This is the second of a five-part series. Part one is here.
Amaad Rivera-Wagner is chief of staff to Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and the nominee of the Democratic Party in the upcoming State Assembly election. He is also co-chair of the Greater Green Bay Chamber’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and the United Way of Brown County Advocacy Council. He managed Genrich’s 2023 re-election campaign and previously worked in policy and constituent services in the United States Senate. He is a graduate of Bentley University with a degree in marketing.
Connie Vargas is a mortgage loan officer with Fox Communities Credit Union in Appleton and cofounder with her two sisters of Barlash Aesthetica, a salon in Appleton. She joined Fox Communities Credit Union after four years in banking and investments at BMO Harris. She has served as a cultural consultant, helping connect Fox Valley organizations with Hispanic communities. She also sits on the board for Casa Hispana and was recognized as a Future 15 Young Professionals by Pulse, the Fox Cities Chamber’s young professionals’ program. She earned her bachelor of business administration degree from the Lubar School of Business at UW-Milwaukee.
Judge Kristela Cervera is a judge in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, appointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2021. Prior to her appointment, she presided for two years as an assistant family court commissioner in Milwaukee County. Before joining the court, she spent 14 years as legal counsel for the Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services and was a court commissioner for the City of Milwaukee Municipal Court, the first Latina appointed to that position. She also served as a managing attorney for Esperanza Unida, a nonprofit organization that supports Latino workers. She is a past president of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association and was named Hispanic Woman of the Year by the United Migrant Opportunity Services in 2021. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Maria del Pilar Wadina is chief growth officer at La Casa de Esperanza, a nonprofit in Waukesha dedicated to providing opportunities for low-income individuals to achieve full social and economic participation, with an emphasis on the area’s Hispanic population. She stepped into that role last year after four years as vice president of community engagement. Her connection with the organization began when she joined the board of directors in 2016. She currently also serves on the development committee of Marquette University High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in leadership from Alverno College.
Nataly Andrade Sánchez is Director of Outreach for Hispanics for School Choice and cofounder, with her sister Galy, of Mercadera, a community established to support, connect and empower Latinas in Wisconsin. The pair were honored with the Poderosa Award from the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining HSC, she worked in admissions and administration at St. Anthony School and St. Joan Antida High School, both in Milwaukee. Nataly serves on the Notre Dame High School of Milwaukee Auxiliary Board. She earned a degree in criminal justive from Universidad de La Salle Bajío in León, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Rodrigo Carapia is a self-taught artist who originates from Mexico City and has lived and worked in Madison for 15 years. He first began with street art and when he moved to Wisconsin in 2008, he started to perfect his craft on canvas and paper. As an artist and activist, Carapia uses his work as a form of self-expression and resistance by offering art workshops in schools, juvenile shelters and juvenile correctional centers. His work has been donated to grassroots organizations that help the undocumented community as well as workers’ unions. His public art can be spotted around the state in murals, restaurants and shows. He has designed a number of Forward Madison Football Club matchday posters, as well as the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month warm-up top.
Isaia Ben-Ami is policy director for State Representative Kalan Haywood, the current assistant minority leader. He’s worked in a number of legislative offices as an aide, chief of staff and policy director in both the Assembly and Senate. While a student at UW-Madison, he served as president of the Pi Lambda Phi Wisconsin Omega Chapter. He graduated from UW-Madison in 2020 with a degree in political science and government.
Angela Puerta is an urban planner for the City of Madison, where she works on neighborhood plans and advocates for inclusive neighborhoods. She is also a popular local musician known for her eclectic music, which is influenced by alternative rock, pop, reggae, Colombian folklore, and other Latin American rhythms. She performs solo as a singer and guitarist, and fronts the four-piece Angela Puerta Band. She has been honored with six Madison Area Music Awards and bronze and silver stars in Best of Madison. She is a teaching artist in Overture Center’s Lullaby Project. She earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Universidad Piloto de Colombia and a master’s degree in urban planning from UW-Madison.
Part 3 coming tomorrow!
