Class members announced after Chamber received a record number of applicants for program
SAN ANTONIO (May 21, 2018) — The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC) is proud to announce the 62 community leaders who will take part in the Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program (ABLDP) Class of 2018. ABLDP has helped inspire many local leaders, including Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and recent Forbes 30 under 30 recipient and CEO of Cityflag Alberto Altamirano, and has helped create change-making programming for organizations such as the annual VIA GoCodeSA Codeathon and the City of San Antonio’s Cul-TÚ-Art funding guidelines.
Individuals selected to take part in this year’s program will be immersed in educational sessions that address topics that spark an interest in becoming a change-agent in San Antonio including strategic planning; leading and managing change; building great teams; improving quality both operationally and culturally; and creating and sustaining professional and organizational results.
“The Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program has a 17-year history of developing and preparing a diverse group of business professionals to be the future leaders of our great city,” said San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Erika Prosper Nirenberg. “The positive impact that many of the program’s alumni have on our community is clearly shown, and our goal is to continue to cultivate that momentum.”
Named after Mr. Alexander Briseño, retired San Antonio City Manager, distinguished Professor of Public Service in Residence at St. Mary’s University and Hispanic Chamber 2013 Chairman of the Board, this year’s ABLDP will provide students an opportunity to learn from an impressive faculty of community and business leaders who will share their personal experiences, achievements and challenges that they encounter as leaders in both the public and private sectors.
“ABLDP is guided by Alexander Briseño’s leadership principle of ‘gerencia con corazón,’ or management with heart,” said Ramiro A. Cavazos, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. “Having worked under Briseño, I know first-hand the spirit of those words and have continuously seen how they are exemplified and carried forward by the participants of the program year after year.”
This year’s ABLDP will continue to be facilitated by renowned leadership development consultant Winslow Swart who has provided leadership development, team building and strategic planning services for the Spurs, Toyota, USAA, Rackspace and the City of San Antonio among many others.
“Since 2011, I have had a front-row seat to the inspiring story of our city’s emerging leaders, their successes, and the impact they have on all of us,” said Winslow Swart, Co-Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer at One Million Dreams. “Each year, our graduates seem to be doing bigger, bolder, and more disruptive things, and I believe that this year’s class members will continue this tradition.”
The Hispanic Chamber congratulates the following 62 individuals who were selected to participate in this year’s highly-competitive program that had a record-breaking number of applicants:
Adrienne Alcazar, CPS Energy
Amy Janke, Nationwide Insurance
Ana Nelson, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office
Andrew Chapman, St. Mary’s University
Arturo Espinoza, Toyota Motor Manufacturing TX
Ben Javorsky, Nationwide Insurance
Bianca Garcia, UT Health San Antonio
Brittany Alonzo, USAA
Bryan Traywick, Heard & Smith LLP
Christina Carter, Miner National Services
Christopher Mammen, Mammen Investments
Cristina Brantley, San Antonio Water System
Daniel Peña, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
David Martinez, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Diana Maldonado, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Domingo Villarreal, CPS Energy
Donovon Rodriguez, Office of State Senator Jose Menendez
Erica Molina, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Erika Ragsdale, City of San Antonio
Flor Salas, City of San Antonio
Goran Brkic, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Guillermo Martinez, CPS Energy
Hugh Farr, Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas
Janie Lopez, R.O.A.R. San Antonio
Jason Massiatte, Ward North American Van Lines
Jennilee Garza, University of Texas at San Antonio
Jomo Henry, Spurs Sports and Entertainment
Joseph VanKuiken, City of San Antonio
Joshua Ware, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Katy Silva, Rivard Report
Manuel Maldonado, Somerset ISD
Marissa Guzman, Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc.
Marissa Rodriguez, IDEA Public Schools
Mark Ross, H-E-B
Marlene Romo Flores, Salons by JC
Martha Gonzalez, Texas A&M University – San Antonio
Meghan Regis, San Antonio Housing Authority
Melissa Cano, City Year
Michael Johnson, Northwestern Mutual
Michael Odum, Family Service Association of San Antonio
Michael Terrell, U.S. Department of Defense
Michelle Jones , South Texas Regional Advisory Council
Miguel Soto, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Monica Benavides, USAA
Monica Ramirez, Kym’s Kids of San Antonio
Nadia De La Garza, The DoSeum
Paige Kingsborough, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Patricia Kittle, City of San Antonio
Raul Botan, VIA Metropolitan Transit
Rhebecca Toni Soliz, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Robby Brown, DOCUmation
Rocio Guenther, City of San Antonio
Ruben Garcia, Spurs Sports & Entertainment
Sara Ramirez, San Antonio Public Library
Sasha Begum, Begum Peláez-Prada PLLC
Sergio Valdez, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.
Stacy Jones, Centro San Antonio
Stephanie Flores, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
Steven Zumaran, Our Lady of the Lake University
Susan Wonder, Nationwide Insurance
Tyler Fleming, TSF Construction & Roofing
William Fernandez, Merrill Lynch
A special thanks goes out to the 2018 ABLDP Steering Committee comprised of Hispanic Chamber members:
Steering Committee Tri-Chairs:
Gary Thobaben, Nationwide Insurance
Guillermo “William” Ramirez-Long, RJ RIVERA Associates, Inc.
KJ Feder, CPS Energy
2018 Facilitator:
Winslow Swart, One Million Dreams
Steering Committee Members:
Blanca Maldonado – Whataburger
Bryan Gonzales- Roland’s Roofing Co
Delia Covo – Teach for America
Demonte Alexander – AXR Strategies LLC
Gladys Hernandez – The DoSeum
Irma Iris Duran de Rodriguez – City of San Antonio
Jason Rodriguez – HNTB Corporation
Karla Duran – University of the Incarnate Word
Maria Nelson – Centro San Antonio
Robert Vasquez – San Antonio Water System
Santiago Jaramillo – VIA Metropolitan Transit
Simon Castillo – CPS Energy
Tristan Maldonado – Hops and Vines Distributing
Vanessa Tobares – St. Mary’s University
For more information about the Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program please contact Victoria Shoemaker at VictoriaS@sahcc.org or (210) 208-8210 or visit our website at www.sahcc.org.