TAMPA HISPANIC HERITAGE, INC. ANNOUNCES
the 2013 Hispanic Man and Hispanic Woman of the Year
Tampa, Fla. (September 21, 2013) – It is with great pride that the Board of Directors of Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. announces the selection of Santiago Corrada as the 2013 Hispanic Man of the Year and Lissette Campos-Perez as the 2013 Hispanic Woman of the Year.
Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. will honor the continuing contributions of Santiago Corrada and Lissette Campos-Perez to our community during the 26th Annual Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. Gala at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 26, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown, 211 N. Tampa Street, Tampa.
These annual awards honor Hispanics who have contributed significantly to the success of our community. They are Hispanic men and women who have excelled in their endeavors to advance, promote, maintain, and enhance our Hispanic heritage and who, by their outstanding contributions, have improved the quality of life in the Tampa Bay Hispanic community.
About Santiago Corrada
A son of Cuban exiles, Mr. Santiago Corrada was born in New Jersey. He is currently the President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, the economic development organization responsible for tourism development in Hillsborough County. He is the former Chief of Staff for the City of Tampa. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating and integrating the efforts of more than fifty city departments and divisions and maintained direct management responsibility over eight departments and divisions, including the Convention Center & Tourism department. Mr. Corrada joined the City of Tampa in 2004 as Neighborhood Services Administrator.
Mr. Corrada is an accomplished and recognized leader with more than 25 years of experience and knowledge in different areas, such as sound fiscal management, successful conflict management and resolution, strategic planning and comprehensive visionary development. He is deeply committed to our community. In his new capacity as CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, he continues to serve on numerous boards including the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), The Florida Aquarium and Tampa Downtown Partnership to name a few.
Mr. Corrada has been described as being a “conciliator”, “easy-going”, and at the city he was “the person–to-go-to for political heavy lifting”. Mr. Corrada is also well known for his spirit of collaboration, his overall leadership ability as well as his passion for Tampa Bay. He is proud of his Hispanic roots and is deeply involved in the community.
Mr. Corrada earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Exceptional Student Education as well as a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of Miami.
About Lissette Campos-Perez
Lissette Campos-Perez, born of Cuban parents in Freeport, Long Island, New York, is the Director of Community Affairs for WFTS TV and the host of "Positively Tampa Bay" on ABC Action News at noon. She also spearheads the station's Emmy award-winning Taking Action Against Domestic Violence campaign, which was awarded the national Service to Community Award by the National Association of Broadcasters in June 2013 in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Campos is the recipient of four Emmy awards and more than a dozen Emmy nominations for work including undercover reporting in Moscow and Havana. She launched Positively Tampa Bay in 2008. Her career, spanning more than twenty years, also includes crisis communications and public affairs for the Walt Disney Company based in Orlando and media relations/strategic communications for the University of South Florida (USF Health).
In addition, Ms. Campos devotes numerous hours of her personal time to helping advocates of local domestic violence centers, mentoring young professionals by the way of the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce Women's Leadership program, and serving as a role model in the Hispanic community. Besides her fundraising efforts with the Spring, CASA, The Haven and Bay Area Legal Services DV Programs and Centers, Lissette has devoted personal time to work with Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. (2010 THHI Board of Directors), the Latinos Unidos Scholarship Program at the University of South Florida, Tampa's Hispanic Advisory Council, and the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund.
Ms. Campos earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from Florida International University.
Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in l979 dedicated to preserve, promote and celebrate Tampa’s Hispanic heritage in the Tampa Bay Area.
For more information about the Hispanic Man and Hispanic Woman of the Year Gala 2013, please call Dr. Luz P. Lono, Gala Committee Chair at (813) 949-9271 or Aileen Rodriguez, Co- Chair at (813) 789-4661. Visit our web site, www.tampahispanic.org and follow us on Facebook.
This event is sponsored by CENTROTampa, The Tampa Tribune, ABC Action News, Univision, Sweetbay Supermarket, Kraft, Moffitt Cancer Center, BB&T, Minuteman Press, Hilton Tampa Downtown, USAmeribank and SEV Incorporated.