NINA TASSLER
President
CBS Entertainment
Tassler is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2005 Imagen Creative Achievement Award. Selected as one of the Top 50 Hispanic Women in Business by Hispanic Magazine, she provided insight into what very well may be among the secrets of her success when she advised women to "embrace your heritage and reach out to all people, take advantage of the dual nature of our heritage, adapt and evolve." Her unabashed pride in her Jewish Puerto Rican roots encompasses every facet of her life and is reflected in her deep understanding and appreciation for the advancement of diversity within every aspect of the entertainment industry.

CHRISTINA NORMAN
President
MTV
Norman was appointed president of MTV in 2005, overseeing the day-to-day leadership, strategy, and management of MTV. In her position, she directs business development, research, marketing and promotion, finance, communications and human resources, as well as working with respective general managers on the overall strategic direction of MTV2, MTVU, MTV Espanol, MTV Hits and MTV Jams. Norman previously served as president of VH1, and executive VP of music programming and talent for MTV and MTV2.

WALTER ULLOA
Chairman and CEO
Entravision Communications
Ulloa, who has served in this position since its founding in 1996, brings 30 years experience in Spanish-language television and radio in the United States. His foresight and vision in recognizing the importance of the Hispanic market to our nation's economy and his dedication in helping to bring Spanish-language programming to the nearly 20 million Hispanics who live and work in the fast growing U.S. Hispanic markets, earned Ulloa Imagen's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

KENNY ORTEGA Director/Choreographer
An Emmy Award-winning producer, director, and choreographer, Ortega grew up in Redwood City, Calif. Earning fame as a choreographer for such classic films as Dirty Dancing and music videos such as Madonna's Material Girl, Ortega credits famous dancer/choreographer Gene Kelly for teaching him the techniques of designing choreography for the camera. Among his many accomplishments, Ortega has choreographed many major events such as Super Bowl XXX, directed the musical Newsies and Disney's Hocus Pocus, and staged Las Vegas productions. More recently, he choreographed Disney's critically acclaimed High School Musical and its sequel, which aired recently on the Disney Channel.

BELINDA MENENDEZ
President
NBC Universal
Int'l Television Distribution
President since May 2004, Menendez oversees international free, pay, and new media television licensing for NBC Universal's current and library film and television product, outside of the United States and Canada. During her more than 20 years in the industry, she has held several positions that involved international television and video licensing activities in Latin America and Asia, as well as sales posts in both the U. S. and Paris. Additionally, she ran international sales for Televisa outside of Latin America. She attended St. Andrews University in Scotland.

ALFONSO ARAU
Director
Arau has had a long and fruitful career both in front of and behind the camera and is one of the most prominent filmmakers of the Latino community in Hollywood. A renowned writer-producer- director-actor in theater and films for the past 20 years, he directed his first feature film Barefoot Eagle in 1969, in which he also starred. He has directed many films in Mexico for which he has received six Arieles, the Mexican equivalent to the Oscar, and numerous international film awards. In 1992, the outstanding success of his film Like Water for Chocolate opened the doors of the world market for future Latin films. His directing credits include A Walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves and Picking Up the Pieces with Woody Allen.

ARMANDO NUNEZ, JR.
President
CBS Paramount Int'l Television
Nunez is considered one of the international television industry's most successful executives. In his current role, Nunez has oversight of all international distribution, sales and marketing for programming assets from King World, CBS News, CBS Paramount Television's network and syndicated areas as well as the largest library of television product. A native of New York, Nunez is a graduate of Fordham University with a Bachelor's degree in marketing and management.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO Producer/Director/Writer
Del Toro is an award-winning producer/director/ writer whose involvement with filmmaking began when he was eight years old. He executive produced his first feature at the age of 21. A co-founder of the Guadalajara-based Mexican Film Festival, Del Toro has directed a wide variety of films, from comic book adaptations-Hellboy, Blade II-to historical fantasy and horror films. He received an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay for Pan's Labyrinth, a film that received six nominations, including Best Foreign Language Film.

FRIDA TORRESBLANCO
Producer
Torresblanco is a multi-talented producer/composer whose works include Gaudi Afternoon, Pan's Labyrinth, Black Sun, The Assassination of Richard Nixon and Chronicles. Her upcoming projects include Mexico '68, The Memory of Running and The History of Love.

LOURDES DIAZ
President
VOY Pictures
As president of VOY Pictures, Diaz is responsible for the company's multiplatform visual products and the packaging of visual content to traditional film and television outlets. Most recently, she was founder and president of Agua Entertainment, where she developed and produced films for theatrical and television distribution. Diaz also developed and managed multi-year studio deals for Green Moon with Warner Bros., Telemundo, Sony International Television, and HBO.

GUILLERMO ARRIAGA
Writer
Arriaga is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer. A native of Mexico City, Arriaga earned his Bachelor's degree in communications and an Master's degree in psychology at the Universidad Iberoamericana, where he taught several courses in media studies. It was while teaching at the university that Arriaga collaborated with future film director Alejandro Gonzales I§†rritu in the making of Amores perros (1999), one of the most awarded films in the history of international cinema. The duo collaborated on a third movie, Babel, which went on to win Arriaga an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best original screenplay in 2006.

JOSE RIVERA
Writer
Rivera is president of Paper Rain Productions, Inc., and the first Puerto Rican to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his adaptation of Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries). An awardwinning playwright, he has had several of his plays translated into multiple languages, among them The House of Ramon Iglesias. His newest play, Massacre (Sing to Your Children), opened earlier this year in Chicago. He will also direct and write the screenplay for Celestina, loosely adapted from his play Cloud Tectonics, which will be produced by Brazilian director Walter Salles.

DAVID VALDES
Producer
Award-winning Valdes is one of the industry's most respected film producers. During his career, he has collaborated with such noted filmmakers as Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner, and Francis Ford Coppola. In addition, he has helped launch the careers of a number of popular actors. Before finding his niche as a producer of motion pictures, he worked in all television formats including movies-of-the-week, series, commercials, and music videos. Among his extensive television credits, Valdes directed the series Moonlighting, starring Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis. Born and raised in Southern California, Valdes earned a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from UCLA, graduating magna cum laude.

EMILIO KAUDERER
Composer
Kauderer is a music composer who performed as a classical pianist in his native Argentina. In addition to producing the soundtrack for several films, including Plata dulce and Asesinato a distancia, he also composed the music score for The Patriots, Friends & Lovers and A Place in the World, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film. Kauderer still receives accolades for Luis Avalos' Latino musical Paquito's Christmas, which appeared at the Washington Opera and the Pasadena Civic Center, featuring Placido Domingo's grandson Dominic.

DARLENE CAAMANO LOQUET
President
NALA Films
As president of NALA Films, Caamano Loquet produced the company's first film, The Air I Breathe, starring Andy Garcia and Sarah Michelle Gellar, to be released in early 2008. Her latest production is In The Valley of Elah, directed by Paul Haggis and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon. Caamano Loquet's career in entertainment began as an assignment editor at Univision Channel 34 in Los Angeles. She left to work as a producer's assistant where she was instrumental in the development of Frida, starring Salma Hayek.

REYNALDO VILLALOBOS Director/Cinematographer
Villalobos, a Los Angeles native, is a director of photography whose famous works as a cinematographer include Twentieth Century Fox's Nine to Five, Blame it on Rio, Paramount's Urban Cowboy, Warners' Risky Business, Columbia's Saving Grace, Band of the Hand, Universal's American Me, and Embassy Pictures' The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, among others. His work as a cameraperson includes Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Jumpin' Jack Flash. His television credits as a cinematographer and/or director include L.A. Law, Sinatra, Remington Steele, L.A. Doctors, The Hitchhiker and Tour of Duty.

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU
Producer/Director/Writer
Inrritu is an award winning Mexican film director, who at the age of 27 became one of the youngest directors in Mexico. In collaboration with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, their feature film, Amores perros, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as many other awards from festivals and film societies around the world. His most recent project, Babel, earned him the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and Academy Awards in numerous categories, including a Best Director Award.

MOCTESUMA ESPARZA
Filmmaker/Producer
Esparza, a native of East Los Angeles, is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, entertainment executive, and entrepreneur. A graduate of UCLA, he holds a Bachelor's degree in theatre arts/motion pictures and a Master's degree in theater arts/motion pictures/TV. Among his many notable productions are Selena, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and The Milagro Beanfield War. Esparza is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's Medallion of Excellence.

LEON ICHASO
Writer/Director
Ichaso is an award winning writer/director whose latest milestone is director of the biopic El Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe. Other milestones include Pinero, starring Benjamin Bratt, the Showtime biopic Hendrix, among others. A native of Cuba, he moved to the U.S. at the age of 14. He first made his mark with the independently made Spanish-language feature, El Super, based on an off-Broadway play, which he followed up six years later with the mainstream film Crossover Dreams.

CHEECH MARIN
Actor/Director/Writer
Marin is an actor, writer, director, musician, art collector and, above all, a humanitarian. As part of the duo Cheech and Chong, he participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies. After he and Tommy separated, he starred in a number of films, most notably Born in East L.A., Tin Cup, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He made the transition to television, co-starring opposite Don Johnson in the hit show Nash Bridges in which they played San Francisco police detective partners. In recent years, he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing voice-overs for animated features.

SILVIO HORTA
Executive Producer/Writer
Silvio Horta, one of Hollywood's brightest screenwriting talents, is currently the creator/executive producer of ABC's Emmywinning comedy Ugly Betty. A native of Miami, Horta grew up being forced to watch Spanish language telenovelas with his Cuban-American family, not realizing that decades later he would be adapting the popular Columbian telenovela Betty la Fea, as Ugly Betty for American television. Horta got his break in the industry a year out of NYU Film School with his screenplay for the boxoffice hit, Urban Legend, a satirical horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto and Rebecca Gayheart.

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
Actor
Olmos is an award-winning multi-talented actor, producer, writer, and director. Born in East Los Angeles, he grew up wanting to be a professional baseball player. He later turned to rock and roll and in the late 1960's branched out into acting. His big break came with his portrayal of the narrator "El Pachuco" in the play Zoot Suit. When the play moved to broadway, Olmos received a Tony nomination and subsequently took the role to the filmed version in 1981. His role on the television series Miami Vice earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the movie Stand and Deliver. In 1998, he founded Latino Public broadcasting and currently serves as its chairman.

HECTOR ELIZONDO
Actor
Elizondo is an award-winning actor whose successful career includes film, television, theater, and radio. A New York native born to Puerto Rican parents, Elizondo first gained recognition on the New York stage for his performance in Steambath, which earned him an Obie Award. He earned four Emmy nominations and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Dr. Phillip Watters on CBS' Chicago Hope. He has appeared in at least a dozen Garry Marshall films, among them The Princess Diaries, The Flamingo Kid, Runaway Bride, and Pretty Woman, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

MARTIN SHEEN
Actor
Sheen is an award-winning actor, who was born Ramon Gerardo Antonio Estevez in Dayton, Ohio. He is perhaps best known for his role as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and as President Josiah Bartlet on the criticallyacclaimed television drama series The West Wing, a role for which he received a Golden Globe and two SAG awards, as well as six Emmy nominations. Sheen is well-known for his support of liberal political causes. He supported the 1965 farm worker movement with Cesar Chavez in Delano, Calif., and has supported causes for PETA and other organizations.

JIMMY SMITS
Actor
Smits is a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor who is perhaps best known for his longrunning roles on L.A. Law and NYPD Blue, as well as his role on The West Wing as a congressman and successful presidential candidate. The Brooklyn born actor currently plays the main character on CBS' primetime serial, Cane. Smits is one of the founders of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications, and entertainment industries.

LUPE ONTIVEROS
Actress
Ontiveros is an award-winning actress dedicated to her craft. Born Lupe Moreno in El Paso, Texas, she is a graduate of the Texas Woman's University where she earned a Bachelor's degree in social work. From the moment she joined the ranks of film extras, Ontiveros knew what her true calling was. Experiences that have tested her endurance and a commitment to her work include learning about her mother's death during the intermission of the play Zoot Suit and having to complete the show about a family's joyous reunion. The second was flying to New York to receive an award immediately following her father's funeral in Texas. As an artist these experiences took her to the maximum moments of agony and ecstasy, and the words "the show must go on" took on a whole new meaning for her.

JOHN LEGUIZAMO
Actor
A native of Colombia, Leguizamo grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens in New York. A prolific actor and comedian, Leguizamo began his career while still in high school where he wrote comedy material and tested it out on his classmates. His stage credits include Mambo Mouth, which he wrote and performed seven different characters, and went on to win both an Obie Award and an Outer Critics Award. His film credits include To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Executive Decision, Moulin Rouge, and Empire which he co-produced. Among his numerous television roles, he played a doctor on ER during the 2005-2006 season.

STEVE TELLEZ
Agent
Creative Artists Agency Currently a motion picture and television talent agent at CAA in Los Angeles, Tellez graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business with a minor in music from California State Polytechnic University in 1976. Tellez is a member of the Country Music Association and a board member of the Academy of Country Music. He also serves on the board of governors for the Valley Community Clinic in North Hollywood.

CARLOS CARRERAS
Head of Latin Talent United Talent Agency
As head of Latin talent at one of the world's largest full service talent and literary agencies, Carreras' expertise and influence is in Spanish entertainment. His most significant moment in entertainment that made a difference in his life is when, as an agent trainee, he had the opportunity to propose and ultimately cultivate an entrepreneurial approach to elevate the presence of Latino talent in film and television.

JEFF VALDEZ
Co-Chairman
Maya Entertainment Founder, SiTV
Valdez' accomplishments are a dream come true for the youngest of nine children who was born in the housing projects of Pueblo, Colorado. One of the first to recognize that Latinos wanted to see themselves in English-language TV programs beyond the traditional Spanish-speaking stations, Valdez created, hosted and produced a local Los Angeles TV series and a myriad of other projects, leading the Los Angeles Times to dub him "the Ed Sullivan of Latino talent."

JAVIER AVITIA
Senior Vice President, Business Affairs
CBS Paramount Int'l Television
Avitia is Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, CBS Paramount International Television. He has been with Paramount Pictures for 11 years and previously served four years as Senior Legal Counsel for Univision. Born in Gridley, Calif., Avitia received his undergraduate degree in international relations from the University of California at Davis and went on to Harvard Law School where he completed his Juris Doctorate. He volunteers as a recruiter and interviewer for Harvard University and serves on the Board of Directors of The Imagen Foundation.

RAUL DE QUESADA
Assistant General Manager and
Senior Vice President Marketing,
Communications & Creative Services
Fox Sports International
De Quesada is responsible for the planning and execution of strategic integrated marketing campaigns for all Fox Sports International channels. A native of Cuba, de Quesada was raised in the United States. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Florida International University, and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach. His areas of expertise are international business and television, a result of his many years of experience in the field and an unmatched knowledge of the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets.

ROBERT MENDEZ
Senior Vice President, Diversity
Disney ABC Television Group
Mendez oversees all business affairs and legal aspects of Buena Vista Television and Buena Vista Productions. Of his career in the entertainment industry, Mendez says it has all been one big moment for him, all of which has offered new challenges and made the journey rewarding. Mendez earned his Bachelor's degree from Pomona College and his Juris Doctor from University of California, Davis School of Law.

JEAN FUENTES
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Fox Television Stations
As senior vice president of human resources for Fox Television Studios, Inc., Fox Stations Sales, 20th Television, and My Network TV, Fuentes oversees the community relations efforts of the Fox Television Stations Group, which is comprised of 35 owned and operated stations located throughout the country. In her position, Fuentes is responsible for assisting senior management in the human resources policy development and implementation as well as consulting in all human resources disciplines. She regulates and monitors all recruitment and hiring for the thirty-five stations.

GERALD ALCANTAR
Vice President, Diversity Development
Fox Entertainment Group
Alcantar oversees Fox Entertainment Group's strategies to enhance its leadership and growth through recruitment and employee development. He received a Bachelor's degree from Loyola University and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. He serves as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Marymount University's College of Business Administration and is an instructor with UCLA Extension's Management and Development Department.

HELEN HERNANDEZ
President & Founder
The Imagen Foundation
Under her leadership, Hernandez has led the Foundation's Imagen Awards the past 22 years which have become one of the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry, held this year at The Walt Disney Concert Hall. Hernandez was raised in Azusa, Calif., and began her professional career as a labor union official before going into entertainment where she worked for Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio at Embassy Communications. Helen has three grown children and 2 grandchildren. She has been recognized by the United States Congress in the Congressional Record for her work on behalf of the Latino community in the entertainment industry. Helen was recently named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top Latinas in entertainment.

KATHRYN F. GALAN
Executive Director
NALIP
Galan was raised in Michigan and Massachusetts, spending many summers with her family in Spain. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, then moved to Los Angeles to persue her Masters degree studies at UCLA in critical studies, focusing on Third World Cinema. She worked for seven years at Atlantic Entertainment, first in the acquisition of international films including the first films of Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford and Roger Donaldson, then as head of production for films like Teen Wolf, Valley Girl and A World Apart. In 1989 she joined the new Hollywood Pictures division of the Walt Disney Co. as a VP of production, where she worked on dozens of films including Neil Simon's The Marrying Man, Sydney Lumet's A Stranger Among Us, and Wayne Wang's The Joy Luck Club. She produced Daybreak for HBO, Squanto for Disney and French Kiss through her production company with Meg Ryan, Prufrock Pictures. She was a new media consultant and independent producer prior to joining NALIP in 2001.

ESTEBAN TORRES
Honorable former Congressman & Chair of the National Latino Media Council (NLMC)
Torres is Board Chairman of the National Latino Media Council, a group of 14 national civil rights organizations championing Latinos in the television and film industry advocating for greater visibility and positive presentation in the media. An Arizona native, he grew up in East Los Angeles, which he later represented as a U.S. Rep. Elected to Congress in 1982, he represented the 34th Congressional District that stretched from East Los Angeles to the San Gabriel Valley. In 1999, Torres retired from the U.S. House of Representatives after a distinguished 16-year career. His greatest accomplishment, however, is his 52-year marriage to Arcelia (Arcy) Sanchez, their five children, and 12 grandchildren.

STEPHEN ESPINOZA
Entertainment Attorney
Espinoza is an attorney with the law firm of Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Fischer, Gilbert- Lurie, Stiffelman & Cook, one of the premier entertainment and media law firms in the country. He represents a broad range of TV and film producers and directors, as well as a diverse group of talent, including an impressive list of up-and-coming Latino talent such as Jacob Vargas, Cristian de la Fuente, Rick Gonzalez and Jorge Reyes. He is a graduate of Stanford University and UCLA School of Law and is a member of the American Bar Assn. and the National Hispanic Bar Assn. An active community volunteer, Espinoza currently serves on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Echo Park.

JOSE MARTINEZ
Entertainment Attorney
As an entertainment attorney and corporate attorney based in New York and Los Angeles, Martinez has represented writers, directors, and producers in all aspects of production, finance, acquisition, and distribution. He also represents film distributors, and advises on formation, financing intellectual property, acquisitions, and sales of real estate, as well as trial counsel. A Los Angeles native, he received a Bachelor's degree in political theory from UCLA and his JD from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.