer, a swat team member, a nurse, a professor of surgery, and chairman of a health care system. why he made the list: the surgeon general is america's chief health educator. he is the health conscience of the nation. in the absence of a hispanic cabinet secretary at the department of health and human services, carmona is the highest ranking latino spokesman for the health issues in the nation. he fulfills a need among the latino community for awareness and education in regards to the prevalent health dangers of obesity, diabetes, heart-disease, cancer, aids, and other illnesses. our prediction: the importance of the surgeon general for the well-being of the nation, and minority groups in particular cannot be overestimated. as the latino population rises, so have health dangers and the rate of overweight children. richard carmona's position as health watchdog will only become more challenging as the eyes of the nation center in the mishaps of the current administration. contact: department of health and human services (202) 619-0257 013 finance richard l. carrion chairman and ceo, popular, inc. academic level: mba, massachusetts institute of technology age: 52 residence: san juan, puerto rico who he is: a member of one of puerto rico's wealthiest families, carrion became chairman and ceo of bppr in 1991, following his father's death. carrion, who chose to pursue higher education in the united states, earned a bba from the wharton school of finance and commerce at the university of pennsylvania and an mba from mit he returned to puerto rico to work at the bank and after taking over, managed to diversify it and turn it into. why he made the list: since carrion took over the company's operation, he has managed to expand the business not only in the u.s., but also in latin america through the acquisition of already established banking institutions to make it the largest hispanic-owned banking institution in the u.s. the company currently boasts over $44 billion in assets. in addition, after fully recovering from a money laundering scandal a few years ago in puerto rico, carrion has become an advocate for more clarity from the government as to what is expected of banking entities in terms of monitoring customers. carrion believes that it is unrealistic to expect 100% enforcement of suspicious activity. in march of this year, carrion signed a five-year agreement that made his banco popular the official bank of the new york mets, a major league baseball team. our prediction: his latest venture, the acquisition of the popular loan website e-loan, is still pending approval from the website's current owners. if the merger is approved, expect carrion to become the best known, anonymous name in lending through the success of this already established business venture. contact: popular, inc. (800) 377-0800 014 corporate leaders eduardo castro wright president & ceo, wal-mart stores, usa academic level: b.s., texas a&m age: 49 residence: bentonville, arkansas who he is: born in ecuador, eduardo was the president of nabisco asia pacific from 1995 to 1998. the grandson of a successful ecuadorian grocery store owner, castro wright learned the ropes of the retail business at a very young age. at nabisco, he was also a member of the company's executive committee, representing nabisco international. he then worked as president and ceo of nabisco mexico from 1994 to 1995 and of nabisco venezuela from 1991 to 1994; and before that he held several general management positions for the same company in latin america. castro wright headed wal-mart's majority-owned mexican subsidiary from 2001 to 2005. in addition, castro wright was president of honeywell transportation and power systems worldwide before joining wal-mart mexico. why he made the list: in less than a year, castro wright managed to go from heading wal-mart's division in mexico to becoming coo and most recently ceo of the company's profitable stores division. his global experience undoubtedly a key factor in his success, castro wright has now positioned himself among the most powerful leaders of corporate america today the bentonville, ark.-based company, which reported full year profits in 2004 of over $10 billion, has given castro wright the critical task of running its highest profitable division. our prediction: just as his ascent has been meteoric, expect eduardo's savvy and overall global experience to pay off big in bringing wal-mart back to its profit behemoth status of yesteryears, and to again break wal-mart's already amazing profit records. contact: wal-mart stores (479)-273-4314 015 media thomas h. castro president and ceo, border media partners academic level: b.a. in communications, harvard university age: 51 residence: san antonio, texas who he is: a native of watts, california, castro grew up in a working-class family he received a scholarship to harvard, making thomas the first member of his family to go to college. he began his own radio business in 1981, but his greatest professional achievement has been more recent. in 2002, castro founded border media partners with a few radio stations in texas. in three short years, it has become the nation's largest privately held hispanic radio company with 35 stations throughout the southwest and with syndication agreements in mexico. bmp appeals to wide tastes in music, from norteno-friendly immigrants to third-generation english-language speakers. why he made the list: in one year, castro's company grew from 12 employees to more than 80. the business is so appealing that they have raised more than $280 million in investments in only three years. they have outgrown their physical workspace, with a new office--four times the size of the original one. bmp is the largest privately held hispanic radio company in the united states by number of stations. castro co-founded new america alliance, which helps latino businesses gain greater access to capital. in another vein, he recently worked as senator john kerry's deputy national finance chair our prediction: border media partners is already planning live broadcasts for their local air america affiliate, which might win over more liberal listeners. we expect the growing radio company to hire at least 30 new employees and 10 more radio stations in 2006. can bmp take on industry giant sbs or will it burn out at its lightning speed. we think they can hold their ground in the marketplace. contact: border media partners (956) 992-8895 016 business owners lloyd g. chavez chairman of the board, burt automotive network academic level: b.a. in business adminsitration, university of denver age: 77 residence: denver, colorado who he is: this colorado native is the son of a hardworking ranch hand. an all-state quarterback, lloyd chavez was offered football scholarships to the university of denver, university of colorado and colorado state university it was wartime, though, and the athlete deferred all offers in favor of joining the navy in 1946. when he returned home, chavez went to college and received a business administration degree. his first job was as a car salesman at burr chevrolet in englewood, colorado. he quickly worked his way up to become general manager and later bought the business in 1987. why he made the list: the extremely successful burt automotive network operates 14 franchises that sell gm, ford, toyota, subaru, mazda, and honda products. the business-savvy chavez has embraced technology in a way few auto dealers have--even in 2005. at www.burtcom, a consumer may get pre-qualified for a loan, compare and contrast models, or schedule a service appointment. the wwii vet's dedication to wireless networking and other high-tech advances has helped the company grow and maintain its earnings of nearly $1.5 billion per year his business ranks among the top ten hispanic-run businesses almost every year. our prediction: in the fast-growing denver area, chavez's company has wisely acquired 270 acres of land. with lloyd's son as the president of burt automotive, there's little doubt that chavez jr. will follow the family tradition of innovation and success. expect the expansive auto dealer to lure the new transplants to colorado with its friendly service and good reputation. business should continue to boom--maybe to the $2 billion mark before long. contact: burt automotive group (800) 535-burt 017 us congress linda chavez-thompson vice chair of the democratic national committee academic level: not specified age: 61 residence: washington, dc. who she is: linda chavez-thompson is the highest ranking woman in the labor movement and a force to be reckoned with on capitol hill, yet her roots are modest. her parents were mexican immigrant sharecroppers, and chavez-thompson grew up working the fields alongside them. inspired by her job as a bilingual secretary in the local labor union, she slowly moved up the ranks from a local assistant manager in 1973 to local executive director from 1977-1995. later she was chosen as executive director of the texas council 42/afscme, which led to her election as executive vice president to the afl-cio, the position she fills today. why she made the list: a long-time advocate for the labor unions and the many immigrant populations they represent, chavez -thompson is a classic example of the american dream come true. without the advantage of a so-called "traditional" education, she has become a major player in washington. her place among the elite of latinos in politics has become more and more prevalent as the ongoing battle between big business and labor unions heats up in the wake of the 20th century. our prediction: already a powerful ally on capital hill, chavez-thompson only stands to accrue more political weight as she continues in her ascent. we predict that with her clear intentions and obvious enthusiasm for her work, we'll be seeing much more of linda chavez-thompson on the national stage. and if she approaches this endeavor with the same voracity as she did on the local level, that prediction seems all but assured. contact: afl-cio (202) 628-9262 018 media gustavo cisneros chairman and ceo, the cisneros group of companies academic level: m.b.a., university of pennsylvania age: 60 residence: new york city, new york / caracas, venezuela who he is: one of the most influential and wealthy latinos of this century, cisneros is a mass media tycoon who has substantial holdings in aol, coca-cola, directv and pizza hut in latin america; univision in the u.s.; and venezuela's largest television network, venevision. born in caracas, he is the son of a venezuelan trucker who founded a trucking company in caracas in 1929. in 1968, gustavo took over his father's business. today he is the ceo of the cisneros group of companies and spends his time hobnobbing with politicians, celebrities and literati, including george bush, sr., nelson mandela and carlos fuentes. he is an outspoken critic against venezuelan president hugo chavez. why he made the list: his power as a media mogul is almost unparalleled and his personal financial worth is nearly $4 billion. the cisneros group is one of the world's largest privately-held media, entertainment, telecommunications and consumer products organizations. using its massive technology for good, fundacion cisneros sponsors professional development for teachers, an initiative that leverages the distance-technologies to create comprehensive training courses, and cl@se-the world's first pan-regional, commercial-free educational television channel. cisneros' influence has also reached the highest echelons of the art world: new york city's museum of modern art houses a gallery named in honor of him and his wife gallena. our prediction: the cisnero group's venevision international joined fonolibro this year to develop audio books on cd and mp3 format. expect the trailblazing corporation to tap into the w-phone market soon before long. contact: the cisneros group of companies +58-212-781-5066 (venezuela) 019 opinion leaders henry g. cisneros chief executive officer and chairman of the board, american city vista academic level: ph.d. george washington university age: 57 residence: san antonio, texas who he is: henry cisneros was born in san antonio, texas in 1947. in 1975, he was elected to the san antonio city council, becoming the youngest councilperson in the city's history and was elected mayor of san antonio in 1981. he served four terms as mayor in 1992 cisneros became the housing and urban development (hud) secretary during the clinton administration. a former president of univision and a founding member of the new america alliance, cisneros is currently the ceo and chair of american cityvista and city view, a company dedicated to developing housing in inner city areas across the country. why he made file list: during his career, cisneros has helped several people reach political office, has been instrumental in increasing hispanic voter participation in elections, and has been successful in both business and politics. however, independent counsel david m barrett has insisted on pursuing an investigation stemming from allegations in 1995 that henry lied to the fbi about money he paid to a former mistress. though he pleaded guilty and paid a $10,000 fine and a $25 court assessment, barrett is now looking into allegations that a regional irs audit into cisneros's payments to the mistress was transferred to washington and then stifled. barrett said he had enough evidence to be able to close cisneros' office by the beginning of 2006. our prediction: cisneros will continue to be a successful leader for the advancement of hispanic political and business interests. his effectiveness as a political force and his passion for the success of hispanic people are important regardless of the outcome of the current investigation. contact: 210-228-9574, info@americancityvista.com 020 arts sandra cisneros author, poet academic level: m.f.a., university of iowa age: 51 residence: san antonio, texas who she is: born in chicago to a mexican father and a chicana mother, the free-spirited sandra derided the traditional female role within her hispanic household. against her father's will, she pursued a higher education and obtained a b.a. from loyola university in 1976. she followed that success two years later with a master's from the university of iowa. as a distinct voice in the contemporary writing arena, cisneros is among the most recognized and respected latina authors in the world. she is a recipient of the prestigious macarthur foundation fellowship among many other awards and commendations. the colorful writer proudly lives in a purple house with a coterie of animals. why she made the list: cisneros' work addresses poverty, cultural suppression, self-identity, and gender roles. she creates characters who are distinctly latino and often isolated from the anglo-american culture. the english-language version of her best-selling novel, the house on mango street, sold over 2 million copies. despite the latino-bent to her writing, cisneros' stories are universal, and as such have been translated into more than a dozen languages including greek, norwegian, and turkish. always modest and community-minded, cisneros has volunteered as a teacher and counselor to high-school dropouts as well as an artist-in-the-schools teaching creative writing to all ages--helping children find their voices and express their cultures and emotions. our prediction: as more of mainstream american culture takes an interest in latino flavor, cisneros' books will continue to be required reading. it's been a while since she's penned full-fledged novel, so expect a hefty page-turner in the coming years. contact: susan bergholz literary services (212) 387-0545 021 corporate leaders armando m. codina chairman of the board, codina group, inc. academic level: honorary law degree, honda international university age: 58 residence: coral gables, florida who he is: a cuban-american self-made millionaire, codina's first venture was the creation of professional automated services, inc. (p.a.s.), a firm created in 1970 to provide data processing services to physicians. as a result of the firm's success, codina is recognized as a pioneer in the development of comprehensive medical management systems including processing, accounts receivable, management reporting and multiple financial services. in 1979, armando founded codina group, inc., a florida-based real estate investment, development, construction, brokerage and property management firm and one of the most respected full-service commercial real estate development corporations in florida. why he made the list: one of the most respected and sought-after figures of the hispanic community, codina has established himself not only as a highly successful entrepreneur, but also as an invaluable board member of various large, u.s. based corporations. having served on the advisory board for the panama canal, codina currently serves on the board of directors of amr corp., bellsouth, general motors and most recently, merrill lynch. our prediction: codina's diversified group of companies is constantly on the rise. with the company's recent announcement that its property management portfolio has expanded by nearly 40 percent with the acquisition of several new management contracts through the third quarter of 2005, expect codina to hit the roof of high return-on-investments in 2006, and maybe invest some of those profits in the next presidential campaign. contact: codina group, inc. (305) 520-2300 022 corporate leaders hector de j. ruiz chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, advanced micro devices, inc. academic level: ph.d. in electronics, rice university age: 59 residence: sunnyvale, california who he is: born in piedras negras, mexico, hector de jesus ruiz was recently appointed chairman of the board of directors of amd, intel's largest competitor, in april 2004. ruiz has held a variety of executive positions in the united states and overseas: he also worked at texas instruments in the company's research laboratories and manufacturing operations and he previously served as president of motorola's semiconductor products sector. why he made the list: ruiz currently serves on the advisory committee for trade policy and negotiations (actpn), which provides the u.s. trade representative with policy advice on trade issues and the national security telecommunications advisory committee (nstac), which provides industry-based advice and expertise to the president on issues and problems related to implementing national security and emergency preparedness communications policy. ruiz is passionate about the role of technology in education and empowering the underprivileged. ruiz also serves on the eastman kodak company board of directors, the advisory board for the tsinghua school of economics and management (tsem), and the board of directors for the semiconductor industry association (sia). our prediction: with less than 10 years to fulfill his commitment, ruiz will pick up the pace to try to make his time horizon. the next step will be making sure that the 50% of the population that gets basic internet access is educated on how to properly take advantage of the access they have been provided with. contact: advance micro devices (408) 749-4000 023 sports oscar de la hoya boxer, promoter, singer academic level: secondary age: 32 residence: los angeles, california who he is: as a child in east l.a., oscar de la hoya was often bullied in the schoolyard. after a particularly brutal encounter he asked his father, a former boxer, to teach him how to defend himself. dad obliged, and today this young mexican-american, "the golden boy," is one of boxing's most popular figures. a versatile entertainer, de la hoya released a self-titled record album that topped billboard's latin dance charts and whose single, "ven a mi," was nominated for a grammy in 2001. why he made the list: de la hoya shocked the boxing world at the 1992 barcelona olympics where he overcame heavy odds to win the gold for the u.s. team. six months later, he started his professional career and went undefeated for seven consecutive years. he stepped into the ring as a promoter, becoming the only active professional boxer to promote, and is now the head of a successful promotions company (appropriately called golden boy productions). he wanted to quit boxing after his mother died of breast cancer in 1990, but he knew that she wanted him to be a great fighter and he went on to become a six-time world champion. the handsome athlete holds his press conferences in spanish, his native language. our prediction: if oscar de la hoya can release a pop album and create a fox reality tv show (the next great champ), might he have aspirations to act? or maybe, he and his wife, puerto rican singer millie corretjer, will knock us out with a top selling musical duet. contact: golden boy promotions (213) 489-5631 024 arts oscar de la renta fashion designer academic level: b.f.a., madrid, spain age: 73 residence: new york city, new york who he is: one of the world's leading fashion designers, the humble de la renta was born in the dominican republic and studied painting in madrid. there, he fell in love with fashion design and landed an apprenticeship with spain's most renowned couturier, cristobal balenciaga. he worked at the lanvin paris house and elizabeth arden before he started his own label in 1965. he owns residences in new york, connecticut and the dominican republic where he divides his spare time. why he made the list: with a fortune estimated at $100 million, de la renta is one of the wealthiest latinos in america. a choice designer for ladies as diverse as sarah jessica parker, beyonce knowles and laura bush, de la renta's style is both relevant and classic. in fact, he's been the first lady's inaugural ball designer for three consecutive years. no longer a painter, he supports the arts as a board member for the metropolitan opera house, carnegie hall and new york's public television station, wnet. in 2000, he received the gold medal of bellas artes from the king of spain. he has helped build two much-needed schools in the dominican republic, incorporating orphanages and day-care centers for more than 1,500. our prediction: his sportswear line, o oscar, didn't get too far after it debuted in fall 2004, but an ambitious re-launch is scheduled for spring 2006. with all items retailing for less than $100, there may be more de la renta on the streets than tommy hilfiger before long. we like his gorgeous threads, but hope that the de la renta label stays in saks and bergdorf's ... not target. contact: oscar de la renta ltd 212-354-6777 025 us congress lincoln diaz balart u.s. congressman, florida academic level: j.d., case western reserve university age: 51 residence: washington, d.c. who he is: son of cuban politician rafael diaz-balart, diaz-balart is a member of political royalty. his brother, mario diaz-balart, is also a prominent member of congress representing the 25th district of florida. lincoln has distinguished himself as one of the more powerful and influential hispanics in congress. the representative from the 21st district in florida, diaz-balart was first elected to congress in 1992. he attended high school at the american school in madrid, after which he earned a degree in international politics from new college of florida. he also obtained a diploma in british politics from cambridge, england, and eventually a law degree from case western university. he now lives in miami with his wife cristina and their two sons. why he made the list: as vice chairman of the house rules committee--the committee who decides what legislation may reach the house floor--diaz-balart was the first hispanic to be a member of this prestigious group. in 1996, diaz-balart composed much of the legislation that strengthened the embargo against cuba, and authored the nicaragua adjustment and central american relief act in 1997, which granted legal residency to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the u.s. he was formally honored by both the nicaraguan and colombian governments in recent years. our prediction: as a major player on one of the most powerful committees in congress, diaz-balart is in prime position to garner ever more influence in congress--certainly if the republican party continues to solidify its position as the foremost political paw in the u.s. often a pundit on spanish language television, diaz-balart only stands to gain greater visibility in the national sphere. contact: u.s. congress (202) 225-4211 026 business owners remedios diaz-oliver president, all american containers, inc. academic level: bb.a. havana business university age: 66 residence: miami, florida who she is: the president of all american containers, diaz-oliver oversees a major global supplier of containers and caps. cuban-born, diaz-oliver graduated from havana business university and havana college, but eventually left the island, with an infant daughter, to pursue freedom in the u.s. she worked for and later became president of american international container with that experience, she resigned in 1991 to found her own supplier, all american containers. her clients include coca-cola, mccormick, schering, and pepsico, but more than half of the company's revenues come from outside of the u.s.--largely south america and the caribbean. why she made the list: in 1968, she became the first woman to receive the "e" award for excellence in export from president lyndon b. johnson. more recently, she was appointed by former president george h. w. bush as one of three international trade advisers for the advisory committee for trade policies and negotiations in 1991. today, she sits on the board of a fortune 1000 company and her family is listed among the 80 wealthiest hispanic families in the u.s. when you're 100% owner of one of the largest businesses in america, you're bound to rank fairly high. our prediction: unless pepsi and coke plan to stage a joint standoff, they will continue to need containers to push forward with their massive operations. diaz-oliver's private company, which supplies those containers, reported $132 million in revenue in 2004--an impressive 10% increase from the previous year. when announced, expect the 2005 numbers to come in even higher. contact: all american containers (305) 887-0797 027 business owner irma elder chief executive officer, elder automotive group academic level: secondary age: 75 residence: bloomfield hills, michigan who she is: born in xicotencatl, mexico, elder owns the largest jaguar dealership in the world, the top saab dealership in the u.s. (ranked by sales volume) and four other dealerships in michigan. she spent many years as a secretary and a housewife, but transformed herself into a full-blown, successful businesswoman after her husband's death in 1983, when she took over the reins of his auto-dealership business. she raised her three children while overseeing what is known today as the elder automotive group. why she made the list: when she arrived in miami at age 12, she did not speak any english. elder spent many years as a secretary and housewife, but transformed into a full-fledged businesswoman after her husband's death in 1983. she is now one of the top hispanic businesswomen in the u.s. her company consistently ranks in the top 10 of hispanic business magazine's top 500 hispanic-owned corporations and is the only woman-owned corporation. three years ago, elder opened her newest dealership in tampa--a $7.5 million endeavor. in 2003, she received the inaugural urban wheel dealer awards presented by on wheels inc. she is a board member of the fortune 500 company, lear corp, as well as the chicago branch of the federal reserve board. she regularly contributes to la sed, a social service agency dedicated to the mexican community in detroit. our prediction: elder has suffered some illness this year, so it may be time for the 75-year-old to downshift. her sons robert and tony are partners in the business and may start to take more control of the $700 million business. contact: elder automotive group 800-589-4000 028 entertainment moctesuma esparza chief executive officer, maya cinemas & maya pictures academic level: mea. university of california at los angeles age: 56 residence: los angeles, california who he is: a first-generation chicano who heard his father's stories of the mexican revolution, esparza was raised with a bent towards social activism. accordingly, his dream was to be a community organizer and political activist for the chicano community. he found his passion in film school and received a master of fine arts degree from ucla in 1973. he won his first oscar only four years later, for producing the documentary agueda martinez. he is best known, however, as the producer of the feature film selena. why he made the list: esparza is a filmmaker with a purpose. with each project, he aims to transform the image of latinos by debunking hollywood stereotypes with "new," substantive characters. he is revitalizing the ritual of family and community theatergoing with his new chain of movie houses: maya cinemas. the first megaplex in salinas, california hosts 14 screens with first-run hollywood films and one reserved for spanish-language, foreign or indie films. esparza's "maya cinemas" concept is a big bet for the growing hispanic population and an innovative theater model. his upcoming project, walkout, is based on a true story of a student activist staging a walkout at five east los angeles high schools in 1968, protesting their anti-mexican bias. our prediction: with the salinas screens up and running, maya cinemas has its sights set on hispanic-heavy towns in new mexico, chicago, dallas, and new york. esparza's vision should bring more latino communities together, while movies begin depicting the u.s. latino experience more realistically. contact: maya cinemas (310) 281-3770 029 business owners george feldenkreis chairman and ceo, perry ellis international, inc. academic level: not specified age: 70 residence: miami, florida who he is: born in havana to ukrainian immigrants, feldenkreis moved to miami with $700, a toddler, a pregnant wife and a small english vocabulary. at age 26, he founded caffel, a distributor of japanese auto parts. in the late 1960s, he and his brother isaac started supreme international, importing guayabera shirts--the pleated, four-pocket shirts favored by hispanic men--and earning him the nickname, "guayabera king.". in 1993, that company went public and, six years later, acquired perry ellis international. feldenkreis founded the universal national bank of miami and currently serves on the board of trustees for both the jewish federation and the university of miami. why he made the list: in constant motion, feldenkreis' company operates with revenues of more than $650 million. unlike many fashion labels, perry ellis offers a bilingual web site in spanish and english. proud of his mixed heritage, feldenkreis received the lincoln-marti award for his role in the cuban refugee program and has been honored with the david ben-gurion award from the state of israel. in 2001, he established the george feldenkreis endowment fund, which created the feldenkreis distinguished scholar, a permanent professorship in miami's sue and leonard miller center for contemporary judaic studies. our prediction: with a record 50.3% increase in second quarter revenue in 2005, the company looks like it will be ready to tackle 2006 with its new cross-promotion agreement with the miami dolphins. expect to see cleo lemon off the field in a 2006 pinstripe blazer. contact: perry ellis international 305-873-1421 030 education ricardo fernandez president, lehman college academic level: ph d in romance languages and literature. princeton university age: 53 residence: bronx, new york who he is: born and raised in puerto rico, fernandez is president of lehman college of the university of new york, a position he has held since september 1, 1990. fernandez received a b.a. degree in philosophy and an m.a. degree in spanish literature from marquette university, and an m.a. and ph.d. in romance languages and literatures from princeton university. why he made the list: of the few latinos leading important latino-hispanic studies centers in major colleges and universities, fernandez is perhaps the most recognized and distinguished. throughout his 30-year career in education, he has focused on methods to improve educational outcomes, especially on programs to provide the preparation and encouragement needed for more minority students to enter and succeed in college. during his tenure, lehman has steadily increased the level of its grant-funded research and the variety and reach of its programs, while also becoming a major resource for the borough's economic, cultural, and educational development. fernandez serves on various boards and has received numerous awards, such as the national society of hispanic mbas award, the r gus cardenas award from the hispanic association of colleges and universities and the promesa community service award. our prediction: with an already illustrious career under his belt, expect fernandez to take on a more national role in education. besides all of his published work and research, he could very likely take a government position that has to do with the creation and enforcement of educational policies at a national level. contact: lehman college (718) 960-8111 031 sports raul j. fernandez chairman and ceo, objectvideo and sport franchise owner academic level: b a ill economics, university of maryland age: 39 residence: washington. d c who he is: he grew up in silver spring, maryland, the son of a cuban father and an ecuadorian mother. while still in high school, he landed a job as an aide to congressman jack kemp because of his spanish-speaking skills and continued to work on the hill during his years at the university of maryland. in 1991, he founded proxicom, a provider of e-business solutions for fortune 500 companies. he now runs objectvideo, a video surveillance software company that provides protection to high-risk environments including borders, airports, seaports, and oil refineries. in addition to his political and technological pursuits, fernandez is part owner of the nhl's washington capitals, the nba's washington wizards, the wnba's washington mystics and the mci center why he made the list: with a startup of $40,000 fernandez deftly sold proxicom for a whopping $450 million before the dot-com bubble burst. his ability to see business trends and anticipate the best move has made him on of the most powerful latinos in security technology. with a strong commitment to those who helped him achieve his career goals, he donated $1 million for a new technology building to his alma mater, st. john's college high school, a private catholic military institution for boys. despite his enormous wealth and hectic schedule, fernandez is well regarded as a kind man and a very loyal friend. our prediction: as homeland security steps up more and more, fernandez and objectvideo will continue their climb to technological and financial success. his spanish-language skills may entice government officials to employ him to keep the u.s.-mexico border safe. contact: objectvideo (703) 654-9300 032 private organizations/advocacy hector flores president, league of united latin american citizens (lulac) academic level: b a., st. mary's university age: 55 residence: dallas, texas who he is: born in dilley, texas to mexican immigrants, flores grew up working the crop fields with his parents. having learned english in the fields, he became the first high school and college graduate in his family after several leadership positions held over 28 years, in 2002 flores was elected national president of the league of united latin american citizens (lulac), and as such the leader of one of the largest and oldest hispanic civil rights organizations in the united states. additionally, flores has received numerous honors for his continued service to lulac; his commitment to his community is underscored by his participation on numerous boards. why he made the list: with the mission of advancing the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of the hispanic population of the united states, lulac has been the pre-eminent latino organization for some time. lulac believes in the democratic principle of individual political and religious freedom and in our duty and responsibility to assert our rights and privileges in pursuit of a fuller and richer civilization for our country, especially now as latinos move from large cities into suburbs and new areas. our prediction: with a broad national membership of various ethnic groups and a well respected background and reputation, lulac will, with flores at the helm, help to prepare places that historically had not had a large latino population successfully integrate them into the community in such a way that everyone will benefit. expect flores to help the organization provide added resources to facilitate the transitions. contact: lulac (202) 833-6130 033 entertainment nely galan president and ceo, galan entertainment academic level: b.a. in communications age: 39 residence: los angeles, california who she is: born in santa clara, cuba, galan migrated with her family to teaneck, new jersey at the age of two. her media career began in high school when seventeen magazine named her a guest editor after reading a story submission. with a fiery can-do attitude, the new york times dubbed galan "the tropical tycoon." her spanish tv talk-show padre alberto struck a nerve with latino audiences and became a huge hit in latin america. in 1994 she founded galan entertainment, an umbrella company that develops and produces urban television and feature film projects. among her clients are hbo, fox, upn, nbc/telemundo, lifetime television, abc, sony and mtv. why he made the list: one of the most powerful women in today's media today, galan is devoted to expanding the presence of latinos on national television. in an unprecedented move, fox broadcasting company closed a deal with galan entertainment to produce english- and spanish-language television programming for audiences in the u.s. and latin america. galan's best-known project, reality-show the swan, aired on fox for two seasons with more than 10 million viewers. our prediction: riding the reality-tv tide, galan entertainment will keep churning out new programs. el principe azul and la cenicienta 2 are up and running and we wouldn't be surprised to see galan create a latino answer to the survivor franchise. in addition, with her recent announcement that she intends to turn alisa valdez's bestseller dirty girls social club into a made-for-tv movie, expect nely to become a strong contender for an emmy, or perhaps two, next year. contact: galen entertainment (310) 823-2822 034 judicial system emilio garza judge, 5th circuit court of appeals academic level: j.d., university of texas school of law age: 58 residence: san antonio, texas who he is: born in san antonio, texas, in 1947, garza is a judge on the united states court of appeals for the fifth circuit. he graduated from the university of notre dame in 1969, receiving an ma there in 1970. he then joined the u.s. marine corps, where he served as an officer from 1970-1973. garza earned his juris doctorate at the university of texas' school of law in 1976. he was an attorney in private practice with the law firm of clemens, spencer, welmaker & fink in san antonio between 1976 and 1986. on february 2, 1988, president ronald reagan appointed garza to the united states district court for the western district of texas, to fill the seat vacated by william s. sessions. why he made the list: garza has quickly risen through the ranks and is likely to move on soon to a higher circuit, perhaps the supreme court. some court observers say garza would be closest to chief justice william rehnquist, among the sitting judges, in his judicial philosophy. a very effective that lawyer, he was sincerely interested in his clients and in seeing that their interests were protected; garza specialized in defending hospitals and doctors in medical malpractice cases. in 1991, when he was first mentioned as a possible nominee to the supreme court, garza had been on the bench only three years and had written only a few judicial opinions. our prediction: with a background like his, judge garza is likely to move quickly to a higher circuit or perhaps run for office in the next election. contact: fifth circuit clerk's office (504) 310-7700 035 federal government alberto gonzales u.s. attorney general academic level: j.d., harvard law school age: 50 residence: washington, dc who he is: born in texas in 1955, gonzales was the second of eight children. his father, who died in 1982, was a construction worker, and both his parents were children of immigrants from mexico with less than a high-school education themselves. an honors student at macarthur high school in houston, gonzales enlisted in the united states air force in 1973. he later went on to earn a degree from harvard law school. why he made the list: one of the most powerful figures of the bush administration, alberto gonzales became the nation's first latino attorney general on february 3, 2005. shortly thereafter, gonzales was the center of a heated race for two vacancies in the u.s. supreme court. had he been nominated and ratified, he would have become the first latino supreme court justice in history. but, as the war on terrorism enters un-chartered political and legal territory, gonzales' position becomes more critical to the president. alberto gonzales is, arguably, in the international media spotlight like no attorney general before him. our prediction: despite gonzales controversial stance on the rights of prisoners under the geneva convention and accusations of improper acceptance of campaign contributions, he has solid support within the administration and has emerged largely unscathed from vehement criticism. given that bush did not nominate a latino to the higher court, we think that alberto will stay on as legal counsel for a president through the completion of his term and then run for office. contact: u.s. department of justice (202) 353-1555 036 sports oswaldo "ozzie" guillen general manager, chicago white sox academic level: secondary age: 41 residence: chicago, illinois who he is: born oswaldo jose guillen barrios in venezuela, the white sox shortstop of 13 years became the major league baseball team's manager in 2004. he ranks among a select group of fellow shortstops from his homeland, and as a player, he received both the american league rookie of the year award as well as the sporting news rookie of the year award--an honor he shares with baseball greats jackie robinson, willie mays, whitey ford and johnny bench. he was an all-star in 1988 and in 1990, the same year he won the golden glove. why he made the list: as the team manager, he led the white sox through a rare world series sweep to win the team's first championship in 88 years. his recent success led the sporting news to crown him american league manager of the year in 2004. he is one of the youngest managers in the majors, and is one of only three latino managers. while guillen had announced a retirement contingent on the sox's world series win, the support from his fans made him change his mind. he is not throwing the towel in quite yet--the beloved ozzie will return next season to manage the white sox one more time. our prediction: after the rousing success in 2005, fans will be even more supportive of guillen's managerial skills off the field, if he manages to maintain the same drive and interest in his team that made them winners this year, expect guillen, and his white sox champs, to get to the world series again. contact: white sox 312-674-1000 037 federal government carlos m. gutierrez 35th secretary of the u.s. department of commerce academic level: b.b.a. in business administration, monterrey institute of technology age: 52 residence: washington, dc who he is: born in havana, cuba in 1953, gutierrez fled cuba and came to the united states with his family as a child in 1960. he studied business administration at the monterrey institute of technology in queretaro, mexico and joined kellogg company as a sales representative in 1975, only to eventually become the youngest ceo in the company's nearly 100-year history. why he made the list: the voice of business in government and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of kellogg company, gutierrez is a core member of president bush's economic team. sworn into office on february 7, 2005, secretary gutierrez oversees a diverse cabinet agency with some 40,000 workers and a $5.8 billion budget focused on promoting american business at home and abroad. as secretary of u.s. department of commerce, gutierrez has significant influence over national and international business concerning the united states. in nominating him, president george w. bush said, "he understands the world of business, from the first rung on the ladder to the very top. he knows exactly what it takes to help american businesses grow and to create jobs." our prediction: : with an administration that's been engaged in war almost virtually from the beginning, thus diverting all the attention, and funds, away from the business sector, gutierrez has been hard-pressed to make a deep impact in the d.o.c. expect him to fulfill his duties and return to corporate america to head another company other than kellogg. contact: cgutierrez@doc.gov (202) 482-2000 038 state/local government phil hardberger mayor of san antonio, texas academic level: j.d., georgetown university age: 70 residence: san antonio, texas who he is: born in morton, texas, hardberger spent much of his childhood working in cotton gins working alongside his father, who managed them. after earning a degree from baylor university, he served as a captain in the united states air force and then as director of the peace corps in washington, d.c., later on, he earned a law degree from georgetown university and returned to texas, where he eventually became chief justice of the fourth court of appeals. why he made the list: the importance of phild hardberger lies not only in the way he became mayor, but also on the vision that he has for a city that is largely populated by latinos. in a mayoral race that had been dominated by a young, hispanic candidate, hardherger came from behind to defeat him and become the first non-hispanic mayor the city has had in over 10 years. his vision of a cosmopolitan san antonio, where large corporations can establish themselves and grow ultimately decimated julian castro's more conservative ideas for the city, and his chances to become san antonio's youngest mayor. our prediction: with his "big city" vision of an otherwise considered small town, hardherger is determined to push san antonio into a new, higher level. excited by the opportunity of having hosted the new orleans saints nfl team while the superdome was reconditioned following hurricane katrina, hardberger has started a major push to get an nfl franchise permanently housed in san antonio ... and we can safely bet he is going to get it. contact: san antonio city hall (210) 207-7060 039 health & science david hayes bautista professor of medicine and director of the center for the study of latino health and culture for the school of medicine at ucla academic level: ph.d. in medical sociology, university of california, san francisco age: 55 residence: los angeles, california who he is: born in los angeles to second generation mexican-americans, bautista is the most important latino health researcher in the country. his parents wore born in the united states, but his grandparents were from mexico, from a town called atlautla. david is one of the best known social researchers in the field of healthcare. his work focuses primarily on the growth of the latino community in the state of california and its impact on the state's economy, both short and long term. why he made the list: bautista's studies have forced the medical field to provide more equitable services to latinos and they have also propelled major pharmaceutical companies to allocate resources to the development of drugs for the conditions that mostly affect latinos. in addition, his studies have helped to dispelled several myths. for example, he conducted a study that confirmed that california's famously congested highways would be less crowded if more commuters followed the example of latinos, most of who use public transportation or carpool and that of other immigrants. the study confirmed that u.s. born latinos were more likely than anglos to share rides or take trains and buses. the findings contradict presumptions that the increase in the size of the state's latino population would lead to a corresponding increase in traffic congestion. our prediction: as the latino population in california continues to grow. exponentially, hayes bautista's newest findings will directly impact the medical field's approach to the treatment of latino communities for some time to come, making them highly relevant to the medical, pharmaceutical and other health-related fields. contact: ucla (310) 794-0663 040 arts carolina herrera fashion designer academic level: not specified age: 66 residence: new york city, new york who she is: born in caracas, venezuela to a wealthy family, herrera spent many years as a wife and a mother of four, when, armed with an uncanny sense for fashion and an undaunted determination, she started her own design business in 1980. her delicate and elegant designs emphasize feminine comfort while maintaining a classic chic. this stamp of originality has made herrera a fashion legend, and the longevity of her business in a cutthroat industry is a true statement of her achievements. why he made the list: with a sales volume of over $100 million worldwide, carolina herrera has established herself as an icon in the world of international fashion. she broke from the role of a stay-at-home mom and took the world by storm with a sense for fashion and business. with determination, she rose about the critics who accused her of being a bored socialite turning to fashion, and built a major label that is world-renowned. she has designed for celebrities and politicians, including the late jacqueline onassis, who employed herrera for over a decade as her personal designer. her unique designs and fragrances are sold exclusively at the world's top specialty stores. a definitive new book carolina herrera: portrait of a fashion icon was released last fall, chronicling her personal life and the makings of her fashion empire. our prediction: a new carolina herrera bride barbie doll is now available at fao schwartz stores for $140, but women who order her from her bridal collection get it for free. (bridesmaids may purchase barbie separately.) a nod to fashion fun or a decided decline in elegance? we'll have to wait and see. contact: carolina herrera usa (212) 944-5757 041 business owners david c. lizarraga president and ceo, telacu academic level: not specified age: 57 residence: los angeles, california who he is: in the 1960s as a young man in east la., diavid saw the many empty buildings and the out-of-work families in his neighborhood. an activist at a young age, lizagarra learned philanthropy from his parents, both of whom were active in working with the needy. in 1973, he became president of the east los angeles community union (telacu), a not-for-profit community development corporation. he leveraged a hefty $10 million federal grant and used his real estate investing knowledge to turn that into $100 million for telacu. why he made the list: lizarraga has devoted his life to building hundreds of quality, affordable homes, quality jobs, to the lending of millions of dollars to families and small business entrepreneurs. one of the most successful businessmen on the west coast, lizarraga has built a company that has assets in excess of $400 million. he is also the former chairman of the ushcc, the largest organization for latino businessmen in the u.s. a very successful entrepreneur, he was elected at a time when the organization was in serious political and financial struggle, and he managed to turn it around and save it from sinking. he is recognized around the globe as one of america's top latino leaders. his strong voice is sought in matters of urban development, real estate and the trends among hispanic communities. our prediction: as more immigrants come to the los angeles area, expect telacu to continue to create new homeowners and self-sufficient latino families in the neighborhood. lizarraga should find himself at the helm of another organization like ushcc and helping steer it to greater growth. contact: telacu (323) 721-1655 042 business owners alex lopez negrete president, ceo and cco of lopez negrete communications academic level: b.a. in communications age: 46 residence: houston, texas who he is: in 1985, this houston-born, mexico city-raised man began an advertising company in his apartment with his wife, their three-year-old daughter and a cat. at only 26 years old, the bilingual entrepreneur had a solid sense of marketing--his mother was the director of marketing for estee lauder in mexico city today, lopez negrete communications is a major houston firm that tackles print, radio and television advertising for major companies. with $110 million in billings and over 90 employees, lopez negrete's name is well known in the ad arena. in 2001, the financial agency was ranked number two in financial marketing senaces magazine's list of top 10 agencies. in addition to his marketing work, lopez negrete is a talented musician. why he made the list: lopez negrete communications is one of the fastest growing businesses in houston with its unique approach to advertising with "mind. heart. body soul." the firm has won national and international creative awards, making it a very attractive agency for companies seeking the hispanic market and counts microsoft, bank of america, wal-mart and shell oil among its clients. in 2002, alex lopez negrete was appointed by president george w. bush to the president's advisory committee on the arts for the john e kennedy center for the performing arts. lopez negrete communications has vowed to remain hispanic-owned and operated. our prediction: does it get any bigger than wal-mart? with the firm's singular grasp on the u.s. latino consumer mindset, it seems like every major company is knocking on the lopez negrete door. we could see ads for motorola, mac or even general electric made by the agency pretty soon. contact: lopez negrete (713) 877-8777 043 entertainment george lopez actor, stand-up comedian academic level: secondary age: 43 residence: los angeles, california who he is: born in mission hills, california, lopez was two years old when his father left the family. tragedy struck again when he was ten; his mother re-married, moved out and left george to be raised by his grandmother. with the lemons life gave him, he made lemonade and was able to laugh at his loss. he had his first experience as a standup comic at an open mic night at a club in los angeles in 1979, on the day he graduated from high school. the avid golfer continues his stand-up routine to this day. last year he set a record at universal amphitheater in los angeles with seven sold-out performances and a total attendance of more than 42,000. why he made the list: lopez has set new standards on prime-time tv as the star of the most successful english-language, prime-time television series about latin americans since chico and the man, back in the 1970s. his sitcom george lopez is entering its fifth season as one of the most-watched shows on abc. he has received the national hispanic media coalition impact award, the manny mota foundation community spirit award, and the vision award. he and his wife ann are the national spokespeople for the national kidney foundation of southern california. our prediction: he has had some small film roles as mr guzman in real women have curves and as a voice in the cartoon the adventures of sharkboy and lavagirl, but we think lopez will start to conquer the big screen, much like he has the small screen, coming soon. contact: marleah leslie & associates 323-966-4669 044 entertainment jennifer lopez actress, singer, dancer, designer academic level: secondary age: 35 residence: los angeles, california who she is: born in the bronx to puerto rican parents, jennifer lynn lopez grew up in the castle hill section of the new york borough. as a child, she wanted to be a performer, and lopez started participating in recitals and theater as much as possible. in 1987, she graduated from preston high school, enrolled at baruch college in new york city, but dropped out after one semester. determined to pursue her dream of dancing, she was awarded a scholarship to a manhattan dance school and landed a role as one of the fly girls on the tv show, in living color. the rest is history. why he made the list: with her humble, down-to-earth attitude and a passion for her craft, lopez is the quintessential rags-to-riches, american dream story one of the torch bearers of the latino revolution that swept the country in late 1990's, lopez is a true media phenomenon and she has the poise, gumption and charm to thrive. she has won an american music award, billboard latin award, and an mtv movie award and has been nominated for a golden globe. her light is not fading, as she continues to crank out movies, albums and even new perfumes, it seems like everything she touches turns to success. our prediction: lopez is branching out into film production in the film bordertown, in which she stars with antonio banderas. we expect the triple-threat to continue taking the reigns behind the camera as a producer--might she also try her hand at directing sometime soon? contact: liza burnett (212) 685-4300 045 business owners john c. lopez founder and chairman of the board, lopez foods academic level: b b.a., northern arizona university age: 55 residence: oklahoma city, oklahoma who he is: the mexican-american purchased normac foods in 1992 and changed the name to lopez foods three years later. today, that company is the largest latino-owned manufacturer of beef and pork products in the united states. lopez's entrepreneurial spirit led one of the world's most powerful corporations to him. a mcdonald's franchise owner in los angeles, john lopez was approached by the mega-corporation in 1990 to by a meat processing plant in oklahoma. timid at first, lopez decided to take a chance, and accepted the job at the later-named lopez foods, earning him great financial success. why he made the list: a major producer of meat products for mcdonald's, wal-mart, sam's club and applebee's, lopez foods ranked 12th on the hispanic business 500 with revenues exceeding $452 million last year. in addition to his business savvy, lopez has long-helped minority small-business owners develop plans, secure finances, and seek out new business ventures. he is a member of the national advisory board of hacer (hispanic american commitment to educational resources), board member on the latino community development agency; and was a member of the mcdonald's supplier diversity council. our prediction: under the new leadership of president ed sanchez and with a new facility in guatemala, lopez foods entered a new phase of success. earnings jumped $152 million from 2003 to 2004, so the 2005 numbers should be anything but lean. contact: lopez foods (405) 789-7500 046 exec independent pros peter m. lopez attorney at law academic level: juris doctor, university of california, los angeles age: 56 residence: los angeles, california who he is: born in san francisco, lopez and his family moved to los angeles when he was very young. his parents were immigrants from mexico. as a young man, lopez decided to pursue a college education. after graduating from ucla law school, he began his successful career in entertainment law, where he has represented some of the most prominent, and controversial, stars in the music, film and television industries. why he made the list: lopez has made a highly successful career out of representing celebrities. kleinberg, lopez, lange, brisbin & cuddy, the firm where he works as a partner, represents some of the most famous people in hollywood, such as paris hilton, frankie muniz, linda carter, numerous film production companies and a legion of sports celebrities. in his presonal life, lopez has dedicated himself to numerous charities, including co-founding c.o.a.c.h. for kids, which provides mobile medical clinics through cedar sinai medical center to economically disadvantaged children in los angeles county in addition to his work as a lawyer, lopez has also used his musical background and industry relationships to find and create new talent. he was instrumental in developing and managing the careers of wilson phillips, vanilla ice, and the world-famous italian tenor, andrea bocelli. along with moctesuma esparza, peter was also one of the producers of the highly successful motion picture selena. our prediction: these days lopez seems to be spending a good amount of time catering to his client paris hilton's needs. as much media attention as the hotel heiress has been getting lately, we expect peter to remain pretty tied up for a little while. contact: kleinberg, lopez, lange, brisbin & cuddy (310) 286-9696 047 entertainment los tigres del norte norteno music group academic level: not speofied age: various residence: san jose, california who he is: the grammy award-winning band of brothers (and a cousin) started their musical career in san jose, california. family troubles meant that the hernandez brothers had to support the family, and they took a gamble on performance for the source of income. at one point in the early years, the band lived in one room in a mexican woman's house. they began to perform in the san jose area and saw their first hit in the early 70s with "contrabando y traicion." today, the prolific group counts 30 records and 14 movies among its many accomplishments. their newest album, directo al corazon, was released in march. why he made the list: los tigres del norte have been very influential in mexican pop music, first addressing drug smuggling in mexican and american communities and, later in their career, vocalizing their opinions about immigration. they modernized and popularized norteno music. while the band members experienced harsh racism in the mid 60s--denied service in restaurants and stores--they persevered in spite of everything and have had great success. the group created the los tigres del norte foundation in 2000 to foster a greater appreciation of mexican and mexican-american folk music traditions and to financially support arts organizations. in 2004, they earned the new america alliance philanthropic award. our prediction: these guys aren't going anywhere, but up! a latin music staple for nearly four decades, we knowingly anticipate another album from los tigres del norte. maybe they'll write some songs about border issues in the post 9111 era. contact: los tigres del norte foundation (909) 931-3600 048 media the lozano family founders, diario la opinion academic level: various age: various residence: los angeles. california who she is: until january 2004, the lozano family owned la opinion, the largest spanish-language daily newspaper in the u.s. fleeing the impending mexican revolution, ignacio e. lozano moved to california and founded the newspaper as a small daily in 1926 on mexico's independence day, september 16. now in its 77th year of publication, la opinion is managed by his grandchildren: jose ignacio lozano is vice chairman of impremedia, the parent company of la opinion; monica is the new publisher and ceo of the newspaper as well as senior vice president of impremedia. the youngest member of the family, francisco, works in the paper's business development. why she made the list: this remarkable family still operates one of the top 100 largest dailies in the united states--one that reaches nearly half a million readers every day ignacio lozano's commitment to fair journalism for the latino community and staunch support of free speech has enhanced both the publication and his family's proud heritage. monica lozano is a heavy hitter in the publishing world, and sits on the board of many powerful companies including walt disney co. and the national council of la raza. la opinion is unique, as its writers research in english, report the news in spanish, while penning stories for a readership born in mexico or central america. no other newspaper in the u.s. can match that claim. our prediction: while the lozano family no longer owns la opinion, they still manage and operate the mega-paper. expect the merger with impremedia to boost sales and embolden the paper's presence on a larger map under monica's guidance. contact: diario la opinion (213) 622-8332 049 judicial system patricia madrid attorney general of new mexico: elected in 1998, reelected in 2002 academic level: juris doctor, university of new mexico age: 59 residence: santa fe, new mexico who she is: a native new mexican and the first woman elected to new mexico district court in 1978, madrid became the nation's first latina attorney general and new mexico's 29th attorney general, after being elected in 1998 only to be re-elected in 2002 for a successful second term. she has been honored by the latina bar association, mothers against drunk driving (madd), and has received the trailblazer award from the new mexico commission on the status of women. why she made the list: madrid has worked extensively with crime victims, an effort that has lead to grants and training in the issue of domestic violence and immigrant victims of assault. she has established an internet crimes against children, which has been instrumental in the increased prosecution of violent crime, and has worked towards bringing together state, federal, and environmental interests. her actions have resulted in cash settlements to the state that whenever possible have been distributed as a variety of funds to address pressing social needs. to-date, her efforts have resulted in the infusion of more than 300 million dollars into the state's general fund. our prediction: madrid has been incredibly pro-active and influential within the state of new mexico. as the state continues to grow in population and political doubt, the impact of her work will increase and don't be surprised to see her continue to work with social justice issues affecting primarily women and latinos, which will continue to enhance the impact of her work as attorney general and pull her into the national spotlight. contact: new mexico state attorney general (505) 827-6000 050 science aida maisonet giachello founder, the midwest latino health research, training center at the university academic level: phd in sociology, university of chicago age: 59 residence: chicago, illinois who she is: born and raised in san juan, puerto rico, giachello has a ba in social sciences from the university of puerto rico, a master's degree in community organizing, social planning and policy from the university of chicago, and a ph.d. in sociology, also from the university of chicago. she is an educator, a writer, and is considered an expert on hispanic/latino health issues. giachello's research and policy work centers on issues of access to medical care, maternal and child health, hiv/aids, geriatrics, multicultural issues in health care, and women's health and social issues. she is currently an associate professor at the jane addams college of social work. why she made the list: giachello is founder and director of the midwest latino health research, training and policy center the latino center was established to conduct health outcomes research, research training, technical assistance and policy in the areas of chronic conditions and maternal and child health; in fact, the center has become a national model for engaging community leaders, rather than outside "experts," in collecting data, assessing medical needs and developing plans for combating health problems that disproportionately affect latinos. giachello, a university of chicago educated sociologist and former social worker, has made the training of researchers, physicians and nurses a priority because there are cultural elements to providing care for latinos that top non-hispanic students don't understand. our prediction: with a drive and determination that won't let her give up, expect giachello to continue to make a mark by engaging national key figures in her battle to educate society on the health needs of the hispanic population. contact: university of illinois at chicago (312) 996-2521 051 us congress mel martinez senator, florida academic level: j.d., florida state university age: 59 residence: washington, dc who he is: mel martinez was born in cuba and brought to the u.s. at 15 as part of operation peter pan, along with more than 14,000 cuban children. facing the prospect of life in the united states without his family, he spoke virtually no english and lived in youth facilities and foster homes until being reunited with his family in 1966. a successful trial attorney, martinez served as the 12th secretary of housing and urban development under president george w. bush. at the urging of the president, he resigned his cabinet post in 2003 to run for an open u.s. senate seat in florida. why he made the list: mel martinez is the first cuban american ever to serve in the u.s. senate. his election showcases the support of the republican party for a hispanic candidate running for a national political office. he is considered a conservative republican, who is anti-abortion, pro-bush policy in iraq, and against same-sex marriage. he is at times controversial in his statements, and was once notably attributed for anti-homosexual remarks in his home state of florida. our prediction: in november 2005, he announced that he had secured more than $92 milion in funding for energy and water projects throughout the state of florida. this will no doubt increase his supporters in his home state, and the sheer feat of obtaining that much funding will make him even more popular among the voting crowds. do we see him as a possible running mate? you bet we do. contact: u.s. senate (202) 224-3041 052 private organizations/advocacy groups marilou martinez-stevens president, marilou martinez-stevens & associates academic level: b.b.a., university of texas at austin age: 45 residence: fort worth, texas who she is: born in cohauila, mexico, marilou and her two sisters grew up in poteet, texas, where her parents migrated when she was only 9 years old. right out of college, marilou was recruited by price waterhouse, a world leading accounting firm, where she went to work for the small business division. in 1989, she started an accounting firm in dallas that specializes in helping people stay in business by providing the infrastructure necessary to manage the financial side of the company the company's name is marilou martinez-stevens & associates (mms), a certified public accounting firm. why he made the list: in february 2005, new america alliance (naa) announced the election of martinez-stevens to chair of the board of new america alliance. as an naa founding board member, martinez stevens has been with the organization since its inception and has been a tremendous force in moving the alliance's agenda forward. martinez-stevens is a recent recipient of the national society of hispanic mbas brillante awards. martinez-stevens is responsible for the overarching goal of the new america alliance to press for greater availability of investment capital in order to accelerate latino business expansion. our prediction: marilou's duties with the naa will certainly keep her busy, but what's posing itself as a more attractive challenge is her current venture: a new business model for smaller accounting firms that will undoubtedly propel her to new heights in the cpa world. contact: marilou martinez stevens & associates (817) 315-1448 053 business owners jorge mas, jr. chairman of the board, mastec, inc. and mastec family foundation academic level: not specified age: 42 residence: miami, florida who he is: jorge mas jr. is the son of the late jorge mas canosa, a cuban exile who worked in the early era of telecommunications and who founded the anti-castro cuban american national foundation. mas canosa taught the business to his sons and in 1994, mas jr. brought his father's construction firm, church and tower, to a higher level. he made an aggressive move to acquire rival construction company burnup & sims, and successfully merged the two to become mastec. he is currently chairman of the board of the cuban american national foundation, inc. and chairman of the board of directors of neff corp. and is a member of the board of directors of nova southeastern university. why he made the list: in 1999, jorge's company made history as the first hispanic-owned business in american history to reach $1 billion in revenues. his telecommunications firm provides energy infrastructure construction to major wireless providers, cable tv companies and energy groups including time warner and sprint. mastec is ranked among the largest latino-owned businesses in the u.s. and jorge is considered among the top five businessmen in the latino market. in anticipation of hurricane katrina, the mastec family foundation sent donations of $25,000 to u.s.a. harvest, a non-profit organization providing food for displaced hurricane victims. our prediction: while mastec saw startling growth toward the end of the 1990s, shares dropped 14% at one point in 2004. the first quarter of 2005 brought a $0.25 loss per share, and with the devastation in the gulf coast, jorge's ventures could be seeing more stormy weather ahead. contact: mastec (305) 599-1800 054 private organizations/advocacy eliseo medina executive vice president, service employees international union academic level: left school to become a farm worker after 8th grade age: 62 residence: los angeles, california who he is: as a young boy, medina crossed the us/mexican border with his mother and siblings to join his working father. by working alongside cesar chavez during the historic united farm workers strike in delano, california medina honed his skills as an organizer and union leaden in 1989, thousands of immigrant workers marching through the towers of century city were attacked by the los angeles police. dozens were badly beaten and the city-wide uproar over police violence produced sufficient pressure to force the biggest contractors to sign union agreements. they were represented by the seiu. after thirty years in the labor movement, medina managed to work his way to the top of seiu, the country's largest union, which represents more immigrants than any other union. why he made the list: as international executive vice president of selu, based in los angeles, medina helped make seiu the fastest-growing union on the west coast and the largest union in california. named to the labor federation's special committee on immigration policy, medina eventually became involved in the afl-cio executive council's historic shift in immigration policy in february of 2000. medina also helped to strengthen ties between the catholic church and the labor movement on common issues such as immigrant labor rights and health care access. our prediction: medina has established himself as a labor visionary and as a link between immigrant's groups and labor unions. medina will remain a figurehead for seiu, and likely have the option of turning to politics once his official post with seiu ends, and with his organizing power he is likely to win whatever position he seeks by a large margin. contact: seiu (202) 898-3200 055 us congress bob menendez congressman, 13th congressional district of new jersey academic level: j.d., rutgers school of law age: 51 residence: washington, dc who he is: born in union city, new jersey to cuban parents, menendez attended college in his home state. after practicing law for twelve years, he has been a rising star ever since making his first appearance in the political arena. he served as the mayor of union city from 1986 to 1992. he also served as a member of the new jersey general assembly, the lower house of the new jersey legislature from 1987 until 1991, when he took his seat in the new jersey senate. menendez served two years in the senate until 1993, when he became a member of the u.s. house. why he made the list: menendez is the chair of the democratic caucus, third in the line of power for the democrats in congress after the minority leader and the minority whip. an attorney, he was once the mayor of his hometown of union city, nj. he is also a former new jersey state assemblyman and state senator. it is possible that he could rise to the minority and majority leader positions. conceivably, he could become speaker of the u.s. house of representatives, should the democrats regain majority status in congress. menendez is the hispanic voice present in democratic congressional leadership meetings, as well as in congressional leadership gatherings with the white house. our prediction: the name 'bob menendez' has been circulating in the upper ranks of the democratic party as a possible successor to a united states senatorial seat. given jon corzine's gubernatorial win, menendez may be groomed to take his place. look for consistent leadership and a steady rise in power and clout. contact: u.s. congress (202) 225-7919 056 busines owners j. mario molina president and ceo, molina healthcare, inc. academic level: md, university of southern california age: 46 residence: long beach, california who he is: son of c. david molina, mario runs molina healthcare, a managed healthcare company that provides care to individuals covered under medicaid, the healthy families program, the state children's health insurance program (schip) and other government-sponsored health insurance programs in six states. he has served as medical director of molina healthcare as well as vice president, overseeing provider contracting, member services, market and quality assurance. molina is a member of the board of the new america alliance, a group of latino business leaders. he was named one of time magazine's 25 most influential hispanics in 2005. why he made the list: j. mario molina is cawing on his father's tradition and commitment to providing quality healthcare to people who would otherwise be unable to afford care. part of molina healthcare's vision is to keep the individual physician central to providing healthcare--not the hmo. to further help their patients, molina healthcare created the cultural and linguistics services program to help physicians and other employees learn more about their patients' cultures and thus improve their approach to care. molina healthcare is among the top 100 fastest-growing companies that operates in an american inner city, according to the initiative for a competitive inner city. our prediction: in its october 10 issue, u.s. news & world report ranked the health plans of molina healthcare, inc. among the top medicaid plans in the united states. as mario molina and molina healthcare continue to score kudos with the press, the company is poised to stretch into more states and to more patients. contact: molina healthcare (888) 562-5442 057 business owners arturo moreno owner, los angeles angels, major league baseball academic level: b.b.a, university of arizona age: 59 residence: la jolla, california who he is: the oldest of 11 children raised in a two-bedroom home, moreno joined the army as a young man and fought in the vietnam wan in 1973, the tucson native was hired by the billboard company eller outdoor. moreno is a self-made billionaire who frequently appears on forbes' list of the wealthiest people in america. an avid baseball fan, he has used his wealth to buy various teams including the minor league salt lake city trappers and the major league team, the anaheim angels. why he made the list: after working for ellner outdoor, he moved to outdoor systems, where, under his leadership, the company's total profits grew from $500,000 to $90 million dollars in under a decade. the company went public in 1996. the next year, he established the moreno family foundation and by 1998, he had even more to contribute to his philanthropic causes: that year moreno sold outdoor systems for $8 billion. in 2003, the fourth-generation mexican-american made a deal with disney and jointly acquired and revitalized the mlb team the anaheim angels. this move made history as he became the first latino to own a major u.s. sports team. he renamed the team the los angeles angels of anaheim in order to strengthen their economic viability and more easily market to the l.a. metropolitan area. our prediction: the angels won the world series in 2002, but lost the shot this season to the white sox. we hope some of the new fans moreno hopes to cultivate from the greater l.a. area will cheer the angels to victory next season. contact: anaheim angels (888) 796-halo 058 private organizations/advocacy groups janet murguia president and ceo, national council of la raza (nclr) academic level: j.d., kansas state university age: 46 residence: kansas city, kansas who she is: mexican-american murguia is as a key figure among the next generation of leaders in the latino community. on january 1, 2005 she succeeded raul yzaguirre as president and chief executive officer of the nclr. prior to joining nclr, murguia was the executive vice chancellor for university relations at the university of kansas (ku). murguia's past experience include working at the white house in various capacities from 1994 to 2000. she has served on the nclr's board of directors and on the kauffman foundation youth development board. why he made the list: in taking over the reins of the nclr, janet was placed in the position of filling a large pair of shoes: paul yzaguirre's. not one to be easily intimidated, she has forged ahead with a determination that makes skeptics realize that indeed she means business. the nclr is the largest national constituency-based hispanic organization and the leading voice in washington, dc for the hispanic community. the organization focuses on four major functions: capacity-building assistance; applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy; public information efforts; and special and international projects. our prediction: many have seriously questioned janet's ability to successfully lead the organization, partly because of yzaguirre's iconic legacy, partly because she is a woman. watch her lead the nclr to unparalleled heights by making quite controversial moves and leave her critics dumbfounded and speechless. contact: the national council of la raza (202) 785-1670 059 entertainment alex nogales president and ceo, national hispanic media coalition academic level: b.a. in film and television, university of california at los angels age: 62 residence: los angeles, california who he is: the son of migrant farm workers from mexico, nogales grew up in calexico, california. he spent the majority of his childhood traveling with his family and helping them pick crops. later on, he was able to pursue an education, and eventually obtained a degree in film and television at age 32. he workes as a staff writer for villa alegre, a bilingual children's television show, and later went to cbs. he has been married twice and is a father of four. today he is one of the most influential latinos in the television and film production industries. why he made the list: nogales presides over a very powerful organization in the u.s. media. among his many credits, nogales has been instrumental in persuading the major tv networks (nbc, abc, cbs, fox), to incorporate more diverse programming that promotes a positive image of latinos to their schedules. as the president of the national hispanic media coalition, he has helped to increase the visibility of latinos in the english speaking media. amongst many recognitions and awards, nogales has won three emmy awards for the production of kid quiz, at issue and troubleshooter, he continually prods networks to include and improve upon the image of latinos in the u.s. although he has been at it for years, he has no intentions of stopping soon. our prediction: the coalition continues to make clear the latino voice among the nielsen ratings. with heavy-hitters like george lopez and eva longoria on primetime, we know that nogales will get their fans counted among the stats. contact: national hispanic media coalition (213) 534-3026 060 entertainment edward james olmos actor, director, producer academic level: some college courses, california state university age: 58 residence: los angeles, california who he is: born and raised in east l.a., olmos' first passion was baseball. though his father was convinced that eddie would make it to the majors, olmos soon discovered a passion for music and dance. by the time he was 25 he was engaged in experimental theater, and in 1978 landed the part of el pachuco in the luis valdez' broadway musical, zoot suit. the role landed him his first tony award nomination and helped propel what has become a truly illustrious acting career why he made the list: olmos is perhaps the most highly-recognized latino celebrity in the film and tv industry he is not only a famous face, but also tireless activist for all causes that promote equal rights for latinos and often stands as the latino voice in hollywood. besides his extensive recognition as an actor (a golden globe and two academy award nominations), olmos is deeply involved with the community. ever the proud latino, his production company created americanos, a photographic book about latino life in the u.s., which also toured as a smithsonian museum exhibition. olmos' philanthropy and pride have been recognized with an l.a. heritage award, a nosotros foundation golden eagle, and the harvard multicultural award. olmos is also a spokesperson and board member of various organizations. our prediction: walkout, olmos' newest directing venture will hit the screens in mid-2006. with a career built upon depictions of latinos in the u.s., expect olmos to shift gears and produce or appear in another socially-aware film that exposes some of the realities and challenges of the u.s.-latino community. perhaps a film version of a jose rivera play is on the horizon? contact: olmos productions, inc. www.edwardjamesolmos.com 061 political advisors alex padilla president of the los angeles city council academic level: b.s. in engineering, m.i.t. age: 33 residence: los angeles, california who he is: the son of mexican immigrants--his father a short order cook and his mother a house cleaner--padilla left southern california for college and eventually earned a b.s. in engineering from the massachusetts institute of technology in 1994. following graduation, padilla returned to california, where he completed a public affairs fellowship with the coro foundation and subsequently worked for senator diane feinstein before working at city hall. why he made the list: in 1999, padilla became the third-youngest person to ever be elected to the l.a. city council. just two years later, in 2001, he was elected as the council's first hispanic president in 130 years. in his district alone, padilla has been instrumental in building 3 new libraries and just recently broke ground on a new, $22 million dollar children's museum outside of l.a. our prediction: the u.s. census bureau reported in 2000 that 44.6 percent of los angeles county is of hispanic or latino origin. with this enormous and diverse population relying on his judgment, it is clear that padilla will play an integral role in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. but padilla has still greater aspirations: he reportedly has his sights set on a run for the state senate. and at 33, who knows where he'll go after that? we think the sky's the limit. contact: los angeles city council (213) 473-7007 062 politicians james j. padilla president and chief operating officer, ford motor company academic level: m.b.a. in economics, university of detroit age: 58 residence: dearborn, michigan who he is: born in detroit, padilla is president and chief operating officer of ford motor company and a member of the company's board of directors as of february 1st, 2005. he is responsible for the global automotive business, overseeing marketing, manufacturing, engineering, and other operations in more than 200 markets with 327,000 employees. prior to that appointment, padilla was responsible for all operations in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of ford, mercury and lincoln vehicles in the united states, canada, mexico and south america. why he made the list: a long standing member of ford motor company, padilla is an excellent example of determination and success in climbing the corporate ladder. padilla joined ford in 1966 as a quality control engineer. in 1976, he accepted the first of various management positions in product engineering and manufacturing and worked his way to his current position as president and chief operating officer his work has garnered him significant recognition, such being honored in 2004 by mexican president vicente fox and the mexican government with the ohtli award, the highest recognition that can be bestowed on a person of mexican descent living outside the country. our prediction: ford has not been able to keep up with the competition, and padilla was given the coo responsibility partly to change things around. though 2005 didn't bring much change, expect padilla and ford's newest offerings, the infusion and the 2007 soon-to-be-released ford edge (a fuel efficient suv with a new v6 engine), to put the company back on top. contact: ford motor company 1 (800) 392-3673 063 third sector douglas x. patino vice chancellor emeritus, california state university system academic level: ph.d., in human behavior, united states international university age: 65 residence: los angeles, california who he is: mexican-born douglas x. patino is the vice chancellor emeritus for the california state university system. he also serves as professor of social work, csu, los angeles, and as president of the patino group. patino was awarded the title of emeritus for his outstanding contributions in advancing the california state university system, the largest senior university system in the united states. as one of the california system's four senior executives, patifio was responsible for policies, procedures and development of all areas of university advancement. he also served as president of the california state university foundation. why he made the list: patino is one of the best known, greater philanthropists in the latino community today. he currently serves as a trustee of the charles stewart molt foundation; as former president bill clinton's appointee to the enterprise for the americas board; as a board member of the centro mexicano para la filantropia; the foundation center; the california wellness foundation; the campanile foundation; and the latino/hispanic advisory board for frito lay patino also served as director of the arizona department of economic security in the cabinet of arizona governor bruce babbit and he was the director of the california employment development department. our prediction: patino will continue to further his views on education by consistently promoting educational advancement with his influence. he will continue to participate in organizations that allow him to impact the educational landscape, and may very soon establish his own learning institution. contact: california state university, los angeles (323) 343-4680 064 media john paton chairman and, ceo impremedia, llc academic level: ba in journalism, ryerson university age: 51 residence: new york, new york who he is: canadian news executive john paton became the ceo of impremedia this september. the former vice-president of sun media corp. has been in the publishing business for nearly 30 years. he is a partner in knight paton media corporation, a newspaper investment consulting practice advising private equity firm. he is a graduate of ryerson university's journalism program in toronto and completed the finance for senior executives program at the harvard university graduate school of business administration. why he made the list: paton is the new head of impremedia, the leading publisher of spanish language newspapers in the u.s. the company newspapers, el diario la prensa, la opinion and la raza are the number one spanish language newspapers in the top three hispanic markets in the country. originally founded by the lozano family, impremedia was born in january 2004 from the union of cpk media and los angeles' major spanish-language newspaper la opinion. the trifecta yields a combined readership of nearly two million readers per week, making paton the king of this country's spanish-language newsprint media. paton played a senior management role in the 1996 management-led leveraged buyout of sun media corp. our prediction: after having run a $900 million newspaper chain in canada, we see paton conquering america's lucrative spanish-language market. now that the three largest cities with the highest latino populations get their news from impremedia papers, we hope that each publication's uniqueness and that local subject matter is not compromised by the national merger. contact: impremedia, llc (212) 807-4785 065 us congress nancy pelosi minority leader, house of representatives academic level: b.a., trinity college age: 55 residence: washington, dc who she is: born nancy d'alesandro in baltimore, pelosi is the daughter of a congressman and former mayor of baltimore. when she married paul pelosi, they moved to his hometown of san francisco, where his brother was a member of the city's board of supervisors. she is the first woman to lead a major political party in either house of congress and was a member of the congressional progressive caucus until she became the party leader, when she adopted a policy of not belonging to any caucuses. why he made the list: as the voice of the democratic party in congress, her influence in the community is clear and unavoidable. pelosi is generally considered a member of the party's liberal/progressive wing, partly because of the fact that she represents san francisco, long a bastion of liberal politics. however, she is sometimes seen as more moderate than liberal. with her ascension to house minority leader, pelosi is garnering more and more prestige every day representing the intellectual capital of northern california, she is the highest ranking politician in washington from the state with the largest hispanic population. our prediction: pelosi has become the face of the new breed of progressive democrats serving in congress. she has received a certain amount of notoriety in recent years due to her outspoken brashness and explicit criticism of the current administration. at a time when the popularity of the current conservative government is at an all-time low, expect pelosi's criticism to play a key part in a resurgence of democratic party's favor contact: us congress (202) 225-4965 066 corporate leaders antonio m. perez chief executive officer, eastman kodak academic level: m.b.a., spain age: 59 residence: rochester, new york who he is: a native of spain, perez joined kodak in april 2003 after a career that included 25 years at hewlett-packard company, where he was a corporate vice president and a member of the company's executive council. just prior to joining kodak, perez served as an independent consultant for large investment firms, providing counsel on the effect of technology shifts on financial markets. from june 2000 to december 2001, he was president and chief executive officer of gemplus international, where he led the successful effort to take the company public in december 2000. why he made the list: as the new head of eastman kodak, perez has been trusted with the daunting task of returning the photo giant back to its mega-profit days of yesteryeers. the advent of new imaging technology has left the industry giant reeling from the competition, but perez's vast knowledge and experience in the digital arena are bound to make a positive impact in the company's profit as he brings to his position a more solid vision and understanding of the digital industry's profit potential. our prediction: : in october of this year kodak announced a third-quarter loss of $1 billion, while at the same time announcing that for the first time, the company's digital division posted more profits than its film counterpart. expect perez to take advantage of the popularity of this new technology to develop new initiatives that will turn kodak from a behemoth of film photography to a force to-be-reckoned-with in the digital imaging industry contact: eastman kodak (585) 781-9539 067 business owners jorge m. perez chairman and ceo, the related group of florida academic level: m.a.a., university of michigan age: 56 residence: coconut grove, florida who he is: the largest real estate developer in miami-dade county, perez was born to cuban parents in buenos aires. he lived briefly in the caribbean until his family fled for colombia, and has had a broad view of latin america. perez moved to the u.s., and went to c.w. post college in new york before receiving a masters degree in urban planning from the university of michigan. he began his career by building affordable housing in miami neighborhoods like little havana and homestead, and eventually worked his way up to form the related group. an avid collector of latin american art. why he made the list: in 2004, his company reported more than $2.1 billion in sales, but perez's chief goal is not making money, it's making communities. he is florida's top multi-family developer whose buildings are designed with a "walking" community in mind--shopping, restaurants, work and home are all within steps of each other. it might feel like those streets are paved with gold, as the related group's current portfolio represents assets under development of nearly $11 billion. he recently donated $1.25 million for the construction for the jorge m. perez architecture center at the university of miami. he is best known, however, as the man who changed the miami skyline almost single handedly. our prediction: after joining with the donald j. tromp organization and dezer development, the related group erected tromp towers i, ii and ill this year along the sunny isles beach coastline. expect perez to team up with other developers for future florida projects, but don't look for new perez projects in little havana for a while. contact: the related group 305-460-9900 068 entertainment rudy perez songwriter, producer, president, rudy perez enterprises academic level: not specified age: 46 residence: miami, florida who he is: one of the most influential music producers for latino and latin american artists in the u.s. was born in cuba in 1959 and has never once returned. rudy perez came and his family at the age of six and settled in the barrio of liberty city, miami. his father was a baptist minister and it was in the church where young rudy found a love of music. as a songwriter, perez has composed more than 600 songs, some of which have been sung by the likes of julio iglesias, jose feliciano, luis miguel, and christian castro. he produced christina aguilera's spanish-language album mi reflejo, which remained #1 in the billboard hot latin 50 chart for 20 consecutive weeks. in 2002, he partnered with univision music to form his own label, rudy perez enterprises. why he made the list: the american society d composers, authors and publishers (ascap) named him 2005 songwriter of the year--the fourth time he has received the award in his 25 year careen he does not an limit himself to producing--perez composes, arranges, sings and plays backup an many of the records he produces. he wants to create the latin songwriters hall of fame to fill the gap in honoring latinos in the mainstream songwriters hall of fame. deeply committed to music education, the rudy perez ascap scholarship foundation one child is selects annually for a full scholarship to music school. our prediction: through a lifetime of great resolve and his obvious favor with ascar we fully expect perez to get the right people in place to launch the latin songwriters hall of fame as early as 2008, if not sooner. contact: univision music www.univisionmusic.com 069 corporate leaders william perez president and chief executive officer, nike, inc. academic level: b.i.m., american graduate school of international management age: 57 residence: beaverton, oregon who he is; born in akron, ohio and of colombian descent, perez has been president and ceo of nike, inc. since he joined nike on december 28, 2004. he is responsible for managing nike's worldwide operations and portfolio of brands. during his 34-year career with s.c. johnson he managed country, regional and worldwide operations and multiple brands of the highly respected, multi-billion global consumer products' company. under his leadership s.c. johnson was recognized for its environmental and community investment leadership and progressive workplace programs. why he made the list: although critics initially doubted that perez would make a successful transition from health-related s.c. johnson to sports-oriented nike and predicted a short-term demise for him, perez surprised everyone by raking-in record numbers to the already profitable mogul. in september of this year nike reported record results for the first quarter ended august 31, 2005. revenue at the company grew eight percent and earnings per diluted share increased 33 percent for the period. the company reported sales growth across each of its regions and product business units, with particular strength in us footwear in the quarter for both revenues and futures orders. our prediction: having proven that he has what it takes to make a company successful, perez will remain strong as the head of the sports giant for a while longer. expect him to devote more time to boosting the business in asia pacific, where the company amassed a cool $459.6 million alone this year. contact: nike (800) 344-6453 070 media andrew jerrold perenchio chairman and ceo, univision academic level: b.a., university of california at los angeles age: 74 residence: los angeles, california who he is: often called the "invisible man" for his staunch evasion of the press, perenchio seems to forget that as the king of univision, he basically is the press. before taking the reigns at univision, perenchio was a professional boxing promoter and a talent agent at mca, working with the likes of marion brando, elizabeth taylor and more recently, oscar de la hoya. the largest landowner in malibu, perenchio reports a net worth of $2.6 billion, but is known for spreading the wealth around, and often to republican candidates and causes. it is estimated that he has given more than $50 million to charity throughout his life. why he made the list: the italian-american oversees the leading spanish-language media company/entertainment conglomerate in the united states. as the ceo of univision communications, inc., perenchio heads a network that draws more prime time television viewers than mtv and more male viewers than espn. in fact, univision now ranks as the third largest network in the u.s.--regardless of language. when viacom offered to buy univision in 2002, perenchio declined the hefty offer of $6 billion--another move in a lifetime of making business deals on his terms. he is a great supporter of bilingual education--some say to preserve hispanic culture, while others argue that is to keep people tuning in exclusively to univision shows en espanol. our prediction: as competitors like spanish broadcasting system branch out into television, can univision stay on top with their spanish-language only broadcasting? the company's net revenues increased by a whopping 36% in 2004; so perhaps the monolingual path will lead univision to continued success in the future. contact: univision (310) 556-7676 071 state/local government rick perry governor, state of texas academic level: b s . texas a&m university age: 55 residence: austin, texas who he is: a fifth-generation texan, rick perry was born in the west texas town of paint creek, sixty miles north of abilene, to ranchers ray and amelia perry. his mother was a long-time haskell county commissioner and school board member. perry graduated from a&m in 1972 before joining the united states air force flying c-130 tactical airlift in the united states, the middle east, and europe until 1977. why he made the list: generally conservative, he has at times pushed the hot-button issue of the separation of church and state, most notably while signing an anti-abortion bill in the gym of a christian school. in terms of latinos, he is keenly aware of their impact in texas: the population of the state is now 51% latino. by definition, he has the ability to influence the lives of millions of hispanics, many of whom live in terrible conditions in 'colonias' along the u.s. mexican borden perry regularly reaches out to hispanic voters. he spends time in mexico frequently to learn spanish and has grown to appreciate the hispanic community in texas. our prediction: perry's inclusive cultural approach to politics will work in his favor. his incorporation and recognition of the latino presence in texas builds bridges in an age of increasing tensions towards immigrants and border communities. if he continues down that path, we see perry running for the senate, and easily succeeding at it. contact: texas office of the governor (512) 463-2000 072 finance samuel a. ramirez, sr founder & majority owner, samuel a. ramirez & co. academic level: b.a. in economics. st francis college age: 64 residence: new york, new york who he is: ramirez, sr., whose parents immigrated to new york city from puerto rico in the 1920s, is a graduate of st. francis collage in brooklyn, new york. he began his career on wall street in 1960 and in 1971 founded what became the oldest and largest hispanic owned investment firm in the u.s. he is a former member of the national association of securities dealers' (nasd) business district conduct committee #12, new york division. he was also a director and served as chairman of the nominating committee of the municipal securities rulemaking board. why he made the list: with 110 employees working across eight offices, samuel a. ramirez & co., inc (ramirez) is a full service securities firm serving individuals, business owners, institutional investors and government agencies. recently, the company established an equity research department focusing on hispanic companies. ramirez is the only firm on wall street with a research department dedicated to u.s. hispanic companies. employees manage more than 4,000 customer accounts totaling more than $2 billion in client assets. in february 2004, the company created the ramirez hispanic index, which tracks the growth of the 10-largest and most-liquid hispanic companies based on market capitalization and trading volume, the first investment package targeted at hispanic companies and their growth. ramirez hispanic index rose 25% in 2004 compared to only 3% for the dow jones industrial average. our prediction: as a pioneer with the hispanic index, a 44 year proven success history and plenty of room for growth, look for ramirez to move more heavily into the merger-acquisition arena and become a force to be reckoned with in that area as well. contact: samuel a. ramirez & co. (212) 248-0510 073 opinion leaders jorge ramos tv news anchor, writer academic level: m.a. in international relations, university of miami age: 47 residence: miami, florida who he is: born in mexico in 1958, ramos is the eldest of five children. he graduated with a degree in communications from universidad iberoamericana de mexico and later got an m.a. from the university of miami. he immigrated to california in 1983, and he began broadcasting for the network that would become univision in 1984, where he is the main news anchor today. his newscast is seen by over 1 million viewers daily and dominates the latino market. why he made the list: ramos has been instrumental in creating awareness that hispanics do read and that millions prefer to do it in spanish. ramos is one of the most respected journalists and most influential spanish news anchors to 40 million hispanics in the united states and latin american countries; he has covered five wars and witnessed some of the most important news stories of the last two decades, including the fall of the berlin wall and the disintegration of the former soviet union. often adopted as the voice of latinos in the anglo-saxon press, ramos has become the voice and face of spanish language news in the us; he has often taken the position that latinos are the untapped, sleeping political majority. he writes a weekly column for more than 40 newspapers in the united states and latin america and is the author of six books, which have become bestsellers. our prediction: look for ramos to once again tap his writing muse to produce another successful, visionary depiction of latinos and join the ranks of icons like dan rather, walter cronkite, and peter jennings, his english language counterparts. contact: univision (305) 471-3900 074 us congress harry reid senate minority leader academic level: j.d., george washington university age: 65 residence: washington, d.c. who he is: born in 1939, reid is a converted member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints and a native of the small mining town of searchlight, nevada. reid attended basic high school in henderson, received an a.s. from southern utah state college and a b.s. from utah state university and then moved to washington, d.c. and worked as an officer for the u.s. capitol police while attending george washington university for his law degree. reid graduated in 1964 and returned to nevada to work as a lawyer in the state before entering politics. why he made the list: as the senate's minority speaker, reid has duties much similar to nancy pelosi's in congress: to maintain the republican party in check. named minority leader in november 2004, reid is playing a crucial role in the selection of government figures, such as the supreme court nominees. an unapologetic speaker, reid is known for saying what's on his mind. he made headlines in may of 2005 when he said of president george w. bush, "the man's father is a wonderful human being [but] i think this guy is a loser." reid later apologized for these comments. our prediction: reid's off-hand comments have frequently caused a stir in the political world, but no one questions his integrity and devotion. reid has become one of the most important faces of the newly-invigorated democratic party. with his recent press, position, and his state's booming population, we are betting that reid will move on to become the senate leader in the next election, especially if the democrats win. contact: us senate (202) 224-3542 075 corporate leaders j. christopher reyes co-chairman, reyes holdings, llc academic level: b.b.a., university of maryland age: 51 residence: lake forest, illinois who he is: joe reyes managed to create a company that became one of the most important beer distributors in the u.s. having passed the business down to his children, christopher, the eldest, who is not actively involved in the latino community, has managed to improve and expand it even more. he is now the head of reyes holdings, llc, the leading provider of food and beverage distribution services in north, central and south america. food distribution operations are comprised of the martin-brower company, l.l.c., the largest supplier worldwide of distribution services to the mcdonald's restaurant system. their beer distribution operations represent the largest malt beverage distribution organization in the united states. why he made the list: what's more american than food and beer? reyes has a hold on both. through its subsidiary companies, reyes holdings distributes products throughout north, central, and south america. one of these, the martin-brower company, supplies mcdonald's restaurants in the us and canada. reyes is the playmaker of a company that operates more than 35 distribution centers in the u.s. and six other countries and has estimated revenues of $4.6 billion. reyes also has a large sphere influence. among other affiliations, mr reyes is a director of the allstate corporation, fortune brands, inc., wintrust financial corporation, boys and girls clubs of chicago, children's memorial hospital, northwestern memorial foundation, and ronald mcdonald house charities, among others. our prediction: expect reyes to become even more powerful by seeking the expansion of his business through the acquisition of new and highly profitable distribution contracts. contact: reyes holdings (847) 227-6500 076 local/state government bill richardson governor of new mexico academic level: m.a., tufts university age: 58 residence: albuquerque. new mexico who he is: richardson was born in pasadena, california. his mother, maria luisa lopez-collada, was mexican. his father was a native of boston, who worked for citibank as an executive in mexico. he was raised in mexico city, but as a teenager attended a boston-area high school. bill was elected governor of new mexico in 2002 by the largest margin of any candidate since 1964. richardson was nominated four times for the nobel peace prize. shortly after being elected governor, at the request of the north korean government, he worked to negotiate agreements between the united states and north korea. why he made the list: as governor, richardson represents the state with the largest percentage of hispanics in the nation. he is perhaps the most prominent hispanic political figure in the country. richardson is thought of as being truly a national leader with a very complete resume. in 2005, he made new mexico the first state in the union to offer its active-duty national guardsmen $250,000 in life insurance coverage. our prediction: richardson has long been rumored to be the next latino politician to run for a national position. while this has never materialized, richardson still has some time to weigh his options. given his admirable credentials and his capacity to navigate turbulent political waters both deftly and decisively; we expect richardson to take an aggressive stance in the next election and perhaps run for the senate, if not for a higher position alongside the next presidential candidate. contact: new mexico governor's office (505) 476-2200 077 third sector judith rodin president, the rockefeller foundation academic level: ph.d., columbia university age: 61 residence: new york, new york who she is: rodin is the president of the rockefeller foundation, and also the 7th president of the university of pennsylvania. she is the first alumna of the university of pennsylvania to be named president of the institution. renowned for her work on the relationship between psychological and biological processes in human health and behavior, rodin has published more than two hundred articles and chapters in academic publications and authored or co-authored ten books. why she made the list: rodin is at the helm of one of the largest-not-for-profit organizations in the u.s. in the past 10 years, the foundation has used its resources to help conceive, and develop groundbreaking initiatives and institutions that address pressing global needs. the foundation provides support in the united states for education, without any ethnic distinction, but it also has a special focus on benefiting families who are affected by hiv/aids, tuberculosis or malaria. for ten years she chaired an international research studying health and behavior for the macarthur foundation. she's on the boards of electronic data systems corp., aetna life and casualty company, the brookings institution, catalyst, and the greater philadelphia first corp. our prediction: rodin is doing an excellent job at managing the large scope organization, but she is too dynamic to maintain the status quo. expect her to create new initiatives that will pursue more aggressively the acquisition of funds to develop new programs within the foundation. contact: the rockefeller foundation (212) 869-8500 078 private organizations/advocacy groups arturo rodriguez president, united farm workers of america academic level: m.a. in social work, university of michigan age: 56 residence: keene, california who he is: born on june 23, 1949 in san antonio, rodriguez's grandfather had a small farm outside san antonio where he raised cattle. his father is a retired sheet metal worker. his mother is a retired school teacher. he attended catholic schools in san antonio, graduating in 1967 from la salle high school and earning a bachelor of arts degree in sociology at st. mary's university in 1971. why he made the list: the second president of the united farm workers of america, afl-cio, rodriguez has carried on the work of the union founded by cesar chavez after its legendary founder's death. the organization, which is characterized by its aggressive but successful pursuit of equal rights for workers, is credited for having changed the winemaking industry in california by gaining benefits for its thousands of latino workers, among other things. thanks to the work of chavez and rodriguez, farm workers under most ufw contracts at mushroom, rose, citrus, strawberry, wine grape and vegetable companies enjoy decent pay, complete family medical care, job security, paid holidays and vacations, pensions and a host of other benefits. our prediction: under rodriguez's directives, the ufw staged a three-month boycott of gallo of sonoma wines that ended in september with the ratification of a new contract. with that amount of power, expect rodriguez to muscle his way into making the industry continue to accommodate the latino workers needs for a long time to come. contact: united farm workers (760) 357-6270 079 finance marcos a. rodriguez founder and managing partner, palladium equity partners academic level: m.b.a., the wharton school of business age: 43 residence: hartford, connecticut who he is: born in cuba and raised in new york city rodriguez founded palladium equity partners in 1997 and currently serves as managing partner. prior to forming palladium, rodriguez was a partner of joseph littlejohn & levy old, a prominent takeover firm which he joined in 1989. he was responsible for spearheading a number of jll's major investments. before launching his private equity career 15 years ago, he worked in operations for general electric company in the u.s., mexico and france and graduated from ge's manufacturing management program. why he made the list: rodriguez is the founder of one of the largest latino-owned investment firms in the u.s. his company has invested nearly $1 billion of equity in 28 investments since the 1980s, and palladium has been recognized as the largest minority-owned firm in the new york city tri-state area by crain's new york. palladium equity partners also manages palladium equity partners iii, l.p., a buyout fund that targets companies that can benefit from the growing u.s. hispanic demographic. in addition, rodriguez serves on the board of directors of haden international, hilsinger company and wise foods. he also serves as chairman of the board of the robert toigo foundation. our prediction: over the past 8 years, the firm has raised and invested committed private equity funds in excess of $500 million. and with a number of as-of-yet non-disclosed acquisitions shaping up an extraordinary closing for palladium this year, expect rodriguez et al to take advantage of the current momentum and turn even bigger, record-holding numbers during next years' ventures. contact: palladium equity partners (212) 218-5150 080 entertainment robert rodriguez film director, producer academic level: b.a., university of texas at austin age: 37 residence: austin, texas who he is: born and raised in san antonio, texas, robert was the middle child of a family of 10. despite the crowd at home, he stood out as the active and creative child. always drawing and captivated by old films at the local cinema, he dreamed early on of being a filmmaker. as he got older, rodriguez realized that he needed more than talent to make his dream a reality. he raised $7,000 to produce el mariachi in 1992, which caught hollywood's eye. three years later he made the sequel, desperado, featuring antonio banderas, salma hayek and quentin tarantino. the cartoonish film set in a sleepy mexican town became a cult favorite. he has since directed the visual stunners from dusk till dawn, the spy kids trilogy, once upon a time in mexico and sin city, among others. rodriguez and his wife, producer elizabeth avellan, have three sons. why he made the list: undeterred by the cutthroat world of hollywood filmmaking, rodriguez aimed for the moon and landed among the stars. his passion is unwavering and his dedication to latino stories and characters make him unique among the majority of directors in tinseltown. he and his wife run their own in-house studio, called trouble maker studios. unafraid to share his creative vision and often teaming up with tarantino, rodriguez's films are among the most unique and recognizable. our prediction: as the latino population grows ever more powerful, hollywood will be looking to tap even further into the market share. like the latin music "explosion" of late 90s, watch out for a deluge of latino movies ... with rodriguez at the helm. contact: trouble maker studios--www.troublemakerstudios.com 081 political advisors paul romero chief executive officer, s&b infrastructure, ltd. academic level: not specified age: a residence: houston, texas who he is: romero and his family fled panama and were forced into exile when he was 17. following the removal of manuel noriega, romero's gratitude piqued an interest in the republican party romero became personal friends with george w. in 1993 during bush's first campaign for governor. he has worked with george. w. bush within his administration as governor and more recently as an incredibly effective recruiter of hispanic talent. a successful engineer by training, he became involved in politics after the first president bush removed manuel noriega from office in 1989. why he made the list: as a personal advisor to the u.s. president, romero has a special place in national politics. he is a key player in republican political circles and was instrumental in the appointments of hector barreto, sba administrator, rosario marin, the former u.s. treasurer, eduardo aguirre, the current head of the now u.s. citizenship and immigration department (formerly ins), and countless other government officials. he has raised millions of dollars for the republican party and the bush campaign and is considered one of the most important people in bush's inner circle. bush first appointed him to the texas general services commission, which oversees state contracting. our prediction: as well-known as he is in the political circuit, romero has managed to maintain a detachment from internal politics that has allowed him to remain unscathed at a time when the administration is under fire. expect romero to ride the tide successfully, and become the main benefactor of the next heir of the bush dynasty. contact: s&b infrastructure, ltd. (713) 845-4605 082 us congress ileana ros-lehtinen u.s. congresswoman, florida academic level: ed.d. university of miami. age: 53 residence: washington, d.c. who she is: born in havana, cuba, ileana ros-lehtinen is the child of enrique emilio ros, a certified public accountant, and amanda adato ros. ileana ros-lehtinen is the first hispanic woman elected to the united states congress and is also the first latina to chair a congressional subcommittee. a staunch conservative, she defines herself as anti-abortion, anti-castro, pro death penalty, and supporting a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. given her background in education, ros-lehtinen was a founder for eastern academy, a private elementary school in southern florida. she is married to florida representative dexter lehtinen, who then went on to become the u.s. attorney for the southern district of florida. why she made the list: as a republican member of congress, ros-lehtinen has played a crucial role in shaping foreign policy at this critical time in u.s. history. she is a supporter of immigration and bilingual education, and has advocated initiatives to help parents pay for college education--key issues for the latino community. through her committee's responsibilities she has played an integral role in structuring the war to combat terrorism, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian assistance for afghanistan, increasing support for israel, and keeping a watchful eye on american policy relating to cuba. our prediction: well regarded and influential, she stands to gain further recognition and political success. she is the republican party's dream: a bright woman, hispanic, who represents the american success story. look for her to try and move up to the senate soon. contact: u.s. congress (202) 225-3931 083 us congress ken salazar u.s. senator, colorado academic level: doctor honoris causa, university of denver age: 50 residence: washington dc. who he is: ken salazar and mel martinez are the first hispanics elected to serve in the senate in over 25 years. salazar is a fifth-generation colorado rancher. he grew up in a home lacking electricity until the early 80's. in the late 80's, he became chief legal counsel to then governor roy romer. he became director of the colorado department of natural resources, and was twice elected to serve as colorado's attorney general before his recent senate victory. why he made the list: salazar's victory over beer magnate peter coors capped the most expensive campaign in colorado history, with the two candidates spending more than $15 million. he represents part of the growing wave of hispanic candidates running for state and national office. as state attorney general, he created the first-ever colorado attorney general fugitive prosecutions unit to cooperate with mexico to capture and prosecute murderers who have fled colorado. his office also created a gang prosecution unit to target gangs functioning in colorado communities. our prediction: look for salazar to continue to push an independent minded agenda favoring strong environmental laws and better control of white collar crime and gangs. education programs and increased consumer protection legislation will be a priority. should democrats regain control of government, it would not be surprising to see salazar climb up the ladder. we will hear from him for time to come. contact: u.s. senate (202) 224-5852 084 executive independent professionals manuel "manny" sanchez managing partner, sanchez, daniels & hoffman, llc academic level: juris doctor, university of pennsylvania age: 57 residence: lisle, illinois who he is: sanchez, a mexican-american who grew up in a tough melting-pot neighborhood on chicago's west side, was a first-generation college student at niu. he later earned a law degree from the university of pennsylvania, where he was class president, and in 1987 founded sanchez, daniel & hoffman, the second largest minority-owned law firm in the nation. his firm has handled such corporate clients as daimler-chrysler corp., general motors, allstate insurance company, kraft foods, etc. why he made the list: today, sanchez is using his power and influence to give back to the community by ensuring that other hispanics achieve even higher goals with a postgraduate education. a resident of west-suburban lisle, sanchez was appointed in 1996 as one of the founding members of the niu board of trustees. when he was named chair in 2001, he earned the distinction of becoming the first latino in illinois and second in the nation to head up a public university board. working with niu, he also has taken a leadership role in helping to increase college enrollment among minority students. sanchez also has the distinction of being a founding member of the mexican american lawyers association and latin american bar association. he is also a member of the united way board of directors and a recipient of the john woodworth leslie humanitarian award. our prediction: in august of this year, sanchez and his wife donated a cool $100,000 to niu for the construction of an alumni and visitors center at this rate, expect him to become one of chicago's biggest philanthropists and an idol of the latino community in general and niu in particular. contact: sanchez, daniel & hoffman, llp (312) 641-1555 085 business owners antonio sanchez, jr. chairman and ceo, sanchez-o'brien oil and gas academic level: b.b.a., st. mary's university age: 62 residence: laredo, texas who he is: with an ancestry including some of the original settlers in laredo, sanchez and his father pulled themselves up from the bootstraps to build an oil and banking empire, which has created very successful side businesses and investments. he started the natural gas supplier, sanchez-o'brien oil and gas, at age 30. the texas democrat has been a loyal financial supporter of george w. bush's various campaigns. sanchez tried his own hand at politics when he ran for governor of texas in 2002 but only garnered 40% of the vote. always on the move, he widened his scope and made some venture capital investments in technology, industry and local and commercial real estate. he and his wife have four children. why he made the list: the oil baron was able to learn from his father's example and find a way to manage a business to great success. his personal wealth is estimated at about $600 million dollars. in 1999, sanchez was appointed to the board of directors to the university of texas investment management company by george bush. ever looking to influence people, he took a risk at politics and while he lost, he gained by stepping further into the public eye. he has been attacked by environmentalists for his drilling initiatives in texas, but he has always held his ground. our prediction: with the hard hits from the recent gulf coast hurricanes, sanchez-o'brien oil & gas can anticipate a tough year ahead. with tony sanchez' heavyweight connections in government and the oil industry, his company is likely to slide out of any real trouble in 2006. contact: sanchez-o'brien oil and gas (956) 722-8092 086 entertainment carlos santana musician, composer academic level: secondary age: 58 residence: marin county, california who he is: born in autlan de navarro, mexico, santana was the son of a violinist in a mariachi band. carlos learned to play his father's instrument at age five, but was enchanted by the guitar. the family moved to tijuana, where santana began playing in some local clubs and bars. they continued north to san francisco, where the santana blues band was formed with sounds that helped define the bay area music scene during the vietnam era. a legendary guitarist and music icon, santana won a long-overdue grammy in 2001 for his song "the game of love." why he made the list: santana is a leader in the global music sphere. he is an icon of american pop music, and has also managed, quite successfully, to reinvent himself by pairing up with top lead singers of the younger generation. case in point: his newest album, all that i am, features sean paul, joss stone and steven tyler. santana's music has spanned four decades, outlasted countless musical trends, sold more than 90 million albums. his current worldwide tour is selling out houses from l.a. to lisbon. the rock 'n roll hall of famer also gives back through the milagro charitable foundation, sustained by him and his wife, which supports children in the areas of arts, education and health. our prediction: the earthy musician sells santana limited edition supernatural congas and bongos under this name, but he has recently branched out into the unlikely markets of fragrance, men's ties, and even women's shoes. it's hard to tell what the stellar musician will come up with next, but hopefully it's another fantastic album. contact: creative artists agency (310) 288-4545 087 media herb scannell president, nickelodeon networks, mtv networks group president academic level: b.a., boston college age: 47 residence: new york city, new york who he is: a long island boy raised by a puerto rican mother and american father, scannell spent many summers in his mother's homeland, learning to love the culture. his mother taught him spanish and he became bilingual at an early age. he worked for showtime for a few years and eventually became the director of program promotion. in 2003, scannell was named president of mtv networks group in 2003 and describes his colorful work environment as more like college than a corporation. why he made the list: nickelodeon is the top-rated cable network---more watched than fox news. overseeing all creative and business operations at nickelodeon, scannell has helped innovate the brand with latino-based programming that includes the popular cartoons dora the explorer and go, diego, go! as well as the sitcom, the brothers garcia (narrated by john leguizamo). he was key in producing dora the explorer, the most popular cartoon show starring a latino character. scanell was the one that decided that dora's character would be female, not male, as originally intended. scannell's leadership has helped lead nickelodeon beyond the small screen into film, magazines and the internet. in addition to being the highest-rated basic cable network in the united states for the past decade, nickelodeon is watched in 65 million homes throughout latin america and brazil. our prediction: "nick" may be expanding its reach into more unlikely places including hotel chains and prepaid debit cards! with more viewers than mtv and a fiercely loyal fan base, watch for scannell's 25-year-old brand to eventually eclipse its old-school rival disney in the minds of kids and adults everywhere. contact: nickelodeon (212) 258-7500 088 entertainment shakira singer, songwriter, producer academic level: secondary age: 28 residence: miami, florida who she is: born shakira isabel mebarak ripoll, the lebanese-colombian began her music career with more rock than pop. influenced by the cure, led zeppelin, nirvana and her family's diverse musical traditions, she developed a distinctive style of poetry and musicianship. after cobbling together a few small albums, shakira released pies descalzos in 1995. the album hit #1 in eight countries and went platinum in the u.s. the ambitious artist dyed her hair blonde, traded in her ripped jeans for a belly chain and debuted on english-language radio with her 2001 hit song "whenever, wherever." why she made the list: shakira is one of the brightest pop stars in the u.s. after many years of fame relegated to latin america, the artist embarked on a wildly successful career in the u.s. and then onto the rest of the world. her album fijacion oral 1 debuted at #1 on the billboard latin album chart. she is helping mtv take its first steps in becoming bilingual: her 2000 performance on unplugged was their first spanish-language broadcast; her 2005 video for "la tortura" was mtv and vh 1's first spanish-language video put into regular rotation. for nearly a decade, the grammy award-winning shakira has overseen foundation pies descalzos, a not-for-profit designed to provide basic needs to colombian children affected by violence. our prediction: her second english-language album oral fixation, vol. 2 was released on november 29, and hit single "la tortura" began climbing the charts as soon as it hit the airwaves. shakira's first english-language album, laundry service, went platinum 13 times over ... we expect oral fixation, vol. 2 to fare even better. contact: sony bmg (212) 833-7100 089 business owner alejandro silva president and ceo0 evans food products, inc. academic level: m.s., national college of food technology age: 56 residence: chicago, illinois who he is: a native of mexico, he entered the food business in 1972. seven years later, he started his own company in mexico, but relocated to the u.s. where he purchased evans food in 1985. he holds an m.s. in food engineering from the national college of food technology in england. he is also a graduate of the london school of foreign trade and the harvard business school owner/president management program. he has been awarded the united states department of commerce minority enterprises development agency award, among many others. silva became a u.s. citizen in 1997. why he made the list: the risk paid off, and silva now heads up operations for evans food products, the largest private label pork rind manufacturer in the world, supplying industry giants like wal-mart and frito lay. annual revenues currently approach $70 million. the company owns 40% of the market share of pork skins, boasts five manufacturing plants and distributes its products to more than 20 countries. silva is a member of new america alliance, a d.c.-based organization dedicated to empowering latino business owners. he also contributed to a national task force report last year, urging congressional support for safer and tougher immigration laws to stop worker exploitation, labor shortages and potential terrorists. our prediction: as the low-carb diet craze roars on, sales of naturally carb-free pork rinds are skyrocketing and may soar above potato chips and other starchy food sales. some creative chefs are using chipped pork rinds as a substitution for breadcrumbs or flour when preparing breaded items like chicken, so evans food stands to take that recipe to the bank. contact: evans food products (866) 254-7400 090 us congress hilda solis congresswoman, california academic level: m.p.a., university of southern california age: 48 residence: el monte, california who she is: soils was born in los angeles, california and was educated at california state polytechnic university, pomona and the university of southern california. she served in the white house office of hispanic affairs, as an analyst with the office of management and budget, and as a member of the california state assembly and the california state senate before entering the house. soils was the first latina to serve on the powerful house energy and commerce committee. why she made the list: soils is starting to make a mark on access to health care for women and minorities in general, and for the estimated 42 % of uninsured u.s. hispanics in particular. she is a member of the congressional hispanic caucus, and has distinguished herself as a nationally recognized advocate for environmental justice and issues concerning working families. soils is also a champion for women's issues, both in the u.s. and on the mexican side of the border. believing that educations should be accessible to all students, soils has supported legislation to provide better health care for students, expand pell grants, extend loan forgiveness to head start teachers, lower the adult-student ratio in the classroom. august 2000, she was the first woman awarded the john e kennedy profile in courage award for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues in california. our prediction: solis deftly combines no nonsense political policy with a true interest in the well being of her constituency. her solid support of women friendly causes makes her a shoe-in for that large voting group. do we hear the word senator? contact: u.s. congress (202) 225-5464 091 judicial system sonia sotomayor judge, us court of appeals second circuit academic level: juris doctor, yale school of law age: 51 residence: new york, new york who she is: sonia sotomayor joined the u.s. circuit court as the first puerto rican woman to serve as a u.s. circuit court judge. born june 25, 1954 in the bronx, sotomayor is a first generation american born to puerto rican parents. sotomayor attended yale law school, where she received her j.d. degree in 1979. in 1990 her litigation partner urged her to apply when the senate judicial committee was seeking nominations for a vacated seat on the federal bench. she thought they wouldn't even consider her, but she was wrong. hr partner's persistence paid off when she got the job. why she made the list: in july of 2005, a number of senate democrats suggested sotomayor, among others, to president george w. bush as a nominee acceptable to them to fill the seat of retiring supreme court justice sandra day o'connor. the suggestion was criticized in the conservative magazine national review as being in bad faith, because it allegedly reflected a lack of effort to suggest nominees whom bush could also support. still, sotomayor is widely respected within and beyond the second circuit as a brilliant and formidable judge. she is lauded for her careful, fair and even-handed opinions. she is also seen by many as an excellent role model for women and minorities seeking to enter the judiciary our prediction: having been appointed to her first judge position by president bush sr. and to her current position by president clinton, sotomayor maintains a bipartisan appeal. with her level of experience and education, she should continue to rise in her field, thereby bringing more latino influence into the higher strata of law. contact: federal judicial center (202) 502-4250 092 opinion leaders roberto suro director, pew hispanic center academic level: b.a. in communications, yale age: 56 residence: washington, d.c. who he is: suro, who was born in the united states and is of puerto rican and ecuadorian descent, has spent more than 25 years researching and writing books and articles about latinos. he has worked as a foreign correspondent for time magazine and the new york times in latin america, europe and the middle east and he is the author of the book strangers among us: latino lives in a changing america. when he left the washington post to become the director of the pew hispanic center about four years ago, he didn't really stop being a journalist at heart; he simply transferred his experience and ability finding and analyzing the facts to the new endeavor. why he made the list: for over 25 years, suro has been researching the lives and demographics of latinos. suro is an authority in latino statistics research; the research work conducted by him and the pew hispanic center has received national attention at the political and policy making levels, and both reflects and affects the lifestyles and perceptions of latinos in the united states. as the head of a non-partisan "think-tank" dedicated exclusively to researching latinos in the u.s., suro only stands to gain influence and relevance as time goes on. our prediction: given that the majority of the latinos are still young, the research conducted by suro will be vital in understanding and preparing for significant shifts in the number and diversity of latinos in the near future, and those who own this kind of information will be able to call the shots. contact: the pew hispanic center (202) 452-1702 093 private organizations/advocacy groups ann marie tallman president and general counsel, mexican american defense & educational fund (maldef) academic level: j.d., university of california at berkeley age: 40 residence: san antonio, texas who she is: a granddaughter of mexican migrant workers who became one of the most influential women in the financial services industry, tallman is a native of iowa. after spending 17 years of involvement with mexican american legal defense and education fund from volunteer work to a seat on the board, tallman was appointed new president and general counsel of maldef in 2004. previously, tallman was the ceo of fannie mae, the mortgage financing giant. why she made the list: as the leader of maldee tallman is in charge of the $7 million organization is focusing on economic rights. in october 2005, tallman again challenged the house of representatives to make section 5 of the voting rights act permanent. under this measure, which is set to expire in 2007, any change with respect to voting in a covered jurisdiction--or any political subunit within it--cannot legally be enforced unless and until the jurisdiction first obtains the approval by the united states district court for the district of columbia or makes a submission to the attorney general. the measure requires proof that the proposed voting change does not deny or abridge the right to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, thus guaranteeing a fair voting process for latinos who don't know how to read. our prediction: with her thorough knowledge of the law and excellent litigation skills, look for tallman to persuade congress into making section 5, a key part of the voting process for latinos, a permanent amendment to the constitution. contact: mexican american legal defense & educational fund (210)224-5476 094 business owners robert unanue president, goya foods academic level: not specified age: 51 residence: seacaucus, new jersey who he is: the grandson of spanish entrepreneur and founder of goya foods, prudencio unanue, robert is the president of the nation's largest hispanic-owned food company goya boasts annual sales of about $750 million. today, goya is one of the best-known food companies in the u.s., but it has more recently been making headlines with its internal upheavals than its pan-latino entrees. last year, robert and his cousin francisco ousted their uncle joseph as ceo and fired his son, andy. the cousins complained of joseph becoming autocratic and stubborn, thereby lowering company morale and business operations. why he made the list: family traitor or savvy businessman, robert unanue is determined to take goya far into and beyond the 21st century. under his purview, the company has broken ground for another plant and distribution facility in houston. unanue will oversee this hub for the company's expanding operations throughout texas, louisiana, oklahoma and arkansas. goya continues to be one of the largest hispanic-run businesses in the united states, and its reputation for good, authentic food at low prices is solidified in the minds of latinos the world over. plus, who can argue with a can of frijoles negros for $0.99? our prediction: with its new tropical fruit beverage line, goya hopes to grow the brand with flavors it calls "native" and "exotic," including barbados cherry, tamarind, and guanabana. still, with bad press about the family business and a shaky reach into other "ethnic" food markets (italian risotto, indian basmati rice, thai recipes, etc.), we'll see how much consumers can swallow in a competitive marketplace. contact: goya foods (201) 348-4900 095 arts alisa valdes-rodriguez writer, journalist, musician academic level: m.a. journalism, columbia university age: 36 residence: los alamos, new mexico who she is: the best-selling author of the dirty girls social club began as a regular kid in new mexico. she was born in albuquerque, but her family relocated to scotland and then new orleans. she has long been a saxophonist and a creative writer--both interests often to the dismay of authority figures. her first novel was published in 2003 and became a new york times bestseller. the follow-up playing with boys came a year later. she has written for major u.s. newspapers including the boston globe and the l.a. times. valdes-rodriguez and her husband live in her hometown with their son. why she made the list: the fearless young woman that is alisa valdes-rodriguez has never shied away from living in a new place or stepping into uncharted territory. she quit her job at the l.a. times to write full-time, which led to her great success. the dirty girls social club was even optioned by jennifer lopez and laura ziskin for columbia pictures. that deal did not go through, so valdes-rodriguez decided to form her own production company--aptly named dirty girls productions. television's the swan creator nely galan just agreed to produce a made-for-tv film version of the dirty girls social club. our prediction: since her first novel went flying off the shelves, we expect valdes-rodriguez's w-movie to capture the attention of viewers dedicated to shows like sex and the city or girlfriends. her next book, make him look good, will be published this spring and goodbye suckerville comes out in 2007. can the pair follow the great success of dirty girls and playing with boys? we certainly hope so. contact: dirty girls productions (505) 842-5540 096 media jeff valdez co-founder/and chairman, si tv academic level: secondary age: 49 residence: beverly hills, california who he is: one of nine children raised in the housing projects in pueblo, colorado, jeff valdez found ways to laugh at life. he grew up in a blue-collar town where he witnessed the value of hard work. his father worked at an automotive piston factory and his mother cleaned houses. he delved into the elbow grease himself and built mobile homes, worked as a janitor, and even had a stint in a drill-bit factory. always the joker, jeff took his humor to the stage and began working as a stand-up comedian. after years on the l.a. circuit, he realized that other latinos like himself want to see themselves represented on english-language television. the monolingual valdez worked for tri-star television where he created and co-executive produced two nbc pilots. in 1997 co-founded si tv for latinos like him who didn't feel connected to the programs on univision or telemundo. why he made the list: a visionary in latino television programming, valdez now heads the largest english-language latino cable network. targeting the growing market of 18- to 34-year-old second- and third-generation latinos, si tv has an edgy, irreverent style, which seems to suit its 10 million viewers. valdez' network uses its influence to portray latinos in non-stereotypical roles and provide programming on cultural subjects that young latinos and multicultural audiences value. our prediction: the new all-latino sketch comedy show, "funny is funny," debuts this spring. as the "mind of mencia" and "george lopez" tickle the funny bones of mainstream america, we expect si tv's first fully-scripted show to have viewers in stitches. contact: si tv (323) 543-2778 097 private organizations/advocacy arturo vargas executive director, national association of latino elected and appointed officials naleo) academic level: masters degree in education, stanford university age: 41 residence: los angeles, california who he is: only 10 years-old when he joined his parents in a picket line, vargas started by protesting the overcrowding conditions at his elementary school. encouraged by his history teacher, he earned a bachelor's degree in history and spanish and a master's degree in education from stanford university. afterwards, vargas accepted a position in washington, dc, as an education policy fellow at the national council of la raza. after three years at nclr, vargas returned to los angeles to work for the mexican-american legal defense and educational fund, a national litigation and advocacy organization. why he made the list: as the executive director of the national association of latino elected and appointed officials and educational fund (naleo), there is no doubt that vargas and the organization he leads are having a major impact on the latino community. vargas' greatest joy is helping people to become citizens so that they can vote and become the support network latino policymakers need in order to push through policies that will benefit the community-at-large. in april of this year, vargas testified to the commission on federal election reform, advocating for changes that will empower latinos to participate fully in the american political process, from citizenship to public service. our prediction: definitely a powerful man, vargas will continue to drive the already growing organization. it is doubtful that he will relinquish his position in order to seek office, but don't be surprised if he actually decides to trade places and move over to that side soon. contact: naleo (213) 747-7606 098 finance daniel villanueva, sr. co-founder, fontis partners, lp academic level: b.a. in communications, university of new mexico age: 68 residence: san marino, california who he is: a native of tucumcari, n.m., villanueva grew up in calexico, california, but returned to attend college at new mexico state university (nmsu) on a football scholarship and was a member of the team that won the sun bowl in 1959. he also was editor of the round-up, the student newspaper after a successful nfl career, he returned to journalism and quickly rose to national prominence. as news director of kmex-tv, channel 34 in los angeles, he led the station to a peabody award, one of broadcast journalism's highest honors. he was senior vice president of spanish international communications corp., which owned kmex and other stations, from 1971 until the company was acquired by univision holdings in 1986. in 1990 he began his current career as a founder of bastion capital corp., a private equity investment firm in los angeles that had the stated mission of helping the hispanic community. why he made the list: as an investment venture, villanueva's bastion capital was a resounding success. now, villanueva is involved in a new, joint venture with his son named fontis. the fund focuses on minority investments, mainly in the southwest, and it consist mostly of businesses targeting emerging domestic markets. in addition, villanueva is a noted philanthropist who during homecoming each fall returns to his alma mater to help raise money for scholarships for hispanic students who demonstrate leadership at nmsu. our prediction: with bastion capital's success already under his belt and fontis' first close posted at a whopping $70 million, expect villanueva to be highly motivated to embark in yet another profitable investment venture soon, and be just as successful contact: rustic canyon partners (310) 998-8000 099 state/local government antonio villaraigosa mayor of los angeles academic level: b.a., university of california at los angeles age: 52 residence: los angeles, california who he is: born in the boyle heights area of los angeles, villaraigosa understood the social disparities of the big city all too well. the son of a mexican immigrant, he witnessed domestic abuse before his father left the home in his early childhood. drifting between odd jobs after dropping out of school, villaraigosa lived an unsettled life: he dabbled in gangs as a young man. he pulled himself out of the downward spiral, becoming commited to his education and getting involved in organized labor. he is married to corina villaraigosa and is the father of four. originally antonio villar and corina raigosa, the couple have joined their last names. why he made the list: although he served as a member of the california state assembly and a seat on the los angeles city council, villaraigosa erupted onto the national political scene only recently. he was elected the 41st mayor of los angeles, becoming the first latino to gain the position since 1872. hailed as the new face of the democratic party and as a new voice for latinos, villaraigosa is a rising star that has made a buoyant entry into dynamic and turbulent political waters. our prediction: with an impressive margin of victory, villaraigosa stirred a buzz as the new voice of latino political power. he has to some extent shied away from this role, instead preferring to present himself as a builder of bridges rather than simply a representative of a single voting block, but don't be surprised if his next stop is the governor's mansion. contact: los angeles city hall (213) 485-2121 100 entertainment daddy yankee singer, composer academic level: secondary age: 29 residence: carolina, puerto rico who he is: born raymond ayala in rio piedras, puerto rico, daddy yankee is the highest-selling reggaeton singer in the united states. his hits include gasolina and lo que paso, paso and the influence of his musical style is worldwide. yankee's "spanglish"-language singles are on the top 20 charts in countries outside of latin america and as varied as france, england, japan and germany he is the founder and producer of los cangri's inc. and el cartel records and has recorded 130 tracks on nearly 70 albums, making him one of the most prolific reggaeton artists in the world today. why he made the list: reggaeton is fast becoming the bridge between young spanglish-speakers and the rest of the music world. this blend of salsa, has more recently become a familiar global sound on major radio stations and dance floors. daddy yankee is not only a reggaeton pioneer with his latest album barrio fino, which garnered the title of reggaeton album of the year at the 2005 billboard latin music awards; he is also the genre's top selling artist. yankee is known as much for his compelling stage presence as for his skills as a freestyler. this multi-platinum artist is shaping the view of urban latino culture like the early pioneers of rap did for urban african-american culture in the 1980s. our prediction: daddy yankee's upcoming film straight from the barrio echoes the biopics of other rags-to-riches artists like eminem and 50 cent. it's hard to tell if the transition from the mike to the movies will work, but we can bet that his charisma will light up the silver screen. contact: c + c artistic management (787) 726-2027 101 opinion leaders paul yzaguirre former president and ceo, national council of la raza. respected community leader academic level: b.s., george washington university age: 66 residence: washington, dc who he is: yzaguirre grew up in the south valley of texas. after graduating from high school in 1958, he joined the u.s. air force and later received a b.s. from george washington university in 1968. trying to take nclr to the nation's capital, yzaguirre moved to washington, d.c. during the middle '70s. in washington, he discovered that la raza was a term that was not limited only to mexicans and their united states families, but also included puerto ricans, dominicans, argentines, cubans and others, so he decided to expand his help services to these other micro-communities of the hispanic society in the united states as well. why he made the list: yzaguirre led the nclr for over 30 years, making himself not only an intrinsic part of the organization, but a living icon and symbol of a united latino movement. for over 35 years yzaguirre has been internationally recognized as one of the premier u.s. leaders and advocates on behalf of civil rights for the hispanic american community as the ceo and president of the national council of la raza (nclr), he was directly responsible for transforming nclr into the premier national hispanic advocacy organization and think tank in the country. yzaguirre's accomplishments and accolades within the political, educational, corporate, and community service are unparalleled. our prediction: yzaguirre has built one of the strongest latino advocacy groups in the nation, with a level of respect and popularity of nearly mythical proportions. expect him to remain a close advisor to the national council of la raza, and his political voice to remain relevant for some time to come. contact: national council of la raza (202)785-1670 copyright 2005 ferraez publications of america corp. this material is published under license from the publisher through the gale group, farmington hills, michigan. all inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the gale group. for permission to reuse this article, contact copyright clearance center. print digg del.icio.us topics in the news: space: final frontier barack obama 2008 u.s. attorney firings celebrities misbehaving view more topics at newser. browse by alphabet: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z need more research? get credible articles from trusted sources at highbeam research: newspaper archives magazine back issues academic journals medical journals nursing journals psychology journals book reviews and more! browse our free encyclopedias by alphabet: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z browse by category: earth and the environment history literature and the arts medicine people philosophy and religion places plants and animals science and technology social sciences and the law sports and everyday life highbeam™ research, inc. © copyright 2007. all rights reserved. about us advertise with us contact us help site index categories privacy policy terms & conditions

the list: 101 top movers & shakers in america   Précédent 382  Précédent 381  Précédent 380  Précédent 379  Précédent 378  Précédent 377  Précédent 376  Précédent 375  Précédent 374  Précédent 373  Précédent 372  Précédent 371  Précédent 370  Précédent 369  Précédent 368  Précédent 367  Précédent 366  Précédent 365  Précédent 364  Précédent 363  Précédent 362  Précédent 361  Précédent 360  Précédent 359  Précédent 358  Précédent 357  Précédent 356  Précédent 355  Précédent 354  Précédent 353  Suivant 384  Suivant 385  Suivant 386  Suivant 387  Suivant 388  Suivant 389  Suivant 390  Suivant 391  Suivant 392  Suivant 393  Suivant 394  Suivant 395  Suivant 396  Suivant 397  Suivant 398  Suivant 399  Suivant 400  Suivant 401  Suivant 402  Suivant 403  Suivant 404  Suivant 405  Suivant 406  Suivant 407  Suivant 408  Suivant 409  Suivant 410  Suivant 411  Suivant 412  Suivant 413