New America Alliance Appoints CEO.

The New America Alliance (NAA) has hired prominent Latina Regina Montoya as its new Chief Executive Officer. In this capacity, Montoya will develop strategic and tactical plans to fulfill NAA’s mission of promoting the advancement of the American Latino community with a focus on economic and political empowerment. Her responsibilities include developing the organization’s infrastructure while overseeing its operational budget, fundraising initiatives, media relations, and human resources.

Montoya’s broad career has spanned the legal, political, corporate, media, and nonprofit arenas.
She joins NAA from WORKRules, a Texas-based workforce training and media and community relations company. She is a leader in the volunteer community having served as the National President of Girls Incorporated (formerly Girls Clubs of America) from 1996 until 2000, and is currently a member of the Girls Inc. Latina Initiative Advisory Board. Montoya is also an award-winning television commentator and nationally-recognized speaker.

“The hiring of Regina Montoya is timed perfectly for NAA to take advantage of her expertise and NAA’s explosive and energetic agenda,” said Marilou Martinez Stevens, Chairman of NAA. “With her broad background spanning various fields, including the highest levels of government, she joins outstanding leaders at the NAA to continue implementation of the NAA’s strategy and direction set forth by the board earlier this year.”

Montoya began her legal career as a law clerk in the Northern District of Texas, later being named associate and partner at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld, and shareholder and director of Godwin & Carlton, P.C. (now Godwin Gruber). Prior to her candidacy in the 5th U.S. Congressional District (Texas), Montoya served as an Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in 1993. She then represented the United States as a Public Delegate to the 53rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1998.

Her political experience has allowed her to serve as an expert commentator on local and national media, including CNN, and the Fox and PBS affiliates in Dallas, Texas. She has been a member of many corporate and advisory boards including Univision (formerly of Hallmark Cards, Inc.) and Sallie Mae, among others, and at this time holds leadership positions with various nonprofit organizations, currently serving as a Trustee of Wellesley College and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Parkland Hospital Foundation.

“This is an exciting time for the Latino empowerment movement. While we have made great strides in the business world over the past few decades, there are still many opportunities for increased participation of Latinos among the highest levels of government and corporate America. Latino economic and political advancement is critical, and this is why our mission of Latino empowerment and wealth-building is so important,” said Montoya.

Among her countless local and national awards, Montoya has been honored by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States and has received the Latina Excellence Award for Leadership from Hispanic Magazine..

Montoya is a Harvard Law School graduate and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. She is married to former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Paul Coggins, and their daughter, Jessica Coggins, is currently a sophomore at Harvard College.

New America Alliance (NAA) is organized on the principle that American Latino business leaders have the responsibility to lead the process of Latino empowerment and wealth-building by expanding the forms of capital most crucial for economic advancement – economic capital, political capital, human capital and the practice of philanthropy. Alliance members believe that strategies to enhance these forms of capital must include many approaches, but one which American Latino business leaders are uniquely capable of leading is investment in the Latino community through coordinated philanthropy and public and private strategic collaboration.

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