Five Local Latino Leaders Recognized With the 2021 Maestro Award

Latino Leaders Magazine has recognized five Dallas-Fort Worth-based executives with its 2021 Maestro Award, the publication’s highest distinction.

The Maestros—formerly known as the Maestro Awards Ceremony—each year gathers influential Latino leaders from across the country to celebrate various trailblazer’s achievements, success stories, and triumphs. The gala has become known as an institution in the Latino community throughout its 15-year run.

The program is the brainchild of Raul and Jorge Ferraez, the brothers who founded Latino Leaders Magazine. The pub, which is based in Dallas, promotes and publishes stories of Latino success that it says is often not portrayed in mainstream media. Its pages have featured politicians, sports stars, business owners, and industry pioneers for more than a decade.

“We celebrate the success stories, accomplishments, and triumphs of many leaders that have made history, and continue to make history, in our community,” Jorge Ferraez, the magazine’s publisher, says.

Locally, The Maestros have been presented at some of the region’s most iconic locations. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the gala to go virtual with a pre-recorded show, but this year, the Ferraez aim to bring back the in-person experience. Events will also be held in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The Dallas event—Latino Leaders’ last and most popular Maestros event—is currently sold out, but attendees can still register for a livestream on Dec. 3.

At the ceremony, a presentation will highlight the histories and past achievements of awardees through a live interview with Jorge Ferraez. A reception will follow.

Maestro recipients hail from a variety of industries, including business, education, civil service, and religion. Each receives a designation for their award.

Past recipients include award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa; Gary Acosta, CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals; Ralph de la Vega, former chairman of AT&T; Antonio Tijerino, president of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; Nina Vaca, CEO of Pinnacle Group; Domingo Garcia, LULAC national president; and Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Consumer.

This year’s Dallas Maestro award winners

The Maestro of Leadership goes to Joe Alvarado, the former CEO of Commercial Metals Co., an Irving-based steel and metal manufacturer and recycler that contributes to an array of highways, structures, and projects.

The Maestro of Professional Achievement goes to Carlos Sepulveda, chairman of Dallas-based TBK Bank, which offers consumer and commercial banking solutions through its branches in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas.

The Maestro of Entrepreneurship goes to Evelyn Torres, CEO of Solaris Technologies Services, an Irving-based manufacturer of mobile cell tower solutions and security products. Torres was also this year one of Dallas Innovates’ Future 50 innovators and disruptors to know in 2021.

The Maestro of Innovation goes to Alvaro Luque, CEO and president of Avocados from Mexico, the Irving-based experiential marketing group putting the green superfruit on the map.

And the Maestro of Ultimate Drive goes to Gaby Natale, president of AGANARMedia, a marketing company in Fort Worth that focuses on Hispanic audiences. Natale is also the first Latina to win three Daytime EMMYs back-to-back.

“The Maestro Award is the highest honor given by the publication to Latinos who have reached the pinnacle of their professional careers and inspire others to achieve greatness,” Jorge Ferraez said in a statement. “We celebrate the success stories, accomplishments, and triumphs of many leaders that have made history, and continue to make history, in our community.”