Since our founding in 2015, these annual lists of Wisconsin’s most influential Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian American leaders have become the most anticipated thing we do. They are more than lists; they are celebrations of the diversity, strength, and resilience of our state.
My goal has always been simple: to shine a light on the people who are shaping Wisconsin’s future, often behind the scenes, and to give young people role models who prove that success is possible right here at home.
This week we shine a statewide spotlight on the dedicated leaders of Wisconsin’s Latino communities. These are richly diverse communities spanning small towns, big cities, and every corner of our state. The people we highlight this week are elected leaders, business leaders and community leaders, doing difficult, important work.
Of course, this list isn’t comprehensive. There are many more leaders who deserve recognition, and we invite you to share their names so we can include them in the future.
For now, I encourage you to get to know the incredible people on this year’s list. Reach out to those in your community, learn from their work, and share their stories with your network.
If you would like to meet many of them in person, join us November 3 at the eighth annual 365 Leadership Summit, a gathering of some of the most dynamic and inspiring leaders in the state.
Henry Sanders
CEO, 365 Media Foundation
Publisher, Madison365
Graciela Engen
Graciela Engen is director of institutional research, assessment and planning at UW-La Crosse, a role she took on in 2022. She joined UWL in December 2011 as an institutional research analyst. Prior to that she held a similar role for six years at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and human resources roles at the UCLA. Engen is a founder of a group that supports parents of young children in the community. She’s also a coordinator of the English Lutheran Church Welcome Center, has been a Centro Latino volunteer, and was an organizer of Comunidad de la Esperanza, a series of family-oriented gatherings focused on Spanish-English speaking community members. Engen is also a member of the Inclusive Excellence Assessment Team, a founding member of the Equity Liaison Initiative Steering Committee and an Institutional Research representative at conferences such as the Wisconsin Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers and the Association for Institutional Research of the Upper Midwest. In 2018, she was honored by the Universities of Wisconsin as an Outstanding Woman of Color in Education. She earned a bachelor’s degree at USA and master’s at UCLA.
Dr. Anthony Cruz
Dr. Anthony Cruz is the 11th president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the Midwest. He began his tenure in July 2024. He is leading the launch of the college’s next five-year strategic plan, championed a successful partnership with the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Bucks, and J Jeffers & Co. to provide the college with its first new athletic facility in decades, and engaged the campus community and business community partners through Presidential Roundtables and Voice of the College Live sessions. Before coming to MATC, Dr. Cruz served as president of the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College in Florida. He has 28 years of higher education experience, serving as vice chancellor, vice president, and dean at several community colleges and universities. Dr. Cruz has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University, a Master of Public Administration from Florida State University and a doctorate in higher education from Florida International University.
Patrick Chaves
Patrick Chaves is founder and executive director of Buena Tierra Run Club, a Latino-influenced group created to inspire the community to put their health and wellness first. He is also the regional engagement coordinator for Milwaukee County Parks. He serves a liaison between community members of southern Milwaukee County and the Parks Department, coordinating alliances, partners, stakeholders, and volunteers.
Erica López
Erica López is assistant corporation counsel for Dane County, a role she stepped into just this past summer. She spent the previous three years running Centro de Derecho de la Gente (People’s Law Center), a nonprofit legal aid organization she founded in 2021. She partnered with Tenant Resource Center, The Eviction Defense Clinic, Legal Action of Wisconsin, and Community Justice, Inc. as a coalition of organizations called the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership, to provide free legal help for people facing eviction. It wasn’t her first venture into representing marginalized people; she previously worked as a clinical instructor in the University of Wisconsin Eviction Defense Clinic, a staff attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin and a law clerk at Disability Rights Wisconsin. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Yale and a law degree at UW.
Yussef Morales
Yussef Morales is the founder of the Puerto Rican Festival of Wisconsin, which just held its 12th annual event at the Summerfest grounds yesterday. It has grown from a gathering under a small bridge to a massive festival with nationally-recognized performing artists and more than 8,000 people in attendance. He is also a youth development specialist at America Works Wisconsin. He was among the first to join the Red Cross in its response to Hurricane Maria, traveling to Puerto Rico to help find missing people. He volunteers as a mentor for the Black and Latino Men Achievement program and previously volunteered as a wrestling coach at several Milwaukee schools. He is an alum of Cardinal Stritch University, where he earned a business administration degree in 2016.
Dr. Marlene de la Cruz-Guzmán
Dr. Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán is vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Viterbo University, the first person to hold that position. She served as the director of the Office of Multicultural Success and Retention at Ohio University for six years prior to arriving at Viterbo in 2021. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature and Theology from Barry University, a Master of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Michigan State University, and a PhD in African Literature in English from Ohio University. She also earned a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Ohio University.
Caroline Gómez-Tom
Caroline Gómez-Tom is the enrollment network and accessibility manager at Covering Wisconsin and a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Professionally, she works to help people across Wisconsin understand and access affordable health insurance coverage and care. She previously worked for Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers from 2019-2021 in community engagement, during the COVID-19 emergency response. She was elected to the Milwaukee County Board in 2023 and serves on the board of the Milwaukee Latino Health Coalition (MLHC), Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (CHAW), and Kids Forward. She has served on the Milwaukee Board of Health since 2019, including a one-year term as president. In 2016, she was honored as one of the “40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Healthcare” by the National Minority Quality Forum. Caroline graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in political science and social work. She also holds a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in social policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Brandon Hill
Dr. Brandon Hill is CEO of Vivent Health, formerly the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Vivent currently serves nearly 18,500 people living with and vulnerable to HIV and sexually transmitted infections, as well as countless people at risk for opioid overdose. Vivent Health currently has 17 clinics spanning six states, including 10 locations throughout Wisconsin. He was named CEO in September 2023 after a year as interim. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Howard Brown Health’s Center for Education, Research, and Advocacy in Chicago, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains in Kansas City and Executive Director of the University of Chicago’s adolescent sexual and reproductive health research center, Ci3. He is a graduate of Indiana University, earning a doctorate in gender studies with a concentration in behavioral science and psychology. He is a member of the board of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) and Kinsey Institute International Advisory Council.
Guillermo Tellez-Giron
Guillermo Tellez-Giron is lead mechanical engineer at Sierra Nevada Corporation, joining the company when it acquired Madison-based Orbital Technologies in 2007. He’s spent nearly 20 years designing equipment and systems to grow plants in space. His work on nine different projects has made its way onto NASA space shuttles and the International Space Station. In 2017, Tellez, along with colleague Matt DeMars, was awarded the Exceptional Public Achievement medal by NASA at Cape Kennedy for developing the largest-ever habitat to grow plants in space, a project that took five years. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Mexico and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Regina Flores
Dr. Regina Flores is director of procurement for Milwaukee County, where she oversees all of the county’s purchasing operations by managing the sourcing, selection, and negotiation of goods and services to ensure cost-effectiveness and compliance with regulations and policies. She’s held that role for four years, and joined the county staff after a decade at Milwaukee Public Schools, where she began as supplier diversity coordinator before being promoted to manager of contract compliance services. She earned an MBA from Concordia University-Wisconsin and a PhD in leadership for the advancement of learning and service. She has also earned certifications from the SMU Cox School of Business Rising Latino Leaders Program, Future Milwaukee Community Leadership Program at Marquette, and UW-Milwaukee’s Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program.
Jesus González
Jesus González is general counsel for the Americas and Global Market Access at Rockwell Automation. Prior to stepping up to that role in 2022, he served as Rockwell’s first-ever Latin America General Counsel for six years before relocating to the United States in 2014 and served as assistant general counsel for Rockwell’s Architecture & Software and Lifecycle segments. Before joining Rockwell, Gonzalez served as legal counsel for GE and Santamarina y Steta, one of Mexico’s largest full-service law firms. He serves on the boards of United Community Center and Alzheimer’s Association Wisconsin Chapter, and has previously served on the boards of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee and Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Tecnológico de Monterrey and a master’s at the Cleveland State University College of Law.
Jasmine Mercado
Jasmine Mercado is vice president and commercial lender at Spring Bank Wisconsin. Over the past 10 years, she’s held similar positions at Town Bank, US Bank, Waukesha State Bank and Huntington National Bank. She is a member of the executive board and treasurer of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority; a board member of Forward Community Investments; vice president of the Local 212 MATC Believe in Students Fast Fund; and a member of the board of the International Institute of Wisconsin. She’s served on more than a dozen other boards and committees over the past decade. In 2025, BizTimes Milwaukee named her a Notable BIPOC Executive, and in 2024 a Notable Commercial Banking Leader. She holds an MBA from Alverno College.
Dr. Omar Granados
Dr. Omar Granados is associate professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies and director of the Institute for Latin American and Latino Studies at UW-La Crosse. He has authored numerous academic articles and chapters in edited collections and is currently working on a public history project researching the 1980 Mariel Exodus Refugee Camp Program in several U.S military bases. At UWL, Dr. Granados teaches courses on Latin American literature, history and cultural studies, contemporary film, Latino studies, and Spanish language. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Universidad de la Habana and University of Vermont, and master’s and doctoral degrees at Emory University.
Julio García
Julio García is director of education at the Latino Academy of Workforce Development. After teaching Spanish language and literature for nearly 10 years at the University of Wisconsin and Beloit College, he moved to the nonprofit sector to advocate for housing justice as a bilingual housing specialist for the Tenant Resource Center. He joined the Latino Academy of Workforce Development to lead adult education programs in 2019. He also works as an interpreter and translator with the Interpreters’ Cooperative of Madison and volunteers as an interpreter and translator the the Madison Youth Choirs and Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Diana Billstrom
Diana Billstrom is executive director of Bay View Community Center in Milwaukee, a role she stepped up to in March 2025 after several years as director of family learning and community engagement. The organization serves nearly 12,000 families through its family resource center, food pantry, senior center, mobile clinic and modern commercial kitchen. Under her leadership, BVCC has expanded its programming to include STEAM and sensory opportunities and make upgrades to its facility, and was named Small Nonprofit Organization of the Year by BizTimes.
Darryl Morin
Darryl Morin is CEO Advanced Wireless in Franklin, but more people know him for his activism on Latino issues. He’s the President of Forward Latino and has held various state and national positions with the League of United Latin American Citizens. He worked with leaders from the NAACP in Milwaukee on policing issues and with the Milwaukee Jewish Federation to lobby for DACA protections. He’s served on a wide range of boards, including the Milwaukee Jewish Museum, the Hmong American Peace Academy and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Darryl has been named Hispanic Man of the Year by UMOS and a Friend of Education by the State of Wisconsin. Born and raised in Chicago, he is an alumnus of the University of North Texas.
Brian Espinosa
Brian Espinosa is cofounder of Adapt Marketing Consulting, a firm launched in 2022 to support minority-owned businesses and Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs with branding and marketing. He has also served as president of the Latino Professionals Association since January and served on the board since February 2024. He previously worked at Park Bank as a relationship banker. He holds a degree in business marketing from Edgewood University.
Dr. Beatriz Aguilar
Dr. Beatriz Aguilar is director of music education at UW-Stevens Point, where she joined the faculty last year after 20 years at Edgewood College. There, she was a professor of music, chair of the music department, head of the divisions of the arts, and ultimately general education curriculum coordinator. She has served on the boards of Literacy Network and Hedberg Public Library. She studied piano performance at the Escuela nacional de musica UNAM and earned master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of North Texas.
Daniel Rivera
Daniel Rivera is director of security, global security and investigations at Fiserv, a role he took on in July 2024 after eight years as a Milwaukee County deputy sheriff and seven years as Milwaukee County deputy court clerk. He was named one of Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2023 and is an alumnus of the Forward 48 leadership development program. He is a member of the board of the American Red Cross and Mentor Greater Milwaukee. He graduated with a degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette.
Dr. Victor Amaya
Dr. Victor Amaya is president and executive director of Data You Can Use, where he drives strategies that democratize data, ensuring it serves as a tool for equity and progress. Before joining DYCU in 2021, he served as managing director of impact and interim executive director of City Year Milwaukee. He previously worked in Milwaukee Public Schools as a bilingual educator and school support teacher. He is an Executive Board Member for the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and serves as President of both the Southside Organizing Center and Your Move MKE. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, followed by a master’s administrative leadership and a doctorate in leadership in the advancement of learning, along with a school superintendent’s license from Cardinal Stritch University.
April Toy
April Toy is a partner at the law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson in Milwaukee, a firm she joined as an associate in 2020 after 10 years at several other firms in the Milwaukee area. She is national secretary of the Hispanic National Bar Association and vice president of its national executive committee and previously served as its regional president. She’s served in a number of other leadership roles with the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute and the State Bar of Wisconsin. She has been recognized as a “Notable Latino Leader” honoree by Milwaukee BizTimes in 2025;a Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leader by Diversity MBA in 2023; a “Rising Stars in Law” honoree by Milwaukee BizTimes in 2022; and on the Rising Stars list by Wisconsin Super Lawyers magazine in 2019. She earned a bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State and a law degree from Marquette.
Luis Hernandez
Luis Hernandez is associate athletic director for strategic communications with UW Athletics, where he leads communications efforts for the Badgers. This role, which he just took on earlier this year, is a return to sports – after having spent eight years as director of public relations for the Chicago White Sox, until 2014. Since then he’s worked in a variety of communications leadership roles across public and private sectors, including executive communications with the asset manager Nuveen, in the Office of the Mayor in Milwaukee and with Milwaukee County, as well as work in his hometown at the Chicago Park District as deputy director of communications. He has served on the Community Leadership Board of the American Diabetes Association, the Latino Advisory Council for Gilda’s Club Chicago and the Marquette University Alumni Association National Board. He graduated from Marquette with a degree in public relations and earned his MBA at the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.
Victoria Thayer
Victoria Thayer founder and owner of Novii CPA, a Madison-based accounting firm that incorporates a subscription model to support entrepreneurs and small businesses. She came from Venezuela to the University of Rochester, initially to study chemical engineering but pivoted to accounting and graduated with a degree in business in 2015. Since then, she has worked at a number of accounting firms and earned a master’s degree in accounting from Edgewood University before launching Novii in 2023. She is treasurer of the nonprofit coworking space StartingBlock Madison, a member of the board of the Madison Reading Project, and an advisory committee member for WWBIC.
Rene Howard-Paez
Rene Howard-Paez is president of St. Joan Antida High School, the youngest Catholic high school president in Milwaukee, and the only Latino in the role. Howard-Páez previously served as a field talent growth and development strategist at Northwestern Mutual, where he spearheaded new campus engagement strategies. Before that, he was the director of diversity and inclusion at Marquette University High School and the founding director of admissions at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Milwaukee. Earlier this year, he was recognized by the Milwaukee BizTimes as a Notable Latino Leader. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Dominican University and a master’s at UW-Milwaukee.
Patricia Ruiz-Cantu
Patricia Ruiz-Cantu is community outreach manager for the City of Milwaukee, as well as a member of the Milwaukee Election Commission. She is also a certified coach, trainer, and speaker with The John Maxwell Team, and founder of Renace, a faith-based effort to empower Latinos and citizens to rise and thrive to participate in civic life. She previously served as executive director of LLDM Family Services and director of the Batterers Intervention Program at Sojourner Family Peace Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations at UW-Whitewater and a master’s in organizational leadership at Concordia University-Wisconsin.
Luis Velasquez
Luis Velasquez serves as the Statewide Organizing Director at Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin’s largest grassroots Latine membership organization. Luis leads a dynamic, statewide coalition of immigrant communities, university students, and allies across chapters in urban and rural areas to win bold, progressive policy changes. He has been a grassroots organizer since his high school days where he led ESL & GED classes at Mi Familia Center INC and led voter education and engagement with Georgia’s GALEO and Georgia Latino Alliance For Humans Rights. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Reinhardt University and a master’s in divinity from Emory.
Roberto Moreno
Roberto Moreno is the principal of Cherokee Heights Middle School in Madison, where he has served since 2022. He previously worked as the school’s assistant principal, following two years in the same role in the Beloit School District. From 2013 to 2019, he was a bilingual resource teacher in the Middleton Cross Plains School District, where he also took on teacher leadership and dean of students responsibilities. Moreno grew up in Mexico and immigrated to the United States more than two decades ago. A graduate of the Mexican Air Force Academy, he later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, along with advanced certifications from Edgewood College and Viterbo University.
AJ Juarez
AJ Juarez is founder of Barrio Dance and cofounder of Art House 360, a cooperative and multicultural art space that opened earlier this year in Verona. He began training in Latin ballroom in his native Buenos Aires, but quickly discovered a love for lyrical jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, and modern contemporary styles. He studied dance at the Julio Bocca School of Musical Theatre and immediately began performing in productions of “Applause” and “Aladdin” in Argentina’s Broadway. He was later a member of Chet Walker’s Fosse company, a featured dancer on Royal Caribbean Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, and has danced and choreographed for Argentina’s “Dancing with the Stars,” “Singing for a Dream,” and “Dreaming to Dance.” In the states, I’ve choreographed commercials, choreographed for Carnival in Los Angeles, and connected with some of the best dance leaders in the Midwest. He opened Barrio Dance on Madison’s east side in 2019, offering everything from dance classes for beginners to national champion dance crews. He opened a second studio in Verona this summer as one of the founding artistic companies at Art House 360.
Brandi Gonzalez
Brandi Gonzalez is strategic people director at UW Credit Union, which she joined in 2022 as the next step in a long career in human resources. Over the past 25 years she’s worked her way up through roles at Milwaukee firms like CapTel, Huf North America, Horizon Home Care and Hospice, and Fiserv. She holds a degreein management from Cardinal Stritch University.
Norma Nanette Oliveras
Norma Nanette Oliveras is Hispanic Outreach Specialist at the Appleton Public Library, a role she’s held for 10 years. She began her career as an inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture after earning a degree in chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico. After moving to Wisconsin in 2005, she went back to school to become a teacher and spent eight years as a Head Start teacher, family support specialist and home visitor at UW-Oshkosh. White working at Appleton Public Library she earned a master’s degree in social work from UW-Green Bay.
Yadira J. Rein
Yadira J. Rein is a judge on the Outagamie County Circuit Court. She was appointed by Governor Tony Evers on June 24, 2021, and was elected to a full term in 2022. Judge Rein’s legal background includes extensive work in family law, dealing with divorce, custody and placement, child support, paternity, guardianships, and guardian ad litem appointments. She also has experience in personal injury law. Before her appointment, she practiced as an attorney with McCarty Law, LLP in Appleton. She was born in El Paso, Texas, spent part of her childhood in Guerrero, Mexico, and moved to the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin around age 9. Judge Rein earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Who’d we miss? Email [email protected] to let us know who in your world should be on the list next year!
