Alberto founded Si Se Puede Foundation in 1993 and retired from the organization due to cancer in December 2021.  In January 2022, Alberto created the I Rise Foundation and which will continue to provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and other educational programs for girls of color, Native American Youth, and support LGBTQ+ Initiatives. 

Alberto also serves many schools in Nogales Senora, Mexico by providing a compressive STEM program to Mexico’s children and young adults. He is prepared to continue his international visits to Africa and the Philippines. 

Buna George serves as executive director of the Greater Yuma Port Authority, a quasi-governmental nonprofit agency leading global trade measures throughout the Yuma area. She holds an undergraduate degree in urban planning and development from Arizona State University and is pursuing a master’s in legal studies through the University of Arizona James E. Rogers School of Law. George is involved in various nonprofit boards, including the Chicano Art Collective, Arizona Community Foundation, and the Yuma Multiversity Project.

Cyndi Tercero is an advocate of public education, civic leader, community activist and humanitarian.  She serves as the Family and Community Engagement Manager for the Phoenix Union High School District, where she has been enriching the lives of our youth for over 30 years. She serves as the McKinney-Vento and Foster Point of Contact and is responsible for establishing and coordinating district-wide dropout prevention, intervention, and reengagement programs. 

David Martinez III serves as Director of Capacity Building and Community Engagement, working with community-based leaders, organizations, and coalitions to increase capacity and civic participation.

Prior to Vitalyst, Martinez was project manager for the Center for the Future of Arizona, and community engagement manager for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. He is a Flinn-Brown Fellow with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and involved with the Arizona Community Foundation’s Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy and the Desert Botanical Garden.
Originally from Marana, Arizona and one of six children, David is a first-generation college student earning a B.A. in Secondary Education, Political Science and Journalism from The University of Arizona. 

Ivan Quintana was born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico and immigrated to the United States in search of better opportunities. As a first-generation college graduate from Arizona State University (ASU) and Mesa Community College (MCC). He is a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar and recipient of the 2022 ASU Martin Luther King Jr. Student Servant-Leadership award. 

He is currently the Grants Program Specialist for the Migrant Education Program at the Arizona Department of Education. For Ivan, it is an honor to work with a passionate and talented  team ensuring the academic success of migrants. 

Jorge Mendoza Yescas was appointed by the President of Mexico as Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix, Arizona in March 2019, and ratified by the Mexican Senate in April of the same year. Consul General Mendoza has an extensive consular career, serving in various diplomatic assignments in North America. Prior to his posting as Consul General in Phoenix, Consul General Mendoza served as Consul of Legal Affairs and Documentation at the Consulate General of Mexico in Vancouver, British Columbia (2015-2019); Vice-Consul of Administration at the Consulate of Mexico in Presidio, Texas (2013-2015), and Consular Officer within the Protection Department at the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson (2004-2013). Consul General Mendoza has contributed to several printed and digital media sources in Mexico and the U.S. in matters of migration, binational affairs and U.S. politics. He earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Sul Ross State University in Texas and a Law degree from the Universidad de Sonora.

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses  Phoenix Chapter brings together health care professionals, administrators and academic leaders from across the United States to share ideas, advocate and increase awareness of the specific health care needs of the Hispanic population.

Pedro De Velasco is a husband and a father of three girls. He is an advocate for migrants’ rights and a migrant himself, with over 14 years of experience working with migrant communities on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

Pedro holds a law degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila and a certificate in U.S. criminal and immigration law from the University of Arizona. He currently serves as the Director of Education and Advocacy with the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic binational organization in Ambos Nogales whose mission is to promote humane, just, and workable migration.

Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club Xavier Gutierrez is the first Latino President and CEO in the National Hockey League, leading the Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club. In this role, Gutierrez oversees all business operations, strategic planning, significant organizational decision-making, and government relations for the club. Mr. Gutierrez has a 25+ year career as a business executive, investor and dealmaker focused on investment management, corporate strategy & operations, finance, and business development. Mr. Gutierrez grew up in San Jose, California and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) cum laude in Government from Harvard University, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Stanford Law School.