FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July xx, 2012
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Freddy Rubio 205-602-0067
Krista Conlin 205-937-3777
FIESTA HISPANIC CULTURAL FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES 2012 BOARD MEMBERS
Local Culture Festival has Top Tier Leadership
Birmingham, AL – Fiesta kicks off the 10th Annual Hispanic Cultural Festival on Saturday, October 13th at
Linn Park in Birmingham, AL. Freddy Rubio, President of the Board, is pleased to announce the Board of
Directors for Fiesta 2012 including Teresa Zuniga-Odom, Luis Fernandez, Mike Suco, Phil Sandoval, Chris
Miller and Matthew Ennis.
“With the great leadership and diversity that we have on our Board of Directors for Fiesta’s 10 th
Anniversary, this year’s festival is going to be the biggest and best yet,” states Freddy Rubio, President of
the Board for Fiesta.
About Freddy Rubio
Freddy Rubio grew up in Puerto Rico, but has spent the last 20 years in Birmingham. After obtaining an
accounting degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he attended Cumberland School of Law.
At Cumberland, Mr. Rubio founded the local chapter of the Hispanic Interest Law Student Association.
Mr. Rubio started Rubio Law Firm in 2009, where his legal work is focused on personal injury and
business litigation. Rubio Law Firm focuses its marketing to the underserved Latino community.
Currently he is an attorney of record challenging the constitutionality of Alabama’s HB56 and HB658.
Rubio serves on the National Board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fiesta, Inc., and the
Access to Justice Commission.
Freddy is married to Isabel Rubio, the Founder and Executive Director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition
of Alabama (¡HICA!). They live in Birmingham with their two daughters, Amanda and Sofia.
About Teresa Zuniga-Odom
Teresa Zúñiga Odom is a founding board member of Fiesta and has been dedicated to growing the
festival and its scholarship awards for the past 10 years. A long-time community volunteer, Teresa
devotes her time to many non-profit organizations in Alabama most notably, the executive committee
of HICA – Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, advisory board of Leading Edge Institute (LEI), and the
YWCA of Central Alabama. She has served on numerous boards providing Hispanic representation and
insights into the needs of the community. Some of these boards include Childcare Resources, Oasis
Women’s & Children’s Counseling Center, the Hispanic Business Council of the BBA, Girl Scouts of North
Central Alabama and the UAB Foreign Language Advisory Committee. A true believer in partnering and
collaboration, she has provided multicultural markets expertise to various companies and nonprofits.
Teresa is a graduate of The University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Business Management. She has been employed by Alabama Power Company for 32 years.
The daughter of a Mexican-American father and Alabama-born mother, Teresa was born in Bangkok,
Thailand and has lived in Puerto Rico, Maryland, and Chicago, Illinois before settling in Birmingham,
Alabama in 1980. She is married to William “Eddie” Odom and together they have three children,
Charlie, Anna Marie and Emily Ruth. They attend Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover.
About Luis Fernandez
Luis Fernandez has participated as a volunteer with Fiesta since 2003 and has served as a Board Member
since 2005 to present. Luis is a permanent resident of Birmingham, Alabama since 1996. Originally, from
Ponce, Puerto Rico, Mr. Fernandez moved to Miami, Florida in 1986. In 1994, he moved to Birmingham,
AL to study Church Music and Graphic Design at Samford University. While pursuing studies at Samford
University, he served as a Spanish tutor for the World Languages Department and was an active member
of the International Students Alliance. Luis is the owner and designer of “One Step Above”, a freelancing
Event Company founded in 2000. He is currently a Supervisor for the Social Security Administration,
where he works since 1999, and has served as the Chairperson for the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Council
from 2001 to 2003.
About Mike Suco
Mike Suco is the Director of Commercial Leadership-Retail for Coca-Cola Bottling Company United. He
has been with the Fiesta Board of Director for 10 years, providing support in sponsorship, entertainment
and the overall leadership of the event. Mike is extremely proud of his Cuban heritage and background,
which initially led him to assist in the formation of Fiesta. Mike's energy and enthusiasm for Fiesta have
truly taken this event to the level it is today.
About Phil Sandoval
Phil Sandoval is Vice President, Home Loans Manager at Bank of America. Phil was born in Columbia
and grew up in Puerto Rico, where most of his family still resides. Phil has been a long-time resident and
active community leader in Birmingham, along with his wife Elizabeth and three children. Phil and his
family are active members of Church of the Highlands. Phil takes great pride in being a part of Fiesta
since the beginning and hopes to continue to watch this important event grow and evolve for years to
come.
About Matthew Ennis
Matthew Ennis has been involved with Fiesta for the past 6 years, helping to oversee both the Soccer
and Health and Wellness Villages. Last year, he led the effort to cook the world’s largest Mexican pizza in
conjunction with Little Caesar’s. Matt is the Director of Development for Cahaba Valley Health Care, a
local nonprofit providing access to healthcare, which works primarily within the Hispanic Community.
About Chris Miller
Chris Miller became involved with Fiesta in 2009 through his active role in assisting in the coordination
of The Home Depots involvement. Chris is the newest member of the Fiesta Board of Directors, and will
be overseeing the Fiesta Family Village. Chris is currently a Manager at The Home Depot. He is a native
of Tuscaloosa, AL and father of three. In addition to Fiesta, he also serves on the Junior Board of The
Alabama Theatre.
For more information about Fiesta, please visit www.fiestabirmingham.com. For information on
becoming a sponsor, please contact Denise Koch at denise@denisekochevents.com.
History of Fiesta
In late 2001, several members of the Hispanic Business Council (HBC) of the Birmingham Regional
Chamber of Commerce put in motion a plan to develop a yearly Hispanic festival in downtown
Birmingham. Aware of their own diverse makeup within the council and with the knowledge that the
Hispanic population was growing tremendously in Alabama, they felt it would be an ideal way to
showcase the best their countries have to offer. The City of Birmingham, with its own diverse history,
seemed like the ideal place to host such an event.
In 2002, Fiesta was created as a not-for-profit organization whose board of directors produce the yearly
event with the help of interested community volunteers. The mission of Fiesta is "to organize and
manage a yearly festival that celebrates and educates the public on the diverse cultures within the
Hispanic community in Alabama." Fiesta also provides scholarships to Hispanic students to help them
further their education in Alabama.
About Fiesta
Fiesta, a Hispanic Cultural Festival, is excited to celebrate their 10th year of bringing culture awareness to
the Birmingham area. Fiesta's goal is "to educate the mainstream public about the many different
Hispanic countries and cultures through the best of art, music, dance and food." Simply stated, Hispanic
music is more than Ricky Martin "Living La Vida Loca." The food is more than tacos with salsa. The
dance is more than a Mexican Hat Dance. And the history is surprising to many. Hispanics aren't really
newcomers to this country. In fact, Hispanics arrived in this country more than 500 years ago on the
shores of America. It is up to the Hispanics in Alabama to passionately tell our stories and share our rich
cultures and traditions with Alabamians of all ages. And while sharing our stories, it allows us to learn
even more about ourselves and how we can best weave ourselves into the communities where we live.
What better way to do this than through an event like Fiesta?
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