BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Julio Ricardo Varela
Julio (Julito) Ricardo Varela is an award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur.
He is currently the Senior Producer and Strategist for Free Press, a D.C.-based nonprofit media and journalism advocacy group founded in 2003. He is also an MS NOW Columnist on a freelance basis and the founder of The Latino Newsletter on a part-time basis.
Julio is the 2025 ¡BRAVO! Awards Journalist of the Year from the Hispanic Public Relations Association, joining past honorees among the most influential figures in American media. He is recognized as a pioneer of independent, Latino-led media, a leading voice on Latino issues, and a builder of a durable digital space for journalism and community over the past two decades.
Also in 2025, We Are ALX — a nonpartisan, collaborative Massachusetts nonprofit dedicated to advancing Latino American prosperity and leadership — named Julio to its ALX100 list, featured in The Boston Globe Magazine, recognizing 100 leading Latino American changemakers across the Commonwealth.
For Julio’s full bio, visit JulioRVarela.com.
Antonio Caban
Antonio Caban is Associate Vice President at 90 West, a strategic communications firm based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Before 90 West, Antonio served as Deputy Communications Director to the Massachusetts state Senate President and assisted in communications strategy on legislation directly impacting the Latino community, including education, climate change, and mental health.
He is an Emmy award-winning producer and veteran of public media, television, and print journalism, where he covered local and national politics and policy.
Dr. William Lopez
Dr. William Lopez is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Faculty Associate in the Latina/o Studies Program. He is the author of Raiding the Heartland: An American Story of Deportation and Resistance, a follow-up to his award-winning first book, Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid. In addition to his academic research on the public health impacts of deportation, Dr. Lopez regularly contributes to the public discussions on deportation, diversity, and Latino culture in venues such as the Washington Post, CNN, San Antonio Express News, Detroit Free Press, and Truthout. He is on the Boards of Health in Partnership and The Latino Newsletter.