ALVA AMERICAN LATINO

Latino Veteran Entrepreneur Survey

admin.alva — Thu, 02 May 2024 02:57:52 +0000

Share Your Voice: Shaping the Future for Latino Entrepreneurs

Dear Latino Veteran Entrepreneur,

We’re embarking on an important journey to better understand and support Latino/a/e entrepreneurs like you, particularly with business transfers (buying and selling businesses). Your perspective is invaluable, and by sharing it through our brief survey, you will contribute to shaping strategies that directly address the needs and challenges you might face.

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard and to contribute to meaningful change. Please take just a few moments to complete our survey.

[CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY].

Your insights will help guide us in creating more inclusive and effective support for entrepreneurs.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to impact the future of Latino/a/e business ownership.

Warm regards,
Danny Vargas
ALVA Chairman/CEO

ALVA Membership is free to all veterans (including guard and reserves), active-duty personnel, and their families. We recognize that military service is not an individual exercise, but rather a family endeavor. Visit the website to join and become a member of ALVA today.

About American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA):
The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) is a registered 501c3 that exists to help American Latino veterans thrive after their military service, access the benefits they have earned, and enhance recognition of Latino contributions to our nation’s defense since before its inception. For more information on ALVA visit https://www.alvavets.org or follow us on our social media channels @alvavets

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ALVA Announces 2023 Impact Report

admin.alva — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 21:50:37 +0000

2023 Impact Report Download

Herndon, VA – The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA), the only national non-profit focused on helping all Latino veterans thrive and recognize their indispensable contributions, announces its 2023 Impact Report.

The Impact Report describes highlights of 2023 program activities, the populations served, a glimpse of future plans, as well as a message from its CEO and a statement of appreciation to its members and supporters. Among the highlights are the various partnerships established for workforces development and entrepreneurship, the business and awards events, along with the efforts around sharing resources and stories and advocacy on public policy.

“We are so very grateful for our members, supporters, allies, and friends who made 2023 a great year for ALVA and the Latino veterans we exist to support,” stated ALVA Founder/Chairman & CEO, Danny Vargas.

The full 2023 Impact Report can be found here: CLICK HERE FOR 2023 ALVA IMPACT REPORT

ALVA Membership is free to all veterans, active-duty personnel, and their families. We recognize that military service is not an individual exercise, but rather a family endeavor. Visit the website to join and become a member of ALVA today.

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ALVA WELCOMES NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND NEW PATRIOT LEVEL SPONSOR

admin.alva — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 21:05:11 +0000

Herndon, VA – The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) is pleased to announce the addition of three new outstanding members to its Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is made up of talented, experienced, and well-connected individuals who care about our veterans and commit to helping ALVA raise its visibility, identify funding opportunities, and support its activities. They join ALVA’s already powerful and influential Advisory Council which includes notable leaders like actor/comedian John Leguizamo, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, Olga Custodio (the first Latina U.S. military pilot), former Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, retired Marine Corps Major General Angela Salinas, and several others. For a full list of our Board and Advisory Council, visit: https://alvavets.org/leadership/

ALVA welcomes the following new members of the Advisory Council:

Roberto Clemente, Jr. – Eldest son of baseball legend Roberto Clemente, philanthropist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, producer, former broadcaster, and professional baseball player
Silvana Montenegro – Global Head of Advancing Hispanics & Latinos at JPMorgan Chase
Diego Zambrano – Manager of Federal Government Affairs to the United States at Philip Morris International

Roberto Clemente, Jr. is a universally respected philanthropist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, producer, former broadcaster, and professional baseball player. Roberto’s father, Roberto Clemente Sr. was the first Latin American player to compile 3,000 hits in MLB history and the first Latino to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame and was Marine Corps veteran. After his father’s untimely and tragic death in a 1972 plane crash while taking relief supplies to Nicaragua earthquake victims, Roberto Jr. became his father’s voice and the spokesperson for the family. He played professional baseball and later established the RBI Baseball Program, aimed at enhancing interest and participation in sports, with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged children. Robert Jr. also established the Roberto Clemente Foundation, bringing the good will works to the country and world by aiding at-risk youth, disaster relief, and promoting global service leadership. Throughout the last 30 years of the foundation’s existence, Roberto Jr. and the team have helped thousands of children and their families.

Silvana Montenegro is the Global Head of Advancing Hispanics & Latinos (DEI) at JPMorgan Chase, where she leads a unified vision and strategy to address the unique needs of the Hispanic and Latino communities, both within the firm and externally. Silvana brings a wealth of experience from her leadership roles in the U.S. and Latin America, including a proven reputation for empowering leadership teams and individuals to reach their full potential. Of her 26 years with the firm, she spent 17 supporting the Latin America business in various capacities, including as the Head of Latin America Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, leading the function from the ground up and laying a strong and sustainable foundation for the region. Silvana has been recognized by Latino Leaders magazine as one of the top 100 Most Influential Latinas in the U.S. and one of the Top 101 Most Influential Latinos, as well as Crain’s NY Notable Hispanic Leaders, among others.

Diego Zambrano serves as Manager of Federal Government Affairs to the United States at Philip Morris International and advocates for PMI’s top priorities, utilizing his expertise and experience to engage with government bodies. He was previously with the Committee on House Administration under the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director and VP of Programs at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI).

ALVA also welcomes Philip Morris International (PMI) as a “Patriot” level supporter and partner (the highest of the pre-defined ALVA sponsorship levels). The $40,000 contribution is aimed to enhance ALVA’s efforts and programs. Their generous support will allow ALVA to further strengthen its organization and its efforts to support Latino Veterans throughout America. To learn more about PMI, visit: https://www.pmi.com/.

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ALVA NEWSLETTER 4Q2023

admin.alva — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 16:56:44 +0000

4Q23 Newsletter Download

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ALVA Holds Successful Career Expo and Awards Event

admin.alva — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:40:40 +0000

Herndon, VA – The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) celebrated a successful Career Expo and ALVA Awards event on November 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C. These included a series of panels and a job matchmaking focused on a variety of industry sectors as part of its Career Expo as well as an evening reception for the 2023 “ALVA Awards” to recognize notable honorees. The events were hosted by AT&T at its Forum for Technology, Entertainment & Policy.
Photos from the events can be found here: CLICK HERE FOR EVENT PHOTOS
Videos from the events can be found here: CLICK HERE FOR EVENT VIDEOS

The Career Expo included the following panels with expert speakers:
• Transitioning from military to civilian careers: Christine Hill (McKesson) and Graciela Tiscareño-Sato
• Careers in banking and finance: Moderator: Justin Velez-Hagan (NPRCC); Panelists: Kristen Sullivan (JPMorgan Chase) and Aaron Miranda (Wells Fargo)
• Careers in telecommunications: Moderator: Danny Vargas, Panelists: Englebert “Freddie” Jimenez (AT&T) and Thomas Eybl (T-Mobile)
• Other careers: Moderator: Rebecca Mejia (MassMutual), Panelists: Jose “Abe” Rivas (Accenture), Luis Belen (NHIT), and Jose Melecio (Department of Veterans Affairs)
The following were the ALVA Awards categories and honorees. Profiles for the honorees can be found here: https://alvavets.org/alva-awards-honorees/
• Familia Award: Robert Bard, Lupita Colmenero, and Family
• Veteran Entrepreneur Award: Jeffrey Vigil (My Business Matches)
• Community Service Award: Graciela Tiscareño-Sato
• Military Service Award: SEAC Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez
• Role Model Award: Hon. Carlos Del Toro (Secretary of the Navy)

“The Career Expo provided extremely useful information on transitioning to successful civilian careers and details on high growth industry sectors and the ALVA Awards were very inspirational and allowed us to celebrate not only the honorees but also their wonderful families,” stated ALVA Founder/Chairman & CEO, Danny Vargas. He continued, “We greatly appreciate our sponsors, partners, supporters, and friends who made these events possible and who believe in our mission to help Latino veterans thrive and recognize their indispensable contributions.”
ALVA events are made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors:
• Patriot LeveL; JPMorgan Chase, PMI, and Wells Fargo
• Honor LeveL: AT&T, Accenture, T-Mobile
• Duty Level: McKesson, Verizon, Bristol Myers Squibb, Republic Services

ALVA focuses on five key areas: Workforce Development/Job Placement, Entrepreneurship and Business Growth, Telling the Stories of Latinos’ Military Contributions since the inception of our nation, Advocacy on Policies that impact veterans and Latinos, and a Repository of Information on Benefits/Resources these veterans have earned.

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Register for the ALVA Expo and Awards Reception

admin.alva — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 16:34:09 +0000

Please register today for the ALVA Expo and ALVA Awards Reception on November 1st in Washington, D.C.! Click on the link below to register.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR EXPO/RECEPTION

CLICK HERE FOR JOB MATCHMAKING

There will be a Career Expo from 1:30pm – 6:00pm, including informative panels from 1:30pm – 5:00pm (registration begins at 1:00pm)

There will be a job matchmaking session from 5:00pm – 6:00pm.

The Awards Reception will follow from 6:30pm – 8:30pm (registration opens at 6:00pm)

The venue will be the AT&T Forum, 601 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001

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ALVA ADDS INFLUENTIAL LEADERS TO ITS ADVISORY COUNCIL

admin.alva — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:58:09 +0000

John Leguizamo, Former AG Gonzales, and Others Join ALVA Advisory Council

Herndon, VA, – The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) announces the addition of new members to its Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is made up of talented, experienced, and well-connected individuals who care about our veterans and commit to helping ALVA raise its visibility, identify funding opportunities, and support its activities.

ALVA welcomes the following new members of the Advisory Council:

James Albino – Executive Director, Center for Minority Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Lili Gil Valletta – CEO and Co-Founder, CULTURE+ GROUP
Alberto Gonzales – Former U.S. Attorney General and White House Counsel
Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon – Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico/Member of Congress
John Leguizamo – Actor, comedian, and film producer

“ALVA is thrilled to welcome our new Advisory Council members, each of whom have demonstrated a dedication to lifting up and supporting our community and our country and a love for our veterans,” stated Danny Vargas, ALVA Founder/Chairman/CEO. He added, “they each possess unique talents, skills, and abilities and we are honored to have them join the ALVA family.”

“For over 500 years, Latinos have been instrumental in every aspect of American society, including pivotal roles in our national defense,” said John Leguizamo. “I have long strived to ensure our community is recognized for these contributions, and ALVA will play a very important part in telling those vital stories.”

“As a veteran and long-time public servant, I have witnessed first-hand the immense patriotism and bravery of the Latino community,” declared former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. “These honorable veterans deserve not only our respect and gratitude, but also our support, and I’m honored to help ALVA provide these veterans the assistance they need in order to thrive.”

ALVA focuses on Workforce Development, Entrepreneurship, Telling Stories of Latino Military Contributions, Advocacy, and Benefits/Resources (particularly around health and wellness). Membership is free to veterans/active-duty members and their immediate family. Please join today.

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ALVA NEWSLETTER 2Q2023

admin.alva — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:21:28 +0000

2Q23-Newsletter Download

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ALVA CEO Renamed to Washingtonian Magazine’s Most Influential in D.C.

admin.alva — Fri, 05 May 2023 04:08:25 +0000

Herndon, VA, – The American Latino Veterans Association is proud to announce that its Founder/Chairman/CEO, Danny Vargas, was named to Washingtonian Magazine’s 2023 list of “Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People” for the second year in a row. He was listed in the Civil Rights & Criminal Justice category, which commemorates “Experts who help ensure that our country’s policies, laws, and programs are nondiscriminatory”. Vargas was selected this year for having “launched a new nonprofit, the American Latino Veterans Association (https://alvavets.org/), aimed at assisting 1.5 million Latino veterans with workforce development and job placement and at publicizing Latino contributions since the Revolutionary War.”
“Words cannot do justice to the humbling nature to being included in this list of amazing leaders for the second year,” stated Vargas. “It has long been a personal duty and honor to try to give back and contribute to making the community and the nation as fair as possible, with the greatest opportunities as possible, for as many as possible, and with the least discrimination possible.”
Vargas’ community leadership roles over the years have included: Chair Emeritus, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, where he led the successful national bipartisan effort to pass the authorization bill in Congress; Founder/Chair/CEO of the American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA), helping veterans thrive and recognizing their contributions throughout history; Chair of the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; Chair of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development; Chair of the GO Northern Virginia economic development initiative, Chair of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (first Latino to chair a mainstream chamber in Virginia history); Chair of Leadership Fairfax, and many other boards and commissions.
To see the full list, visit: https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/27/washington-dcs-500-most-influential-people-of-2023/

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ALVA Publishes 2022 Impact Report

admin.alva — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:25:00 +0000

The Impact Report includes highlights of the organization’s 2022 program activities, the populations served, a glimpse of future plans, as well as a message from its CEO and a statement of appreciation to its members and supporters. Among the highlights are the various partnerships established for workforces development and entrepreneurship, the business and awards events, along with the efforts around sharing resources and stories and advocacy on public policy.

“ALVA is honored to help this vital population get good paying jobs, start and grow businesses, access the benefits they have earned, secure good services and policies, and tell the inspirational stories of their service throughout the centuries,” stated ALVA Founder/Chairman & CEO, Danny Vargas.

The full 2022 Impact Report can be found here: CLICK HERE FOR 2022 ALVA IMPACT REPORT

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