Board of Directors 2010
Executive Board
Chairperson
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Government Relations Director
Luis is the Government Relations Director for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he is responsible for advocating the university’s position on County, State, and Federal issues. Previously, Luis served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Nevada Resort Association, the state’s oldest trade association representing Nevada’s major gaming and resort corporations.
Vice Chairperson
Wels Fargo Home Mortgage, Regional Diverse Segments Manager
Alex was born in St George, Utah. During the first 4 years of his life, he lived in Mesquite, NV while his father worked on a farm. The memory of this time has embedded itself as a powerful motivator in his life. His father would often counsel him that unless he wanted to wake up to the smell of manure everyday, he better get an education! The Garza family soon relocated to Alamo, NV where they began construction of a novelty imports.
Secretary – Treasurer
Branch-Hernandez & Associates, President & COO
Joe has over 35 years as a licensed property and casualty insurance broker and over 25 years of Agency Owner/Principal experience. He is a principal and partner of Branch-Hernandez & Associates, Inc., the largest minority owned insurance agency in Nevada that is MBE Certified.
Assistant Secretary – Treasurer
Maggie Arias-Petrel, born in Quito-Ecuador, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Global Professional Medical Consulting; a firm specialized in the areas of Marketing, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for the Hispanic Market. Ms. Petrel has over twenty years of Medical Practice Management, Marketing, and consulting experience.
Immediate Past Chairperson
MGM MIRAGE CityCenter, Director of Construction Diversity
Irene is the Director of Construction Diversity for MGM Mirage’s CityCenter. The mega-project is under development and will be a multi-billion dollar mixed-use urban development in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Ms. Bustamante is responsible for the establishment and implementation of all policies for minority construction business participation at MGM MIRAGE.
Directors – Two Years
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Director of Communication
Andy is an award-winning, bilingual executive with extensive talents and experience in administration, marketing, public relations, and advocacy. He is innovative and successful in establishing new structures, responsibilities, programs, and employing all forms of advertising and public relations vehicles. Andy is a proven and respected leader with talents in building teams, strategizing political policy, and implementing marking plans.
Ayala's Inc., Vice President of Operations
Brian has been Vice President of Ayala’s, Inc. for over 20 years. He is responsible for operations and business development for Ayala’s, Inc. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Latin Chamber of Commerce since 1997 and is Co-chair of IMPACTO, the Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber. He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.
SAVI Group, LLC, President & CEO
Elizabeth's career as an entrepreneur began in 1979 when she co-founded Air Nevada, a commercial airline that provided Grand Canyon tours and private charters for passengers boarding in Las Vegas. Under her guidance and leadership, Air Nevada grew from a small company with a single office to an international presence with 47 offices worldwide.
Nevada Hispanic Charitable Events, Inc., President
Isabel was born in Santiago de Cuba. Her Professional Credentials include University Saint Thomas of Villanova, Ciencias Comerciales; University of Havana, Cuba (CPA), Certified Public Accountant; George Washington University, (MBA) Master Business Administration. Her impressive professional career includes the World Health Organization (WHO) Specialized Agency of the United Nations, the Regional Office for the Americas.
City of Henderson, Intergovernmental Relations Specialist
Javier Trujillo was born the youngest of four children to Rosalva and Mario Trujillo in Tucson, Arizona. As a young first generation Latino growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Javier fostered a passion for the two great loves of his life – education and mariachi music. He has since devoted half of his life to teaching, performing, and sharing the beauty and majesty of the music of Mexico with students from across the United States.
Cox Communications, Manager of Communications
Juergen Barbusca is manager of communications for Cox Communications-Las Vegas. In his role with the company, the award-winning business communicator is responsible for media relations management, contributes to the organization’s community relations efforts and helps implement marketing-communications opportunities for Cox’s business and residential products/services.
Judge Vega has over seventeen years of experience as a jurist prior to which time she practiced in both the criminal and civil law arenas. Judge Vega was appointed to District Court’s Department 2 on February 21, 1999 by Governor Kenny Guinn and has since then been retained and re-elected by the voters. She was appointed to Municipal Court in 1989 and was retained and re-elected by the voters until her resignation in 1999 to accept the District Court appointment. She is a former Clark County Deputy District Attorney.
Directors – One Year
Antonio is currently assigned to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Recruitment section as a Police Officer. As a recruiter he's tasked with recruiting more Hispanic officers to join the police department. Antonio has worked hard to develop strong contacts within the Hispanic Community, which serves as a linchpin for the majority of efforts to increase the numbers of Hispanics on the department. Antonio has great historical knowledge of the Las Vegas community, his knowledge of influential persons and businesses, as well as...
Clark County School District, MPS Coordinator
Daniel hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He joined the United States Air Force in 1986 where he served for approximately 12 years as a non-commissioned officer earning the rank of Master Technical Instructor. In 1998, he left the USAF and went to work for the State of Nevada University and Community College System where he served in several positions in his 5 year tenure; Operation Manager, Assistant Director for Telecommunication Services, Director of Government Affairs and Special Events.
Domingo Cambeiro Corp. - Architects, President
Domingo has been a practicing Architect in Las Vegas, Nevada for more than 45 years. His firm's expertise in architecture ensures balance between client’s requirements and aesthetic values. Dom is a focused, hands-on, and results-oriented professional with a reputation for meeting deadlines and budgets. His four decades of diversified experience include Governmental, Educational, Institutional, Industrial, Retail, Offices, Hospitality, and Aviation projects.
Latino Youth Leadership Alumni, Representative
Eddie is currently a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas majoring in Finance. Heading into his senior year, Eddie has been involved in the Latino Youth Leadership Conference and Alumni for three years as a Peer Facilitator. He is currently the LCC Representative for the Latino Youth Leadership Alumni as well as Peer Facilitator Trainer for the upcoming 2010 LYLC.
NV Energy, Government Affairs Account Executive
Edgar Patino joined NV Energy’s Corporate Communications team in 2001. His work experience included roles in media and community relations, internal and external communications, and market research. In his current role in Government Affairs, he is responsible for strengthening the company’s effectiveness at the local political level, generating support and goodwill for company positions and policies.
J&J Tours, Inc., President & CEO
Elsa Ruth Uribe-Patterson is the owner of J&J Tours in Las Vegas. She was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and moved with her parents to Los Angeles, Calif. at an early age. As a young woman, Uribe-Patterson took a summer job at a travel agency and the experience turned into a lifetime career in the tourism industry. After working for the Los Angeles agency for several years, she was transferred to Mexico City, Mexico.
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Sales Executive
Glenda Damian, CMP is a Sales Executive in Convention Sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, where she has been employed for 9 years. She has 19 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. She joined the LVCVA in 2000 as a convention services manager. Prior to the LVCVA, Damian worked at the Las Vegas Hilton in convention services and began her career at the Frontier Hotel & Gambling Hall in operations.
College of Southern Nevada, Interim Vice President, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
A trustee since 1993, Mr. Mason is a career educator of 32 years, all of which has been spent in higher education, 20 years of which has been in four-year institutions and 12 years in two-year institutions. During his 14 years as an elected school board trustee, Mr. Mason has been, and is, a passionate community activist for children and parents. Mr. Mason has also been a careful fiscal steward in overseeing the Clark County School District’s $3 billion budget.
American Family Insurance, Multicultural Market Developer
Lizzette Villanueva, Multicultural Market Developer for American Family Insurance, has been instrumental in increasing the exposure, brand awareness and sales for American Family throughout the state of Nevada. Lizzette is also responsible for developing and implementing strategies and marketing plans to expand the company’s market presence.Born in a small town in the State of Sonora, Mexico, Lizzette was raised in Tucson, Arizona, where most of her family still lives.
Executive Staff
Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada, Inc., President & CEO
Born in Havana, Cuba, Otto Merida attended elementary and part of his high school at the Edison Institute in Havana, Cuba. He came to this country as a political refugee from Cuba in 1961 under the auspices of a program called Peter Pan, which brought over 14,000 children from communist Cuba to the United States in the early 60’s. Through this program, Otto was sent to Wilmington, Delaware, where he graduated from Salesianum High School, a private Catholic school...
Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada, Inc., Senior Executive Vice President
Victoria exudes the essence of a first generation immigrant to America. Through her endless hard work, and perseverance her effort would be hailed as a success under any circumstances. Born in Sonora, Mexico and growing up in a loving family environment prepared her for the difficult journey that would lie ahead. Most importantly it provided her with the tenacity to overcome the challenges that typifies newly arrived immigrants to the United States settling in Las Vegas all most 25 years ago...
