First-generation Latina will lead NALEO

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) and NALEO Educational Fund announced Erica Bernal-Martinez, NALEO Educational Fund’s current Chief Operating Officer, will be their new CEO.

Bernal-Martinez has led NALEO Educational Fund’s operations for 25 years and will succeed Arturo Vargas, who has recently announced his retirement.

According to a NALEO press release, she will focus on leading organizational restructuring, continuing to implement ongoing programmatic impact and efficiency strategies and stewarding long-term strategic planning for the organizations’ future decades of service to the Latino community and its leadership.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Erica throughout her career with NALEO Educational Fund and take immense joy in the fact that our board has entrusted her with the role of the next CEO,” Vargas said. “Having worn virtually every leadership hat within this organization during her exemplary tenure, I can think of no other person more uniquely qualified and better prepared to take on the responsibility of leading our mission forward. Erica is the epitome of what it means to put people first and has always led with a deep commitment to our community and country.”

“NALEO Educational Fund continues to be a stalwart champion of American democracy, tirelessly fighting for a country where our civic processes are freely available to Latinos and all communities. Erica has made this mission her life’s work, and the organization has been stronger because of it,” said NALEO Educational Fund chair Alejandra Sotelo-Solis. “As the first Latina in this role of CEO, Erica also represents a trailblazing change in this space. Her vision and perspective will serve the community well and provide substantial value to the organization’s work as it begins its next chapter.”

“Erica has always been a champion for our members, prioritizing healthy and constructive debate so that we can emerge from our exchanges of ideas with understanding and a commitment to common ground when possible. She has helped make NALEO a place that welcomes Members from across the country and across the aisle,” said NALEO president Claudia M. Frometa. “I am thrilled to see her step into this new role as CEO and look forward to what we can continue to do together under her leadership.”

“I am deeply grateful for the Board’s trust in me as I enter this new role. I am also eternally grateful to Arturo Vargas for the opportunity to serve our community through this organization and for always believing in me. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for his lifetime of dedication to these organizations, the Latino community, and the entire nation. When I started my career, I never imagined that my work with this organization would have allowed me to have so many fulfilling and impactful experiences over my 25-year tenure. From leading efforts to bring Republicans and Democrats from across the country together to move policy issues forward, to guiding our citizenship and voter mobilization initiatives, I have seen firsthand the ability of NALEO and NALEO Educational Fund to make a difference in people’s lives,” Bernal-Martinez said. “My work has always been motivated by a devotion to family, community and country. I see this same dedication from our NALEO Members and the incredibly committed staff at NALEO Educational Fund, and I am honored to lead them as we embark on this next chapter in our organizations’ future.”

Bernal-Martinez joined NALEO Educational Fund in 1999 and has overseen the organization’s Civic Engagement, Constituency Services, Development and Communications departments at various points throughout her tenure. In 2004, Erica took a sabbatical from NALEO Educational Fund and was recruited as National Field Director for America’s Families United, which expands democracy through voter registration and education. Erica is seen as an expert on the issue of Latino political participation and leadership.

She attended California State University at Long Beach.