SAVE NAMES CARLOS "CJ" ORTUÑO,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Miami, Florida
-Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) has named Miami fund-raiser and business executive
Carlos "CJ" Ortuño as its new executive director.
Ortuño's selection follows an intensive, nationwide search involving
more than 120 individuals in Miami-Dade and beyond.
CJ Ortuno was the Director of Development
for Hands On Miami, a nonprofit social entrepreneurial organization engaging
citizens in over 100 monthly volunteer action projects. There he was
responsible for raising Hands On Miami's 2 million dollar budget. By developing
sustainable partnerships with individuals, corporations, government agencies,
and foundations, CJ helped create synergistic solutions to community problems
in the form of cash contributions. The
first to achieve a college degree in his family, he graduated from Florida
International University with a BA in History.
Raised in Miami, Florida, CJ now lives on
South Beach with his wife (INSERT NAME)
and four-month-old daughter, Amalia. Recently, CJ graduated from Leadership
Miami class of 2008. His passion and dedication
to the public sector has benefited children, the environment, and the
disadvantaged.
"CJ is just the person we need to build on our successes of these last
15 years," SAVE Board Chairman Juan B. Talavera said. "With his experience,
reputation and know-how, we're well positioned to meet our most pressing
challenges: defeating Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution on Nov. 4th
and securing more protections for all Miami-Dade County citizens, regardless of
sexual orientation or gender identity."
Ortuño succeeds Interim Executive Director Orlando Gonzales, who chaired
the search committee.
"I am thankful these wonderfully dedicated professionals were willing to
participate in an intensive grassroots approach to identifying and recruiting
qualified candidates," Gonzales said. "The committee represented the talent and
diversity of the greater community of Miami-Dade County."
Committee members included community leaders Leslie Bowe, Cindy Brown,
Dennis Edwards, Liebe Gadinsky, Hemly Gonzalez, Juan del Hierro, Lorenzo
Lebrija, Steve Leidner, Eddie Padilla, Damian Pardo, Sheldon Roy. Mark
Steinberg, Elizabeth Schwartz, Juan Talavera, and Jose Vilanova.
Gonzales will resume his post on the board of directors and will
transition day-to-day operations to Ortuño in the coming weeks.
"The next few months are critical as SAVE remains focused on defeating
Amendment 2," Ortuño said. "The deceptively named 'marriage protection'
amendment to the Florida constitution threatens hard-won protections for gay
and heterosexual couples in communities across the state. This is a threat to
all Floridians, and I am proud and determined to lead SAVE in helping defeat
it. Beyond this, I'm looking forward to advocating for systemic change for the
LGBT community, making Miami-Dade County a national model of advocacy for equal
rights regardless of sexual orientation."
SAVE is spearheading the get-out-the-vote drive in Miami-Dade and
Broward counties, working closely with Florida Red and Blue and other
organizations to persuade voters to "Say No to Amendment 2."
SAVE is Miami-Dade
County's premiere
organization dedicated to protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
individuals from discrimination on the basis of their actual or perceived
sexual orientation or gender identity.
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