Previous Guest by Date

A self-proclaimed “Ivy League homegirl,” Sofía Quintero, a writer, activist, educator, speaker and comedienne, was born into a working-class Puerto Rican-Dominican family in the Bronx. Sofia grew up in the same neighborhood as did Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
>> I talk with Sofia about growing up in her neighborhood, and what it was like at that [...]

Vickie Jimenez grew up for the most part in California, and now makes her home in Colorado.  The child of Puerto Rican parents, Vickie is the middle child and has both an older and a younger sister.  After fleeing to Mexico with her mom and sisters to escape a violent father, Vickie had some unconventional [...]

Carmen Herrera is Director, Diverse Business Enterprises for Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric (Sempra Energy utilities).  Carmen is responsible for the strategic development, implementation, management and performance of comprehensive supplier diversity programs.
>>  I’ll be asking Carmen how she came to this position, and what she’s learned over the course of [...]

President of HMC Advertising, has never taken success for granted and respects the process it takes to get there. For nearly 20 years, HMC Advertising has been renowned for producing an incomparable suite of multi-cultural services that are professionally recognized.

Lucy has created a regional asset for clients wishing to position themselves in highly competitive markets throughout the Southwestern United States.

Brigadier General Angie Salinas began her military career when she enlisted into the Marine Corps in May 1974. Following recruit training at Parris Island, S.C., she served as a legal services clerk until 1977 when she was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1977.

>> I’ll be speaking with the Brigadier General about what drew her to the military initially.

President of Quallight Efficiency Corp, a full service company offering efficient products and solutions, including innovative lighting technologies, energy management controls and automation, and energy efficiency solutions primarily for military and government agencies.

>> Join me as I speak with Teresa about how she got into this field and what are her goals for her current position?

Jovita Juarez serves as a Senior Prevention Specialist for the Institute for Public Strategies working on the South Bay Communities for Change Project.  The Institute for Public Strategies is a San Diego County community based non-profit organization which provides leadership and strategies to support changes in public and private policy & community standards and norms. [...]

Born in Brooklyn, New York on April 14, 1954. Frances is a poet who has experienced the gamut of human experience:  happiness, love, violence (abuse and gangs), death, and dealing with someone’s illness (drinking) as well as her own (cancer).  She is a true warrior!
>>  I’ll be asking Frances about her experiences and how she [...]

Maegan “la Mamita Mala” Ortiz gives voice to what she has been typing on her blogs for years: the intersection of Latina politics, identity and culture. Born and bred in Queens, NYC, La Mala grew her activist wings at age 17 with under the guidance of her mentor Richie Perez in the Justice committee of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights.

Known as radio’s “Angelita de la Noche” (Angel of the Night) Josefa Salinas’ sensuous, yet commanding voice has delighted listeners throughout California for twenty years. This breakthrough female Latina DJ, who continues to delight fans on L.A.’s HOT 92 JAMZ, has become a role model for women, and a powerful symbol for Latinos.

>> I’ll be asking Josefa what initially drew her to radio, and what she’s learned from her different positions.

Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C., is a celebrity, international speaker, talk show host, author and movie producer. As the host of the Wright Place™ TV Show, now in its 9th season with over 250 shows broadcast on television to over 4.2 million homes each week in Southern California.

Senior Correspondent for the acclaimed series NOW on PBS, the anchor and managing editor of NPR’s Latino USA, and the anchor of her own Emmy Award winning talk show One on One with Maria Hinojosa from WGBH/La Plaza. >> I’ll be talking with Maria about how she got where she is and what characteristics allowed her to achieve the success she’s obtained. Hinojosa has won top honors in American journalism including 2 Emmy’s, the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Reporting on the Disadvantaged, and the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club for best documentary for her groundbreaking piece Child Brides: Stolen Lives.

As a doctoral student at Stanford, and later as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing.

Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a Ph.D. in Cell Biology, is currently CEO of Cytonome, a company building the first optical cell sorter capable of supporting rapid, sterile sorting of human cells for therapeutic use. Lydia was born on August 7, 1947, and grew up in Sante Fe, New Mexico. As the eldest of six children, she developed teamwork- and consensus-building skills out of necessity; these skills would later serve her well in the lab and the workplace.

Adriana E. Manzi, Ph.D. has over 25 years of experience in biomolecules R&D. She is President and Principal Consultant of Manzi & Associates where her consulting work has spun the areas of recombinant proteins, dendritic cell vaccines, biosimilars, analytical methods, CMC, and selection and management of CMOs.

Dr. Cifuentes, a Ph.D. in Seismology, and former Director of the Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE) won the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Award for Math and Science in recognition of her role in creating CASE. Now at the American Geophysical Union, Ines won the 2006 National Hispanic Scientist of the Year award from the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida.

Diversity has always surrounded Marina La Grave. Her immediate roots are in Venezuela, France, and Brazil, while her extended family traces its line to Guatemala, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Canada. Growing up in Venezuela, she learned Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and English.

An award winning bilingual producer and director with USA and Latin American credits. Her advertising agency experience includes Saatchi & Saatchi/Conill Advertising, Foote, Cone, & Belding International, J.Walter Thompson/Hispania, Young & Rubicam/Bravo Group, The Vidal Partnership, The Chisholm Mingo Group, Spike/DDB Needham, and GlobalHue NY.

Elisha Miranda is a published novelist, filmmaker, entrepreneur and cultural activist. Self proclaimed Boricua Chola that was born and raised in the working-class “Mission” district of San Francisco, California and has been residing in New York City since 1998.

Bianca I Laureano is a sex-positive sexuality consultant, educator, and activist. Her interests include representations of the sexuality of people of Color in media and popular culture, Latina feminisms, and positive youth development. She is an instructor with CUNY and a freelance writer.

Yvonne Silva is the founder and owner of Onjenoo.com, a female-friendly cyber boutique. Onjenoo is the premier sexy lifestyle brand and online boutique that blends science, seduction, fun and glamour into each of its products.

Leslie Cordova, MA, CSCS, is a fitness, movement integration, and athletic performance coach, specializing in training female youth and young adults.

She owns and operates Xceptional Athlete in the South Bay of CA. Xceptional Athlete focuses on personal & group training, biomechanical and postural analysis, motivational talks & programs, team-building events, and camps & clinics.

Alana Taylor is a self-made new media evangelist, consultant and freelance correspondent. Her interests range from digital media to television and magazines.
She is a tech blogger for Mashable.com, writes occasional guest posts for PBS.org and is double-majoring in Journalism and History at New York University.
>> What can she tell us about her wide [...]

Gina Ravera was born Gina D. Ravarra in San Francisco, California. Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is African American.
>> I’ll be talking to Gina about her growing up years and what were her early influences.
Ravera is an actress and a classically-trained dancer. Her career spans off-Broadway to television and [...]

Stephanie Elizondo Griest grew up in South Texas and considers herself biracial, as the daughter of a mother with Mexican roots, and a father whose European ancestors settled in Kansas. Neither she nor her sister grew up speaking much Spanish, and Stephanie shares her struggles with her ethnic identity and the stories that arise from her voyage in Mexico during 2005 and 2006 in her recently released book, Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines.

Elva Lima is the oldest girl in a family of six children. Her father worked in the fields of Sacramento when he moved to the U.S. from Mexico in 1961. Her father was able to move the family to the United States in 1965. Her mother was a stay at home mother while her father worked as a bartender.

Dr. Ana Jimenez is the Founder and Executive Director of the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center, a community-based organization in Santa Ana dedicated to empowering at-risk youth and children with special needs through Arts, Literacy and Therapeutic programs.

Diana Gomez is the Chief of the Office of Traffic Management and a senior electrical engineer with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). She has worked with Caltrans for 20 years and began her career designing highway electrical systems.

Toti Cadavid, a native of Colombia and founder of Xcelente Marketing and Public Relations, is a communications strategist with far-reaching experience in both domestic and international arenas.

Madeline Padilla is the nationally recognized Executive Director of Publicity for Arenas Entertainment. Madeline has a particular skill in effectively reaching the community she comes from.

Dr. Silvia Martinez, assistant professor at Howard University. Silvia has focused her professional work on effective service delivery to bilinguals in the health and education arenas.

Dr. Ana Nogales, born in Argentina, is a clinical psychologist and founder of Nogales Psychological Counseling, Inc., and Clinical Director of the nonprofit organization, Casa de la Familia. She lives and works in Southern California.

Maria de Lourdes Sobrino is Founder and CEO of Lulu’s Dessert® Corporation. Lulu was born and raised in Mexico City, but now resides in Southern California.

Josephine F. Garza is the Executive Director for the National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI), the only organization dedicated solely to focusing on issues impacting Latino children and to building healthy communities for Latino children and their families. She is Mexican-American and from Texas.

Award-winning author and professor Norma Elia Cantú is a Chicana postmodernist writer and a professor of English and U.S. Latina/o Literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), and Founder & President of Educational Achievement Services, Inc. is an Army Veteran, Author, Motivational Speaker, and Educator. She is of Mexican descent and grew up in the
Texas-Mexico border region.

Laura Diaz Brown, better known to her fans as Chef Lala, is a world class chef, author, food consultant, and business woman. She is Mexican-American and lives in the LA area.

Jamie Martinez Wood, a Mexican-American native of Orange County, California, is an inspirational speaker and empowerment specialist. She teaches workshops, leads retreats, and gives performances on personal power, earth spirituality, seasonal living, and ritual ceremony.

Arisa Batista Cunningham, a native of the Republic of Panama, is Vice President, Global Diversity, for the Johnson & Johnson Comprehensive Care and Surgical Care Groups.

Elena Diaz Bjorkquist is a Mexican American writer, historian, and artist from Tucson. Elena’s two books of short stories, Suffer Smoke and Water from the Moon, are about the people in Morenci, Arizona where she was born.

Lora Villarreal is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for ACS (Affiliated Computer Services). Lora is Mexican American and grew up in East Los Angeles, but currently lives in Dallas, Texas.

Sandra Robbie is the Mexican-American writer/producer of the Emmy-winning documentary on Mendez vs. Westminster, the Orange County school desegregation case. She lives in Orange County, California.

Emily Matos, Puerto Rican graduate student at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, is working toward a Master’s degree in Global Affairs, with a focus on Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance. She grew up in New York and Florida.

Christina Sarchio, daughter of Spanish immigrants, is a partner at the law firm of Howrey, LLP. She lives and works in the Washington, DC area.

Mabel Katz, who grew up in Argentina, is an internationally acclaimed speaker, seminar leader and consultant. She is author of “The Easiest Way,” based on the principles of Ho’oponopono. She lives in Los Angeles.

Marcela Landres, the daughter of immigrants from Ecuador, is one of the few Latina editors in book publishing, and works as an Editorial Consultant. She grew up and still lives in New York City.

Cristina Perez, the “healing judge” of Emmy-award winning Cristina’s Court, author, radio host, business owner and entrepreneur is the daughter of Colombian immigrants.

Nancy Marmolejo, Mexican-German Cultural Hybrid, is an Information Marketer and CEO of VivaVisibility, a company that teaches PR, media and networking strategy.

Juana Bordas, born in Nicaragua, is President of Mestiza Leadership International and author of Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age

Adriana Vela, Mexican-American founder and CEO of NanoBioNexus, a a not-for-profit corporation whose goal is to promote safe and market-accepted advances in nanosciences.

Manuela Bump Murillo, born in Honduras, came to the U.S. at 18, and became a successful business owner and saleswoman. She owns a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio, including the building in which her business is housed.

Susana De Anda, born to Mexican immigrant parents, grew up in Salinas, CA and is founder and co-Executive Director of the Community Water Center which serves the Central Valley of California and seeks to ensure that all communities have access to safe, clean and affordable water.

Maria Rita Jaramillo, serves as Senior Liaison, Community Outreach, Office of Governance and Policy, where she focuses on outreach to the Hispanic community for the National Education Association (NEA).

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Godmother of Chica Lit and best-selling author of the Dirty Girls Social Club was born to a Cuban immigrant father, and a mother of a variety of ethnic backgrounds. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Polly Baca, the “Latina Forrest Gump” (in that she somehow managed to be at the exact physical location of a number of historic events including the “I Have a Dream” speech) was born and raised in Colorado to parents of Mexican ancestry, a member of the Colorado State Legislature for 12 years, and was the first Hispanic woman in a multitude of political arenas.

Hope Schecter, born in Arizona and raised in Los Angeles, was born to Mexican immigrant parents, and was a long time union organizer, heavily involved in politics and later a successful business owner.

Eva Plaza, Partner at the Law Firm of Garcia, Calderon & Ruiz, and formerly Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing, grew up in El Paso, Texas to Mexican immigrant parents.

Maria Reinat-Pumarejo, a Puertoriqueña, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and is co-director of ilé: Institute for Latino Empowerment, an organization committed to anti-oppression organizing in Puerto Rico and the US.

Sylvia Mendoza, Mexican-American Author, Journalist, and Speaker is an award-winning author of both fiction novels and the The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas (Lives) of Passion, Strength and Success, an important historic perspective on Latino women who have made significant contributions in the arts, politics, science, and history.

Naomi Helena Quinonez, Chicana poet and educator, is an American studies scholar and a Latina cultural advocate.

Jeanette Cisneros, Mexican-American and grew up in San Diego, California, is a Family Practice Doctor and Medical Director of a Public Health Clinic.

Ramona Emilia Romero, born in the Dominican Republic and grew up from age 11 in New York City, is Corporate Counsel, Logistics and Energy at DuPont where she is currently responsible for legal oversight of the acquisition of transportation, distribution, supply chain management and energy resources totaling billions of dollars each year.

Rocio Cordoba, co-founder and Executive Director of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice. Rocio’s parents were immigrants from Ecuador.

Raquel Aldana, Human Rights Lawyer, Law Professor and author of Everyday Law for Latinos. Raquel was born in Guatemala, to a Guatemalan father and a Salvadoran mother.

Nancy Rodriguez, Artist, Arts Administrator and Activist. Mexican-American and from San Antonio, Texas, Nancy is the Owner of Tochtli Angel Arts, a cultural arts management and planning company.

Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, Mexican-American and from a small town on the Texas/Louisiana border, she was Staff Director and General Counsel for the House Committee on Homeland Security at the time of her interview.

Elma Gonzalez, cell biologist, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, and the fourth Chicana to ever receive a Ph.D. in the sciences.

Nancy Mirabal, Historian, Scholar and Professor. She’s run oral history projects, published extensively and currently teaches in the Raza Studies Department at San Francisco State University. Nancy’s parents are Cuban immigrants.