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Lazaro J. Mur, Esq is Chairman of Hispanic CREO and a nationally recognized International Tax Attorney and Retired Certified Public Accountant.
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LazaroJ. Mur is a nationally recognized International Tax Attorney and Retired Certified Public Accountant. He received his Juris Doctor and LL.M. Degree from the University of Miami School of Law where he graduated with Top Honors and received the coveted American Jurisprudence Award. Mr. Mur is a lecturer for the National Business Institute, has lectured throughout Central and South America, was a visiting professor on the topic of Global Transaction at Oxford University, has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from Miami Dade College. He is a Co-Founder of the Dolphin Research Center and devotes his time to helping Hispanic students throughout the country succeed academically. Mr. Mur resides in West Palm Beach with his lovely wife and English bulldog, Lucy.
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Julio A. Fuentes is President & CEO of Hispanic CREO. He previously served as the President & CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founded the organization in response to the tremendous growth of Florida's Hispanic population.
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Julio A. Fuentes, President & CEO of Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO).Hispanic CREO’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children by empowering families through parental choice in education. Hispanic CREO achieves this by providing parents with free information and resources, which help them to become advocates for their children. Mr. Fuentes previously served as the President & CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founded the organization in response to the tremendous growth of Florida's Hispanic population. Today the organization has grown to 38 chapters and manages a database of over 80,000 minority owned businesses. The Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is the only statewide Economic Development organization serving the needs of the Hispanic community. Mr. Fuentes, of Cuban descent, received his degree in Business Administration from Iona College, located in New Rochelle, New York. After graduating, he began his career as an Investment Associate with Merrill Lynch from 1990-1992. For the next six years, Mr. Fuentes continued his career on Wall Street as an Investment Banker. Then in 1999, he joined the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce as a Membership Specialist focused on the Hispanic market. During this time, Mr. Fuentes recognized the need for an organization exclusively dedicated to the Hispanic business market, and thus, he founded the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Board of Directors for Florida Kidcare, is Chairman of Latin CEO and most recent appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist as a Commissioner for a Blueprint for Juvenile Justice reform. Mr. Fuentes is also ranked as one of Florida’s 100 Most Influential Leaders by Florida Trend Magazine. Mr. Fuentes resides in Wellington, Florida with his wife and two kids, Nicholas and Gabriella.
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Lorena Castillo is Chairwoman of CHISPA and a proud teacher with 17 years' experience in the public school system.
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Lorena Castillo is a proud teacher with 17 years’ experience in the public school system. She was born in Managua, Nicaragua and guided by her mother, Mercedes Murillo, received her advanced degree as a school teacher in Nicaragua in Natural Science and Biology. She later founded a school, Jardin de Infantes Rubenia, and served as its director. Her mother taught herself how to read and write in a closet so her father could not see her and she instilled in Lorena the deep rooted belief that every child, rich or poor, male or female, and of any ethnic origin has the God given right to a quality education. She arrived in the United States over 20 years ago to provide her children with a better future due to the civil war in Nicaragua. She did not speak English at the time and had to work 2 jobs, attend night school to learn English, and managed to re-certify herself as a teacher in the U.S. She received a Master’s Degree in Science Education in Florida State University and began her PhD in Curtin University in Australia. For the past 20 years Lorena has devoted her life to her mother's vision that every child she comes across walk away from her class knowing how important an education is to their future. This is her passion, her mission and her purpose in life.
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Dr. Rene Rodriguez is a Board Executive of Hispanic CREO. He founded the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1972 and continues to serve as president.
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Dr. Rodriguez founded the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1972 and continues to serve as president. He has received numerous awards for his talents and progress in the field of medicine, including the Leadership Award from the National Unity of Hispanic Physicians and the Honor Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association. Affiliations include American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons, Spanish American Medical Society of New York, Association of Foreign Medical Graduates, Pan American Medical Association, Sociedad Hispanic-Americana de Ortopedia y Traumatologia, World Medical Association, Association of Military Surgeons of U.S.A. and the PanAmerican Medical Society. He is a published author and certified through the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
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Melissa Myers is a Board Executive of Hispanic CREO and a founding trustee and Houston businesswoman with 10 years of experience gratefully serving inner-city, predominantly Latino communities working in the Real Estate and mortgage industries.
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Ms. Myers is a founding trustee and Houston businesswoman with 10 years of experience gratefully serving inner-city, predominantly Latino communities while working in the Real Estate and mortgage industries. She is also a co-founder of Ambuhealth, Inc., a durable medical equipment/prosthetic company, servicing the diabetic minority community in Houston. Melissa's commitment and passion for the improvement of education for underserved children began when she was invited to serve as a Director of Business Development for Advantage Schools, Inc., an education management organization, concentrating on the development and management of charter schools. She visited and worked in unban inner-city areas that experienced severe challenges in public education and could greatly benefit from a quality choice in states such as Texas, Atlanta, Florida, Louisiana, and California. She has traveled to research school districts, visited with mayors, school board members, city council members, concerned parents and community leaders that had serious concerns about inadequacy in their community schools and that wanted more information about the charter school option. Ms. Myers is grateful to serve on this board and wishes to create a new improved paradigm in improving our children's education through quality choice.
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Lydia Torres is a Board Executive of Hispanic CREO.
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Lydia Torrez has been an educator for over 30 years working with the Dallas Independent School District and the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. With her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Education and Administration from Dallas Baptist University, she has worked as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal at Mark Twain Elementary School, St. Cecilia Catholic School, and St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School. Currently she is the Director of Advancement and Alumni for Bishop Dunne Catholic School. Mrs. Torrez’s volunteer experience includes serving as Cub Master for Pack 75, Education Chair for the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, and a board member on the St. Cecilia School Advisory Council, St. Cecilia Church Parish Council, and Save Environment Committee for the Diocese of Dallas. She currently serves as a board member of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options, Catholic Housing Initiative for the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Catholic Association for Latino Leaders, and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. Mrs. Torrez has been recognized as Cub Master of the Year and St. Cecilia School Alumni of the Year. She has been recognized by the Notre Dame Club of Dallas as their Person of the Year. She has also received the Education Award from the Diocese of Dallas Pro-Life Committee and just recently received the Voyager Award in 2009 from Bishop Dunne Catholic School for her work as the Diocese of Dallas Coordinator for the Honduran Youth Mission trip. Mrs. Torrez has been married for 31 years to her husband, Rudy, and they are the proud parents of three sons, Michael, Nicholas, and Daniel. The family is growing in the last couple of years with the addition of a new daughter-in-law, Rebecca, and grandson, Noah Michael, and planning for another son’s wedding this summer.