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“I’m blessed to be a part of this project. There are millions of children suffering throughout Latin America and the United States. Maestro Cares Foundation is making a positive change in the lives of these children. I look forward to the continuous growth and expansion of the organization. I hope Maestro Cares will inspire others to do the same.”
MARC ANTHONY
Marc Anthony, international pop icon and singer, is the world’s best-selling tropical salsa artist and has the most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums year-end charts.
In April 2015, Anthony added to his success by announcing the formation of a new, diverse entertainment company, Magnus Media, whose operating units include an artist management company, music publishing, digital content creation, film & television, a music label, a sports division and an entertainment-centric marketing practice focused on employing the power of top Latino content creators in the United States and worldwide.
Despite all his fame and success in the entertainment industry, perhaps his most important work began in January 2012, when he collaborated with Henry Cárdenas to create Maestro Cares Foundation, intended to address the housing, academic and health challenges that orphaned children face each day in developing Latin American countries.
“Maestro Cares is one of the biggest projects ever for me. It’s definitely the most rewarding one because of the benefits it will bring for orphaned children all over Latin America who really need our help. Beyond providing basic needs, I want to increase the academic programs at the orphanages because everyone deserves a good education. That’s a major priority for me with Maestro Cares. It’s very sad when children don’t have the basic needs, like food and clothing, things that we take for granted. Children are full of life and they deserve to be nurtured, in both mind and body. They are our future and we need to take care of them. I’m fortunate to be able to give back. It really is a labor of love. There’s nothing like making a positive impact on someone.”
HENRY CÁRDENAS
Henry Cárdenas has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Cárdenas Marketing Network, Inc. since September 2003.
A renowned and respected industry leader, Cárdenas has spent the last 30 years managing, producing and executing some of the biggest and most original live Latin entertainment events in the United States and across Latin America. Prior to launching CMN, Cárdenas served for more than 16 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cárdenas/Fernandez & Associates (CFA). There, he was instrumental in making CFA the largest Hispanic production company of sports, music and other live entertainment events in the United States and the Caribbean.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame and in 2015, Billboard named him as one of its Top “Latin Power Players.” CMN continues to increase revenue growth under his leadership and guidance.
Cárdenas has always made giving back to the community a priority, and that is why in 2012, he teamed up with his friend of more than 20 years, Marc Anthony, to create a foundation that would help orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America.
PETE AMARO
Treasurer
Pete Amaro is the Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer at Luminary Media, a subscription-based podcast platform focused on delivering exclusive podcasting content from the world’s leading creators. Amaro has spent over 15 years advising, investing and operating companies across the media and technology ecosystem. He is also passionate about philanthropy and has dedicated his energy to educational and Latino-focused initiatives.
ELENA SOTOMAYOR
Secretary
Elena Sotomayor is the Executive Vice President at Cardenas Marketing Network, Inc. where she has worked with many Fortune 500 brands. In addition to her career, Sotomayor is also passionate about philanthropy. She regularly volunteers and mentors children in the Dominican Republic.
AMALIA GOMEZ MICONE
Board member
Amalia Gomez Micone is a committed, proactive and creative professional. She has been involved in many nonprofits including Susan G. Komen and The DREAM Project and numerous business initiatives.
FELIPE PIMIENTO
Board member
Felipe Pimiento is the Chief Operating Officer at Magnus Media, LLC. Pimiento’s history of working in the entertainment industry shows his strong entrepreneurship, professional and versatile skills in Live Broadcast, Production Management, Event Management, Film Production, and Television.
ROBERT "BOB" UNANUE
Board member
Bob Unanue is the Chief Executive Officer of GOYA Foods and is credited with the company’s booming success. He is also dedicated to ensuring that his company serves others, by giving away millions of pounds of food each year to non-profit organizations.
BIGRAM ZAYAS
Board member
Bigram Zayas is a partner in Looplabs, a collaborative cloud-based music studio that lets anyone, regardless of technical skills or ability, quickly and easily make professional quality music anywhere, anytime and with anyone.
MARTHA KORMAN-ZUMWALT
Advisory Board Member
Martha Korman-Zumwalt is Vice President for Strategic Business Positioning for Crossroads Advisory. In this role she anticipates market directions and aligns strategy and outreach.
An entrepreneur, mother and philanthropist, she and her late husband founded National Graphic Imaging (NGI) as a family business which then matured rapidly into employee-owned corporation. NGI started in 1986, with a $50,000.00 investment and over 20 years grew annual revenues to over $26 Million. The company became the largest reprographics firm in the Southeastern United States.
In 2007, Korman-Zumwalt sold NGI to American Reprographics Company (ARC) A NYSE $400 Million company where she became Vice President of Business Development due to her relationships with top executives, well known in the C-Suites across the country. She expanded business relationship with current and future National Clients. She drove revenue in ARC’s Global Solutions Division from $6 Million to $73 Million in seven short years.
Among myriad accolades for her success, Korman-Zumwalt earned Woman Business of the Year in 1988, and the Tampa Bay Business Journal Women in Business award in 2002.
By 2015, she sat on the Advisory Board of OMNIEarth Inc, a group of scientists and entrepreneurs, who mission in life was to delivered constant stream of geo-analytics to help customers assess, manage and predict the changing world around them especially in water use. April 29, 2017 OMNIEarth was acquired by EagleView for undisclosed amount.
Today founder of NONI - a Digital Asset Management tool to help and protect clients of their Digital Estates.
In addition, Korman-Zumwalt spends time serving on non-profit boards and foundations including the following:
Museum of the Bible - Ambassador
Derek Jeter Turn 2 Foundation - provides motivational programs to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction and reward those who show high academic achievement and adopt healthier lifestyles.
Albert Pujols Family Foundation - a national non-profit agency that exists to honor God and strengthen families through our works, deeds and example.
Shaquille & Lucille O’Neal Odessa Chambliss Quality of life Fund - this fund was created to establish scholarships for individuals seeking a career in Nursing.
Super Bowl Prayer Breakfast Tampa 2021 - Executive Committee
Korman Zumwalt spends much of her time today enjoying her extended family including 13 grandchildren.
DAVID M. HRYCK
Advisory Board Member
David M. Hryck is head of International Business and Structuring for the Duane Morris LLP firm. He advises clients on the tax and business aspects of structuring their investments for maximum profitability and has in-depth experience with cross-border investments and various licensing structures. Hryck has international proficiency with corporations as well as with individuals across the globe, and he is recognized for his long track record of structuring transactions.
Hryck is a valued and trusted advisor, board member, and mentor to several trusts and global charities. Currently, he serves as a trustee on various trusts of his clients. He serves on the board of directors of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and was a board member and Chairman of the Happy Hearts Fund. He is a World Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Excellence Fund, founded by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and travels regularly to royal occasions around the world, advising on international interaction in Third World countries. He also served as a United States member of the Duke’s Business Advisory Group, headed by HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. He is also a board member of the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, founded by TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia.
Hryck is a board member of the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development, which was founded by Vuk Jeremić, President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 67th Session. He also serves as co-chair of the Board of Directors of Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Hryck is also a board member of Pencils for Promise (POPs), and he serves as vice chair of the Asia Practice at the Asian American Bar of New York. He joined the honorary board of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, founded by HRH Prince Philip and chaired by HRH Prince Edward. He recently joined the Board of Directors of the Mariano Rivera Foundation.
Hryck was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
BIANCA BUCARAM
Advisory Board Member
JAMES COTTO
Advisory Board Member
Bianca Bucaram is an award winning public relations professional. She has been honored as PR News’ Rising Stars 30 & Under, Women in the Fast Lane by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of commerce, and has also been recognized as one of Houston's Dynamic women and one of the top female business professionals in Houston by the Houston Business Journal.
As lead publicist at The Bucaram PR Group, Bucaram is a top notch example of a young woman with natural publicist charm and charisma who uses her bilingual public relations skills to positively impact her local community and national audience for good. She has pioneered various cause-related public relations and marketing initiatives which have impacted Houston in a positive way. She is comfortable working across all genres both with traditional and grassroots public relations strategies while also thinking out of the box with creative marketing skills. She has made valuable connections in Television, Print Media, Digital Media promoting her clients in the music, fashion, sports and sports marketing, and legal industries.
Through strategic planning, trend watching, and consistently building press and industry contacts, Bucaram has successfully placed stories in KPRC-2, ABC-13 KTRK, Huffington Post, CNBC, HollyWood Today Live, The Hallmark Home and Family Channel, CNN, CNN en Español, CultureMap, Houston Chronicle, Dubai Chronicles, PaperCity, LOCAL Magazine, Houston Business Journal, and many other broadcast and print mediums. Her expertise does not stop there, with an extended outreach of media professionals, Bucaram prides herself on getting clients exposure in all areas of media from radio, to TV, to print and more. She also specializes in building community relations.
James Cotto began his career as a Financial Advisor in 1988 at First Albany Corporation before joining Merrill Lynch in 1991. In 2001, he decided to join Wachovia Securities as a Managing Director, Investment Officer and in 2009, he joined Morgan Stanley. From 1995-2004, Cotto assisted the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities ("OMRDD") in advising several non-profit agencies. As a result of his efforts, Merrill Lynch appointed him as the National spokesperson for their "Families of Children with Disabilities" program. He has been featured on local, national and syndicated shows such as "Money Talks" and "Good Day New York."
In 2009, Barron’s nominated Cotto as one of the top 100 Advisors in New York in its Top 1,000 Financial Advisors list. He is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He and his wife Cory are passionate about raising awareness for Operation Smile, an international charity that corrects facial deformities in children. Their youngest daughter was born with a cleft palate and so they continuously strive to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to smile. They are members of the Benefactors Committee in New York City.
In addition to his work with Operation Smile, Cotto actively supports organizations assisting in improving the narrative of American Latinos. His focus is leadership, higher education and career planning through mentoring and advocacy with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Association of Latino Professionals for America, Latino Donor Collaborative, The Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and much more. In Cotto’s spare time he loves spending time with Cory experiencing live music, watching with pride as their eldest daughter Carol evolves and matures, watching their son Ray wrestle likes it’s his job and watching their youngest daughter Lucy dance competitively. He resides with his family in Cross River, New York.
PERLA TAMEZ
Advisory Board Member
Perla Tamez’s story begins in Hidalgo, TX, born and raised by immigrant parents. Their lessons of hard work and dedication were ingrained in her from a very young age, leading her to found her first company at age 21. Today, Tamez is a visionary serial entrepreneur and licensed speech therapist. After creating 20 companies in 11 industries, she has generated over nine digits of revenue through her businesses. Tamez combines her passion for business and philanthropy in her pediatric clinics and advocacy for children's rights and health policies. In 2020 she joined forces to activate local leaders across the U.S. who impacted over 400,000 families and distributed over $7 Million in household products. Over the past decade, Tamez has dedicated her life to inspiring others to unleash their true potential.
Tamez has always had a heart for entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Her desire to help others has been the energy behind her newest start-ups, one of which is a non-profit, Love Soldiers Foundation, to help non-profits be efficient in their operations and be of most impact with their funds. The second mission, Latina Empire, is a business model focused on continuously assisting women to reach new heights through her proprietary method: heart, mind, and money. The main focus is on accountability and community, with a culture that gives back to society to create sustainable change within their communities.
ZAIDY CÁRDENAS
Executive Director
Zaidy Cárdenas, who grew up in Chicago, taking the reins as the Executive Director at Maestro Cares Foundation is the perfect capstone on a life spent in service. Having volunteered since childhood, it was her volunteer work in the Dominican Republic as a young adult that catalyzed the creation of Maestro Cares. She is a passionate, mission-driven leader that takes a vision and makes it a reality through comprehensive strategy development and organizational management. Cárdenas brings years of expertise in event management and marketing and has earned recognition as a leader in her field, participating as a panelist at the 2016 Odyssey Media Business Retreat.
Massiel Brito
Business Development Manager
Massiel Brito brings several years of experience in fundraising and non-profit development to the Maestro Cares Foundation team. She was raised in the Dominican Republic and holds numerous degrees and certificates from universities in Switzerland and the United States. She has traveled the world volunteering and giving back to communities; primarily focusing on women and children in need. She is motivated by helping others, and firmly believes in growing by lifting those around her.
MARISOL CARRILLO
Projects Manager
Marisol Carrillo brings event marketing experience to the Maestro Cares team. She’s one of the veterans on the team, and currently helps to manage Maestro Cares Foundation’s 23 projects. Carrillo was raised in Northwest Indiana and has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and International Business from Indiana University- Bloomington. She loves to travel and explore the world.
MARIANA GOMEZ
Administrative Coordinator
Mariana Gomez is a born and raised Chicagoan with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications. With a background in advertising sales, experiential marketing, and hospitality she has versatile capabilities; essential in supporting the Maestro Cares Foundation team.
SANDRA LOPEZ
Social Media Strategist
Sandra Lopez brings a background in Marketing, Communications and Social Media expertise to Maestro Cares Foundation. She is a creative leader with several years of experience managing communications and marketing for art institutions, galleries and local art museums. She has a bachelor’s degree in Art History, Theory and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Lopez is a firm supporter for immigrant and refugee justice, and has been actively involved in advocating for community justice in Chicago and New York City.
CARMEN LOMBANA
Communications Marketing Associate
Carmen Lombana comes from a Graphic Design and Art History background. Before moving to Chicago in 2018, she worked in the museum field in Mexico City, focused on contemporary art. She first joined Maestro Cares Foundation as a volunteer.
CAROL MARTINEZ
Accountant
Carol Martinez joined the Maestro Cares Foundation team in January 2022 as an Accountant, leading all the financial functions of the organization. She received a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Illinois State University with concentrations in Corporate Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurship. Martinez brings over 6 years of finance experience with her as she previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Business Analytics at DePaul University.
RUBI SALGADO
Development Associate
Rubi Salgado was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Studies and a minor in Marketing in 2020. Throughout college and in her professional career she has spent several years working at non-profit organizations focusing on development, fundraising, marketing, and events. She is passionate about leading an impactful career in the non-profit sector and serving under-funded and under-represented communities.