Leadership
True to the mission of building multicultural, collaborative networks to advance equity for women and girls, the MANA Action Fund is led by multi-ethnic and multicultural women with personal and professional commitments to this endeavor.
Board of Directors
Jackie Puente
Board Chair
Allison L. Dembeck
Vice Chair
Veronica Padilla
Treasurer
Tami Watkins
Secretary
Jackie Puente is Executive Director for External Affairs at Comcast Corporation, the parent company of Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. In this role, Jackie is responsible for engagement with diverse stakeholders on issues related to brand and reputation, government affairs, community impact, and communications strategy across the technology and media sector. She serves as a translator between public, private, and nonprofit entities, and she has focused on strategies to empower vulnerable communities to leverage media, technology, as well as digital and financial literacy to achieve economic growth and opportunity.
Allison L. Dembeck is the vice president of education and labor advocacy in the Government Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focusing on education, labor, and workforce development issues. She previously served on the Senate Republican Policy
Committee under Sen. John Thune and Sen. John Barasso, as well as the House Committee on Education and the Workforce under former Speaker of the House John Boehner and Rep. John Kline. She also was manager of government relations for Ceridian Corporation, focusing on pension, health care, and payroll compliance.
Veronica Padilla is a Commissioner on the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission, appointed by Governor Laura Kelly. She is also a member of the editorial board for the Topeka Capital-Journal. A life-long advocate for the Hispanic community, she has served as Chair of the National Board of Directors for MANA, A National Latina Organization, Kansas State Treasurer of LULAC, and on the Boards of Directors for YWCA of Topeka, Midland Care, Meals on Wheels and Topeka High Historical Society. She also previously served as a chaplain for the National Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary.
Tami Watkins is a Government and External Affairs Manager for Pepco, part of Exelon’s Mid-Atlantic family of utilities. She is responsible for managing the company’s public policy agenda and relationships with elected officials and stakeholders in both Montgomery and Prince George’s County in Maryland. She also supports community outreach initiatives and regulatory proceedings. Prior to joining Pepco, she was a Federal Services Consultant for Deloitte Consulting where her clients included the National Transportation Safety Board, Department of Agriculture, and the Freight Rail Administration.
Staff
Amy L. Hinojosa
President
Amy Hinojosa is the President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization, the oldest and largest Latina membership organization in the United States, and its sister organization, MANA Action Fund. Since 1974, MANA has focused on strengthening Latinas and the community through mentoring, education, and advocacy. As a representative of MANA, Amy currently serves as Chair of the the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), HTTP - the National Latino Voice in Tech and Telecom Policy, and as Secretary of LIDERAMOS. Amy has been a Huffington Post, LATINO Magazine, and Medium Contributor and writes about issues impacting Latinas. She has been a featured speaker at SXSW, The Aspen Institute, on Comcast Newsmakers, and at conferences nationwide. Amy was named one of the 2022 Social Impact Women to Watch by NonprofitHR.