We are shaped by those who came before us and, in turn, we help shape the lives of those who come after us.

Nationwide’s Juan José (JJ) Pérez knows this all too well.

He grew up watching his father attend law school at night while working two jobs, making sacrifices while Perez and his siblings were young to not only better provide for their family in the long term but also be an example of what they could achieve.

Those lessons continue to resonate with Perez today, both as president for Nationwide Financial’s Corporate Solutions and as a mentor for Latino youth in the Columbus community. He’s a fierce advocate for educational opportunity and empowering young Latinos to view education as a tool for leadership and advancement.

Education changed the trajectory of his father’s life, and Perez knows it will be a catalyst for the Latino community in Ohio and beyond.

Forty years ago, Alex López Negrete saw an opportunity to represent the Hispanic market and provide strategic direction to some of the biggest names in corporate America.

The Houston-based Lopez Negrete Communications, cofounded with his wife Cathy, is now the largest independently owned and operated Hispanic advertising firm in the country. López Negrete has been recognized over the years for his leadership in the space. Most recently, he was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Advertising Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

His work is far from over. Latinos are the fastest-growing segment with undeniable economic power. Yet there is still a need to educate corporate America on how to reach the community.

López Negrete, ever optimistic, looks toward growth. Reaching Latinos is not about checking a box. Marketers seek growth, and López Negrete knows the Latino community is opportunity they need to fully embrace.

Felida Villarreal understands firsthand the cultural and familial expectations of the Rio Grande Valley residents.

The powerhouse nonprofit leader grew up in the region, earned her degrees at the local university, and continues to empower residents to achieve their own success right in the valley through VIDA and its training programs.

Villarreal stepped into the president and CEO role before the age of thirty and has made significant strides for an already strong regional nonprofit in the past three years. She’s grown VIDA’s budget, staff, and program participants. She secured federal funding in partnership with other local organizations to address the nursing labor shortage.

And she’s not slowing down. Villarreal found her own success and purpose in the Rio Grande Valley, and through VIDA, she’s creating paths for others to do the same.

From the very beginning, words have been important to Marie Arana.

The Peruvian American’s childhood was filled with music and literature, which formed her passion for storytelling and books as she navigated growing up in a bicultural household. Having an American mother, Arana learned to provide a counter narrative to Peruvian perceptions of Americans.

Her love of books and writing grew into a literary career: books editor for the Washington Post, the inaugural literary director of the Library of Congress, literary director for the National Book Festival, and champion for editors and writers alike.

And today, her counter narrative is focused on sharing the history and stories of who Latinos are through books like Silver, Sword, and Stone, and the recently released LatinoLand.

Arana knows that to reach the hearts and minds of all audiences, all you need is a good story.

Growing up in the ’80s with two working parents, Javiera Balmaceda Pascal often found herself at the movie theater with her younger brother Pedro Pascal. The siblings, raised in Texas and California by parents who had fled Chile, found comfort in the stories they saw on the screen.

Where her brother chose to step in front of the camera, Balmaceda pursued shaping narratives instead—with a focus on Latin American storytelling.

For the past two decades, the Chilean native has helped major production companies like HBO Latin America and now Amazon Prime develop successful series and films for Hispanic and international audiences.

With each project she produces—News of a Kidnapping, Oscar-nominated Argentina, 1985, or the upcoming House of the Spirits—Balmaceda shows that there is a desire from all audiences for Latino storytelling.

Carla Vernón imagines a future that isn’t here yet.

Her power of imagination has been her guide since childhood, allowing her to see beyond the information available to make decisions with both her head and her heart.

The Princeton alum built her brand and leadership expertise at General Mills for almost twenty-two years, brought her vision to Amazon—and then became one of the first Afro-Latina CEOs of a US publicly traded company when she joined the Honest Company in 2023. She saw an opportunity to turnaround the personal care brand while transforming into the leader she was always meant to be.

Vernón has stepped into her own not only as an executive but also an Afro-Latina leader. She’s unfolded her wings to fully be herself among her fellow Latinos, particularly on the board for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino.

She imagines a museum that inspires us to move forward and welcomes the rich complexities of what it means to be Latino.

Wealth is more than just finances. It’s about securing a legacy. Building a rich and fulfilling life.

And Ileana Musa wants to make sure Latinos have every opportunity to build their wealth.

She knows firsthand the challenges that come with building wealth. Musa was raised by a single mother, who brought her and her siblings over from Cuba at a young age. She saw her mother in action as an entrepreneur to take care of her family and build a brighter future.

Through her work as head of sales at Morgan Stanley Private Bank and in the wealth management space, Musa focuses on the Latino community to provide financial empowerment.

This mission culminates in The Latino Wealth Journey study, conducted in collaboration with the Morgan Stanley Institute for Inclusion, Hispanic Executive, and Semilla Multicultural. The report provides rich insights into the Latino financial journey and how they can build multigenerational wealth sooner rather than later.

For Musa, it’s an exciting catalyst to move beyond achieving stability and secure financial independence and future for generations.

Not tomorrow. Today.

Being a political trailblazer is in Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s DNA.

Her grandfather Eugene D. Lujan was one of the first Hispanic justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court. In 2019, she made history as the first Democratic Latina elected governor in the United States.

Lujan Grisham’s successes for New Mexicans—investing in high-quality education from early childhood through college, reaching historic economic growth, setting ambitious climate goals—come from the relationships she’s built during her forty-year career. She is honest about the challenges that lie ahead and the conversations that need to happen.

For Lujan Grisham, to be a leader is to represent your community. She sees her responsibility, her legacy, to uplift the next generation of Latinos and Latinas. To have our elected officials better represent America.

It’s a challenging path, but it’s one worth pursuing.

Grit. Perseverance. Love.

Those family values have been and will always be part of Monica Gil, who grew up the youngest of twelve children. She watched her parents and older siblings navigate systems and unspoken rules of the game, trailblazing a path for her to advance.

Throughout her career at Nielsen and now at NBCUniversal Telemundo, Gil has always figured out how to reach back to bring Latinos along with her. To remove that “hassle factor” for Latinos and Latinas, and to remove barriers for future generations to get into spaces where they are few and far between. She’s launched women’s leadership programs, going beyond just doing one-on-ones. There’s also the Telemundo Academy, which serves students interested in pursuing careers in the media industry.

Providing exposure to leadership and corporate opportunities is an important piece of the puzzle to Gil. It allows our community, our familia, to celebrate the wins and the defining moments together.

Advocacy is at the heart of everything Dolores Huerta does.

It was the influence of her mother’s community activism and her initial time as a teacher that spurred her lifelong journey as a community organizer. She met César Chavez while serving in the Stockton Community Service Organization, and the pair went on to launch the United Farm Workers union in 1962.

That was only the beginning for Huerta. She became the most visible spokesperson for the union, securing seemingly impossible feats that allowed California farm workers to wield economic power. She challenged gender discrimination within the farm workers’ movement and campaigned in the early 2000s to encourage Latinas to run for office.

At 94, Huerta continues her life’s work as president and founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. She’s advocating for women’s rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. She’s encouraging young Latinos to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Because for Dolores Huerta, Latinos are the future.