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Roberto Torres and Carlos Sanchez
March 24, 2016 @ 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Roberto Torres is the Executive Director of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan. Since his arrival on January 20, 2015, he has hit the ground running while positioning the Hispanic Center to be a lead agent in the future development of Grand Rapids’ historic Latino communities. Together with the Hispanic Center Board of Directors, he leads an aggressive strategic plan with a vision for Latino inclusion in community, workforce & economic development in Western Michigan.
Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Northwest Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and served in four mayoral administrations in Toledo, Ohio and one term for Canton, Ohio Mayor William Healy’s administration. As Director of Economic Development for the City of Canton, Torres was instrumental in leveraging billions of dollars in public and private financing to support historic preservation and redevelopment projects, construction of industrial development parks, mixed-use facility development and the expansion of international investment.
He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he majored in public administration and political science. He is a Desert Storm Veteran having served in the United States Marine Corps.
Born in Mexico City, Carlos Sanchez is the Director of the Latino Business and Economic Development Center. His work at the Center focuses on developing Latino leaders and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Sanchez has over ten years of valuable experience in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion as well as Latino Entrepreneurship and is very active in his community, serving on several Boards and committees; Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Dyer Ives Foundation, the Downtown Improvement District Board and Chemical Bank Community Board.
A graduate of the International Business program at Davenport University, Carlos also holds an MBA level Certification in Design and Innovation Management from Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University.