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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Alberto Oscar Cappas:  Is a poet and entrepreneur in several diverse areas. He is the author of Echolalia, a collection of poems, published in 1989, author of Disintegration of the Puerto Ricans, published in 1997, and author of The Pledge: A Guide for Everyday Living, published in 2001. His poetry has been included in many publications and anthologies in the United States and Canada. Cappas is the recipient of the "Keepers of Our Culture" Award for Literature, presented to him by the New York State Hispanic Heritage Month Committee -- on September 15, 1994.
Alberto is also the author of a highly successful small book, “Never too late to make a U-turn: An Educational Pledge & 15 Questions to Self-Development (Nubian Voices, 2005), designed for youth-at-risk in urban areas, which is based on the original poem, The Pledge.
His talents and skills as a writer, interest in the human condition and concern for those socio-economic issues which impact the Puerto Rican/Latino community, have served to foster in him an active interest and involvement as a journalist. This has led to his role as co-publisher and co-editor of the Latino Village Press, a monthly publication designed to educate and inform the Puerto Rican/Latino community about the importance of going into business and developing their own economic institutions and infrastructures.
His accomplishments and achievements lists him as the founder and Chairperson of the AOC Speakers Bureau, the only Latino and African American speakers bureau in the country (now known as A&L Speakers & Consultants), founder and Chairperson of Don Pedro Enterprises, the makers of Don Pedro Cookies; and he was co-founder of A Place for Poets, a national publication which featured aspiring Latino and other emerging writers and poets.
Further, his works have achieved wide interests, growing appeal and numerous accolades. It should be noted that his work has been featured and preserved in the City of Buffalo’s new Metro subway system, with a commissioned work by the Niagara Frontier’s Transportation Authority of an artistic "vignette" with two other Latino artists. The work is a thirty-foot steel tile mural that reflects the search for a sense of belonging in this city. Also, his early works have been included in the renowned Schomburg Library’s archives.
Alberto O. Cappas is an alumnus of the State University of New York at Buffalo and a recipient of the NYC Urban League’s Charles Evans Hughes Award for Creative Writing -- presented to him by Harlem Preparatory School in 1967.
Mr. Antoino Monroig Malatrasi Esq. A practicing attorney in Washington, DC, Antonio has compiled a long and distinguished career in public service, both stateside and in Puerto Rico. This has included service as an Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Housing, and Equal Opportunity. Mr. Monroig also served as Administrator of Municipal Services and Chairman of the Board of the Solid Waste Management Authority for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Special Assistant to the Mayor of San Juan. He was General Counsel of the Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Administration, and Deputy Director of the San Juan Legal Services. He was appointed Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, as well as Chairman of the White House Task Force on Hispanic Heritage during President Reagan’s Administration.
Mr. Monroig also has a distinguished career as a political analyst and advisor. He served as Special Consultant on Latin American issues to the Advisory Committee on Foreign Affairs during Senator Bob Dole’s presidential campaign. He is a frequent commentator for national and international radio and television networks on campaigns and political events. He has served as political analyst for radio and television in the U.S.A., Latin America, and Europe, appearing on regular news and talk shows on Univision, Telemundo, Voice of America, Radio Mitre (Argentina), and many others. Mr. Monroig has represented U.S. and foreign companies before international organizations and governments.
Mr. Monroig graduated from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law (J.D., 1968). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico in 1965. Mr. Monroig is admitted to the Bars of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Virginia. He is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Lasa, Monroig & Veve. Mr. Carlos E. Chardon:  Is currently a consultant on community affairs and on education. During the past few years, he has concentrated his efforts in lecturing and on writing; two books, one on education, and another on the economy and politics of Puerto Rico are in final editing. So is one novel in Spanish and he is finishing another in English.
He worked as a field representative with the New York State Division of Human Rights while pursuing doctoral studies at Syracuse University. On his return to Puerto Rico, he became an aide to the Governor and, later on, he organized the State Board of Education. He also chaired the Board of the state Urban Renewal Corporation.
On accepting an appointment as liaison Representative of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, he concentrated on bringing together the several with different missions to deliver a combined effect. To this end, he developed the first inventory of Federal funds in Puerto Rico.
Subsequently he was appointed Secretary of Education. He concentrated his efforts in improving the quality of teacher through massive training and retraining programs at the M.A. level, instituting immersion language classes and using the Title I funds in a wide scale program which supported basic education through the arts. He was honored by the Government of Spain and by the IberoAmerican Office for Education. His involvement with the arts led to a new career.
On leaving the Department, he became Executive Vice President to the Ponce Museum of Art, but also served as consultant on several housing projects. He assisted in the organization of a Four-year technical college and was its first President, developing his skills financial analysis through these experiences, which led to his next career change. He was also the Chairman of the Board of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.
He accepted an appointment as Caribbean District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration. In six years, he was able to reduce staffing by 50% and increase loans 1000%. He represented the Federal government in the Puerto Rico Trade board. For his work he was twice, honor by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
During the 1990’s Chardon was also a member of the Board of the Puerto Rico Academy of Arts and Sciences and Vice Chairman; he also chaired the State Volunteer Action Board (AmeriCorps), and was a member of the State Board on the Transition of School to Work and of the Board on Excellence in Teaching. During this time he was also a special guest of the annual Hispanic Leadership Caucus Washington, D.C., September 18-21, 1994, and the next year he was its keynote speaker. He also participated in a study of the College Board on the Transition from high school to college, which made substantial recommendations on changes in higher education on the island, and was later appointed to its Advisory Board.
He has been active in local and national political campaigns, always in the support of statehood for Puerto Rico. Mr. David A. Keene:  Since December 1984, David A. Keene has been the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservative lobbying organization. Until most recently, he also served as the Chairman of the ACU Foundation, the organization that oversees CPAC, the largest gathering of conservatives in the country, exceeding 7,000 participants in 2008.
Keene began his political career early, already National Chairman of Young Americans for Freedom while at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He left Wisconsin to become a Special Assistant to Vice President Spiro Agnew and then Executive Assistant to New York Senator Jim Buckley. In 1976, he served as the Southern Regional Political Director for Ronald Reagan’s Presidential campaign. He later served as National Political Director for George Bush’s 1980 Presidential race, as well as Senior Advisor to former Senator Bob Dole. He has been a John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, a First Amendment Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Freedom Forum, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University’s School of Public Policy. He continues to advise and participate in campaigns across the country including his most recent role as senior advisor to the Mitt Romney for President Campaign.
Keene is also currently a Managing Associate at the Carmen Group, a Washington lobbying firm. He has written extensively on U.S. politics and is a regular guest on political talk shows, Boston and National Public Radio and various news segments. He wrote a regular column for the Boston Globe for many years, and for the last ten years has written a weekly column for The Hill, a newspaper covering Congress. He is a regular contributor to the American Spectator, Human Events, and The Washington Times, among others.
Dr. Gonzalo Cordova Ph. D - (To Be Posted Soon) Dr. Hector A. Chiesa Ph. D - (To Be Posted Soon) Mr. Justin O'Brien: Justin O'Brien is an intergovernmental affairs consultant specializing in city and federal affairs representing cities and local governments, in addition to other organizations and private sector clients in the nation's capital. A graduate of La Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico Mr. O'Brien has extensive experience living and working in Puerto Rico. As senior associate at the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 1998 to 2003, he served as liaison to Puerto Rico's mayors, the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, and director of the organization's border issues task force. He is the Executive Director of the U.S. Council for Puerto Rico Statehood. He earned his M.A. in international political economy from American University in Washington DC and is a veteran officer of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Mr. Luis E. Baco Esq.- (To Be Posted Soon) Dr. Roberto Dansby Ph. D - (To Be Posted Soon) Ms. Rocio Velez Esq.  Ms. Velez is In-House Counsel and Vice President for Business Development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Ms. Velez's experience includes over thirteen years of sales, marketing, and project development positions, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ms. Velez is developing Solena's renewable energy projects with pharmaceutical industries, municipalities, and local utility companies. Ms. Velez spearheaded Solena's development and financing of the first Renewable Research and Development Center in Puerto Rico. The Center will be built in collaboration with the Ana G. Mendez University System. Ms. Velez holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.
Ms.Velez is the Chair of the board of directors at the Latino Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. LEDC’s, mission is to improve the wealth-building capacity of low- and moderate-income Latinos and other underserved communities in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ms. Velez is the President of Americans for Puerto Rican Statehood, a non-for profit organization whose mission is to advance, and promote equality and permanent citizenship rights for more than four million disenfranchised American citizens residing in Puerto Rico.
Dr. William Ubinas Ed. D - (To Be Posted Soon) |
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