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What motivates you to be a leader ?
My motivation for being active in public service comes from a strong desire to give back to and help my community address its issues. More specifically, I want to help the Hispanic community achieve the level of political participation and political empowerment that is commensurate with the size of the demographic. Part of my motivation for this comes from seeing how Hispanics have lagged behind other demographic groups in achieving meaningful political involvement, and realizing that I have talent to contribute that can help change that.
What makes a successful leader?
It is never easy to stick to your principles, stay focused on your goals, and not let yourself get discouraged at times, but that’s exactly what it takes to be a leader. Those that succeed always believe in themselves. However, the most successful leaders also balance a healthy belief in themselves – with a humbleness that doesn’t let success go to their heads, inflate their egos, or make them overly self-important – the downfall of many successful leaders.
How are you currently a leader in your community?
Currently, I am a Vice President and General Counsel at a small company that brings in guest workers on H-2B seasonal work visas. In that capacity, I lead a lobbying effort on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform. I also hold leadership positions on numerous boards and commissions. I am Chairman of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, I serve on the Board, and am Chair of the Government Relations Committee of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania and have been the face of the Hispanic Bar Association on the issue of immigration reform, advocating on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform and against the rise of local and state immigration legislation. I serve on the Board of the Catholic Social Services for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where I Chair the Youth Services Committee. I am also Chair of a statewide Hispanic Republican coalition where I lead Hispanic outreach efforts and stand up to a faction of my own Party that seems intent on damaging Hispanic outreach for decades to come through their misguided stance on the immigration issue.
What does "progressive" mean to you?
To me, “progressive” as a leadership quality simply means a willingness to consider alternatives that you didn’t think of yourself, or an openness to alternative ideas. To me, for example, progressives will support a candidate from another political party if that person is the overall best, and most qualified, candidate.
What long-term change do you want to see in your community?
The long-term change I want to help achieve is what I said in number 2 above: I want to see Hispanics nationwide put aside their differences and work together on their commonalities towards achieving the level of political empowerment and involvement that is commensurate with the size of the demographic. I want to help educate Hispanics on how to succeed and achieve the American Dream through hard work, educational opportunity and entrepreneurship. Lastly, I want to leave a legacy of mentorship whereby Hispanics who have achieved success look back, remember where they came from, and hold doors open for, help identify, groom and mentor, successive generations of younger Hispanic leadership.
What attracted you to the CPL Fellowship?
More than anything, the attractiveness of the program is in the energy, synergy and dreams of the individual participants, and how they helped to support each other and help each other to develop as leaders. The program’s facilitators also add to that attractiveness because people with enthusiasm and substantial political experience seem to be taking the next generation of leaders under their wing and grooming them to develop into leaders in their own right.
How is the Fellowship helping you reach your goals?
I keep in close touch with many of the people I met the first CPL Fellowship. And I have crossed paths with many others as they strive to achieve their goals. We all had a lot in common in the intensity of our passion and in our desire to make changes that help our communities. It has been nice seeing people like Tony Payton, Marc Stier, Derek Greene, Damon Roberts, Pete Amuso, and others, run for public office. It has been nice running into other Fellows at numerous political and community events, reading their op-ed columns, and hearing of their successes.
What did you get out of the CPL Fellowship?
I got three main things out the Fellowship Program: 1) I got great hands-on, nuts and bolts skills and training on how to put some of my passion, motivation, and desire to make a difference -- into practical, results-oriented programs that have tangible and positive outcomes; 2) I got a sense of my true potential, as well as the encouragement and mentoring I needed to have the self-confidence to actually try to make a difference rather than just sitting back and talking about it, or dreaming about it; and 3) I made and developed a vast new network of contacts and friends in my peer group, all of whom are going to do great things with their lives. I’ll be able to say, “I knew them when. . . “
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