Community Honorable Leaders

This year, Latino Leaders presents for its first time the “Honorable Community Leaders” List. These Latinas were selected according to nominations the magazine received from the community. The list is dedicated to the local efforts creating waves of impact across the country through diverse networks and industries.

Iza Montalvo
Founder & Managing Partner of The Olán Group
Orlando, Florida

Iza Montalvo is an entrepreneur and a leader in the media industry with a background in journalism and politics, recognized twice with the Congressional Record during Hispanic Heritage Month and Women’s International Month. She is the former press secretary of two U.S. Congressmen from Florida.

Montalvo is the creator of a multimedia network that’s breaking barriers for bicultural and bilingual Latinas, referred by the media as “the first Spanish-language feminist radio show in the country”. She’s also the executive producer of her own radio show, which aired two seasons in I-Heart Radio, in the Central Florida region. Montalvo is the CEO and founder of Olán-a consulting firm based in Orlando, Florida specialized in the Hispanic market.

Tatiana Mackliff
Deputy Executive Director, Leadership & Professional Development Services of NAFSA Washington, DC

Tatiana Mackliff serves as NAFSA’s deputy executive director for leadership and professional development services. Prior to joining NAFSA, Mackliff served as executive director of international education at Miami Dade College. Her 25-year career in the field of global education includes a number of leadership positions at the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the British Council. At both organizations, she liaised with government officials to implement flagship scholarship programs such as the Foreign Fulbright Student Exchange Program for the Western Hemisphere, the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program, the English Language Teaching Assistant Program, and the prestigious Chevening Awards.

Jessica Valdez
Senior Program Director of C5 Youth Foundation of Southern California (C5LA)
Los Angeles, California

Jessica oversees all programing for an organization who's mission is to change the odds for high-potential teens from under-resourced communities by inspiring them to pursue personal success, while preparing them for leadership roles in school, college, work and their communities. As a first-generation student who graduated from UCLA, she has opened the door for thousands of other first-gen students from under resourced communities as they pursue their dreams of achieving higher education.

Christina Rodríguez
Editor and Founder of Beaute In Technology Magazine and Fit Beaute Digital
Agency Houston, Texas

Christina is an inspiring Latina who is someone who has built her business and career helping others in professional services or community outreach. She is the founding board member for Latinas in Tech Houston chapter and Pretty Smart Foundation for Latina girls in STEM.

Barbara del Mar Robles
Director of Teacher Academies; Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

Dr. Bárbara del Mar Robles is an advocate, an activist, an educator, and a legal scholar. She currently creates alternative pathways for high school students to become teachers; especially for students from underrepresented/marginalized communities or majority-minority schools. Bárbara has also been a legal advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. She founded the first and only confidential support group for Spanish speaking women in Snohomish County in WA state. She is currently the first Latina and the first woman of color running for City Council in Ellensburg, WA.

Ada Arevalo
Founder & CEO at iimpact
Anaheim, California

Ada is founder of REAL - Real Estate Association of Latinx Professionals. She serves to advance the visibility of Latinx professionals in commercial real estate. She is also the founder and CEO of iimpact capital, a female and minority-owned advisory firm partnering with diverse and emerging managers focused on impact and sustainable investment strategies. Ada is looking to bring visibility and support to previously underrepresented firms at the forefront of impact and sustainable investing.

Gladys Vega
Executive Director of La Colaborativa
Chelsea, Massachusetts

Gladys has worked as an organizer and an advocate to ensure that the Latino community has a role in determining the ways it's needs and concerns are addressed. She has played leadership roles in organizing for immigrants' rights, welfare rights, tenants' rights, open space and the environment, multicultural and anti-racism programs and in numerous grassroots campaigns. In 2007, Gladys led the Chelsea City Council to make Chelsea Massachusetts' third sanctuary City. She served as a Democratic Delegate for the National Convention in 2000.

Marivette Navarrete
Founder and CEO at The Mujerista
Miami, Florida

Marivette is the founder and CEO of The Mujerista, a digital publication and network dedicated to empowering and celebrating the stories of the next generation of Latinas. Marivette is building a community of millennial Latinas challenging stereotypes and misconceptions, while proudly representing their heritage and making an impact en la cultura.

Myrna Maysonet
Partner and Chief Diversity Officer at Greenspoon Marder
Orlando, Florida

Myrna is a partner with the Labor and Employment and Class Action Defense practice groups and serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. She concentrates her practice in employment litigation, counseling and defending corporations in all areas of employment. routinely protects employers’ rights against administrative agencies such as the EEOC, DOL and the NLRB and multiple jurisdictions in states such as Florida, Nevada, Utah, Tennessee and South Carolina. Maysonet served as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Navy, where she represented service members in felony and misdemeanor cases. She also served as a Staff Judge Advocate and Counsel to the Captain of the Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia.