ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Central Florida Hispanic business leaders held its biggest awards night of the year, as entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders attend the 2023 Don Quijote Awards at the Walt Disney World Epcot’s World Showplace Pavilion, Saturday, December 9.
For 26 years, the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera have brought together the Central Florida community to celebrate the incredible contributions of Hispanic business leaders in our region and beyond, according to Yamile Luna, Chair of the 26th Don Quijote Awards and Chief Operating Officer at AdventHealth.
Don Quijote Awards Winners and Honorees
Hispanic Business of the Year Award (Five Years or Less)
Winner! Ana Carolina Salazar, owner, BOLD Hispanic Marketing Agency
Hispanic Business of the Year Award (More than Five Years)
Winner! Debbie Rodriguez, owner, Competitive Edge Partners & Consulting
Professional of the Year Award
Winner! Dr. Cyndia Muñiz, Senior Director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives and Partnerships at the University of Central Florida
Excellence Award
Winner! Dr. Maria Vázquez, Orange County Public Schools Superintendent
Hispanic Community Champion Award
The 2023 Don Quijote Hispanic Community Champion Award winner is Jeff Hayward, President and CEO of Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW) – Since 2016, Jeff has led HFUW Central Florida’s largest supporter of local health and human service agencies. He oversees more than $50 million in total resources invested in the community to provide support in education, health, financial stability, and basic needs. Immediately after Hurricane Maria, Jeff established a close working relationship with his counterpart at Fondos Unidos de Puerto Rico. In response to the needs identified, HFUW sent 5,000 solar lights, 3,000 reusable water filtration units, and 1,000 solar phone chargers. A Welcome Center was established at Orlando International Airport, and HFUW and about a dozen other organizations greeted and assisted evacuees, with 1,800-2,000 arriving every day. HFUW provided transportation, emergency housing, security deposit fees, and utility deposits.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This year’s Lifetime Achievement goes to Jan Aspuru, Retired Orlando Utilities Commission Senior Executive.
As the first Hispanic to serve on the C-level suite of the Orlando Utilities Commission, Jan Aspuru has paved the way for many Hispanic professionals in the utility industry. As Vice President of Electric and Water Generation and then Chief Operational Officer, he designed, developed, and implemented OUC’s innovative Fuel Price Hedging Program, which manages market price volatility of OUC’s $300 million to $400 million annual fuel budget. He oversaw the construction and commissioning of the $220M Stanton Unit B project that began as a coal-gasification plant and turned into a 300-megawatt natural gas-fired combined cycle facility, and he enhanced and expanded OUC’s generation portfolio and set in motion the methodical growth of the chilled water operations while improving OUC’s water quality and control, and management, among many more accomplishments.
Event Sponsors:
The Don Quijote Awards are made possible thanks to the support of Walt Disney World Resort, Wells Fargo, OUC- The Reliable One, 1st SOS Staffing, AdventHealth, Bank of America, Duke Energy, Florida Blue, Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando Health, Travel and Leisure, VyStar, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Ana G. Mendez University, JP Morgan Chase, The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, Neurology One, Orlando Magic, iHeart Media, Florida National News, El Osceola Star, Orlando Business Journal, La Prensa Newspaper, Telemundo 31 and Univision Orlando, among many more.
For more information on the Don Quijote Awards, please visit www.donquijoteawards.com.
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