Honoring three dynamic leaders making a real impact in our communities:
Nick Lugo is a well-known community and business leader within the NYC Hispanic market. His career spans over five decades and he is credited with pioneering numerous other Hispanics within New York City.
A native New Yorker, Nick Lugo is a graduate of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico in San German where he majored in Business Administration with a minor in Political Science. He entered the travel and publishing businesses at a young age as an apprentice to his father, the founder of Cophresi Travel Agencies and Temas Magazine, where Nick served as Associate Publisher.
In 1976 Nick Lugo founded La Voz Hispana newspaper which filled an information void for NY Puerto Ricans and other new Hispanic immigrants. This weekly newspaper today still keeps the community informed about both local and national news, entertainment, health and much more.
In 1982 Nick continued a long family tradition pioneered by his father Nick Lugo Sr. with his travel agency Cophresi Travel by opening Nick Lugo Travel which rose during the 1990s to over 45 locations throughout the NY metropolitan area.
Lugo created Expoferia in 1984 and it was held at the NYS Armory on 67th Street and Park Avenue which brought both entertainment and consumer products to the Hispanic community at a very affordable price for over 16 years.
In 1985 he again saw a need in El Barrio for a cultural celebration and working with Abrazo Fraternal and his marketing company Hispanic Marketing & Advertising Group developed a National Renowned event called the 116th Street Festival which today spans 21 blocks in the heart of Spanish Harlem with three entertainment stages, hundreds of vendors and corporate attractions and an attendance approaching one million Hispanics.
In addition to his above accomplishments Nick held several prestigious board positions. He was the President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce after the Bronx had gone without a chamber for twelve years and through his hard work brought the New Bronx Chamber of Commerce into a profitable and effective chamber that is helping to build back the Bronx. He went on in April 2006 to form the first NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce which in one year became the premier Hispanic Chamber of New York City.
His past board and committee positions include: Westchester Square Medical Hospital, National Economic Development Association, Governor’s Committee on the Transportation Bond Issue, Puerto Rican Dance Theatre, South Bronx Puerto Rican Development Corp., New York City Partnership, Puerto Rican Hispanic Law Enforcement.
His past public service career positions include: National Executive Director of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Migration Division-Department of Labor overseeing 11 agencies across the U.S. and Commissioner of NYS Parks and Recreation.
His current positions include: President & CEO at the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of BronxNet and Publisher & Editor in Chief of La Voz Hispana de Nueva York Newspaper.
Lisa Sorin serves as the president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and is the first female president of the organization. She also holds the distinction of being the first woman to become a Board Chairperson of the Chamber and was an active member of the Executive Board until her appointment as President.
Outside of her work at the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Lisa serves on the Board of Directors for various organizations including, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Chamber Alliance of NY State, New York State Choice Savings Program, and the Bronx Council of the Arts. Additionally, Lisa serves on two commissions for New York City: the New York City Districting Commission and the Small Business Advisory Commission, where she co-chairs the Licensing, Fees, and Fines subcommittee. Finally, Lisa is a participating member of the COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force.
Lisa, who holds a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Concordia College has not only reached new heights in her organization, but has also paved the way for other young women to challenge themselves to achieve greatness academically and professionally. The Bronx Chamber of Commerce Scholarship program that she founded awards scholarships to female high school students in the Bronx during Women’s History Month. Prior to her appointment to the Bronx Chamber, Lisa served as Executive Director of Westchester Square Business Improvement District for 6 years. As the BID Director, she was responsible for economic and community development, program planning, fundraising, and fiscal management of the district.
She was dedicated to bringing a better retail mix to Westchester Square and educating the merchants about the importance of marketing and navigating city services. She succeeded in establishing art installations, building a BID website, eliminating graffiti, and developing family events which reached thousands of residents and visitors in the area. Lisa also founded LAS Consulting Services, Inc., which provided marketing, public relations and event planning services for non-profits and corporate entities for over 15 years.
She has passionately contributed to making a difference in the borough of the Bronx by investing her time, energy, and expertise in raising funds and promoting youth programming and education. For the past 20 years, she has held various positions on Community Board 2, Bronx YMCA, Red Cross, Casita Maria Center for the Arts and Education, VISIONS, and the Bronx Children’s Museum.
For all her achievements, Lisa has received numerous accolades, including community service awards from the Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and NYC Parks and Recreation department. She has also been presented with numerous citations from the Office of the Bronx Borough President and several other elected officials. She has eagerly devoted many years of her life to improving the culture, community, and infrastructure of the Bronx and aims to have an even larger impact in the coming years.
Her efforts and hard work have been acknowledged by the CORO Neighborhood Leadership Program, and she was named among the 25 Most Influential Women of the Bronx by the Bronx Times Reporter.
Lisa has two daughters and she strives every day to lead them by example with her integrity, empathy, and hard work. She believes that when the time comes, her daughters will be able to take over the mantle and continue to make a positive difference in the borough and society at large.
Amanda Septimo represents Assembly District 84, the South Bronx, in the New York State Assembly. Amanda grew up in Hunts Point, and started her work as a community activist at an early age with The Point CDC. She interned with then-Congressman Jose Serrano, and later returned to become his District Director, where she spent years connecting South Bronx residents to their elected officials in Washington, DC. She went on to work with the New York State Nurses Association and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators to help uplift and fight for labor rights. Amanda saw a need for a leader who would fight for the rights and wellbeing of her own South Bronx neighbors, and won the opportunity to represent the South Bronx in the State Assembly in 2020. Some of Assembly Member Septimo’s recent achievements include spearheading an effort to support a historic $30 million dollar investment in New York’s Latino community, successfully pushing for inclusion of the Puerto Rican flag at the 9/11 Museum & Memorial, and securing $130 million dollars for the redevelopment of the Hunts Point Produce Market as well as a $10 million dollar pilot project for redevelopment in the Hunts Point Meat Market. With integrity and her identity as a South Bronx native, Amanda continues to fight to improve education, environmental justice, worker protections, healthcare, housing, and economic opportunity on the floor of the Assembly in Albany.
Amanda Septimo representa al Distrito 84 de la Asamblea, el Sur del Bronx, en la Asamblea del Estado de Nueva York. Amanda creció en Hunts Point y comenzó su trabajo como activista comunitaria a una edad temprana en The Point CDC. Hizo una pasantía con el entonces congresista José Serrano y luego regresó para convertirse en su directora de distrito, donde pasó años conectando a los residentes del sur del Bronx con sus funcionarios electos en Washington, DC. Luego trabajó con la Asociación de Enfermeras del Estado de Nueva York y el Consejo de Supervisores y Administradores Escolares para ayudar a elevar y luchar por los derechos laborales. Amanda vio la necesidad de un líder que luchara por los derechos y el bienestar de sus propios vecinos del sur del Bronx y ganó la oportunidad de representar al sur del Bronx en la Asamblea Estatal en 2020. Con integridad y su identidad como nativa del sur del Bronx, Amanda continúa luchando para mejorar la educación, la justicia ambiental, la protección de los trabajadores, la atención médica, la vivienda y las oportunidades económicas en la Asamblea en Albany.
