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Fernandez Cavada, Federico (1831-1871). A lieutenant colonel in the Union Army until his capture in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, Fernandez Cavada fought in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. During the Battle of Gettysburg he was captured in Maryland and sent to Libby Prison, in Richmond. Later, he was appointed U.S. consul to Trinidad, Cuba, and in 1869 he resigned from his diplomatic appointment to fight in Cuba’s 10-year war of independence. He was captured and executed in July 1871. Perche Rivas, Emilio (1921-). Perche Rivas is the director of the Spanish Community of Maryland and an influential community leader in the creation and maintenance of educational programs for limited-English proficient students in the Montgomery County public schools. In 2006 then governor Robert Ehrlich awarded Perche Rivas a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bustamante, Javier (1938-). Born in Seville, Spain, Bustamante resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where he has distinguished himself as a publisher, community and civic leader, and entrepreneur. He has participated in multiple commissions in Baltimore, and he has founded several Latino publications. Most notably, Bustamante has been the founder and president of the Club Andalucia, and founder and member of the board of the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In 2007 he served as vice chairman of the Baltimore City Planning Commission. In that same year he was appointed commissioner of the Trial Courts Judicial Nominations by Governor Martin O’Malley, a position he holds to this day.

Iglesias Austrich, Jorge (1939-). Iglesias Austrich has been the director of business initiatives in the Governor’s Office of Small Business Advocacy and Small Business Assistance since 1995.

Gutierrez, Ana Sol (1942-). Gutierrez has represented District 18 in the Maryland House of Delegates since January 8, 2003. Born in El Salvador, she has attended Pennsylvania State University, the American University, and George Washington University. She was president and chief operating officer at SOL Quality Systems Inc. from

1996 to 1999. Gutierrez has served in several community organizations, and local and state commissions. In 1997 she was awarded the Outstanding Contributions to Hispanic Community Award by the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association; in 1999 the Outstanding Achievement in Education and Politics Award by the Maryland State Teachers Association, and in 2002 the Political Leadership Award by the Hispanic Democratic Club.

Ruiz, Jose (1950-2006). Ruiz served as director of the Maryland Governor Commission on Hispanic Affairs from 1988 to 1995. In that capacity he organized a number of community programs to serve the Latino community in Baltimore among them the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Maryland and the nonprofit Education Based Latino Outreach (EBLO). He was also instrumental in the growth of the Latino Festival in Baltimore.

Alonso, Andres (1957-). Alonso, a native of Cuba, is the chief executive officer of the Baltimore Public School System. He was deputy chancellor of the public school system in New York City before his current position. Alonso earned his bachelor magna cum laude from Columbia University and went on to earn law and EdD degrees from Harvard.

Barreiro, Mauricio (1958-). Barreiro is the chair of the Governor Commission of Hispanic Affairs. Born in Colombia, Barreiro has been a Maryland and DC licensed civil

trial and business attorney since 1987. He graduated with a BA from West Chester State College, and a JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. In 2001 he formed his own law firm, Mauricio E. Barreiro LLC. Aside from the full-time law practice, Barreiro has been a consultant for many professional, social, and community organizations in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Solis, Carlos (1959-). A community leader in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Solis is also a member of the Gaithersburg Policy Chief Advisory Committee and of the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in addition to being the owner and manager of Family Dentistry of Gaithersburg. A native of Ecuador, Solis ran for the Gaithersburg City Council in 2007.

Lobo, Luis G. (1960-). A native of Alajuela, Costa Rica, Lobo is the chairman of the board of advisors of the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and regional president of BB&T in Washington, DC, and chairman of BB&T’s Hispanic Segment Task Force. His family migrated to the United States when he was 9 years old, and he was raised in Lincoln County, North Carolina. In 1983 he received a double major in economics and business administration from Belmont Abbey College and then earned a master’s degree in business administration from Campbell University, in Buies Creeks, North Carolina. In 1998 Lobo received his graduate degree with honors from the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. He graduated from the Advanced Management Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999.

Perez, Thomas E. (1960-). Perhaps the most successful elected leader in Maryland, Perez served from 2002 until 2006 as a member of the Montgomery County Council representing residents in Silver Spring, Kensington, Takoma Park, and Wheaton. He was the first Latino ever elected to the council and served as council president in 2005. From 2001 to 2007 he also served as professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. In January 2007 Perez was appointed secretary of the Department of Labor.

Torres, Gustavo (1960-). Executive director of La Casa de Maryland Community Organization, Torres was also the founding president of the Maryland Latino Coalition for Justice. He has served as a member of the executive committee of Prince George’s County Chapter of the NAACP. In 2001 Torrez received the Leadership for a Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation, and in 2002 he was recognized as the Washingtonian of the Year. In September 2003 CASA received the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award for its persistent fight for the fair treatment of migrants and refugees.

Aldunate, Wilson (1962-). Aldunate is the president and CEO of CompuData Systems Inc. and chairman of the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In 1981 Aldunate was awarded one of three scholarships allocated to Bolivia by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to study at the University of Kansas. In 1984 he received a BS in electrical engineering with a minor in digital telecommunications from the University of Kansas. In 1986 Aldunate worked as a full-time engineer at INTELSAT’s Satellite Operations Department, and in 1987 at the Satellite Control Center. In 1995 he founded CompuData Systems Inc. (CSI), an information technology company that provides services to several federal agencies and public schools in the Washington metropolitan area.

Melnyck, Joseline Pena (1970-). Melnyck represents District 21 in the Maryland House of Delegates. She was an assistant U.S. attorney at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in the U.S. Department of Justice between 1997 and 1999. Born in the Dominican Republic, she graduated from Buffalo State College and received a degree in law from Buffalo Law School at the State University of New York in 1991. From 1991 to 1992 she was an attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ramirez, Victor (1974-). Ramirez has represented District 47 at the Maryland House of Delegates since 2003. Representative Ramirez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, and attended Frostburg State University and St. Thomas University School of Law. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2001, and he is a member of the American, Maryland State, Maryland Hispanic, and Prince George’s County bar associations. He has been the co-chair of the Maryland Democratic Hispanic Caucus since 2004.

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