ANA MARIE ARGILAGOS
President and CEO, Hispanics in Philanthropy
Puerto Rico / Cuba
Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) is on a mission to strengthen Latinx leadership, influence and equity by leveraging philanthropic resources, and doing so with an unwavering focus on social justice and shared prosperity across the Americas.
HIP is coordinating a regional response to the migration crisis in the U.S. and Central America, supporting Puerto Rico’s long-term recovery from Hurricane Maria, and investing in nonprofits to fight for an inclusive and accurate 2020 Census, among other critical efforts.
Ana Marie has paved the way for a new era to democratize philanthropy. She is an entrepreneurial thinker bridging diverse agendas with a track record of working within the philanthropic, public, and nonprofit sectors.
From the Ford Foundation, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Unidos US, to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, she has led with her thoughtful curiosity to bridge diverse agendas. Ana Marie’s trajectory is a testament to her entrepreneurial spirit that seeks to center Latinx voices and leadership.
She received her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and her bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University. She currently resides in Washington, DC with her husband Rodger and cat Alfie.
LUIS VON AHN
Founder and CEO, Duolingo
Guatemala
Luis was born and grew up in Guatemala City. He is an entrepreneur and a Consulting Professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He is known as one of the pioneers of crowdsourcing. He is the founder of the company reCAPTCHA, which was sold to Google in 2009, and the co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, the world’s most popular language-learning platform.
When von Ahn was eight years old, his mother bought him a Commodore 64 computer, beginning his fascination with technology and computer science.
At age 18, von Ahn began studying at Duke University, where he would go on to receive a BS in Mathematics (summa cum laude) in 2000. He later earned his PhD in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in 2005.
His research on CAPTCHAs and human computation has earned him international recognition and numerous honors. He has also been named one of the 50 Best Brains in Science by Discover, and has made it to many recognition lists that include Popular Science’s Brilliant 10, Silicon.com’s 50 Most Influential People in Technology, and Fast Company’s 100 Most Innovative People in Business.
In 2018, von Ahn was awarded the Lemelson-MIT prize for his “dedication to improving the world through technology.”
Carlos Del Rio
Public Health Advocate and Professor of Medicine, Emory University
Mexico
Source: 2021 Great Immigrants Recipients (CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK)
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlos del Rio has appeared on hundreds of TV and radio shows and been quoted widely in the media. This has sometimes led to death threats, but del Rio thinks it is critical to speak about the virus and to promote public health.
“We have an obligation as physicians and epidemiologists, as public health experts, to really try to get information out there,” he said.
Before COVID-19, del Rio’s focus for decades was HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. A global health and infectious disease expert, he is Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, professor of global health and epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health, executive associate dean for Emory at Grady, and principal investigator and codirector of the Emory Center for AIDS Research. He has authored or coauthored chapters in 30 books and more than 350 scientific papers. Del Rio’s long list of honors includes the Ohtli Award, one of the highest honors given by the government of Mexico, where he was born to a family that originally came from Cuba.
In his family, just about every previous generation included physicians and pharmacists, he said. Del Rio became an American citizen in 2007 because he wanted to be able to vote. “My dad taught me about the importance of being involved in the political process and public service,” he said. “Like my dad, I love both Mexico and the United States and am deeply involved in both. I sincerely wish there was better understanding and cooperation across our countries.”
GISÈLE BEN-DOR
Conductor Emerita, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston
Uruguay
Source: 2021 Great Immigrants Recipients (CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK)
As a 3-year-old child in Uruguay, Gisèle Ben-Dor started asking her parents to let her use the family piano. By the time she was 12, she was leading a band she had organized with a group of friends in Montevideo.
Today, Ben-Dor is the conductor emerita of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, a post she was elected to by the musicians after serving as the group’s music director for a decade. Also, conductor laureate of the Santa Barbara Symphony, she has served as a guest conductor with major orchestras around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Born to Polish immigrants, Ben-Dor studied piano and taught herself how to play the guitar. After finishing high school in Uruguay, she moved to Israel and later the United States. Called “a ferocious talent” by the Los Angeles Times, she is renowned for her interpretations of the classics and as a tireless champion of Latin American music.
“Being a woman conductor may not be normal to the outside world, but it’s normal to me,” she once told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “I must say that since I came to the United States, I have been given every opportunity, and I hope I deserve it.”
GISELE BARRETO FETTERMAN
Founder, Free Store 15104, For Good PGH, and 412 Food Rescue
Brazil
Source: 2021 Great Immigrants Recipients (CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK)
When Gisele Barreto Fetterman got called for jury duty in 2016, she said it was a dream come true. Formerly an undocumented immigrant, Fetterman said the experience made her feel accepted in the United States.
“Our appreciation is much more profound because this is the country we chose,” she said about immigrants like her. “We knew what it took to get here, and my life has been dedicated to showing that I’m grateful to be here.”
Fetterman, her brother, and their mother left Rio de Janeiro when she was eight years old due to insecurity and violence in their community, landing in a one-room apartment in New York City. She took ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, and her family furnished their apartment with furniture that had been discarded on the street. When she saw trucks hauling away perfectly useful items on bulk garbage day, she was determined that there had to be a better system.
One of the nonprofit organizations she founded, Free Store 15104, distributes donated goods, helping those struggling with food and clothing insecurity while promoting the recycling and reuse of discarded materials. She also cofounded 412 Food Rescue, which seeks to end hunger and reduce food waste, and For Good PGH, which promotes diversity and inclusivity.
Fetterman is married to the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, but instead of moving into the state-owned mansion in Harrisburg, the couple lives in a remodeled car dealership in Pittsburgh. At the state residence in the capital, they opened the swimming pool to nonprofits and summer camps and started a program that teaches water safety.
“With a shift in perspective,” Fetterman said in a 2018 TED Talk, “we can all find value in the devalued, in that decommissioned shipping container, in last season’s wardrobes, in that perfectly good food that’s about to be wasted. But also in immigrants, just like myself, and in every single one of you.”
JORGE PULLEIRO
IDAHO TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND U.S. ARMY VETERAN (ARGENTINA)
Source: 2021 Great Immigrants Recipients (CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK)
Jorge Pulleiro’s widowed mother worked 12-hour days as a seamstress and maid in Argentina to ensure that he could get a quality education and learn English. He was bullied in school, but a third-grade teacher changed his life.
“This angelic teacher showed me so much love, and believed in me so much, that in third grade I decided I wanted to be like her,” Pulleiro said.
Indeed, Pulleiro became a teacher, crediting his mother and that “angelic” teacher for helping him find his life’s passion. This year, he was named Idaho State Teacher of the Year for his exemplary work as a Spanish teacher in the dual immersion program at Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho. According to colleagues, Pulleiro is distinguished not only by his students’ academic success, but also by his leadership, his compassion, and his commitment to supporting Latino and Spanish-speaking families throughout the district.
Pulleiro embraces immersion: to learn about food from different cultures, his students share homemade dishes, and to learn about a country’s music, they perform its national dance. He started an exchange program that allows eighth graders to trade places with students in Madrid for three weeks. Recently, Pulleiro accepted a new position as associate principal at Twin Falls High School in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Before teaching in Idaho, Pulleiro worked in Oregon, where he doubled his high school’s Spanish offerings and coordinated foreign exchange programs. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Army, earning recognition from the White House for participating in the Troops to Teachers program.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve this blessed country and to have worn the uniform of the United States Army for six years,” he said in a video honoring Veterans Day. “I love this country; I love the men and women in uniform.”
VINCENZO PISCOPO
PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION (VENEZUELA)
In 2010, Vincenzo “Enzo” Piscopo suffered a ruptured herniated disc that, following surgery at Emory University Hospital, left him paralyzed from the waist down. While undergoing rehabilitation at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, he met Father Thomas, a priest from Uganda. The two men had suffered similar injuries, but their treatment journeys were vastly different. Piscopo was flown to the hospital by helicopter; in Uganda, Father Thomas was brought to the hospital in the back of a pick-up truck. Piscopo received extensive treatment from medical specialists; Father Thomas was given the bare minimum of care, spending an entire year in his bed. Eventually a donor would help Father Thomas make it to the Shepherd Center.
Piscopo wanted to do something about such disparities of treatment, so he started Wheels of Happiness, a foundation that supports people with motor disabilities around the world, exemplifying Piscopo’s lifelong dedication to diversity and inclusion. In 2020, he was appointed president and CEO of the United Spinal Association, a nonprofit membership organization that works to improve the quality of life for Americans with spinal cord injuries and disorders. He also serves on the board of RespectAbility, a nonprofit that works to fight stigmas and advance opportunities so that people with disabilities can participate in all aspects of the community.
Previously, Piscopo worked at Coca-Cola for 25 years in various strategic roles. Born to Italian immigrants in Venezuela, he said his background has helped him see the power of diversity.
“Being a son of immigrants and becoming an immigrant myself in this country made me accept, appreciate, and value people that are different from me,” he said. “It also shaped my adaptability to different environments and the ability to create relationships with people of diverse backgrounds. Being an immigrant … made me discover the power of differences to make our world a better one.”
