Tomás Clasen is a commercial real estate attorney at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., where he advises clients on complex development projects in the Milwaukee area. He previously served as a Teach for America educator and Wisconsin advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union. He serves as Vice President of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association and as board member of City Forward Collective and Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy. Tomás also mentors young Latino attorneys and law students, fostering diversity in the legal profession. He was named a Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 in 2023 and was honored with a Community Impact Award by Madison Magnet in 2020. He earned a degree in history from the University of Wisconsin in 2011, a master’s degree in special education from Hunter College in 2013 and a law degree from UW Law School in 2018.
Angelina Cruz is president of Racine Educators United, the teachers’ union in Racine, and, in January, will become a member of the State Assembly representing the 62nd district, which includes parts of the City of Racine and Villages of Caledonia, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, and Wind Point. Before taking leave to lead the teachers’ union, she spent 20 years teaching in Racine Unified School District.
Irineo Medina is a practicing artist residing in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin. Neo specializes in creating spaces of inclusion while building equitable opportunities for his community to be involved in different layers of his work. That includes his involvement in “Paint the City,” a collaboration with the Appleton Area School District, where he also works as DEI mentor coordinator. He previously worked for five years at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, first as opportunity coordinator at Maplewood Middle School and then as assistant director of the STAR program. He earned a degree in fine arts at UW-Oshkosh.
Luke Diaz is mayor of Verona, a city of about 15,000 just west of Madison. He was first elected to the city council in 2013 and mayor in 2018, running unopposed for re-election in 2024. He worked as a technical writer at Epic for 11 years after getting his start in politics as a campaign consultant and field organizer for two Congressional campaigns in 2004. He earned a degree in political science and history at Valparaiso University in 2003.
Nancy Saiz is a community development specialist at the City of Madison, where she oversees contracts with nonprofit organizations that get city funding for community development. She’s been with the city for 15 years after two years as a social worker and community outreach specialist in the healthcare field. Saiz serves on the Community Safety Intervention Team and the Domestic Violence Community Coordinated Response Team. She is civil rights coordinator for the Community Development Division and serves on Neighborhood Resource Teams for the Leopold-Arbor Hills and Owl Creek areas. She also serves on the Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative, Multicultural Affairs Committee and Latino Community Engagement Team. She was named a Woman of Distinction by YWCA Madison in 2023. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in social welfare, Chicano studies and social work at UW-Madison.
Priscilla Prado is owner of Midwest Bookkeeping, a Milwaukee-based firm specializing in tax and bookkeeping services that she founded in 2017. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, she was a staff accountant at Monster, director of administrative services at three Milwaukee parishes and their attached schools, and an accountant at Michael Best & Friedrich. She previously served as treasurer of the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce executive board. She’s been recognized with a Milwaukee Business Journal Diversity in Business Award and was named Woman on Excellence by the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce. She is also the Democratic Party nominee to represent District Nine, covering Milwaukee’s north and west sides, in the State Assembly. She earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Alverno College.
Yhadira Ruiz is vice president and business relationship manager at BMO Harris Bank, where she’s held a number of progressively responsible positions since 2007, except for a stint as a paralegal at Christopher & De Leon Law Office. She’s served the community as volunteer coordinator at Mexican Fiesta for 17 years and a volunteer with the UMOS Mexican Independence Day Parade for 11. She served on the finance committee of PEARLS for Teen Girls and Wisconsin co-chair of the BMO Alliance for Women employee resource group. She earned a degree in art history, criticism and conservation at UW-Milwaukee.
Javier Acevedo-Baez is the Chief Development Officer and Managing Director of Operations for the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce, with over 20 years of experience supporting underrepresented communities. He serves on the Governor’s Council on Equity and Inclusion and co-chairs the vendor selection committee for the Madison Public Market. He has also led efforts in combating human trafficking as Lead Advocate for UMOS’s Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Program. His work has earned him awards, including the UMOS Hispanic Man of the Year and the International Justice Award.
Who’d we miss? Email us at [email protected] to let us know who in your community should make the list next year!
