Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders consists of eleven members from across the country.

The Most Reverend José H. Gomez, S.T.D., San Antonio, Texas, Episcopal Moderator

Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, STD. is the Archbishop of Los Angeles and CALL's Episcopal Moderator. He served as the Archbishop of San Antonio from February 2005 until May of 2010 when he became the Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles. Previous to his appointment in San Antonio, Archbishop Gomez served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Denver since March 200l. He was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and is the son of Dr. Jose H. Gomez and Esperanza Velasco, both deceased.

Ruben M. Escobedo, CPA, Chairman, San Antonio, Texas

Ruben M. Escobedo, a retired CPA, managed his own company, Ruben Escobedo & Co. CPA’s, for 30 years. He retired in 2006. Prior to his practice of public accounting, Escobedo was President of Handy Andy, Inc., a regional grocery chain. He currently serves on the board of directors of Valero Energy Corporation, a Fortune 500 Company, where he serves as chair of the Audit Committee and serves on the Executive Committee. He also serves on the board of directors of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. where he is chair of the Audit Committee and serves on the Nominating and Governance Committees. Escobedo also serves on the executive committee of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and is immediate past chairman of the board of trustees of St. Mary’s University and immediate past chair of the board of trustees of the Historical Centre Foundation of San Antonio. He serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County; and serves on the board of trustees of the Catholic Community Foundation.

Mario J. Paredes, New York City, Chairman Emeritus

Mario J. Paredes is with the New York City based American Bible Society and serves as the presidential liaison for the United Nations Initiative on Roman Catholic Ministry and Hispanic Projects. He previously served as Director of Community Business Development for Merrill Lynch & Co. and has wide experience in the Church including having directed the operations of the Roman Catholic Bishops of the USA in the Northeast and served as Founder and Director of the Northeast Hispanic Catholic Center. He is a former White House appointee for Latin America under President Ronald Reagan. Currently, he serves as trustee for the Cathedral College, the Salvation Army, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, and the Musica de Cámara Board.

Robert B. Aguirre, President/CEO

A Texas native, Robert Aguirre is the owner of Robert Aguirre Consultants, LLC which he established in 1985 as a project management and strategic planning firm specializing in long-term, multi-disciplinary, multi-agency projects including reorganizations and restructures, master planning, research, public participation facilitation and integration, political analysis, and real estate acquisitions and applications within the context of master planning. Robert has a varied background, ranging from being a Sunday editorial columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, to authoring education reform legislation throughout the country, to writing two books for non-profit organizations working on equalizing educational opportunities for low-income families, to law enforcement. In 1992 he founded the largest privately funded K-12 scholarship and tuition assistance organization in the country. While his basic education consists of a degree in accounting, his financial and management background provided him with the opportunity to oversee and run a variety of companies and enterprises including oil and gas exploration and production, ranching and farming, shopping mall management, investments, and trust management. In 2007 he was awared a Doctorate Degree, honoris causa, from Logos International Univsersity for his life's work in providing educational opportunities for low-income families.

Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap., Denver, Colorado

A Kansas native, Archbishop Chaput of Denver is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and completed Studies in Psychology at Catholic University in Washington D.C. He earned a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Capuchin College in Washington D.C., in 1970 and was ordained to the priesthood on August 29, 1970. Archbishop Chaput also holds a Master of Arts in Theology. He was ordained Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, on July 26, 1988. Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Denver on February 18, 1997. As member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe, Archbishop Chaput is the second Native American to be ordained bishop in the United States, and the first Native American archbishop.

Tom Espinoza, Phoenix, Arizona

Tommy Espinoza  is President and CEO of Raza Development Fund, Inc. (RDF), the largest Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the U.S with total assets in excess of $100 million.  In 1999, Mr. Espinoza pioneered a faith base approach to community development, establishing RDF’s Partnership of Hope (POH) and the Hope Fund. Over the last ten years, under Mr. Espinoza’s leadership, RDF has served 125 organizations that have received over $135 million in community development loans, leveraging $681 million in private capital for projects serving low income individuals and families.

Prior to RDF, Mr. Espinoza led Chicanos Por La Causa, offering comprehensive community and business development services in Arizona’s four major cities.  As a prominent architect of Hispanic community and business development policy and programs he has dedicated his career to helping Hispanic families and individuals live in peace and dignity through the combined empowerment forces of educational opportunity and community/business development.  Mr. Espinoza is a native of Phoenix, Arizona.

Manny Garcia-Tuñon, Miami, Florida

Manny Garcia-Tuñon is Vice President of Business Development for his family-owned business, Lemartec Engineering and Construction Corporation, headquartered in Miami, Florida. Lemartec is a design-build engineering and construction firm which specializes in high-velocity wind areas. Garcia-Tuñon helped create the Uniquely Lemartec Church Building Division which serves dioceses in hurricane and coastal areas. He is a nationally-published business inspirational writer and speaker and currently sits on the board of Pax Catholic Communications, and PAXNet - a global Catholic satellite radio ministry that is currently heard in 23 countries around the world.

Armando J Hernandez, Miami, Florida

Armando J Hernandez started his professional career in the financial sector 25 years ago, during which time he started numerous businesses in the financial industry. He graduated with a major in economics and holds two Masters degrees, one in Business and Finance and the other in Marriage and Family from the University of Navarre. In 2006, with his wife Nancy (also a CALL member), founded Family Lifeworks a non-profit organization with the aim of supporting families in the formation of virtues. Armando and Nancy have two children in college.

Dr. Arturo Ibarra, DDS

Dr. Ibarra has practiced general dentistry, in two locations in the East Los Angeles area, since 1977. Born In Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico he moved to East Los Angeles at the age of six. He attended Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, UCLA, and USC. He is the CALL Chapter leader in Los Angeles and a long time member of Legatus (including past president). He and his wife, Letty, have two grown daughters and he resides in Pasadena.

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Phoenix, Arizona

A native of Kansas, Thomas Olmsted was ordained in 1973 and served as a parish priest before beginning his doctoral studies in Rome. He earned a doctorate in cannon law summa cum laude from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1981 and served in Vatican Sectretariat of State until 1988. He became bishop of Wichita in 2000, and the fourth Bishop of Phoenix in 2003. Bishop Olmsted has been a tireless and courageous supporter of life and marriage issues and has been

Nora Urrea, MA

For the past twenty-one years Nora Urrea has served as the Administrator of Southland Eye Surgeons Medical Group, a five doctor healthcare organization with offices in Los Angeles and Monterey Park, California. Prior to her current position, she worked as consultant at Economics Research Associates in Westwood, California, where she performed economic impact and feasibility studies for large companies and governmental entities. Nora earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles. Nora lives in Arcadia, California with her husband of 29 years, Paul, and their five children.

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