I’ve served as the Finance chair and Board Treasurer at LEDC since August of 2022. Growing up, I worked at my family’s restaurant, Manny’s Tortas, a Latino-owned business in South Minneapolis where owners, Tio Manny and Victoria Gonzalez (Mamá), showed us the power of Latino entrepreneurship and community. They taught us to be humble, to believe in the power of community, and to put others first.
Organizations like LEDC provide opportunities for people turned away by a traditional bank or who struggle with the English language. When it is clear there is a language barrier, being able to conduct business in Spanish is priceless to the entrepreneur.
Financing college is already a challenging task. It becomes harder when you are not eligible to receive government aid like FASA because of your immigrant status. An issue many young people continue to wrestle with today. LEDC’s Latino Scholarship Fund has provided tens of thousands of dollars to Latino students each year.
I am proud to be a product of such a loving, resilient community. This is my way of giving back.
LEDC is an economic multiplier for the Latino community. Evident by the exponential growth in buying power from Latino-owned businesses in Minnesota. I think about all the businesses who started at the Mercado Central over 20 years ago. Many of them now staples in the Latino community. We are at an exciting juncture in our story, as more first and second-generation Latinos enter the work force with higher and higher levels of education. I can’t wait to see the accomplishments of Latino-owned businesses in the next twenty years.
As Board Treasurer my goal is to help align LEDC financials with their strategic vison. My field of expertise is in Corporate Finance with a focus on annual budgeting, financial modeling, and strategic planning. Having served as Board Treasurer at other non-profits in the past I understand the importance of having strong financial acumen within non-profits. Y si Dios quiere, I can serve as an economic multiplier for LEDC like they have done for the Latino community.
When I am not spending time with family and friends. I am pursuing an MBA with a focus on Strategic Growth at the University of Saint Thomas. I enjoy going to watch standup comedy and following combat sports like UFC, boxing, and Olympic wrestling.
