Iván Román

Executive Director

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

A professional journalist for two decades, Román has worked as a reporter at the Rochester Times-Union, the San Juan Star, El Nuevo Herald, and the Miami Herald. Among his many journalism achievements is a 1987 First Place Award from the Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico for a series in the San Juan Star, "Immigrants, Alien Smuggling: Scandalous Racket."

From 1995 to 1998, Román was Executive Director of the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University. A member of NAHJ since 1986, he has been elected to five different terms on its board of directors, and has been responsible for organizing the track of all-day professional development workshops at several of NAHJ's annual conventions.

Harry P. Pachón

Executive Director

Tomás Rivera Policy Institute

Dr. Harry P. Pachón joined the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute in 1993. Under his guidance, TRPI has evolved into the country's premier research institute on Latino issues garnering national recognition for its work in the fields of education, immigration policy, information technology and civic and social research.

Dr. Pachón is a founding board member and past executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). While at NALEO, he initiated a nationally acclaimed U.S. citizenship project that has been replicated on a multi-ethnic basis across the country.  He also initiated the National Directory of Latino Elected Officials, which is now in its seventeenth year of publication.  Dr. Pachón currently serves on the board of directors of The John Randolph Haynes Foundation, and Southern California Public Radio (KPCC).

Ricardo García

Executive Director

KDNA Washington State Public Radio

KDNA is the only full-time educational Spanish-language public radio station in the United States. At the Latino Radio Summit in 2002, Mr. García was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his dedication and contributions to Spanish-language public radio. His groundbreaking work at KDNA has been widely recognized, and during his tenure, the station has received three Community Impact Awards from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

Wendy Thompson

Vice President

ZGS Broadcast Holdings

Wendy Thompson is the Vice President of ZGS Broadcast Holdings, one of the largest minority-owned media companies in the United States. ZGS, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, operates ten Telemundo television stations, and three commercial radio stations. Every one of their media properties broadcast in Spanish. Ms. Thompson is an immigrant from Peru, who has received numerous awards for her work in community service and public education.

Judith Morrison

Executive Director

Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin America

Inter-American Dialogue

Ms. Morrison has extensive experience working on issues related to the social and cultural development of Afro-Latino communities throughout Latin America.  She was a contributing editor of “Economic Development in Latin American Communities of African Descent,” as well as a contributor to “Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience.” Ms. Morrison earned a Master’s degree in income distribution and poverty alleviation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she graduated with a Carroll Wilson Award for international research, and a Woodrow Wilson fellowship. She serves on the board of the Public Policy and International Affairs Program.

Zita Arocha

Associate Director

Sam Donaldson Center for Communications Studies

University of Texas at El Paso

Zita Arocha is a senior lecturer in the Department of Communications, and Associate Director of the Sam Donaldson Center for Communications Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. A veteran, bilingual print journalist, she was most recently at the Freedom Forum, as coordinator of training for the Chips Quinn Scholars Program, a nationally recognized program for young journalists of color. She has worked as a reporter for the Washington Post, the Miami Herald, and The Miami News. She is a regular columnist for Hispanic Link and the Los Angeles Times news service. 

Joseph Tovares

Managing Producer, La Plaza

WGBH™ / PBS Boston

One of the nation's longest running television series devoted to Latino themes, La Plaza offers viewers unique insights into the Latino community through an eclectic mix of award-winning documentaries, cutting-edge music programs, and the provocative studio-based talk show, Conversations with Ilan Stavans. The series is distributed nationwide through American Public Television™.

Clarissa Martínez

Director, State & Local Policy

National Council of La Raza

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), is the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States, and works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Ms. Martínez is one of the nation’s most respected voices on issues related to Latino education, immigration, and civic responsibility. She has written many articles focusing on Latino voting patterns, participation rates, and national impact.  She graduated from Harvard University with a Master’s degree in public administration.

Luis Botello

Director, Latin America Programs

International Center for Journalists

Mr. Botello is responsible for the development and implementation of a wide variety of training programs on ethics and journalism for reporters based in Latin America.  He previously served as morning newscast producer, host and television reporter for Televisora Nacional in Panama, where he covered assignments in Colombia, the United States and Europe.  Mr. Botello is also a member of the board of directors of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Latin American Journalism Center (CELAP) in Panama City, Panama.  Mr. Botello is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship in 1988 and a fellowship to Louisiana State University's Manship School of Mass Communication in 1997.  He holds a B.A. in Journalism and Master's in Mass Communications from Louisiana State University.