WHO’s WHO
{ DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP } KERWIN BROWN President and CEO Black Chamber of Arizona blackchamberaz.com
DAVID ADAME President and CEO Chicanos Por La Causa cplc.org
Prior to his current role at the nonprofit, Adame was the chief economic development officer of Chicanos Por La Causa, managing CPLC’s statewide multifamily and single-family development company Tiempo Inc., commercial and retail development company Agudo, property management companies Tiempo and Agudo, construction company La Causa Construction, economic development and joint venture activities, real estate companies Tiempo and La Causa Realty, housing counseling programs, commercial loan company Comercio and Prestamos and resource development. CPLC has staff of more than 600 with an operating budget of $137.75 million and directly serves more than 192,000 people throughout Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Brown is president and CEO of The Black Chamber of Arizona and has been appointed as treasurer and Western Regional director for the United States Black Chambers. He has held numerous sales, management and business development positions in the insurance, banking and investment industries. Business advice: “Position yourself to lead. Find opportunities that are outside of the norm and take advantage of them. Don’t be afraid to fail. Learn from your experiences — good and bad — in order to become the best that you can be.” Dream dinner: “I would like to have dinner with Maya Angelou at the quiet and scenic Sanctuary Restaurant on Camelback Mountain. I’d love to hear her historic perspective on becoming an entrepreneur.” Surprising fact: “I occasionally sing lead in the church choir.”
GONZALO DE LA MELENA, JR.
President and CEO Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce azhcc.com De la Melena serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which operates the Minority Business Development Agency Center in Phoenix. The AZHCC is the state’s leading advocate for nearly 70,000 Hispanic-owned business. Business advice: “Learn to be an active listener and build consensus early.” Professional accomplishment: “Helping small diverse businesses build capacity, get access to contracts and capital. Successful entrepreneurship is one of the most rewarding things to witness and be a part of.” Superpower: “To be a healer. There is too much pain and suffering in the world.” Dream dinner: “The Dalai Lama. We share the same birthday. I would ask him to share his point of view on the interdependence of the world. Dinner would take place at The Farm at South Mountain.”
LEONARDO LOO Partner Quarles & Brady quarles.com
Loo chairs Quarles & Brady’s Business Law Practice Group in Phoenix and practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, financing, international transactions, securities and general corporate law. He is the chairman of the board of directors for Chicanos Por La Causa and serves as general counsel for both the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Black Chamber of Arizona. Business advice: “Find and develop mentors and those who will serve as your champions. Rarely is success achieved without the assistance and influence of others.” Surprising fact: “My first language is actually Spanish, followed by Chinese and then English. Between those three languages, I am usually able to communicate with a good portion of the world when traveling. I make up for the rest in hand gestures.” 246 ABL | Nominate at azBIGmedia.com
DELBERT RAY SR.
President Salt River PimaMaricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) srpmic-nsn.gov Ray is the 24th President of the Salt River PimaMaricopa Community. Ray was elected on September 2, 2014 and sworn in to office on December 20, 2014. When he was elected, he was serving his first term as a member of the Council, representing District A. Ray is a champion of inclusiveness and invokes the O’odham phrase, “ththvem aboju” which means “we will do this together.” As a Council member, Ray served on the Forfeiture and Permanency Committees for SRPMIC. Ray also served as a Chief Judge for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. He also served as a judge for many other tribes, including the Hualapai Tribe, Ak-Chin Indian Community, Fort Mohave Tribe and Tonto Apache Tribe. Currently, Ray sits on the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Indian Affairs.