Moises V Vela Jr

Why He Matters Moises “Moe” Vela is a Texas native with a legal degree and an eye for reaching out to Hispanics. As a former senior adviser to Vice President Al Gore, Vela coordinated Gore’s multimillion dollar budget and his work with Latinos. In 2000, Vela moved to the private sector as a sought-after consultant with a knack for teaching businesses how to market to Hispanic consumers. He brings a wealth of business management skills to the Obama administration, where he will work for Vice President-elect Joseph Biden as director of administration, where he will supervise budget operations and outreach efforts. Path to Power Vela hails from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in government and received his J.D. from St. Mary’s Law School in 1990.(1) He moved to Washington in 1993 to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he spearheaded a reorganization of the diversity recruitment program. Vela moved to the White House in 1996 to serve as chief financial officer and senior adviser on Hispanic affairs to Vice President Gore. In that position, he managed a multi-million dollar budget and traveled around the country meeting with Hispanic leaders. In 2000, Vela entered the private sector as the head of Diverse Directions, a Hispanic marketing firm based in Washington, D.C. He moved to Birmingham, Ala. in 2001 to launch Strategia, a consulting firm that helped businesses develop strategies to market themselves to Hispanics. At the same time, he directed El Centro Legal Latino, a legal counseling firm for poor Latinos. In 2004, Vela was the executive director at the 15,000-member National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. In 2005, he tapped that experience as a consultant at United Dominion Realty Trust, a middle class real estate development firm.(2) Vela left that position for Denver in 2007 when he founded the Comunidades Group, a consulting group that helps multifamily building owners and managers attract Hispanic residents.(2) He was named a Denver civil service commissioner by Mayor John Hickenlooper (D). In November 2008, Vela was chosen as director of administration in former Sen. Biden’s office. In a statement, Biden hailed the choice, saying, "I'm grateful to have Moe Vela, a man with experience in White House management and broad outreach skills on my team.”(3) The Issues Vela has worked to increase Latino representation in government and pushed companies to consider the needs of the Hispanic population when marketing and designing goods. "My ideal dream is to build a seamless bridge between Hispanics and non-Hispanics,” he told the Birmingham Business News.(4) Increasing Workplace Diversity Vela led a successful effort to increase diversity in the Agriculture Department. After he left government, he encouraged firms to make recruiting a top priority. Marketing to Hispanics Vela has staked his career on figuring out how to sell houses and consumer goods to Latinos. He warns companies that “there's more to marketing to Hispanics than solely translating company brochures into Spanish.”(4) He has also coordinated outreach efforts to Latino voters, encouraging them to vote for Democrats. He works with business owners to develop community outreach programs that target local cultural traditions. He encourages the corporations to provide a welcoming and embracing office environment and to consider Hispanic needs when developing their sales pitch.(2) Vela also notes that Hispanic consumers are brand loyal, and tells his clients that first impression is essential.(4) Footnotes 1. St. Mary's Law School 2. The Communidades Group 3. Stone, Evie, "More White House Staff Announcements," NPR, Nov. 21, 2008 4. Mcclurg, Kelly, "Moe Vela takes charge at Strategia," Birmingham Business Journal, Oct. 26, 2001