Professional and Government Leaders
From politics to the private sector, Minnesota has prominent Hispanic leaders in all sectors of society.
Our Hispanic community is involved in the Minnesota political scene:
- Colombia native Patricia Torres Ray made history by becoming the first Latina to be elected to the Minnesota State Senate.
- Elsa Leven is a leader in the Minnesota DFL Latino Caucus.
- Augustine “Willie” Dominguez and Carlos Mariani serve as state representatives for Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
- George Perez. leads the Minnesota Tax Court and was previously named “Tax Judge of the Year” by the National Conference of State Tax Judges
- Rafael Ortega, a Ramsey County commissioner, became the first Hispanic elected to a County Board in Minnesota in 1994.
Hispanics also are well represented on the business side. Juan Lazo is owner of the The Lakes Inn, CEO and owner of Treasure Bay Companies and the former mayor of Grand Rapids. Richard Aguilar is president and CEO of Aguilar Productions and was previously selected as one of the “Hundred Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.” by Hispanic Business Magazine. Val Vargas is the founder and CEO of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in addition to serving as president of Vargas Company, and Mario Duarte is the founder and publisher of La Prensa de Minnesota, the oldest and most recognized Latino publication in Minnesota.
