NEW YORK, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is proud to recognize anchor, producer and journalist Maria Hinojosa and iHeart President and Chief Creative Officer Enrique Santos as its recipients for 2021 ¡Bravo! Journalist of the Year and President's Award, respectively. Other industry leaders who will be recognized at this year's gala include Pioneer of the Year recipient and Royal Caribbean Group Global Chief Communications Officer Rosanna M. Fiske and Diversity & Inclusion Award recipient and Verizon Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Magda Yrizarry. The annual ¡Bravo! Awards Dinner will be held in New York City at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on September 15, 2021.

2021 HPRA Bravo Award Honorees

"HPRA is proud to honor and celebrate these esteemed individuals who have shown an unwavering commitment to elevating Hispanic voices by raising awareness around issues that affect communities and championing causes that provide upward mobility to Hispanics in the industry and throughout the United States," said Sonia Diaz, national HPRA president and senior vice president at Miami-based Balsera Communications. "Maria, Enrique, Rosanna, and Magda are using their seat at the table to empower their communities while setting an example for the next generation of communication professionals at a time when inspirational Hispanic leaders are most critical to our success."

Now in its eighth year, the 2021 National ¡Bravo! Awards celebrate the best corporate, agency, and non-profit PR and marketing teams, and the breakthrough work they produced. Honorees for the 2021 National ¡Bravo! Awards were chosen collectively by HPRA executive leadership and its board of directors. This year's event is made possible in part by the generous contribution of Aflac.

Journalist of the Year: Maria Hinojosa
As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. To that end, in 2010, she created Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content for and about the new American mainstream in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world. Hinojosa's nearly 30-year career as an award-winning journalist includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN and NPR.  As a reporter for NPR, Hinojosa was among the first to report on youth violence in urban communities on a national scale. During her eight years as CNN's urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television. At Futuro Media, Hinojosa continues to bring attention to experiences and points of view that are often overlooked or underreported in mainstream media, all while mentoring the next generation of diverse journalists to delve into authentic and nuanced stories.

President's Award: Enrique Santos
Enrique Santos is Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of iHeart Latino. He heads iHeart Media's Latin direction and strategy. His daily signature morning show is syndicated nationally via Premiere Networks and airs live from iHeart's Miami station TÚ 94.9. His bilingual broadcasts are a crossover hit combining humor, social satire, and political commentary to bridge the cultural and generational divide of a diverse cosmopolitan audience. Enrique's extravagant radio persona has made him one of the most popular Hispanic radio hosts in America and earned him unprecedented access to some of the biggest names in pop culture. No matter how busy his schedule, Santos has never lost his community ties and continues volunteering as a Reserve Police officer for The City of Miami Police Department. 

Pioneer of the Year: Rosanna M. Fiske
Fiske is a nationally recognized executive with more than 30 years of experience developing comprehensive marketing communications, brand positioning, advertising, and public relations strategies.  She is currently the Global Chief Communications Officer at Royal Caribbean Group. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Wells Fargo & Co. in the Southeast U.S., leading all internal and external communications for six states, more than 1,100 branches and offices and 30,000+ team members. Throughout her career, Fiske has developed a proven track record of driving successful, multi-channel efforts with leading brands such as American Airlines, GE, Charles Schwab, Google, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Absolut Vodka, Visa USA and MTV Networks. Recently honored by ColorComm with its 2019 Circle Award, Fiske has led a number of award-winning teams and is nationally recognized as an expert in integrated marketing communications and diversity communications. 

Diversity & Inclusion Award: Magda Yrizarry
Yrizarry has been a force for change at Verizon for more than three decades. As SVP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, she develops strategies and programs that infuse greater equity in Verizon's processes, behaviors and operations to ensure that all employees have equal access and opportunity to advance and thrive in their careers. To cultivate a more diverse workforce, Yrizarry partners internally and externally to expand mentorship and development opportunities for women, people of color, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and neurodiversity and veterans. In addition to the focus on employees, one of Verizon's four stakeholders, Magda also drives Verizon's shared responsibility DEI strategy to benefit all Verizon stakeholders including our customers, society and shareholders.  Her leadership has earned her accolades such as one of the 50 Most Powerful Latinas in America twice, and the President's Award from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

For more information about the awards program, visit: https://hprausa.org/bravo/.

For information about HPRA National ¡Bravo! Awards sponsorship opportunities, please contact the HPRA National Office at info@hprausa.org.

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