Top 10 most influential Hispanics in Yuma County

Yuma County's most influential Hispanics serve our community in a variety of roles.

They include a lawmaker, a priest, educators, detective, heads of social service organizations and a soldier who served in Iraq.

Bajo El Sol, The Sun's Spanish-language sister newspaper, and The Sun recently asked readers to nominate area Hispanics whom they considered to be the county's most influential, based on their positive contributions in their communities. A panel of judges selected 10 from that field for the honor as most influential.

The first honorees in what will be an annual recognition by Bajo El Sol include state Sen. Amanda Aguirre; Yuma County Sheriff's Detective Sigifredo Casillas; Chicanos Por La Causa Director Ramona Corrales; Luis Heredia, a Somerton School District board member and former representative in Yuma County for U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva; and Everardo Martinez Inzunza, south county director for Arizona Western College.

Also honored this year are Johnny Rico, assistant superintendent of the Yuma Union High School District; Father Javier Perez of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Somerton; Army Sgt. Frank Sandoval; Emma Torres, director of Campesinos Sin Fronteras; and Francisco Villegas, a San Luis Parks and Recreation employee and organizer of youth sports.

"I am very happy because finally we have a way to bring recognition to people who work daily to improve the lives of others," said Maria Chavoya, Bajo El Sol editor.

The judges who picked the most influential were Charlene Fernandez, a member of the Yuma Union High School District governing board and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality's southwest Arizona liaison; Melanie Nelson of the Yuma County Interfaith Sponsoring Committee; Maria Nixen, migrant program coordinator for Yuma Elementary School District 1; Sun Editor Terry Ross; Sun Marketing Director Lori Stofft; and John Vaughn, a Sun associate editor.

The 10 recipients will be honored at a ceremony Thursday, and they will be profiled in a special section in Bajo El Sol and in a daily series beginning today in The Sun.

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Diana Suarez is a staff writer for Bajo El Sol, The Sun's Spanish-language sister publication from which this story is reprinted.