Board and Community

My name is Juan Carlos Romero Huerta, originally from Mexico City and based in Philadelphia since 2002. I've been an entrepreneur since 2005 with my first business, and I'm also an advocate for various social causes. I've been actively involved with JUNTOS and have taken part in several actions for the defense of civil rights. Furthermore, I've also served on committees organizing community events such as the Festival on 9th Street and the Day of the Dead at Fleisher Art Memorial. Currently, I am the President of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia. We are all immigrant traders, and our goal is to promote the development of our full potential. We aim to strengthen ourselves and thus ensure the positive impact of our community in the spheres of economics, politics, and society, both here in Philadelphia and in our home countries. Alongside my wife and daughters, we are building and creating job opportunities with our family business, Philly Tacos.

Mexican born in Mexico City and having lived in Philadelphia for 29 years. She's been an entrepreneur and owner of the Chocolate store for 7 years, where you can find art and objects representing the entire Mexican Republic. She has volunteered for organizations and institutions dedicated to supporting our communities, with a focus on the most vulnerable. Among such organizations are several churches in South Philadelphia, the Juntos association, the Mexican consulate, among others, and now serves as vice president of the AEM. She is a recognized member of the community and is committed to solidifying and strengthening the community and commercial networks of our communities, believing that this is the best way to ensure better conditions for our future."

Leah Reisman is a Program Officer at the Barra Foundation. Before joining Barra, Leah was Director of Health and Wellness at Puentes de Salud, where she launched and led food access, mental health, arts and culture, and case management programs, working collaboratively with Latino community leaders. An arts consultant and professional, Leah has advised local and national foundations and nonprofits, both independently and with Metris Arts Consulting, focusing on the role of arts and culture in social and community change.

Karenina Wolff is an immigration and family law attorney who has run her own practice in the heart of South Philadelphia since 2014. Dedicated to the advancement of the Latino immigrant community, Karenina has worked tirelessly to ensure that all Spanish-speaking immigrants in Philadelphia have access to quality legal representation. She is committed to immigrant voices being elevated and has presented on numerous panels and met with the members of many local non-profit organizations to inform immigrants of their rights and options when it comes to their lives, families, businesses and immigration statuses. A graduate of Haverford College, Karenina started her career as a paralegal for Philadelphia Legal Assistance, where she assisted 100s of low-income Philadelphia residents with their child custody, child support and protection from abuse cases. She then went on to graduate law school from Temple University. During law school, Karenina volunteered at over a dozen area non-profit organizations, including Nationalities Service Center, Laurel House, and Philly VIP. Karenina is proud to be a founding board member of the Association of Mexican Merchants.

Originally from Santa Catalina, Chinango, Oaxaca state, Mexico living in Philadelphia since 2006, and since then I have collaborated with all the Latino organizations in South Philadelphia, In 2007 he founded the Mexicanos en Philadelphia project. Since 2013 he participated in the Philatinos Media Project, he coordinated Philatinos Radio and Philatinos.com, a community journalism project with information on Latino issues in the city and in general. Philatinos Media has 20 volunteers with radio and video programs on social media on various topics. Member of the Boards of Directors of community organizations such as: San Mateo Carnavalero, which has organized the Puebla Carnival every year since 2007 Together Latino organizations from South Philly in 2009 and 2012 Puentes de Salud, is an organization that has served the immigrant community in matters of Health, Education, and Culture from 2007 to date. Co-founder of Alianza Latina organization that promotes Latino participation in Political and Cultural issues Co-founder of the Latin American Book Fair Philadelphia 2018 Co-founder of Philibros, a project to promote Reading in Spanish from 2021 Co-founder of Casa Monarca Mexican Organization on Art and Culture 2009 - 2013 Co-founder and collaborator of Enterate Magazine from 2010 -2012 Co-founder of The Mexican & Latin Market, a company whose purpose is to promote Latin entrepreneurs in South Philly, Co-founder of the Nuuxakun Folklorico children's group, Edgar Ramirez-Perez is a community activist originally from Santa Catalina, Chinango, Oaxaca state, Mexico. Since he moved to Philadelphia in 2006, he has been an active contributor to all Latino organizations in the south of the city. In 2007, he founded the "Mexicans in Philadelphia" project. As of 2013, he has played a crucial role in the Philatinos Media Project, coordinating Philatinos Radio and Philatinos.com, a community journalism project addressing Latino issues in the city and beyond, with a team of 20 volunteers producing radio and video on social networks on various topics. Additionally, he has been a member of the boards of directors of several community organizations, such as San Mateo Carnavalero, Juntos, Puentes de Salud, Alianza Latina, the Philadelphia Latin American Book Fair, Philibros, Casa Monarca, Revista Enterate and The Mexican & Latin Market. He is also co-founder of the children's group Folklorico Nuuxakun, demonstrating his dedication to strengthening and promoting Latin culture in his community for more than a decade.

My journey from undocumented immigrant in Mexico to educational leader in the United States is fueled by a passion for service and self-improvement. As a first-generation college graduate, I represented the U.S. at G8 Youth Summits in Italy and France and received a German-American Fulbright Scholarship for media and politics research in Germany. With a scholarship from Georgetown University, I studied public policy. My educational background includes degrees from Temple University and Drexel University, as well as a graduate certificate from Harvard University. Over the past fourteen years, I've taught and led schools in Philadelphia, including as CEO of a bilingual charter school. I've been honored with awards like the Marques E. Steward Award and recognition from Drexel University and Al Día News Media. Currently, I serve as a high school principal in Norristown, continuing my advocacy for immigrant communities while pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Temple University

Ángel Ballesteros: Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia For over 15 years, Ángel has worked on sustainability, social, and environmental development issues, with a focus that intertwines and builds upon educational and economic perspectives. He is passionate about creating connections and enabling collaborative opportunities among public institutions, communities, and the private sector to address shared problems. He has experience collaborating with Mexican authorities and international organizations, as well as organizations from different countries in Latin America, Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. Ángel is also an academic whose theoretical work intertwines with proposals addressing current challenges in our society.

Originally from Mexico, Hector is a co-founder and inaugural Board Chair of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia (AMBOP. Hector currently works as Corporate Giving Consultant with the Lincoln Financial Foundation overseeing business analytics and providing strategic support to employee engagement programs. Hector serves on the board of Lincoln’s Latino Business Group as co-lead for the community committee, and as Talent Ambassador where he builds and fosters partnerships to recruit Latino talent. Hector held previous roles at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a nonprofit agency in North Philadelphia, where he represented the agency at multiple community and special events. He built and cultivated relationships across the region to elevate Congreso’s mission. Prior to his role at Congreso, Hector worked for the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia where he traveled extensively across the Commonwealth to provide services to individuals and families facing immigration, economic, housing, and health issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla, and a Master of Business Administration from University of the Americas. In 2021, Hector was recipient of the “40 Under Forty’ award by Al Día News Media. In 2022, Hector became a proud U.S. citizen and was presented with a City Council Citation for his contributions to inclusive economic development in the Philadelphia. Moreover, Hector was recognized as Emerging Leader in the 2022 Power 100 Who's Who in Latino Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Latino Convention. In 2023, Hector was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro to serve in the Commission on Latino Affairs representing Philadelphia County. He loves spending time with his wife Katie and their daughter Emilia.

I am Erick Barragán Ramírez, originally from Mexico City and a resident of PA since 2017. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Law from the National Bar Association in Mexico, where I also pursued a master's degree in Constitutional Law and Amparo. I began my career at the National Human Rights Commission, handling follow-up case files in human rights. Later, at CENAGAS, I ensured optimal working conditions as part of the labor union. Upon moving to Philly, I served on the Board of Directors at ALPFA Philadelphia for two years and participated in the Immigrant Leadership Institute, associated with the Welcoming Center, where I have been a member of the Advisory Council since 2020. Throughout my journey, I have worked with Catholic Social Services Immigration Legal Services, following the privilege of collaborating with Esperanza Immigration Legal Services. I proudly represent the Board of Directors of the Association of Mexican Merchants in Philadelphia, dedicated to supporting my community in any way possible. As a cinephile, I host a weekly podcast called CINEPAMINA and contribute to the magazine CINESPEAK. Additionally, I am honing my production skills through courses at PhillyCAM.