FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin, TX 6/2/17 - The Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC ) Board of Directors has named  Luis Rodriguez as their new President &  CEO. He will assume the role on  July 5, 2017. Mr. Rodriguez will succeed the Chamber's previous CEO, Mark Madrid, who stepped down earlier this year to become the Executive Director of the Latino Business Action Network in Palo Alto, California.

Rodriguez has seven years of experience serving the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC), the nation's first Hispanic business organization founded in 1929. He served as Vice President of Membership from 2010 to 2015 before being promoted to Chief Operations Officer and Vice President of Economic Development. During his tenure, Rodriguez played an instrumental role in leading the SAHCC through major transformational growth. His accomplishments include assisting with the creation of the SAHCC's small business accelerator - the Maestro Entrepreneur Center; expanding the chamber's international trade mission efforts in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, the Canary Islands and Israel; becoming the first Hispanic Chamber in the nation to receive a Five Star Accreditation from the United States Chamber of Commerce; and growing the membership base of the SAHCC to more to than 1,300 members, a record-level in its 88 year history.

"I am honored to have been selected as the President & CEO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce," said Rodriguez. "I am looking forward to working closely with Chairwoman Christann Vasquez, their resilient Board of Directors, staff, and most importantly our members to continue to evolve the Chamber's mission and advocacy efforts."

"The Board of Directors is very proud to announce the appointment of our new President and CEO, Luis Rodriguez, an individual with superior experience, professionalism and integrity', said GAHCC Chair Christann Vasquez, President of the Dell Seton Medical Center Teaching Hospital. "We look forward to his leadership in elevating our Chamber, its members, and community to new levels of prosperity."

Throughout his academic and professional career, Rodriguez has been strongly committed to business development, strategic relationship building, economic development, international business, government affairs, and comprehensive community development. Rodriguez was recently a recipient of the San Antonio Business Journal's 2017 "40 Under 40" Award. He currently serves on the Business Retention and Expansion Committee for the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, the City of San Antonio's Dark Sky Policy Evaluation Committee, the City of San Antonio's Tricentennial Partner Adjudication Committee and is Honorary Commander for the 502nd Air Base at Joint Base San Antonio. Rodriguez formerly served on the Humana San Antonio Health Advisory Board, the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan, and the San Antonio Community Action Committee with the U.S. Army. Rodriguez's main driving force is his family, he is the proud father of his two beautiful daughters, Ysabella and Madelyn and a loving husband to his wife Yvonne Rodriguez.

About the Chamber:

Established in 1973, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's (GAHCC) primary goal is to continue the advancement and progression of a strong and stable economic culture for Hispanic Businesses. The Chamber strives to reach these goals by developing business and management skills and bridging access to financial capital and maintaining our cultural values and integrity. In 2015, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was named the nation's Hispanic Chamber of the Year by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.