LEADERSHIP

ALVA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ALVA CHAIRMAN/CEO/FOUNDER

RAUL "DANNY" VARGAS

Raul "Danny" Vargas is an award-winning noted business and community leader, accomplished media commentator, and marketing/public relations professional. Named “101 Most Influential Latinos” in America in 2020 and 2021 by Latino Leaders Magazine, he is a product of the mean streets of New York City, he has created opportunities, overcome challenges, and beaten the odds all his life. He has made a mark not only in business but in the community as well. Danny is a proud US Air Force intelligence veteran, serving seven years on active duty (including nearly five years in Panama) in important national security missions and later in similar roles with Raytheon.

In addition to founding ALVA, Danny is the Founder/President of VARCom Solutions, a nationally recognized, marketing, public relations, and professional services firm. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, after having led a national, bipartisan effort to successfully pass the authorization bill in Congress. He is the Secretary of the Virginia State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights and Chairman of Leadership Fairfax (where he created a new equity council). Vargas is a regular media commentator in both English and Spanish, appearing on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Univision, Telemundo, and more and has penned op-eds for Wall Street Journal, NBC, etc.

A successful businessman, Danny was an executive at AOL, France Telecom, and Global One leading multinational sales and marketing efforts in Latin America and Europe. He was Chairman of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, served as Chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (the first Latino to chair a mainstream chamber in Virginia history) and spent several years on the board of the Northern Virginia Chamber. He recently completed a Stanford University business scaling program focused on Latino entrepreneurs.

Active in politics and the community, as a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015, he was endorsed by the Washington Post where they called him “one of the region’s more impressive first-time candidates in recent memory.” He was appointed to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and a commission promoting economic opportunity for the underserved. He is on the Northern Virginia Regional Council for the “GO Virginia” initiative and the board of Virginia FREE and has served on boards of various nonprofits.

Danny has long advocated for commonsense solutions for a variety of causes including, diversity, equity & inclusion, workforce development, veterans support, energy, economic development, health IT, immigration reform, transportation and more. A sought-after public speaker, Mr. Vargas is committed to keeping his community and our nation vibrant, thriving, and strong.

DIRECTOR

JEYBEN CASTRO

Jeyben Castro is a member of the board of directors of the American Latino Veterans Association. He serves as the Deputy Director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the U.S. House of Representatives. Created by law during the 116th Congress, the office works to develop and promote best practices for diversity and inclusion in areas such as personnel recruitment, retention, promotion and performance reviews. Mr. Castro leads outreach and engagement strategies to Republican members, committees and other House offices.

Mr. Castro’s prior experience on the Hill includes serving as Outreach Director for the United States Senate Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs under Senator Orrin Hatch. In this capacity, he worked with Senate Republican offices to forge strategic alliances with community-based organizations and leaders across the country to address, educate and create solutions to issues impacting the Hispanic community.

In the private sector, Mr. Castro’s experience includes developing community-based initiatives and strengthening Hispanic engagement as a Senior Community Engagement Manager for a public utilities company and promoting corporate citizenship as a Public Affairs Manager for a Fortune 500 company.

A strong believe in public service and civic engagement, Mr. Castro proudly served ten years in the U.S. Navy and in 2012 joined the Republican National Committee as one of six Hispanic Outreach Directors in charge of the Hispanic Vote for the Presidential election. In 2013, Mr. Castro joined the team at Leadership Institute (LI), one of the nation’s premier organizations responsible for training activists, students and leaders. He continues his commitment to youth civic engagement as a volunteer faculty member at LI.

Mr. Castro was born in El Sauce, Nicaragua and migrated to Miami, Florida when he was ten years old. He serves as a board member of the Latino Student Fund and the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute at George Washington University. He currently lives in Virginia and is a graduate of George Mason University.

DIRECTOR

DR. JUSTIN VELEZ-HAGAN, PH.D.

Dr. Justin Vélez-Hagan (MBA, Ph.D.) is the Managing Partner for Solid G Holdings and a Senior Scholar with the Macro Policy Institute. After founding The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, he became its first executive director and continues to serve as a Senior Advisor and member of its board. He is the author of The Common Sense behind Basic Economics (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) and The Paradox of Fiscal Austerity (Lexington Books, 2019).

Dr. Vélez-Hagan has worked with public and private sector organizations to advance policy priorities in sectors ranging from high-technology to telecommunications, energy, pharmaceutical, and retail, while also improving economic development efforts in Puerto Rico. As an advisor, advocate, and frequent guest speaker on these issues, Vélez-Hagan has and continues to work closely with a diverse stakeholder community, including federal, state, and local elected officials, leading advocacy groups, major corporations, and small business and startup communities.

His knowledge of the economic conditions of Puerto Rico, as well as research focus on international fiscal policy, have led national regulators, congressional committees, legal counsel, and administration officials to seek his advice and request testimony and briefings, while he is also frequently invited to provide guest lectures at universities across the country.

His work has been featured in various national publications, including: Forbes, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, CNBC, The Huffington Post, and a wide range of newspapers and academic publications. He has also been a guest on Fox News, BBC World, Fox Business, and NPR, among others.

Previously, Vélez-Hagan served as an adjunct professor of economics, while investing in and building several businesses. He most recently worked to develop healthcare facilities internationally, but also founded D.C. Concrete Technologies – a frequent guest on HGTV’s Curb Appeal and NBC’s House Smarts.

Vélez-Hagan has served on the boards of a number of organizations, such as the Capital Area Asset Builders‘ Board of Directors, the National Military Family Association’s Technology Advisory Board, and The Latino Coalition’s National Coalitions Board. Previously, he was invited to serve on Maryland’s GOMA Small Business Advisory Council and has served as an advisor to the governor of Puerto Rico, while also volunteering in organizations that seek to increase the number of veterans holding elected office.

Vélez-Hagan received a BS in Finance from the University of Louisville, an MBA from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Economic Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

TREASURER

MARIE ROBLES

A certified public accountant, Marie Robles’ financial expertise spans over 20 years in both the private and public sectors. Marie is currently SVP-Dir. of Finance, EagleBank. She was previously VP/Controller at Northwest Federal Credit Union, funds accounting manager at Navy Federal Credit Union, accounting manager of domestic operations at Verisign, Inc., and director in the Single Family Segment Controller Department at Freddie Mac Corporation.

In those and other roles she has worked on setting up and streamlining accounting reporting, processes and procedures and also worked on projects including risk assessment and the documentation of risks and controls for compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. While juggling accounting, auditing, acquisitions, budgeting, and cash management responsibilities, she is also passionate about serving the community.

She is the past president of the Washington DC Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and currently serves on the Strategy Development Committee of Women of ALPFA. The committee focuses developing initiatives focused on empowering women by providing a roadmap to develop leadership and management skills. Marie also volunteers with the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Marie grew up in a military family.