Nora Lopez for NAHJ President

Voting for the board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists is underway. The deadline for members to cast their ballots is Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The link to vote was originally posted here. I removed it after the election. Members whose dues were up to date as of July 30, 2020 are eligible to cast a ballot. If you have any questions about your status or eligibility, contact membership@nahj.org.

This election is unlike any in NAHJ’s history, because NAHJ members had to fight their own board just to demand it. I’ve written about that controversy multiple times. There’s no need to rehash it here except to make one point: NAHJ members should support the candidates who were on the correct side of this issue from the start, who did not have to be persuaded to respect your rights as members, who did not have to be convinced to follow the association’s own bylaws.

It starts at the top: Nora Lopez is the candidate who stood up for you when it mattered. She deserves to be the next president of NAHJ.

Nora has long been active with the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists (serving as its president from 2019-2020) and the San Antonio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (serving as its vice president for programming and as a producer of the group’s annual scholarship fundraiser, the Gridiron show). She is also a past president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Communicators. She has helped raise more than $200,000 in scholarships to support journalism students through her work with those groups, and sought to help local area college students build their portfolios by giving them their first shot at work with weekend general assignments.

These are her accomplishments. [They’re also mostly HER words. I lifted/adapted them from her campaign bio posted on NAHJ]. She is not running on someone else’s record of achievement.

Nora Lopez is running to represent you, to listen to you, to incorporate your best ideas into a long-term plan that will make NAHJ stronger for the next generation of members and leaders.

In other races, I am proud to support the following candidates:

Julio Cesar Chavez for Vice President/Broadcast

Julio has bright, fresh ideas for how NAHJ can provide better services to all members, including providing “hostile environment” training for all members who need it. Every day, we seem to hear of journalists caught in the rhetorical and sometimes literal crossfire of demonstrators, counterdemonstrators and the police. Keeping a cool head in a difficult situation is what our audiences expect. Keeping safe is what we deserve. This is a terrific idea, and it’s just one of many to come from Julio.

Diana Fuentes for Treasurer/Financial Officer

Didi (as she is known to friends) previously served as NAHJ treasurer and has a passion for what the job entails, which is not only keeping track of the association’s finances but also following the rules that govern NAHJ and non-profits in general. Like Nora, she was part of the team that stood up for your rights when they were threatened. She more than earned your vote, and she deserves your continued support.

Mc Nelly Torres for At-Large Officer (general)

I’ve known Mc Nelly for more than 15 years. She is smart. She is dedicated. She is passionate about advocacy. She is resourceful. When she lost her job to layoffs, she responded by becoming a founder of the non-profit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, where she worked as a reporter, leading by example to show how good journalism is, in fact, a public service. The integrity of NAHJ will be in good hands when Mc Nelly is on the board.

Jennifer Marcial Ocasio for At-Large Officer (Spanish language)

Jennifer is the senior content editor at El Sentinel in Orlando, FL. A former president of Central Florida Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), she now serves as vice president. Before she moved to Orlando, Jennifer worked for Univision Puerto Rico, where she launched and managed the operation’s website. She was the team leader for almost 5 years.

Please help me elect these leaders to the board of NAHJ. This is not a “slate.” These are the candidates I am supporting. Each developed his/her own campaign platform independently.

There are also bylaws amendments on the ballot. I only ask that everyone read them carefully and support the changes you want to see in the organization. The bylaws committee worked hard on the amendments and their dedication deserves our respect.

Good luck to all the candidates!