The Alumni Society’s Ricardo Anzaldua Is a Coalition Builder
Release Date: 06/05/2025
Why Latino Consumers Are America's Economic Growth Engine
The Latino Majority
Isaac Mizrahi's story begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where a young boy who collected magazine advertisements and memorized television jingles developed an early fascination with the power of marketing. Raised by the children of immigrants from Poland and the Middle East, Isaac combined an economist's analytical mindset with a lifelong appreciation for creativity, eventually building a career that would make him one of the nation's leading voices on multicultural marketing and Latino consumer strategy. Today, as CEO of Alma, one of the country's most awarded multicultural advertising...
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Roots Before Résumés; The Story Before Success with Victor Arias Jr.
The Latino Majority
Long before Victor Arias Jr. became one of the country's most respected executive recruiters and institution builders, his story began in El Paso—shaped by grandparents who fed immigrants at their front door, parents whose resilience became his blueprint for leadership, and a family that taught him humility, faith, hard work, and service long before he ever stepped into a boardroom. In this deeply personal conversation, Victor reflects on the experiences that transformed his life—from overcoming imposter syndrome at Stanford Graduate School of Business to helping build organizations like...
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Francisco Leon: The CEO Who Crossed the Border Every Day
The Latino Majority
Francisco Leon's story begins with a daily border crossing. Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Francisco spent more than a decade crossing between Mexico and the United States every day to attend school in San Diego. What began as a sacrifice by his parents to create greater opportunities for their children became the foundation for a unique perspective on leadership, problem-solving, and opportunity. In this conversation, Francisco reflects on growing up between two countries, learning to navigate two cultures, and how those experiences shaped his path from border kid to CEO of a...
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Marysol Castro: From the Bronx to the Mic That Changed Baseball
The Latino Majority
Marysol Castro’s story begins in the Bronx, where curiosity, sports, and a belief that the world was bigger than her neighborhood set her on an extraordinary path. From earning a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school at age 13 to becoming the first Latina public address announcer in Major League Baseball and the first female announcer in New York Mets history, Marysol has consistently broken barriers while staying true to who she is. In this conversation, Marysol reflects on growing up Puerto Rican in New York, the transformative power of education, and how being bilingual became one...
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“I Belong Everywhere": Antonio Tijerino’s American Story
The Latino Majority
Antonio Tijerino’s story begins with silence. Arriving in the United States from Nicaragua as a child, unable to speak English, he was held back in first grade and struggled to understand a world that often misunderstood him. In this deeply personal conversation, Antonio reflects on identity, belonging, assimilation, and the cultural touchstones — from Brillantina to Roberto Clemente — that helped him navigate growing up Latino in America. As President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Antonio has spent decades helping shape the national narrative around Latino leadership,...
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Lori Lizarraga On Journalism, Identity, and the Power of Listening
The Latino Majority
What happens when a journalist turns the lens back on the industry itself? In this episode of The Latino Majority, Pedro A. Guerrero sits down with award-winning journalist Lori Lizarraga for a deeply personal conversation about media, identity, accountability, and the responsibility of telling the truth — even when it comes at a personal cost. Lori reflects on growing up in rural Texas as the daughter of immigrants, stumbling into journalism almost by accident, and discovering a profession that immediately felt like home. From local newsrooms to national platforms like NPR’s Code Switch,...
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Raíces: Root, Remember, and Reclaiming with Sylvia Banderas Coffinet
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to truly belong? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Sylvia Banderas Coffinet shares a deeply personal journey shaped by identity, resilience, and the pursuit of belonging. Born in Guadalajara and raised in a mixed-status immigrant family in East Los Angeles, Sylvia reflects on growing up undocumented and the profound impact that experience had on how she sees herself—and the world around her. As a child, she encountered exclusion in its most painful form, particularly during the era of anti-immigrant legislation in California. But rather than internalize those...
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From Olympic Dreams to the Voice of Global Football: Passion, Pressure, and Purpose with Fernando Palomo
The Latino Majority
What does it take to turn curiosity into a career that reaches millions? In this episode of The Latino Majority, Fernando Palomo shares his journey from a young boy in El Salvador, waking up early to watch Olympic documentaries, to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in global football. Long before the broadcasts and stadiums, there was a deep obsession with understanding sports, collecting newspaper clippings, reading everything he could find, and dreaming of becoming an Olympian. When that dream fell short, a new path revealed itself. At just 15 years old, Fernando knocked...
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From El Paso to Vogue: Redefining Beauty, Power, and Latinidad
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to be seen—not as a trend, but as truth? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Karla Martínez de Salas—Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America—shares her journey from El Paso to the highest levels of global fashion media. Raised in a bicultural environment where identity was fluid but not always fully understood, Karla didn’t fully confront what it meant to belong until she stepped into elite spaces where she was often the outsider. From cold-calling internships in the late ’90s to navigating the cultural codes of New York, Paris, and beyond,...
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The Nod: Identity, Power, and the Latino Majority with Audrey Ponzio
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to truly be seen? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Audrey Ponzio—founding partner of APC Collective—shares a deeply personal journey from El Paso to the highest levels of corporate communications. Raised in a community where identity was simply lived, not questioned, Audrey didn’t fully confront what it meant to be Latina until she left home and entered spaces where she was suddenly “othered.” From being the only multicultural voice in the room to navigating tokenization, microaggressions, and the weight of representation, Audrey opens up about the...
info_outlineIf anyone knows the power behind convening Latinos to make an impact, it’s Ricardo Anzaldua.
His impulse to organize and bring Latinos together began early while growing up in New Mexico and South Texas. In high school as the Chicano movement gained traction, he became a strong advocate for Mexican American civil rights and a community organizer.
He took that passion to elite institutions like his alma mater, Brown University where he advocated for diversifying student admissions and increased support for students of color.
While earning his law degree at Harvard, he helped lead an all-Latino summit of students from all Ivy League schools to discuss breaking barriers for future generations.
For many, it became a semblance of home—a space to share stories, pride, and culture-bending experiences with peers from far-flung corners of the country.
Decades later, inspired by those energizing student gatherings, Ricardo cofounded The Alumni Society in 2015 to once again bring together like-minded Latinos this time to show corporations the thousands of successful, ambitious Latino leaders poised to make a difference at the highest level in corporate America.
The Alumni Society’s tenth anniversary is on the horizon, and the work is far from over. Ricardo sees more opportunities than ever to empower the Latino community at all levels and become a force of change.