Governor McCrory Welcomes New Members of Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs | Eastern North Carolina Now

    For Immediate Release:

Beaufort County native Marisol Barr is sworn in as chairman.

    Raleigh, NC     Governor Pat McCrory attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.

    "Staying at the forefront of this dynamic and fast growing segment our population will be among the charges of the council," McCrory said. "It will be a vital bridge to ensure the state's Hispanic residents can realize their dreams and North Carolina can benefit from their unlimited potential and creativity."

    North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Holt Edmunds Jr. swore in the new members at a ceremony at the Old House Chamber at the State Capitol.

    •   Marisol Barr (Beaufort County) - Barr is a public relations specialist and previously worked as a court advocate for victims of domestic violence. She is a member of the Domestic Violence Commission appointed by former House Speaker Joe Hackney and reappointed by Speaker Thom Tillis. Barr is also a current appointee to the Hispanic/Latino Affairs Council. She will serve as the chair of the new council.

    •   Cecilia Ramirez (Mecklenburg County) - Ramirez is an active volunteer in the Mecklenburg County community. She is currently on the board of directors for World Affairs Council Charlotte and the board of authority for Johnson C. Smith University. Ramirez previously volunteered with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the Latin America Chamber of Commerce Charlotte. She will serve as the council's vice-chair.

    •   Leonor Clavijo (Durham County) - Clavijo is the executive director of the North Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she is a news reporter at Univision and hosts a weekly radio show on La Ley 101.1 FM. She has a master's degree in liberal arts and sciences from Duke University.

    •   Dr. Rosemary Stein (Alamance County) - Dr. Stein is the owner of International Family Clinic in Burlington. The clinic provides outpatient pediatric care to an underserved Hispanic population. She is also an adjunct-professor at the UNC Children's Hospital.

    •   Julie Garza (Wake County) - Garza is a program director and on-air personality at La Ley 101.1FM. She earned her radio-television-film degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and then moved to North Carolina. She also owns a small event planning business, Julie Garza Entertainment.

    •   Raul Herrera (Orange County) - Herrera is a customer advisor on personal and small business accounts at BB&T. He is a past president of the North Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a current member of the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce.

    •   Vanessa Faura (Mecklenburg County) - Faura currently works at Wells Fargo in wholesale finance applications & integration group support. She previously worked at WCNC as an investigative reporter and as a reporter at the Charlotte Observer.

    •   Carlos Vidales (Wake County) - Vidales is a senior software manager at Tekelec in Morrisville. He earned his bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and his master's in Business Administration from University of California at Irvine. He is a native of El Salvador and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985 after being a U.S. resident since 1973.

    •   Ximena Uribe (Mecklenburg County) - Uribe was the director of the 2013 Charlotte World Parade and Festival. She is a former board member for Sister Cities International - Charlotte. She graduated from Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Bogota, Colombia.

    •   Melissa Gott (New Hanover County) - Gott is an attorney and managing member of Gott Johnson Law Firm, PLLC in Wilmington. She earned her law degree from Campbell Law School. Her previous public service includes six years as a member of the New Hanover County Planning Board.

    •   Mary Carter (Orange County) - Carter is a realtor in the Fonville Morisey Chapel Hill Office. Additionally, she is co-owner and general manager of iDesign Mobile Apps. She is originally from New York and is a first generation Peruvian American.

    •   Bessie Brantley (Wake County) - Brantley teaches Spanish to 11th and 12th grade students at Heritage Christian Academy. Additionally, she is a self-employed interpreter and consultant for Spanish clients.

    •   Eduardo Sosa (Granville County) - Sosa moved to North Carolina in March 2002 and began working at the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons as a senior officer specialist. Prior to moving to North Carolina, he worked for the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Corrections Department.

    •   Abel Grande (Wake County) - Grande is the pastor of Spanish Ministry at First Baptist Church in Garner. He moved here from Argentina and he completed his certificate of sanitation at Winston-Salem State University.

    •   Charlie Parrish (Johnston County) - Parrish is president of Parrish Manor, a construction and development company in Benson. He is a past director of the Johnston County Homebuilders Association.

    •   Diana Rodriguez (Wake County) - Rodriguez is currently an outreach specialist with the Office of Community and Constituent Affairs in the Office of the Governor. She was born in Colombia and raised in the U.S. Prior to her time with the governor's office, Rodriguez served as a bilingual advocate for domestic violence victims with the Family Violence & Rape Crisis Services of Chatham County. Rodriguez will serve as the designee from the Governor's Office.

    The advisory council will work with the state to promote and encourage cooperation and communication with the Hispanic/Latino community in order to ensure that Hispanic/Latino North Carolinians have access to important state services and programs. The council will consist of 15 voting members serving two year terms. The governor's designee as well as 12 cabinet agency appointments are non-voting members. The council's first meeting is Tuesday, July 16, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the conference room of the Department of Transportation.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman
     govpress@nc.gov