Ahora Orlando Magazine: Welcome!

The first attempt at selecting a Top 25, which appeared in the Fall/Winter 2005, drew long rich debate. According to members of the blue-ribbon selection committee, there were so many candidates it was difficult to make picks without leaving someone worthy off the final list.

Well, that effort of selecting “most influential” local Hispanic community leaders only served as a warm-up for this year. Clearly, the rising prominence of local Hispanics has brought a multitude of new achievers to our community. That's good news for metro Orlando, but it didn't make choices very easy for the selection committee.

Finally, though, after numerous nominations, the committee arrived at what truly is an outstanding list of Hispanic leaders. In addition, three other people were chosen in honorary categories by editors of Ahora Orlando. For the purpose of this list, “local” is defined as a current resident in metro Orlando or originally from metro Orlando and/or a current business owner in metro Orlando. “Hispanic” is defined as someone born in a Latin American or born in the United States with one or both parents or grandparents who were born in a Latin American country.

So, here it is. With great pride—and relief—we present the Top 25.

Committee members were provided with a list of nominees compiled by the Ahora Orlando editorial team. Nominations were open to the public, and committee members were asked to add nominations of their own, as well as to make their final choices. Committee members could not nominate or vote for themselves, but they could be nominated by the Ahora Orlando team, other committee members and the public, and could be selected for the final Top 25 listing, although only by other committee members.

FROM CUBA TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM Betty Martinez Lowery makes magic for Hispanics.

Cuban-born Betty Martinez Lowery is one of the strongest advocates for Hispanics in the Central Florida region—from serving on the board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to making history with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund by raising a record $100,000 in scholarships.

She's a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Her diversity journey began as a child when she and her family moved to Kansas as refugees of Cuba. There, she experienced a new language, new culture and new friends. Since then, she has been on a mission to help others understand that diversity goes beyond skin color, age, experience, culture and point of view.

A mother of four, Lowery has spent most of her life helping others through education, human relations and crosscultural communication. In August 2005, she was appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush to serve on the advisory board for Florida's Early Learning Coalition. Her work to ensure the accessibility, affordability and quality of early-learning services for all of Florida's children led to her reappointment in 2007 by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Lowery's role as manager of Minority Business Development at Walt Disney World Resort has afforded her the opportunity to make great strides in multicultural communities across the country. She works daily to establish key relationships between minority organizations and Disney to develop meaningful partnerships within Hispanic/Latino, Native American and women-owned businesses.

“I am so fortunate to work for a company that understands the importance of supporting our [Hispanic] community, and to have a leader that provides me the opportunity and time to be sincerely engaged in the community,” she said recently after her role as chair of Hispanic Scholarship Fund helped deliver an unprecedented number of scholarships for students in Central Florida. “As Latinos, we are part of this community, and we are committed to its success.”

A published author of a Spanish language textbook “El Arco Iris de la Amistad,” (Gessler Publishing), her passion for educating others and conquering the cultural divide has led to work on her first novel-a semi-biographical story of her experience as a survivor of the Cuban communist revolution and her family's immigration to the United States as refugees in the early 1960s.

“A rising tide floats all boats, and I am committed to making Central Florida a great community, not just for some of us, but for all of us.” she concludes.

A CAREER OF EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

Henry Maldonado has been vice president and general manager ofWKMG-TV since 2001.During that time, his achievements are numerous: He led the CBS affiliate to a leadership position in investigative journalism.The station's “Problem Solvers” unit is considered one of the best in the industry. He also brought Spanish Closed Captioning to the station's 6 p.m. newscast.

Maldonado has enjoyed a distinguished career, spanning almost 40 years in the industry. The winner of three Emmys, he was the head of multicultural children's programming for the elite PBS station, WGBH in Boston, where he produced documentaries focusing on the nation's Hispanic children. While there, he also created one of the first sitcoms for teens, “The New Voice.”He has been executive producer at CBS and NBC, where he specialized in local program development.

This localism has been the mark of his career.While in Detroit's NBC affiliate, WDIV-TV, he focused the station not only on the problems of the city, but also its pride and celebration.He produced more than 300 vignettes, reminding Detroiters of their great heritage in “Our Story.” He televised fireworks, parades and created a music series that was syndicated nationally.

Eight years ago, he took on the leadership of WKMG-TV and brought that localism to Orlando. He rebranded the station as “Local 6.”He created a public-service series,“Good Neighbor 6.”His weekly editorials addressed issues of public importance, and he partnered with a variety of organizations.He is on the board of the Enzian Theater, Give Kids The World, The Orlando Opera and recently completed his tenure on the board of the Hispanic Chamber, where he was chairman of the 2007 Don Quijote awards.

In addition, he committed WKMG as sponsor of Calle Orange; Olafest, the annual UCF celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; The Headress Ball; Grande Masque; and many more.

Henry Maldonado, a nationally respected broadcaster, recently announced his retirement from Post-Newsweek stations,WKMG's parent company. His career, since the start, has been guided by a work ethic totally based on diversity, fueled by his passion for the Hispanic community, and inspired by the struggles and victories of minority people. He firmly believes that the 21st century will be America's Hispanic century.