A new leadership team is being uncovered by Latino Victory on Wednesday, with the organization’s founding president returning after five years to take on the role of board chair. This influential group in Latino politics has appointed Cristóbal Alex as board chair and elevated Executive Director Katharine Pichardo-Erskine to the positions of president and CEO.
Pichardo-Erskine expressed her commitment to the organization, stating, “The Latino vote has demonstrated its power, but there is still much work to be done to ensure our voices are fully represented in policymaking. I am honored to lead this organization and collaborate with Cristóbal and our allies to build a more inclusive democracy.”
Cristóbal Alex returns to lead Latino Victory as board chair after five years
Since Cristóbal Alex was named the founding president in 2014, the progressive organization, established by Eva Longoria Bastón and Henry Muñoz, has broadened its influence, supporting 450 candidates for public office.
Latino Victory operates through three branches: the nonprofit Latino Victory Foundation, the political Latino Victory Project, and the super PAC known as the Latino Victory Fund. The organization experienced its last leadership change in 2023, following President Biden’s nomination of then-president and CEO Nathalie Rayes as ambassador to Croatia.
This led to the promotion of then-Executive Director Sindy Benavides to president and CEO and Katharine Pichardo-Erskine taking over as executive director. Under Benavides and Pichardo-Erskine’s leadership, Latino Victory navigated the 2024 election cycle with a focus on supporting Latino candidates across the country.
“This cycle, we were able to elect 64 Latinos up and down the ballot, ensuring we are fulfilling our mission of increasing Latino representation at the tables of power and halls of Congress,” Benavides remarked.
She noted that the group also allocated over $2 million to the “#VoteLikeAMadre” initiative and launched the Afro-Latinas Lead program to enhance political representation and cultivate a future where the first Afro-Latina can be elected to Congress.
Rayes served as the organization’s top leader from 2020 until 2023, taking over more than a year after Alex left to lead President Biden’s Latino outreach for the 2020 presidential election. Now, Alex is returning to assume the chairmanship of the board, a position previously held by Luis Miranda, a distinguished Latino advocate based in New York.
“Luis has been a driving force for this organization, and we are excited that he will continue to be a member of our Board of Directors,” Alex stated. “His leadership has created a foundation upon which we will continue to build and innovate this next election and beyond. We are immensely grateful to him.”
