The Speakers

Silvia Vera-Huesca is a Mexican theater and film producer, actress, writer, mother, and professor. She focuses her work on Mexican-American border life and bicultural experiences.

Silvia Vera-Huesca, mexicana, productora de cine y teatro, actriz, escritora, madre y profesora mexicana. Centra su trabajo en la vida fronteriza entre México y Estados Unidos y en las experiencias biculturales. Silvia also serves her community as an educator, having taught from elementary to college level courses. 

Yaw Sam is a business leader and marketing “geniuz”, serving as CEO of Brand Geniuz, a content marketing agency in South Texas. He is also a part-time lecturer at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches social media and e-marketing.

Dra. J. Joy Esquierdo is the Vice Provost for Bilingual Integration at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she advocates for bilingualism, biculturalism, and biliteracy from early childhood to post-secondary education and career.

Roxanne is a passion-driven leader, and therapist, who guides others through the process of creating meaning that leads from a journey of Pain to Purpose. She serves our community as the executive director of the Hope Family Health Center and as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor at the Healing Center. 

Moreover, She is an integral part of the Zera Leadership Coaching Team.

Born in the Bronx and raised in South Carolina, Dr. Matthew Atterberry moved to Texas to complete his Doctoral degree at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2020.

Currently, he serves as the Public Healthcare Instructor at Valley Association for Independent Living (VAIL) since August of 2022. His mission is to motivate people with disabilities who are interested in pursuing a college degree by providing strategies to help them navigate the challenges of higher education and achieve their goals. 

Dr. Lisa Chapa is the first and only fellowship-trained Breast Surgical Oncologist serving the Rio Grande Valley.

She is passionate about training the next generation of surgeons and is currently a Professor of Surgery for the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston. Dr. Chapa works diligently toward the early detection and prevention of breast cancer in the Rio Grande Valley through her participation as a co-investigator in multi-institutional, prospective clinical research trials and through the founding of the DHR Health Breast Cancer Risk Evaluation Clinic.

Michael Barnes is a former classroom teacher (Edcouch Elsa ISD) turned software engineer, and social impact startup founder, who lives in Edinburg. His first company, TeacherTalent, helped schools recruit and hire teachers, and was acquired in 2018. His current team at Viva primarily serves diverse and lower-income communities, including here in the RGV. Michael graduated with his Master’s in Computer Science from UTRGV, and earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy from UT Austin. For fun he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three kids, and plays ultimate frisbee.

Gary Montelongo, at the age of 14 has become a 2 year intern for University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS). Gary is an engineering major at Thelma Salinas Early College, La Joya ISD. Passion drives him to push through obstacles and stay committed to his goals, believing that when we fully engage our minds, our bodies follow, turning effort into achievement.

Amanda Puryear El is an author and poet born and raised in Pharr, TX. She is currently producing her children's book, "The Legend of Chancla," as an animated film. Amanda is passionate about influencing the lives of youth in PSJA by sharing how the art of poetry can influence an individuals ability to reflect and understand their emotions. 

Amanda has also worked on innovative projects with the Lincoln Center in New York, New York.

Mark Hanna is an Entrepreneur and Commercial Real Estate Broker based in South Texas. In 2018, he and his wife, Tatiana Hanna, launched Hanna Solutions CRE, with a vision to leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional results for their clients. With a background in banking, where he rose to Vice President by age 24, Mark brings a wealth of experience and a relentless work ethic to the commercial real estate sector.

You’ll often find Mark in one of three places: at the office, out in the field looking at properties, or spending time with his two boys, Santiago and Marcelo, who love to run around in their Spiderman costumes. As a devoted family man, Mark finds inspiration in his role as a father and carries those values into his professional life.

Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez is an award-winning writer, director, and producer from Mexico/South Texas. He is an immigrant who likes to tell stories about empathy and other human values.

Collectively, he has received over 22 awards for his work, but most notably, his short films Ramona and Strings also received awards and accolades including The 2023 Best Texas Filmmaker at the Austin Revolution Film Festival and The Indie Spirit Award at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema in 2023.

Dr. Lisa Cardoza is a prominent figure in higher education, currently serving as the President of American River College, one of the largest community colleges in California. Before assuming this role, she was the Vice President for University Advancement at California State University, Sacramento, where she was also the Executive Officer for The University Foundation.

Her educational journey includes a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Social Sciences of Education from Stanford University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

A journalist and wildlife filmmaker who has been capturing history in South Texas and the Mexican neighbor cities for the last decade. Christian has spent the last four years following and documenting the local ocelot and telling its story to the community.

His work has appeared on BBC, National Geographic and other major broadcasters.

Former athlete and World-Class Martial Artist, he was part of the Mexican National Team in Taekwondo.

Now as a sports director and coach he empowers hundreds of children and young adults towards improvement and personal excellence. He also guides other instructors around the world on coaching for young children.

He is supporting talents in South Texas, and is a global activist for education and sports.

Bobby Pulido is a well-known American Tejano music singer, songwriter, and actor. Bobby Pulido rose to fame in the mid-1990s with his debut album "Desvelado," which became a massive hit and established him as a prominent figure in the Tejano music scene.

Pulido is known for his romantic ballads and upbeat Tejano tunes, blending traditional Mexican music with country and pop influences. His success in the Tejano genre made him one of the leading voices in the industry.

Born in California, but raised between California and Texas. Happily married with two adult daughters and two grandkids. He is currently a Director of operations for a fortune 50 company and lives in Salem, Oregon. Pete had a very turbulent childhood that led to a lot of adversities in life and learned a lot by overcoming those obstacles and has had a very meaningful career. Pete manages operations in Central and South America while also spending a lot of time in the Asia Pacific.