Board of Directors

Nuria Rivera

Nuria Rivera sits on the National Board of Directors and also serves as a chapter coach for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®). She is a millennial entrepreneur and launched a title and escrow company in 2015, Novation Title Insurance Agency, of which she is CEO. Although it is a newer company, Novation Title has received Utah’s “Best of State” award for four years in a row since in 2016, which was a very humbling experience for Ms. Rivera and her team. Ms. Rivera came to the United States when she was 11 years old and learned a new language and culture. She feels passionately about the community and giving back and has a non-profit organization called “Dreamers’ Foundation” that holds an annual fundraising event to give back to an already established charitable organization.

Ms. Rivera recently started an entrepreneur coaching company to follow one of her passions which is self-development and growth. She fulfills her purpose by teaching and helping others create the life they desire.

Ms. Rivera loves traveling, music, creative art, running, reading, and family. A focus for her is contributing to her community, so finding ways to give back in all that she does is of priority. She feels passionately about reaching goals and wants to help the community and people around her reach theirs. She feels that her purpose in life is to develop, inspire, empower and help change our world.

Gary Acosta

Gary Acosta is the Co-Founder & CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP®). NAHREP is the nation’s largest Hispanic business organization with over 40,000 members and 100 local chapters. In his capacity as CEO of NAHREP, he created the Hispanic Wealth Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a strategic plan to triple Hispanic household wealth by 2024. In 2018, Mr. Acosta co-founded L’ATTITUDE, a mega-event that celebrates the achievements of the Latino community in business, entertainment, and politics.

Mr. Acosta has also founded or co-founded several mortgage, real estate and technology companies including New Vista Asset Management, CounselorMax, and RealEstateEspanol.com. In 2013 he co-founded The Mortgage Collaborative, a cooperative of mortgage companies who work together to increase profitability and market share.

Mr. Acosta is a former appointee of the consumer advisory board (CAB) of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal agency responsible for regulating consumer protection in the financial services industry. He served as 2014 chairman of the CAB mortgage committee.

In 2012, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America awarded him with their prestigious “Investing in Communities” annual award. REALTOR® Magazine named him one of the 25 Most Influential People in real estate, and Hispanic Business Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America.

Mr. Acosta is a former member of the board of directors of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. He has also served on advisory boards for several Fortune 500 companies including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and JP Morgan Chase. Mr. Acosta grew up in Montebello, California and received his education from the University of California, at San Diego and Pomona College, where he played varsity basketball for future Hall of Fame Coach, Gregg Popovich. He writes a widely read blog on the economy, politics, sports and Latino culture. Mr Acosta lives with his family in San Diego, California.

Nora Aguirre

Nora Aguirre is an associate with Century 21 Americana. She has been in the real estate profession for 16 years, rapidly growing her business to become one of the top agents in the country.

As a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, she is passionate about educating buyers about real estate and helping them find their next forever home. She has a unique ability to connect with home buyers and bring comfort to the home buying process. Her customer base is unique for a REALTOR® with a large transactional volume. Her customers are traditional home buyers looking to make a purchase of a primary residence.

Ms. Aguirre has grown her business to more than 200 transactions per year resulting in an average of $1.5 million in gross commissions. In 2006, Ms. Aguirre joined Juan Martinez at RE/MAX Executives shortly after launching her career. Nora led the buyer’s team for seven years and then ventured out to create her own business and has had amazing success. She has become an inspiration to others and an incredible leader.

In early 2019, after six years of operating on her own, she and Juan Martinez collaborated to create a dynamic partnership at Century 21 Americana. Here, she lends her influence and passion for mentoring real estate professionals to build capacity and provide exceptional service.

Nationally recognized, Ms. Aguirre has earned a number of honors: Top 25 Most Influential Women in Real Estate four years in a row, third Top Millennial Team, Top 25 Latino Team, and winner of the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents three years in a row. In 2018, she was recognized as #1 Female Agent in Nevada.

Ms. Aguirre is passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise of real estate. For the past five years, she has hosted “Real Estate with Nora,” a 30-minute radio program on La Verdad Radio 95.9 FM Las Vegas which airs daily during the week covering topics that demystify the real estate market.

A member of NAHREP® since 2008, Ms. Aguirre founded the Greater Las Vegas Chapter in 2017 and served as its founding president. She also serves as a coach and mentor to new professionals in the field.

Ms. Aguirre served in the Nevada Army National Guard for six years where she was a drill instructor for at-risk youth in Southern Nevada. She frequently volunteers her time for veteran’s groups and other causes close to her heart. She lives with her family in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Luis Padilla

Luis C. Padilla is the the Co-Owner of RE/MAX Oceanside Realty along with his wife Debbie. He emigrated from Cuba to Miami, Florida in 1973 and has been a part of the real estate industry for 33 years. His financial background began at St. Thomas University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance, and a minor in business. He has worked in various sectors of real estate, including commercial and residential lending, REO listing agent, numerous real estate businesses and traditional real estate sales. He is currently focused and dedicated to helping first-time home buyers, which is why his sales manager and him make it a point to educate their agents on how they can better assist clients trying to obtain the American dream.

This passion has moved Mr. Padilla to be involved with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® since 2008. He has had the privilege to serve the organization as a member of the National Board of Directors and coached NAHREP® chapters throughout the United States. To expand NAHREP’s Hispanic Wealth Project principles, Mr. Padilla became a NAHREP 10 Certified Trainer and sits on the approval committee. In 2015, he was the President of the NAHREP South Florida chapter, and under his leadership, the chapter won the national Chapter of the Year Award. The Atlanta chapter also won Chapter of the Year under his mentorship as a coach. Aside from his role with NAHREP, he has also been a Tom Ferry Business Coach for the last three years.

For his production as an agent, Mr. Padilla has received accolades such as the 100% Club, #21 income producer for the region, and 2019 RE/MAX’s Chairman’s Club Award. He has consistently been ranked in the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents for the last 6 years.

Sara Rodriguez

Sara Rodriguez is the CEO/Owner of Titan Title and a partner at Mendez Rodriguez, PLC. Her practice specializes on all matters related to residential and commercial real estate transactions. She served as 2016 President of NAHREP Northern Virginia and has served on the chapter’s board of directors since 2013 in various leadership roles. Additionally, she serves as a national chapter coach.

Since 2005, Mrs. Rodriguez has taught DPOR approved courses through various state-licensed schools in both English and Spanish. She also teaches Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for the National Business Institute in Virginia. Mrs. Rodriguez has appeared as a speaker at multiple events and conventions speaking on a multitude of real estate issues including contract, short sales and foreclosures. She was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 2003 and has practiced immigration law, family law and real estate law.

Oralia Herrera

Oralia Herrera is Broker/Owner of Century 21 TK Realty Inc. She came to this country as a child from La Purisima Durango Mexico with her parents and five siblings. Her family established in Franklin Park where she attended school and has raised three children together with her husband.

On her 21st birthday, Ms. Herrera became a real estate agent and made it her profession and passion. With over 25 years of experience in real estate, she has made a mark in her community with professionalism, integrity and care. Ms. Herrera has made lifelong relationships with her clients and friends, helping them every step of the way into homeownership and real estate investments. Her passion is clear and her energy heartfelt.

Her many real estate achievements include:

• Century 21 Centurion producer Award 1996-2006
• Masters Diamond Award Century 21 1999
• Hall of Fame Award Century 21 2004
• Double Centurion Award 2005
• SFR Designation 2007
• TRC Designation 2008
• CIPS Designation 2009
• Chicago Magazine Top Agent Award 2011, 2012, 2013

Rob Chevez

Rob Chevez is the CEO of the CAZA Group, a real estate team that consistently sells over 100,000,000 in volume and one of the top real estate teams within the Keller Williams Franchise. In 2019, Mr. Chevez was interviewed by Gary Keller in front of 10,000 of his peers on his “ZONE Methodology ” where he discussed how he has grown and expanded his business. Mr. Chevez is also the Founder of the GRID Investor Network, the largest real estate investment network in the DC Metro area with 12 local chapters and 13,000 members.

Gerardo “Jerry” Ascencio

Gerardo “Jerry” Ascencio is the former chairman of the NAHREP Foundation, dba Hispanic Wealth Project, and broker-owner of San Fernando Realty. A 30-year veteran of real estate, he is also the 2012 President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®). NAHREP is the largest minority real estate trade association in America with over 40,000 members and 100 local chapters nationwide.

A sought-out public speaker, motivator and trainer, Mr. Ascencio is widely recognized as one of the most charismatic speakers in the real estate industry today. A native of Michoacán, Mexico, Mr. Ascencio’s own immigrant experience has made him an impassioned advocate for homeownership and economic empowerment for all Americans. Between 2012 and 2014, he anchored 100 episodes of ESN, NAHREP’s highly successful YouTube talk show. In 2014, he starred in 53 Million and One®, a one-of-a-kind theatrical presentation that chronicles his extraordinary life story. The show premiered at the NAHREP National Convention and Latin Music Festival in Los Angeles, California and was the featured performance of the 2015 Nuevo Latino Tour across the United States.

Mr. Ascencio also owns Mission Real Estate and San Fernando Realty Escrow Division, and served multiple terms as a national board member of the National Community Stabilization Trust NCST. He is the founding president of the NAHREP San Fernando-Santa Clarita chapter and has also held local leadership roles with the Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®.

Edwin Acevedo

Edwin Acevedo began his real estate career in 2008. After 6 years of real estate sales, he began a new venture called Lotus Group Real Estate with several partners, which became the fastest-growing real estate brokerage in the city of Downey for 2016. Entering 2022, Lotus Group Real Estate is affiliated with Century 21 and is now called Century 21 LOTUS, solely owned by Edwin and his wife Claudia Acevedo. It now consists of over 60 agents that span over two different locations, Downey and Ventura. He prides himself as an entrepreneur and his focus is on strategic business building.

Atila (AT) Almeida

AT Almeida is a top producer REALTOR® in Dallas/Fort Worth. He is Past President for NAHREP Dallas. AT is passionate and focused on advancing sustainable Hispanic homeownership for Latinos in Texas. AT Almeida was born and raised in Brazil and migrated to the U. S. in 2006 as an undocumented immigrant aspiring for the American Dream. As a newcomer to the U. S. with no English experience he relentlessly worked as a dishwasher, pizza delivery, and a professional bullrider to eventually become a top producing REALTOR in the first three years of his real estate career.

Francisco Fernández

Francisco “Paco” Fernández is the broker owner of Best Properties Realty Group. He is a REALTOR® with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and over 8 years of experience in the real estate industry in Puerto Rico. As the President of the Caguas Board of REALTORS in 2016, Francisco led his team to achieve Board of the Year. He served as the 2020 President of NAHREP Puerto Rico, demonstrating his dedication and commitment to this profession. He has since ranked in the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agents.

Jona Gamboa

Jona Gamboa is a Team Lead and REALTOR®️ with the Gamboa Real Estate Group serving homebuyers and sellers as they navigate the real estate market. As a 16-year veteran of the housing industry, Jona is passionate about serving his clients transactional needs, as well as empowering them through educational mentorship programs, radio talk shows and classroom instruction. As a real estate investor and developer, Jona brings a wealth of knowledge to his clients and colleagues that go far beyond the residential transaction, including market analysis, investment vehicles, and personal finance.

Imelda Manzo

Imelda Manzo is the Broker Owner of Premier One REALTORS® and has been an active and successful real estate practitioner since 2004. She is a very passionate member of The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®). Ms. Manzo is a founding director of the NAHREP Temecula Valley Chapter where she had the honor to serve as President in 2019 and currently serves as the Emeritus Director. Ms. Manzo is a proud ambassador for NAHREP’s Hispanic Wealth Project and is a regional director for NAHREP’ s National Advocacy Committee.

Mauricio Perez

With over 23 years of experience in the San Diego real estate market, Mauricio Perez leads an office of over 100 agents in Chula Vista and has prior experience managing over 330 REALTORS® as broker of record. His team, M Realty Group, has ranked nationally as one of NAHREP’s Top 250 Latino Teams for three consecutive years and was recently recognized as Broker of the Year for both of the local REALTOR® Associations in San Diego County.

Adriana Perezchica

Adriana Perezchica has been working in real estate since 2005, and brings with her a proven sales and closing track record. Clients and real estate professionals alike seek out Ms. Perez because of her commitment to excellence and knowledge of the real estate industry. Her depth of understanding around market trends and impressive negotiation skills quickly propelled her to her status as one of the top producing brokers in the greater Seattle area. Adriana sees every transaction as an opportunity to create a new future for her clients, while protecting their interests above all.

Pedro Rivera

Bio coming soon.

Diana Sifuentes

Diana Sifuentes is co-owner of Berkshire Hathaway HSA Action office located in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. Born in a small town in Tamaulipas, Sifuentes has flourished without formal marketing education, simply relying on referrals from friends, family, and previous customers. Her inspiring customer service has contributed to her success resulting in recognition as one of the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents in the USA. Sifuentes served as Chapter President of NAHREP Texas Plano/Garland from 2019 to 2020 and currently serves as the Regional Co-chair for the NAHREP Mountain Region.

Josué Soto

Josué Soto is the CEO of Soto Legacy Group / Powered by EXP Realty. He is a REALTOR with over 14 years of experience in the Central Florida market. Mr. Soto has been a member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) for many years. Mr. Soto believes in NAHREP and its mission and as a result, he became involved in leadership in 2015. In 2017 he became President of NAHREP Central Florida, leading the chapter to achieve NAHREP’s Chapter of the Year. After his term as President, he became a National Coach and is now a National Director. As a result of this opportunity, Mr. Soto has had great success: He doubled his income, has sold over 100 million in his career and is in the top 1% of the Central Florida market due to the education he has received and the important connections and relationships and mentors established through NAHREP. This has elevated him and put him front and center with high-ranking executives and top producers. He has grown personally and professionally. In gratitude of all he has experienced, Mr. Soto shares advice with others and takes pride in helping them grow their businesses.

Neily Soto

Neily Soto joined the real estate industry 17 years ago to help the Hispanic community achieve their dream of homeownership. It was shortly after September 11 when she was laid off from managing a hydro electric plant in Methuen, MA that she decided she wanted to connect more with her community.

Ms. Soto focused on making connections with local officials and helped develop the down payment assistance programs currently in use to help low- to moderate-income families buy their first home. She still teaches first-time home buyer classes locally and is known as the go-to person in this niche. After the markets took a downturn in 2007, Ms. Soto innovated her services and started local focus groups to discuss how to keep families in their homes. Over 400 short sales and modifications later (and a SFR designation), the market began to change and she shifted her focus to helping investors build portfolios.

Ms. Soto was the Founding Chapter President for NAHREP Boston. “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to work with such a quality organization but most of all such quality and professional Latinos,” she says.

Currently Ms. Soto sits on the board for the largest CAP agencies in Massachusetts, one of the ways she keeps in touch with what is happening in her local community and where she can serve as a voice for their needs. As a board member to her local association, and committee member for the National Association of REALTORS®, she stays up-to-date with industry changes. The NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents and Century 21 Centurion award are some of the recognitions she has been awarded.

Joe Castillo

Joe Castillo is a second generation REALTOR® following in the footsteps of Maria and Jose Castillo, co-founders of Mi Casa Real Estate, Inc. He grew up in the business that he now loves, talking real estate at the kitchen table and spending many summers at the office helping out. Mr. Castillo obtained his real estate license at the age of 21 while continuing his studies, graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Olivia Chavez

Bio coming soon.

Armando Falcon

Armando Falcon is CEO of Falcon Capital Advisors LLC, a management consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Falcon Capital Advisors provides strategic advice and technical assistance to financial services companies, mortgage industry participants, technology providers and government agencies on matters involving process reengineering, project management, regulatory compliance, and data analytics. Falcon Capital Advisors is known to be on the cutting edge of market developments, including the digital transformation of the mortgage market.

He previously served as the Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) from 1999 – 2005. As the presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed director of the agency, he served as the chief regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and played a key role in overseeing the U.S. secondary mortgage market and the stability of the U.S. housing finance system.

Before his appointment as the Director of OFHEO, Mr. Falcon served as the General Counsel for the Committee on Banking and Financial Services of the U.S. House of Representatives. Over that eight year period, he was responsible for advising the Committee on financial regulatory issues and he played a key role in drafting major legislation.

Mr. Falcon currently serves on several corporate and government boards. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary’s University, a Master’s degree in Public Policy degree from Harvard University, and a law degree from the University of Texas.

Juan Martinez

Juan Martinez is the Broker/Owner of Century 21 Americana. A leading figure within the real estate industry, Mr. Martinez has been pushing the boundaries of production over the course of his 13 year career. He concluded his successful sales career with over 4,000 closed transactions (with 584 closed transactions in his last year of production), resulting in $16 million in commissions. Since then, Mr. Martinez has laser-focused his efforts towards building an innovative company devoted entirely to training and coaching real estate agents.

For the first 10 years of his 13 year career, he functioned as an award winning real estate agent. The Wall Street Journal’s Top Trends Report named him the “#1 Hispanic Agent” and “#13 Team” in the nation. In 2011, Mr. Martinez was named number one producing Latino real estate agent in the country per the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents list. During his time operating within the RE/MAX brand, he was a seven time winner of the Chairman’s Circle Award, three time Diamond Award winner, as well as the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award and a Hall of Fame Award. He also led his team to be named one of the Top 100 Teams in the World, a recognition they’ve received multiple times.

In 2009, Mr. Martinez served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®) Nevada chapter. He also served on their National Board before going on to hold the position of NAHREP National President for 2013 and 2014. Since the onset of his involvement with the NAHREP organization, he has collaborated with many leaders in the Housing industry, including Shaun Donovan, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, former President Bill Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and FHA Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing, Carol Galante. He has also lent his extensive industry insight to leading media outlets such as CNN and CNN Español.

Recently, Mr. Martinez has turned his focus towards the formation of a comprehensive back-end system based on five pillars for powerhouse production. With the assistance of internationally recognized real estate coach, Mike Ferry, of the Mike Ferry Organization, from whom Mr. Martinez has been coached by for the entirety of his career, he was able to form his own thorough style of coaching and mentoring.

Joseph Nery

Joseph Nery is one of the members of Nery & Richardson LLC and his practice is focused in four areas: real estate, corporate and business law, estate planning and commercial and civil litigation. Mr. Nery represents individuals and companies in litigation matters such as foreclosure prosecution, consumer protection, breach of contract and landlord/tenant disputes. Prior to establishing his own law practice, Mr. Nery was a transactional attorney with two of Chicago’s most prominent law firms.

Mr. Nery served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® in 2016 and was the NAHREP Chicago Chapter President from 2009 – 2011. Mr. Nery has also served as a board member of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association since 2008. He is an active member of the American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association and Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. Mr. Nery’s charitable affiliations include serving as a board member of the March of Dimes/Comcast Sports Awards Dinner and the Rauner YMCA. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as business formation and development, establishment of estate plans, short sales, foreclosure prevention, predatory lending, collections enforcement and the purchase and sale of a home. He is regularly featured on legal and business segments with Univision and Telemundo Chicago in radio and television.

Mr. Nery obtained his law degree with distinction from the Hofstra University School of Law in Long Island, New York where he was a recipient of the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship. He received a bachelor of arts in political science with honors from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.