LATINO LEADERS MAGAZINE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL.
Antonio Talledo Co-Founder | Waleteros After spending most of his childhood between Peru and Venezuela, Antonio earned his degree in Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. A summer internship after his first year in college at a bank in Caracas made him realize, however, that he had a passion for finance. After graduating, he started working in the trading floor of Goldman Sachs in New York, joining a group that advised Latin American corporations and governments on managing their exposures in currency, interest rate and commodities markets. After a couple of years, on a visit to Miami, Antonio saw a thriving and growing city. But he also saw a city with drastic contrasts, and discovered that more than 40% of households in the community were unbanked or under banked. Across the United States, that percentage is even higher for demographic groups such as Hispanics. Antonio decided to move to Miami and cofounded Waleteros, a socially oriented financial technology startup with a clear mission: to provide millions of underserved individuals access to world class banking services, via their smartphones.
Cecilia Gutierrez-Abety President/CEO Miami Children’s Initiative Cecilia Gutierrez is the CEO of Miami Children’s Initiative. The Miami Children’s Initiative is one of three large-scale social change efforts in the state of Florida with the vision of transforming our most challenging and promising communities. All three (Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville) efforts are modeled after the nationally known Harlem Children’s Zone. The vision for The Miami Children’s Initiative traces back to 2006, when a group of committed and passionate Liberty City community leaders, local politicians and residents came together to figure out what might truly work in our community. [creativemornings.com]
Marly Q. Casanova Founder & CEO | PARK Project Marlene de la Caridad Quincoces Casanova, better known simply as “MarlyQ”, is an award-winning Event Creator, Yoga Instructor, Speaker & Philanthropist on a mission to inspire people worldwide to PARK (Perform Acts of Random Kindness). MarlyQ is an effervescent free spirit with an unquenchable thirst for service and a natural talent for inspiring, energizing and uniting people for good. With over 15 years of professional experience producing large-scale community fundraising events, her servant leadership style, radiant energy and relentless passion has helped raised over $1M for dozens of nonprofit organizations in South Florida. As the Founder and CEO (Chief Events Officer) of PARK Project, MarlyQ creates one-of-a-kind events, like 5K PARK Fest, that inspire people to “PARKticipate” and make a difference in the community. Learn more at www.5KPARKFest.org “My mission is to inspire people to be the spark and PARK!” – Marly Q.
Maria Chicuen Assistant to the President Special Projects Miami Dade College
Born in Cuba, María Carla Chicuén moved to the United States in her last year of middle school and completed secondary studies in Miami, FL. She obtained her Bachelor´s Degree with High Honors in History from Harvard University in 2010, and a Master´s Degree in International Relations with Merit from the London School of Economics the following year. In the last decade, María Carla has actively pursued her passion to foster access to higher education among fellow Hispanics and low-income youth. At Harvard, she worked for over three years as a Latino Recruiter at the Admissions Office’s Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program, informing prospective students and their families about the path to Harvard and other selective universities. She launched her full-time professional career as a consultant for the Education Sector of the World Bank in Washington D.C., focusing on the Latin America & Caribbean region. She later transitioned to the Panama office of the Inter-American Development Bank. Currently, María Carla serves the President of Miami Dade College, Eduardo Padrón, as Special Projects Assistant. Her first book, a guide for low-income students who aspire to enter the nation’s top colleges, will be published in the coming months.
Dan Grech VP of Marketing and Public Relations OfferCraft
Dan Grech is a digital marketing, strategic communications, and storytelling specialist who works with startups, nonprofits and universities craft their story for maximum impact. He is the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at OfferCraft, a marketing technology company that uses behavioral economics and game theory to create offers customers can’t refuse. Dan has worked as an award-winning print, radio and digital journalist and university educator. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain, he was the Americas correspondent for the public radio show Marketplace and the Buenos Aires correspondent for The Miami Herald. He founded the MarketHack digital marketing training program at the Idea Center at Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest college. And he has taught dozens of courses, including at Columbia, Princeton, Florida International University and the University of Miami. He has Masters degrees in nonfiction storytelling and Spanish-language journalism and is a graduate of Princeton University. He is working on a memoir about the 18 months he spent rebuilding his South Beach after it was destroyed by a Hurricane. He is married to Gretchen Beesing and has a daughter.
Gabriela Guzman | Founder & Director | The Jupiter Circle Gaby Guzman is a Miami-based Digital Strategist. Raised in Dominican Republic, she moved to the U.S. 16 years ago. As a passionate advocate of social justice, Gaby is driven by the power of communication and sharing ideas to create brands and build movements. She lived in New York City for 8 years where she worked in digital advertising agencies. Her expertise is in using the power of social media to bring together engaged online communities. Her client experience ranges from: Planned Parenthood Federation of America to Tiffany & Co. Since moving to Miami in 2012, she founded The Jupiter Circle - a social media agency committed to heart, awesomeness, authenticity and results. She empowers businesses to find and engage their tribe with an exciting online presence. Gaby has also happily dived in to a thriving and exciting scene in Miami – dedicated to improving the city for all and creating a genuine sense of community – through the New Leaders Council Miami and Engage Miami. Gaby sits on the board of the Social Media Club of South Florida and the New Leaders Council in Miami. Her speaking experiences include: South by Southwest Interactive and Voto Latino Power Summit.