2016 Lifetime Achievement Award
Sally Carrillo
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
Sally Carrillo is the assistant port director at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. She has more than 28 years of public service experience with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service. She began her federal career as an immigration inspector in 1988 in San Diego. Since then, Carrillo has held several supervisory and management positions, including: INS deputy port director at the San Ysidro Port of Entry (prior to CBP merger), border security coordinator at the San Diego Field Office, port director at the Tecate Port of Entry, assistant port director at the Port of San Diego, assistant port director at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, and assistant port director (tactical) at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. She also served as the assistant director of CBP Officer Basic Training at the Field Operations Academy in Glynco, Georgia, and was instrumental in developing the National Enrollment Standards for the SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) program.
Legacy Award
The Plascencia Family
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
Born and raised in Tijuana, chef Javier Plascencia grew up in the kitchen of his family’s restaurant, alongside his brothers Juan José, Julian, and their younger sister Margú. Giuseppis, Tijuana’s first pizzeria, was opened in October 1969 by “Don Tana” Plascencia and his loving wife, Martha Plascencia. Grupo Plascencia has been in the restaurant industry ever since, continuously growing on both sides of the border.
Their first project in the United States was Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro, which opened its doors back in 2006. People were refusing to cross the Mexican border during those difficult times, and the Plascencia family saw the opportunity to bring their food to friends and family living in San Diego. From that moment on their passion, hard work, and dedication has been turning heads all over America. Chef Javier and Grupo Plascencia’s restaurants have been mentioned in and received awards from prestigious local, national, and international newspapers and magazines, earning a special place in the public taste.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Alfredo Jaime
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
Chief Operating Officer, Jaime Partners
Alfredo Jaime left his home in Ensenada at the age of 18, with a dream to establish a small business in San Diego. He worked as a construction laborer and was given the opportunity to apprentice for a carpenter. After years of working for local companies, he was given a job as a small contractor at the age of 24. Today, Jaime is the chief operating officer for Jaime Partners Inc., a construction firm that was named the 15th fastest growing company and one of the top 15 minority-owned businesses in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. The company recently won the Calibre Design Award for its work on Music Box in Little Italy, and was the only firm in San Diego to receive the regional award this year. He coaches small-business owners and on multiple occasions has been a guest speaker at events hosted by the Small Business Association and Score Association San Diego.
Inspirational Leader
Hernàn Luis y Prado
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
Frank Rogozienski
Founder and CEO, Workshops for Warriors
Hernàn Luis y Prado served in the U.S. Navy for 15 years as a hospital corpsman, and then as a surface warfare officer. He served three combat tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is a graduate of the Navy Surface Warfare Officers School. Luis y Prado is a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal and Combat Action Ribbon, as well as various unit and service awards.
He has remained committed to veterans by founding Workshop for Warriors, which provides free career training to veterans who do not have access to jobs that pay a living wage. The program’s industry-recognized certifications in welding, machining, and fabrication not only provide veterans transitioning to civilian life with career options, but also addresses the shortage of skilled manufacturing workers in the U.S.
Luis y Prado was recognized by the White House as a “Champion of Change” in 2013, and received the District 80 Veteran of the Year award on the floor of the California Assembly in 2015.
Volunteer of the Year
Rachel Cano
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
Chris Keeney
Vice President, San Diego Professionals Against Cancer
Rachel Cano’s mother told her that education was the key to success, but that with success comes the responsibility to help others. Cano studied hard and achieved academic success, graduating from Harvard Law School in 1991 alongside future President Barack Obama. Today, as chief of the South Bay office for the San Diego County District Attorney, she prosecutes sexual assault crimes and helps victims navigate the justice system, and is committed to women’s issues.
She is on the executive committee of the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, and cofounded San Diego Professionals Against Cancer, which is dedicated to raising funds for cancer research, and patient treatment and services. Cano and her board members—who all volunteer their time and don’t receive any compensation—have raised and donated more than half a million dollars to Rady Children’s Hospital and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. The organization’s flagship fundraiser, the San Diego Festival of Beer, is the oldest craft beer festival in San Diego.
Cross-Border Leader
Dr. Miguel Angel Cardenas
Congratulations to Our 2016 Latino Impact Award Winners
President and CEO, San Diego Global Knowledge University
Dr. Miguel Angel Cardenas is a pioneer in studying globalization—he began researching the concept in the 1970s with the think tank Club of Rome when it was still a novel idea. He has written and collaborated on numerous books and articles, in both English and Spanish, and his projects have been recognized by the United Nations, World Bank, and Organization of American States. He served as Baja California’s vice governor/chief of staff from 1977 to 1979, and state secretary of education and social welfare from 1979 to 1983.
Angel Cardenas created the International Training Center in 1982 and San Diego Global Knowledge University in 2007, which offer live, multilingual distance-learning courses in topics such as how to succeed in international business. He believes that sharing knowledge is the most important responsibility we have as a globalized society, in order to reduce the growing gap of socioeconomic well-being between nations.
