Harrisburg, Pa – Today, the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs announced the appointment of 27 commissioners that will make up its 2025-27 advisory board. The Commission’s purpose is to gather information regarding Latino Pennsylvanians’ experiences and needs; review, evaluate, and assess programs affecting them; provide the Governor with information and recommendations regarding how best to meet their needs; and provide information about programs and services that may be relevant to Latino Pennsylvanian’s needs. The Commission was established by Governor Josh Shapiro through an Executive Order.
“It has been an amazing experience working with great Latino leaders from across the Commonwealth.” said Executive Director Olga Negron. “I’m proud that, together, we have delivered results and opened doors for Latinos across Pennsylvania. I’m super excited to continue the work with this new group of Latino leaders to further our mission of addressing the issues that impact our communities most.”
Thanks to the work of the 2023-25 Commission on Latino Affairs, the Shapiro Administration was able to make significant progress to deliver solutions critical to the issues Latinos face and made meaningful investments to advance opportunity in communities across Pennsylvania. Most notably, the Administration has prioritized addressing language access for government services across agencies, affordable housing investments, and working to cut costs for childcare throughout the Commonwealth.
The Commission Chair and members are listed below.
Luis Campos, Northampton County, Nicaragua, Chair
Frances Martinez-Gibbons, Lancaster County, Puerto Rico, Vice-Chair
Jose Aguirre, Delaware County, Nicaragua
Jassinya Alvarado-Padilla, Lancaster County, Puerto Rico
Ana Amarante-Craig, Chester County, Puerto Rico/Dom Rep.
Susan Baida, Allegheny County, Ecuador
Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez, Pike County, Puerto Rico
Adolfo Bosch, Philadelphia County, Argentina
Rev. Bonnie Camarda, Philadelphia County, Cuba
Christian Colón, Philadelphia County, Puerto Rico
Rosamaria Cristello, Allegheny County, Guatemala
Harianned Chaurel, Philadelphia County, Venezuela
Francia Doñe-Henry, Dauphin County, Dominican Republic
Edna García-Dipíni, Berks County, Puerto Rico
Henry Hernández, Lehigh County, Honduras
Hector Herrada, Philadelphia County, Mexico
Luis Hincapié, Montgomery County, Colombia
Mariana King, Lehigh County, Cuba
Guillermo Lara, Luzerne County, Mexico
José Nuñez-Ruiz, Lancaster County, Puerto Rico
Génesis Ortega, Northampton County, Dominican Republic
Karen Reyes, Erie County, Mexico
Janine Santoro, Northampton County, Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic
Elizabeth Strong, Lehigh County, Puerto Rico
Dr. Jose Torradas, Bucks County, Venezuela
Veronica Villalobos, Allegheny County, Mexico
Maria Zabala, Berks County, Dominican Republic
To learn more about the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, follow the Commission on Facebook.
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