WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United announced today the creation of a Hispanic Advisory Committee. The objective of the committee will be to work closely with the club in identifying programs and initiatives to strengthen relationships, as well as to fortify existing outreach efforts within the Hispanic community. The newly created five-member committee is comprised of Walter Tejada, Member of the Arlington County Board, Alejandro Carrasco, President of Radio America, Alberto Avendaño, Associate Publisher of Spanish-language newspaper El Tiempo Latino, Saul Solorzano, Executive Director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) and Dr. Elmer Huerta, a nationally renowned cancer specialist at Washington Hospital Center.
"D.C. United has always worked closely with the Hispanic community in our region," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "The creation of this committee is intended to help us do so more effectively and to better use our resources to help address issues which affect the Hispanic community in the Greater D.C. area."
Tejada has served on a number of local, regional and national citizens advisory groups and is the founding chairman and a current member of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organization. In 2003, Tejada was appointed by Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner to serve as Chairman of the newly-created Virginia Latino Advisory Commission.
Carrasco is regarded as one of the leading on-air personalities in the Washington Hispanic radio market. He is one of the few Hispanics in the United States with his own radio station. He continues to produce and host "Calentando la Mañana," the oldest morning show in the area. Carrasco has been instrumental in organizing radiothons and raising funds for the underprivileged both in the D.C. area and abroad.
Avendaño began working at El Tiempo Latino in 1999 and a year later became Associate Publisher of the weekly paper. An author and journalist, Avendaño's work has been recognized at a national level and he has received a Governor of Maryland Citation for his service to the Hispanic community. He holds a degree in Journalism from Texas Tech University.
Solorzano is the Executive Director of CARECEN, a 501 (c)(3) community based organization providing legal, educational, housing, citizenship, civic participation and other services to the Central American/Latino community in the Washington metropolitan area.
Dr. Huerta is the founder of Prevención, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that is committed to improving the quality of life of all Latinos. His Spanish-language radio and TV programs are nationally and internationally syndicated and Dr. Huerta is regarded as the most trusted source of medical information to the Latino community in the United States and Latin America. He is currently the First Vice President of the American Cancer Society and is in line to become the first Latino president of that prestigious organization.
