Board of Directors

Rosa-Mendoza-Allvanza

Rosa Mendoza

ALLvanza Founder, President and CEO

Rosa’s own experience as a first generation college student incited her passion and gives her the insight to advocate for this equal opportunity.

Prior to founding ALLvanza, Rosa served as the Executive Director of the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) where she informed administration officials, congressional staff, state and local representatives and other stakeholders on how telecommunications and technology policy issues impacted the Latino community. She represented HTTP at meetings, conferences, conventions and industry gatherings. Rosa expertly analyzed telecommunications and technology policy to develop advocacy briefs that brought the needs of Latinos to the forefront.

Prior to joining HTTP, Rosa served as the Manager of Special Projects for The Raben Group, where she assisted clients with coalition building, strategic planning and research, with a particular focus on the firm’s LatinStrategies division. Rosa worked with clients such as MasterCard and Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary.

Formerly, Rosa served as the Assistant Finance Director for Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX). As the primary point of contact for Congressman Cuellar, Rosa communicated with donors and constituents, coordinated fundraising events and managed logistics.

Previously, Rosa was hired as the Media Relations Executive for the Hispanic Communications Network (HCN), which designs customized radio, television and print media campaigns for the Latino market. In this role, Rosa built relationships with media affiliates, assisted with program development, and helped execute the firm’s large-scale media campaigns.

Before coming to Washington D.C., Rosa was the Coordinator for the Chicano/Latino Cultural Center and the Principal Assistant to the director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at Washington State University.

Rosa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration from Washington State University.

Sindy Marisol Benavides

LULAC CEO

She previously served as the Chief Operating Officer and National Director for Civic Engagement and Community Mobilization for LULAC, Vice President of Field & Political Operations for Voto Latino and as Northern Virginia Political Director for the 2012 Kaine for Virginia senatorial campaign. She has also been National Director of Community Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, and Latino Liaison and Director of Gubernatorial Appointments for Governor Timothy M. Kaine.

She received her Bachelor of Arts from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, where she graduated Valedictorian of her class and studied Political Science with a minor in Spanish. She has also attended American University for her Master’s degree in International Affairs and is working on submitting her substantial research paper. Sindy is the founder, co-founder, or founding board member of LULAC Council 4611, VA Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN), VA Coalition of Immigrant Rights (VACIR), and the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Action (HOLA). Sindy serves on numerous civic boards and can be found on Twitter @SindyBenavides. She lives in Stafford, Virginia with her husband and two children warmly known as Peanut and Buttercup.

Ms. Benavides is an alumna of the Sorenson Political Leadership Program through the University of Virginia and the Virginia Executive Institute and Minority Political Leadership Institute through Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an alumna of the 2009 class of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. Sindy obtained her Certificate on Executive Management and Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School in April 2009 and attended the Center for Creative Leadership in July 2009. She was also named top 20 People to Watch in 2009 (Richmond magazine) and named top 20 Latina Women of Excellence in 2010 (Hispanic Business magazine). In 2010, Sindy was selected by the American Jewish Committee to travel to Israel with a delegation of 13 national Latina leaders. In 2013, Sindy was selected as part of the class of 2013-2014 for New York University’s IGNITE Fellowship for Women of Color in the Social Sector. In 2014, Ms. Benavides was selected for Emerge Virginia, the premier training program for Democratic women to run for public office. Lastly, in 2016, Sindy was selected for Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Next Generation Latino Philanthropy Fellowship program. HIP Next Generation Latino Philanthropy Fellowship program.

Kim Keenan

Co-Chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance

Prior to taking the helm at MMTC, Keenan served as General Counsel and Secretary of the NAACP, the oldest, the largest and most recognized grassroots civil rights organization in the world. She is the longest-serving female General Counsel in the history of the NAACP. Keenan has also served as principal of her own law firm and in the litigation practices of two nationally recognized law firms.

She is a past president of the 100,000+ member District of Columbia Bar as well as the National Bar Association. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Spirit of Democracy Award from the NCBCP, the Media Executive of the Year from Vote It Loud, the NAACP Medgar Evers Award for Excellence, and the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Greg Saphier

Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Motion Picture Association

Prior to joining MPA, Greg served as senior director of state government affairs for NCTA – the internet & television association, representing the cable industry before state intergovernmental organizations. He was also manager of government affairs for the Maryland & DC Credit Union Association, and started his career in Washington as a legislative assistant for Congressman Nick Rahall.

Greg received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire and his master’s of public policy from George Mason University. He resides in Falls Church, VA with his wife and three children.

Advisory Board

Raquel Tamez

Chief Inclusion & Engagement Officer, Charles River Associates

Prior to joining CRA, Tamez served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), a national organization focused on empowering the Hispanic community to achieve its full potential in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). During her four years with SHPE, she expanded the organization’s programs and services; increased its corporate partnerships and its membership to more than 13,000 across 280+ national chapters; and helped create new avenues for outreach and engagement.

From 2014 to 2017, Tamez held the role of Chief Legal Officer, general counsel, and SVP of legal at SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit that creates employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.

In 2008, Tamez was recognized by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility with the Hispanic Corporate Achiever Award. She has since been named among the 2015 Corporate Counsel Trending 40 by Legal Bisnow; and voted one of the 25 most influential Hispanic lawyers by Leading Latinos magazine. Raquel has also been the subject of feature stories in various magazines including Hispanic Executive, as well as a feature profile in the law magazine Vanguard.

In 2017, she was appointed by the Federal Communications Commission as a member of the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment’s Diversity in Tech working group. She also served as a board member for the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives, and represented SHPE on both the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility Board of Directors and the STEM Education Coalition.

In 2019, Raquel was appointed to two high-profile committees: the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine; and the American Society for Engineering Education’s first-ever Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In 2020, Raquel represented SHPE as part of the first-ever Hispanic delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. That same year, she received the 2020 Ohtli Award from the Mexican government, in recognition of her efforts to empower Hispanic communities abroad.

She currently serves on four boards: Melwood, a nonprofit that provides jobs and other opportunities to people with disabilities; Girls in Tech, an organization committed to educating, engaging and empowering women and girls in technology; DeVry University; and the St. Mary’s University School of Law, her alma matter.

Tamez is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Danny Vargas

Founder/President of VARCom Solutions

Danny is the Founder/President of VARCom Solutions, a nationallyrecognized, marketing, public relations and professional services firm. And he is the Chairman of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, advancing its creation within the Smithsonian.

Vargas is a regular media commentator in both English and Spanish, appearing on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Univision, Telemundo, and more and has penned op-eds for Wall Street Journal, NBC, etc. A successful businessman, Danny was an executive at AOL, France Telecom, Global One and Raytheon. Virginia’s Governor appointed him Chairman of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to ensure the future economic vitality of the commonwealth. He served as Chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (the first Latino to chair a mainstream chamber in Virginia history) and is on the board of the Northern Virginia Chamber. Active in politics and the community, he was a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, was one of the top races in 2015 and was endorsed by the Washington Post where they called him “one of the region’s more impressive first-time candidates for the House of Delegates in recent memory.” The Speaker of the Virginia House appointed him to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and a commission promoting economic opportunity for the underserved. He is on the Northern Virginia Regional Council for the “GO Virginia” initiative and the board of Virginia FREE and has served on boards of various nonprofits. Danny has advocated for commonsense solutions for a variety of causes—workforce development, veterans support, economic development, health IT, immigration reform, transportation and more. A sought-after public speaker, Mr. Vargas is committed to keeping his community and our nation vibrant, thriving and strong.

Eric S. Galler

Principal, Galler Corporate Law Group

Mr. Galler received his JD from The Washington College of Law where he graduated summa cum laude in 1994.  Mr. Galler’s early career was spent with large private U.S. based law firms, including Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, and before that clerked for the Honorable Irma S. Raker, of the Maryland Court of Appeals.