Wisconsin's 31 Most Influential Latino Leaders for 2025, Part 1

This is the first of a five-part series.

Since our founding in 2015, these annual lists of Wisconsin’s most influential Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian American leaders have become the most anticipated thing we do. They are more than lists; they are celebrations of the diversity, strength, and resilience of our state.

My goal has always been simple: to shine a light on the people who are shaping Wisconsin’s future, often behind the scenes, and to give young people role models who prove that success is possible right here at home.

This week we shine a statewide spotlight on the dedicated leaders of Wisconsin’s Latino communities. These are richly diverse communities spanning small towns, big cities, and every corner of our state. The people we highlight this week are elected leaders, business leaders and community leaders, doing difficult, important work.

Of course, this list isn’t comprehensive. There are many more leaders who deserve recognition, and we invite you to share their names so we can include them in the future.

For now, I encourage you to get to know the incredible people on this year’s list. Reach out to those in your community, learn from their work, and share their stories with your network.

If you would like to meet many of them in person, join us November 3 at the eighth annual 365 Leadership Summit, a gathering of some of the most dynamic and inspiring leaders in the state.

Henry Sanders
CEO, 365 Media Foundation
Publisher, Madison365

Graciela Engen

Graciela Engen is director of institutional research, assessment and planning at UW-La Crosse, a role she took on in 2022. She joined UWL in December 2011 as an institutional research analyst. Prior to that she held a similar role for six years at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and human resources roles at the UCLA. Engen is a founder of a group that supports parents of young children in the community. She’s also a coordinator of the English Lutheran Church Welcome Center, has been a Centro Latino volunteer, and was an organizer of Comunidad de la Esperanza, a series of family-oriented gatherings focused on Spanish-English speaking community members. Engen is also a member of the Inclusive Excellence Assessment Team, a founding member of the Equity Liaison Initiative Steering Committee and an Institutional Research representative at conferences such as the Wisconsin Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers and the Association for Institutional Research of the Upper Midwest. In 2018, she was honored by the Universities of Wisconsin as an Outstanding Woman of Color in Education. She earned a bachelor’s degree at USA and master’s at UCLA.

Dr. Anthony Cruz

Dr. Anthony Cruz is the 11th president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the Midwest. He began his tenure in July 2024. He is leading the launch of the college’s next five-year strategic plan, championed a successful partnership with the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Bucks, and J Jeffers & Co. to provide the college with its first new athletic facility in decades, and engaged the campus community and business community partners through Presidential Roundtables and Voice of the College Live sessions. Before coming to MATC, Dr. Cruz served as president of the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College in Florida. He has 28 years of higher education experience, serving as vice chancellor, vice president, and dean at several community colleges and universities. Dr. Cruz has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University, a Master of Public Administration from Florida State University and a doctorate in higher education from Florida International University.

Patrick Chaves

Patrick Chaves is founder and executive director of Buena Tierra Run Club, a Latino-influenced group created to inspire the community to put their health and wellness first. He is also regional engagement coordinator for Milwaukee County Parks. He serves a liaison between community members of southern Milwaukee County and the Parks Department, coordinating alliances, partners, stakeholders, and volunteers. 

Erica López

Erica López is assistant corporation counsel for Dane County, a role she stepped into just this past summer. She spent the previous three years running Centro de Derecho de la Gente (People’s Law Center), a nonprofit legal aid organization she founded in 2021. She partnered with Tenant Resource Center, The Eviction Defense Clinic, Legal Action of Wisconsin, and Community Justice, Inc. as a coalition of organizations called the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership, to provide free legal help for people facing eviction. It wasn’t her first venture into representing marginalized people; she previously worked as a clinical  instructor in the University of Wisconsin Eviction Defense Clinic, a staff attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin and a law clerk at Disability Rights Wisconsin. She earned a bachelor's degree at Yale and a law degree at UW.

Yussef Morales

Yussef Morales is the Founder of the Puerto Rican Festival of Wisconsin, which just held its 12th annual event at the Summerfest grounds yesterday. It has grown from a gathering under a small bridge to a massive festival with nationally-recognized performing artists and more than 8,000 people in attendance. He is also a youth  development specialist at America Works Wisconsin. He was among the first to join the Red Cross in its response to Hurricane Maria, traveling to Puerto  Rico to help find missing people. He volunteers as a mentor the the Black and Latino Men Achievement program and previously volunteered as a wrestling coach at several Milwaukee schools. He is an alum of Cardinal Stritch University, where he earned a business administration degree in 2016.

Dr. Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán

Dr. Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán is vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Viterbo University, the first person to hold that position. She served as the director of the Office of Multicultural Success and Retention at Ohio University for six years prior to arriving at Viterbo in 2021. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature and Theology from Barry University, a Master of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Michigan State University, and a PhD in African Literature in English from Ohio University. She also earned a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Ohio University.

Carolyn Gomez Tom

Carolyn Gomez Tom is enrollment network and accessibility manager at Covering Wisconsin and a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Professionally, she works to help people across Wisconsin understand and access affordable health insurance coverage and care.  She previously worked for Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers from 2019-2021 in community engagement, during the COVID-19 emergency response. She was elected to the Milwaukee County Board in 2023 and serves  on the board of the Milwaukee Latino Health Coalition (MLHC), Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (CHAW), and Kids Forward. She has served on the Milwaukee Board of Health since 2019, including a one-year term as president. In 2016, she was honored as one of the “40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Healthcare” by the National Minority Quality Forum. Caroline graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in political science and social work. She also holds a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in social policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Part 2 coming tomorrow!