I was recently asked to be a moderator for Hispanic Austin Leadership‘s Civic Engagement session with Felipe Romero and Ricardo Zavala as panelist. The panel was covering Community Engagement as a Catalyst for Change.
Here’s a little background on the gentlemen that shared their insight on the panel:
Felipe “Flip” Romero
Executive Director, City of Brownsville Communications and Marketing Department
CEO/Founder, Levanta Muertos Coffee Co.
Communications Consultant/Managing Partner, LKND Communications
Romero served as Contract Relations Coordinator for the Austin
Independent School District in the Historically Underutilized Businesses
Department where he implemented strategic communications and outreach plans to
create opportunities for minority contractors in Austin, Texas. Romero has worked
in media as an on-air personality, news anchor, and sports commentator for Border
Media, KGNS-TV, ESPN, Longhorn Network and The IMG Radio Network.
Romero earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Texas
State University at San Marcos, TX. He is an alumnus of the Hispanic Austin
Leadership Program and was awarded the 2018 Guillermo Calderon Outstanding
Leadership award by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for
outstanding leadership in the community.
Ricardo Zavala
Dove Springs Proud (DSP), Founder/President
With 14 years in community leadership with his 1st year in 2004, elected Co-Chair
of Widen elementary Campus Advisory Council overseeing school budget and first
City of Austin Community Development Commissioner City Council appointee for
78744 overseeing health and housing federal funds. Later Chair of Friends of the
Mexican-American Culture Center, first AISD Community Bond Oversight Committee
member from 78744 appointed by School Board, appointed to Harris County
Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Disproportionate Minority Confinement
Task Force, elected Co-Chair of the Austin Recovery Oriented System of Care, VP for
East Austin College Prep Academy School Board, Chair of East Cesar Chavez Contact
Team Education Committee, Chair of Austin Young Professionals Urban League
Education Committee, and AISD Career and Technical Education Advisory
Committee. Currently he is Founder/President of Dove Springs Proud. Thru this
service he has received recognition for his leadership from Congress, TX Legislature,
Travis County, City of Austin, Del Valle ISD & AISD for volunteering to give back to
over 3100 youth/residents of 78744 & giving out over 42 college scholarships.
Ricardo Zavala was born/raised in Dove Springs Austin, TX, graduated from LBJ HS
in AISD & He later went on to get a BA & MPA from Texas State University; both
Summa Cum Laude. Here he was the Founder/President of Hombres Unidos and
President of Association of Mexican-American Students in college and
Founder/President of Cambio in high school. He was accepted into a state-wide
Gregory Luna Scholar fellowship for Latinos in the TX Senate, nation-wide
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Internship in D.C., accepted into the nation-wide City
Hall Fellowship for City of Houston & has a beautiful wife, son and daughter.
Hispanic Austin Leadership’s (HAL) mission is to provide business leaders and professionals the opportunities to develop business acumen, civic awareness, leadership skills, and a network of colleagues for life. HAL has been named as one of the top seven Hispanic leadership programs in the United States and generates a multi-million economic impact to Central Texas.
HAL is a nine-month program with Sessions and Community Impact Projects designed to be participatory in nature. In order to get the most out of the program and to fulfill the mission of HAL, it is necessary that participants are actively engaged in the process. HAL seeks individuals dedicated to serving our communities. Participants of the program will be given a chance to develop an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the Greater Austin area. HAL is limited to approximately 30 participants annually.
Acceptance into the program is based on an objective assessment of their HAL application. The HAL Selection Committee is comprised of HAL alumni. Applicants who are not accepted are encouraged to reapply
