WASHINGTON, DC – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) today announced Raul Lomeli will join the 36-year-old nonprofit’s Board of Directors. Lomeli is Co‐Founder & Executive Chairman of Welcome Tech (dba SABEResPODER), a venture funded mobile tech platform helping immigrant communities connect to information, products, and services. Lomeli has led the development of a “digital Ellis Island” with a mission to empower Spanish‐speaking consumers to become better informed, confident, and active participants in U.S. society.
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation just got stronger as an organization and a Board with the addition of Raul Lomeli,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO and Board Member of HHF. “Raul will further our efforts in leveraging tech to move the Latino community forward, including Spanish-dominant, recent-arrivals. Raul will also bring an expertise in research and outreach in critical areas of health, financial wellness, and workforce development, which will make us more effective in making a broader impact on our community and America.”
Prior to launching Welcome Tech, Lomeli was Vice President of Diverse Growth Segments at Wells Fargo; he has also served as President of the Latino Education Achievement Project (LEAP), as Press and Public Affairs Attaché for the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, and as Research Director for the Program on Mexico at UCLA.
Lomeli is an avid writer and has co-authored a book on financial aid for higher education, over 50 published news articles, and the lead author of 18 booklets on financial services, the health care system, and higher education—with over nine million copies distributed nationwide.
He also has served on various boards including currently serving as Chair of Emerging Markets Development Corporation (EMDC), Executive Board Member at PROFMEX (Worldwide Consortium for Mexico Policy Research), and immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors at MALDEF—the Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America. Lomeli previously served in the National Latino Advisory Council for the Nielsen Company (2008-2016), the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC: 2006-2013), and Avenida Guadalupe Association (AGA: 2006-2010). He served as Chairman for both SAHCC (2012) and AGA (2009-2010).
In 2007, Lomeli was recognized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with its National Corporate Advocate of the Year Award; in 2009 he was selected to the San Antonio Business Journal’s 40-under-40 List; in 2011 was bestowed the Corporate Responsibility Award by MALDEF; in 2019 he was presented with the prestigious Gilberto Bosques Medallion by the International Law Mexican Academy, and most recently was presented with the National Othli award by the Government of Mexico.
Lomeli – who is the proud son of migrant farm workers and personally labored the fields in the San Joaquin Valley during the summers of his youth through his first year of college – was selected by his peers at UCLA as the Student Keynote Speaker at “La Raza Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.” He is a regular panelist and speaker at national and international academic and industry conferences and lives in San Antonio, TX, with his family.
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation focuses on education, workforce, social impact and culture through leadership. Visit www.hispanicheritage.org.
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