Fernandez, Joseph Marion (1783-1857). Fernandez was the first Hispanic to serve in Congress and the first delegate from the territory of Florida. From 1835 to 1838 he served in the U.S. Army, and in 1845, after being defeated when he ran for the U.S. Senate, he moved to Cuba and managed his family sugar estate near Matanzas.
Farragut, David Glasgow (1801-1870). Son of Jorge Farragut, a merchant captain from Minorca, Spain, who migrated to America in 1776, Farragut entered the Navy, where he distinguished himself as a midshipman defending the District of Columbia during the war of 1812. He later rose to the rank of admiral.
Garesche, Julius (1821-1862). Garesche attended Georgetown College and West Point and later rose to a distinguished military career. While residing in Washington, DC, he helped found the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Garcia-Menocal, Aniceto (1836-1908). A U.S. Navy admiral and Cuban-born civil engineer who, after graduating from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New
York, in 1862, became subchief engineer on the Havana water works. In 1870, he was appointed engineer of public works in New York City, and between 1873 and 1885 Menocal worked as chief engineer responsible for drawing surveys in search of the best route for a canal in Panama and Nicaragua. The Garcia-Menocal family produced several generals and admirals and one president of Cuba. In 1900 he oversaw the plans for the naval station in the Philippines.
Yzaguiree, Raul (1939-). Born in San Juan, Texas, Yzaguiree is a civil rights activist who served as president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza from 1974 to 2004.
Melendez, Sara (1940-). An educator and community activist, Doctor Melendez, a native of Puerto Rico, has served on the boards of the Ethics Resource Center, the Points of Light Foundation, the National Puerto Rican Forum, the MS Foundation for Women, and the Aspira Association. Doctor Melendez has published numerous articles on education, leadership, and diversity, and he has coauthored a book on bilingual education.
Medrano, Hugo (1943-). Medrano is the founder and artistic director of the GALA Theater Company. Already an accomplished actor and director in his native Argentina, Medrano created GALA in 1976 shortly after arriving in the nation’s capital. He has been involved in one way or another in promoting and developing Latino actors in Washington ever since.
Velazco, Anna (1952-). A nonprofit executive and social entrepreneur, Velazco is currently the executive director of the DC Public Library Foundation. She recently served 5 years in the District of Columbia government, primarily as director of planning and analysis in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families, and Elders. She began her career as an adult educator in the fields of literacy, English as a second language, and adult basic education, culminating in managing a network of 18 alternative learning centers in New York City. She holds degrees in literature and the classics from Oberlin College and Harvard University.
Leiva, Rodrigo (1956-). Leiva is president of the Board of Trustees of Latino Fiesta DC
2007 and director of membership services of the Latino Federation of Greater Washington.
Arene, Eugenio (1960-). Arene is the president and executive officer of the Latino Federation of Greater Washington. A native of El Salvador, in 2002 Arene became the executive director of the Council of Latino Agencies (CLA), a nonprofit membership organization comprising 40 multicultural, community-based agencies in the Washington Metropolitan Area that provides direct services to the Latino community and low-income residents. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, the Greater Washington Ibero-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Youth Build Charter School in Washington, DC.
Vivero, Mauricio (1966-). Vivero is the executive director of Ayuda Inc. and president of 501 (c) Strategies. A native of Cuba, Vivero has built a distinguished community service and nonprofit career, having served as director of government relations for Indepen-
dent Sector, a national coalition representing more than 600 foundations, charities, and corporate giving programs. From 1998 until 2003, he was vice president of government relations and public affairs at the Legal Services Corporation. He also served as director of grassroots lobbying for the American Bar Association (ABA) and as director of leadership development for the National Council of La Raza.
Reinoso, Victor (1969-). Reinoso serves as the deputy mayor for education in the District of Columbia and is the principal policy advisor to the mayor on issues related to education. He was elected to represent the Second District on the Board of Education in November 2004 and elected as chief operating officer of the Federal City Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership community development organization in the District. Reinoso was a founding staff member of the Fair Employment Council, now the Equal Rights Center, a civil rights advocacy group. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
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