Eva Longoria

In 2011, Eva was appointed by President Obama to the commission on the National Museum of the American Latino, which will house historical artifacts, images, and personal stories documenting more than 500 years of Latino contributions to the U.S. She has received numerous awards for her philanthropy from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the National Hispania Leadership Institute, The National Civil Rights Museum, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and the Mayor of Los Angeles, among others. Eva serves as a national cochair for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Eva is an active philanthropist. She founded the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012 to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship. In her own words, “The growing Latina population is an untapped resource in this country. If we give Latinas the tools to unlock their potential, we will see amazing results.” She also cofounded Eva’s Heroes, a San Antonio nonprofit that benefits children with intellectual special needs, and serves as a spokesperson for Padres Contra el Cancer, an organization supporting Latino families who have children with cancer. Additionally, Eva sits on the boards of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. She has supported United Farm Workers and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, among other organizations.

Eva Longoria is an actress best known for her role as Gabriel Solis on the hit show "Desperate Housewives."  Her film credits include The Truth, Long Time Gone, The Sentinel, and Over Her Dead Body, among others. In addition to acting, Eva has produced the National Council of La Raza’s ALMA awards; Harvest, a documentary about the plight of child farm workers in the US, and Latinos Living the American Dream, a film documenting the contributions of Latinos in America. Eva is also co-owner of Latin Steakhouses Beso Hollywood and Beso Las Vegas, and she recently released her New York Times best-selling cookbook, Eva’s Kitchen, in 2011. In addition to her career, Eva is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Chicano Studies at California State University – Northridge.

Click here to view Eva's philanthropic awards.

Christiane Perkins-Garcia

In 2006, after noticing a lack of programming available for special needs children, Christiane cofounded Eva's Heroes with actress Eva Longoria. Today, Christiane and the staff of Eva's Heroes strive to provide a fun and enriching environment for individuals to interact, grow, learn, and love.

Christiane began her career as a special education teacher in San Antonio's Northside Independent School District, where she taught for more than 11 years. She has always believed that every individual deserves the same opportunities in life. Her desire to provide growth and opportunity for others has been a common thread throughout Christiane's educational and professional careers.

Christiane graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1994. She earned her Master's of Education in Special Education from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) in 1998. She and her husband, Rene, reside in San Antonio and have two beautiful children, Tiannah and Gavino.

Peter Cavazos

Peter Cavazos serves as the area director/senior vice president for Citibank in San Antonio and is responsible for the branch network in Austin and San Antonio. Presently, there are nine Financial Centers that are in full operation in San Antonio and eight in Austin/Lampasas.

Peter has been working for Citibank for over 11 years and started his tenure at the Citibank Service Center in the west part of Bexar County, where he served in various sales and service capacities. In 1998, Peter was in charge of the Direct Banking Unit for Citibank North America, where he oversaw the remote account opening operations for the retail branch system. By 2000 serving as National TeleBusiness Outbound Sales director, Peter Cavazos was overseeing numerous remote-banking areas for Citibank including outbound sales and service support and remote account opening for business banking customers.

In addition to his banking experience, Peter has served on the Revenue Committee for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica Campaign in 2006 and has supported the United Way of San Antonio while working at Citibank since 2000. Peter has been instrumental in the support Citibank has had for the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure in San Antonio over the past few years. Further, he is a graduate of Leadership San Antonio Class 31 (2005–2006). Peter also serves as president elect for Community Development Loan Fund (nonprofit supporter of small business development in San Antonio) and Eva's Heroes (nonprofit organization headed up by Eva Longoria supporting individuals with special needs). In 2008, Peter was selected as a member of the San Antonio Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 for his leadership in the business and banking community.

Peter has his Group 1 Life and Health license and brokerage licenses, including his Series 7, 63 and 24. Peter earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of the Incarnate Word in 1995. Peter is married to Diana who he met while both attended the university and was married at the Incarnate Word Motherhouse Chapel in 1994. Peter and Diana have three children.

David Damian Figueroa

David Damian worked for nearly a decade in the Latin music industry for clients such as Boyz II Men, Jose Jose, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Arista Latin, MCA Polygram, BMI Latin, and Motown Latino.

He later joined the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). There he worked as director of Public Relations & Creative Marketing under the leadership of its president and general counsel, Antonia Hernandez. While at MALDEF, he publicized many of its landmark lawsuits. In 2009, David Damian was invited by Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF's new president and general counsel, to return to the organization.

David Damian is the former associate state director of the Los Angeles County Region for AARP California, where he oversaw the implementation of social campaigns, community alliances, volunteer management, membership development, and member value. He has a wealth of experience in working with diverse segments of the population. David Damian helped launch AARP's Segunda Juventud bilingual magazine as special editor, securing several celebrity covers.

In 2008, David Damian was appointed by Los Angeles' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to serve as commissioner of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. He has served as chair of the Communications Committee for the Office of the Mayor's Complete Count - Census 2010 campaign for the city of Los Angeles.

David Damian serves as philanthropic advisor to several influential individuals and specializes in connecting celebrities to nonprofit organizations, like Familia Unida Living with MS, AltaMed Health Servies, The Dolores Huerta Foundation, Farmworker Justice, The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, and United Farm Workers of America. He is a former board member of Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero, Familia Unida Living with M.S., and The Getty House Foundation; he is an advisory board member for the PBS flagship television station KCET; and currently serves as an advisor for Shine Global.

The Chicano Studies Research Center Library and Archive of UCLA maintains the David Damian Figueroa Collection. These materials document his career as a performer and an entertainment publicist, as well as his work in civil rights and public policy with MALDEF, the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, and the AARP. The collection, which includes photographs, correspondence, ephemera, books, serials, and audio and visual materials, serves as a resource for researchers interested in Chicano popular culture and Chicano participation in civic service and civil rights organizing.

David Damian has been lauded by many elected officials and is the recipient of Family Unida's Living with M.S. Founder's Award, 2008 President's Volunteer Service Award, and the Pasadena Playhouse District Association's Culture, Commerce, and Community Award.

David Damian, an avid collector of Chicano Art, resides in Pasadena, California, and is active in the community and on a national scope.

Gisela Girard

Gisela Girard is the president/COO of Creative Civilization, a full-service advertising and public relations agency, which she and her partner Al Aguilar cofounded in 1999.

Girard brings over 20 years of marketing and research experience. As one of the nation's top advertising leaders and experts in advertising and marketing, she leads the development, implementation, and management of marketing campaigns for local, regional, and national clients, including ING, the American Cancer Society, Tribune Corporation, Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Texas, Texas Department of Transportation, the Hearst Corporation San Antonio Express-News, VIA Metropolitan Transit, University Hospital System, among others.

Under Girard's stewardship, Creative Civilization has been honored with extensive public relations awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Texas Public Relations Association (TPRA), and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Girard led the marketing and public relations team in award-winning public relations work for Kaiser Family Foundation, ING Presents Juntos en Concierto with Marc Anthony, and Eva's Heroes, as well as the San Antonio Opera. Gisela led the agency team in the marketing and public relations efforts for special performances by Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli.

Girard was recently named as one of the "101 Most Influential Leaders in Hispanic U.S.A." by Latino Leaders magazine and has been profiled in The Women's Issue of Latino Leaders magazine, the San Antonio Business Journal, and Hispanic Business.

Recognized with the Women's Leadership Award for Business Growth by Crain's San Antonio Business Journal, Girard is a testament to her commitment to growing not only her business, but her clients business as well.

Girard currently serves as the 2009–2010 chair of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), a national organization of firms that specialize in marketing to the nation's more than 46 million Hispanic consumers. Girard also serves on the board of directors as vice president of Marketing for the San Antonio Opera, as chair of Communications for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and on the board of ACTS Missions.

Prior to founding Creative Civilization, Girard was a demographer and real estate research analyst for FDIC, FSLIC, and RTC, and established a company to market unique real estate holdings in Arizona, Florida, Texas, Mexico, and Argentina. She also provided advisory services to property owners and investors.

She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a graduate of St. Mary's University. She attended the Urban Land Institute's Real Estate Development School at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and obtained a Master's in Urban Studies from Trinity University.

Lori Skinner

As a mother of twin boys that are intellectually disabled, Lori has been very active in the special needs community for the past 22 years. She has volunteered at numerous special needs events and has spent hundreds of hours assisting in the special needs classroom environment.

Lori has worked as a surrogate and foster parent for NISD for two years, representing several foster children with special needs at school meetings and other mental evaluations. She also served two years on the NISD Special Education Parent Advisory Committee and has volunteered as an assistant coach for the Special Olympics Area 20/Best Friends Team.

Lori has a background in interior design and is currently focusing on her wedding invitation business.

Lori is married to her husband of 14 years, Brian, and has three children; Matt, Mark, and Ciara. They reside in San Antonio.