Every year since our founding in 2015, we have recognized Wisconsin’s most influential Black and Latino leaders, and we are very proud now to also begin to recognize Indigenous and Asian American leaders. These lists have become the most anticipated thing we do. Every year, I’ve intended these lists to highlight the beauty of the diversity across our state. I want kids here in Wisconsin to see role models of people who are succeeding, to know that it’s possible for people of color to achieve great things here.
This week we shine a statewide spotlight on the dedicated leaders of Wisconsin’s Latino communities. These are richly diverse communities with roots that represent a massive geographic area. The people we highlight this week are elected leaders, business leaders and community leaders, doing difficult, important work.
We are also aware that this list, like every other, is not comprehensive. There are, without a doubt, more than 36 influential Latino leaders doing good work in Wisconsin. We hope you will let us know about people in your community whom we can include on future lists. For now, though, we just want to introduce you to a few of the people doing the work, often behind the scenes and without the accolades, across Wisconsin.
You might know a few of these names, but there’s a good chance that most of them will be new to you. I urge you to get to know them. Reach out to those living and working in your communities. Learn from them, network, create partnerships. And spread the word — let others in your network know that we have people of all ethnicities living and working across Wisconsin to make this state a good and prosperous place for all.
And one more note: Many of the people on this list — and on previous lists — will gather October 28 at the seventh annual $ 365 Leadership Summit$ . You’re welcome to come, too, to meet, network with and learn from this dynamic group! Henry Sanders CEO and Publisher Madison365
Diego Campoverde Cisneros is diversity, equity and inclusion manager at UW Health, a role he took on in 2022 after nearly three years in a similar role at Quartz Health Solutions. Prior to taking on the role of DEI Manager at Quartz, he spent six years as the company’s senior marketing communications coordinator. He moved into healthcare after a long career in media; he served La Movida, Madison’s only Spanish-language radio station as production manager for 12 years and worked as a Spanish-language reporter for CNN Radio for six years. He was recognized with the Joyce Erdman Award and the Ilda Conteris Thomas Award by Centro Hispano, both in 2016. He earned a degree in social communications and journalism at La Universidad del Azuay in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Carmenysol Vallejo is talent program manager at Generac, a power generation company headquartered in Waukesha with nearly 3,300 employees. Since 2020 she has also provided executive and leadership training to more than 40 managers and high-level executives working in Great Place to Work partner companies in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. She came to Wisconsin after holding several roles in marketing, sales, corporate affairs and human resources in Nicaragua. She earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Ave Maria University’s Latin American campus in 2007 and a master’s degree in directive coaching and leadership from the Universidad de Barcelona in 2020.
Jose Trejo is the principal at South Division High School in Milwaukee, one of the most diverse schools in the state. He began his teaching career in 2009 and by 2019 was named assistant principal at South Division, taking over as principal in 2020. Prior to entering education, he worked as an organizer with Voces de le Frontera, the nonprofit that advocates for immigrant, student and worker rights. There he focused on ensuring undocumented, college-bound students had the help and guidance they needed. He has served on a number of non-profit boards, including as president of the board of the largest immigrant rights organization in the state, Voces de la Frontera. Mr. Trejo has also served on the board of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, where he advocated for a number of initiatives around bilingual education. He earned degrees from UW-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Natalie Arriaga de Brooks is the assistant director of the Wisconsin School of Business Multicultural Center, where she manages the center’s daily operations and its internship program. She also spearheaded the redesign of five affinity groups as well as the mentorship program serving undergraduate and graduate students. She took that role on in May 2023 after previously serving as a student life manager for engagement and academic adviser at WSB. She is an alum of UW-Whitewater and earned a master’s degree in education leadership and policy analysis at UW-Madison.
René Jovel is Deputy General Counsel and Director of Legal Operations at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago, the largest Goodwill organization in the world with 90 locations throughout their 23-county territory. His primary areas of responsibility include Labor and Employment matters, Contracts, and the management of the Legal Department. Prior to joining Goodwill, René worked as a Constituent Services Representative for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. René currently serves on the selection committee for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation Awards (MANDI’s). He is also a board member of the Association of Corporate Counsel Wisconsin Chapter. In 2022, he was recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as a Top Corporate Counsel. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School.
Yolibeth Rangel-Fitzgibbon is Community Partnerships Coordinator at REAP Food Group, a Madison-based nonprofit that aims to “transform communities, economies and lives through the power of good food.” She is also the founder of Mosaicos Cultural Enrichment, a nonprofit that provides academic support to underrepresented students, and a member of Stoughton School Board. She came to Wisconsin more than 20 years ago to pursue a graduate degree in plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Xochitl Gonzalez is senior director of business operations, strategy and planning at Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, where she’s held a variety of progressively responsible positions since 2017. She previously spent 12 years at Johnson Controls in supply chain management, quality control and global compliance. She is a founding member of the planning team for the annual Greater Milwaukee Hispanic Leadership Summit, which has taken place every year since 2020. This past summer, she launched the podcast “Trascendencia en Acción” (Transcendence in Action) where she shares inspiring stories and strategies that lead to significant and lasting change, inviting guests from diverse backgrounds to share their experiences and insights. She earned a bachelor’s degree in leadership and organizational development at Marquette, a master’s in organizational leadership and administration from Concordia, and doctoral degrees from Cardinal Stritch and Tiffin University.
Part 2 coming tomorrow!
