The Hispanic Lobbying Association (HLA) honored Dean Aguillen and Moses Mercado at its inaugural Avanza Awards reception held yesterday evening. Aguillen, Mercado were honored for their promotion of Hispanics in American politics along with Senator Martin Heinrich, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.
“When I came to Washington to work for Gene Green, there were three Hispanic Chiefs of Staff on Capitol Hill,” said Ogilvy principal Moses Mercado. “Today there are 36 Hispanic Members of Congress and many more running in the upcoming election.”
“Moses and I see a great need to continue to support our community and work to provide opportunity for others, similar to the support we were offered in the beginning of our careers,” said Ogilvy principal Dean Aguillen. “It is an honor to be recognized, but we hope this only helps to reinforce the great work of the many Hispanic organizations in Washington.”
Through their work in the community, with Members of Congress, and with corporations, Mercado and Aguillen have been able to support continued growth and opportunity for the Hispanic community. Aguillen currently serves as Chairman of the Board of AVANCE, Inc., a national non-profit organization that supports Latino families with educational programs. He and Mercado also serve as members of the board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc.
Aguillen has served as senior advisor to then Speaker Nancy Pelosi and within the Clinton Administration as director of intergovernmental affairs and chief of staff for congressional affairs at the Department of Labor. Additionally, Aguillen was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States in 2007 by Hispanic Business magazine.
Mercado served as deputy chief of staff to then Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, deputy executive director of intergovernmental affairs for the Democratic National Committee, and chief of staff to Representative Gene Green. Additionally, he has served as an advisor to campaigns for leading public officials, including then Senator Barack Obama, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and Senator John Kerry. As an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, Mercado served as a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.