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HISPANIC COMMITTEE TO HONOR ANTHONY JIMENEZ AND ARTHUR LOPEZ

Falls Church, VA, April 6, 2010--The Hispanic Committee of Virginia announces the winners of our Marta V. Wyatt and Hermes awards which will be presented at our 43rd Anniversary Celebration of Culture and Achievement on April 9 in Arlington, Virginia.

Arthur Andrew Lopez, who will receive the Marta V. Wyatt Award, created Nadar Por Vida (Swimming for Life) in 2006 to give Hispanic children the opportunity to learn to become competitive swimmers, gaining respect for themselves and others, and a new sense of their potential, in the process.

Coach Lopez is a certified USA swim coach, has been the Director of a Developmental Stroke School for 9 years, coached a Special Olympics Swim Team and serves on the Diversity committee for USA Swimming located at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  He has been working with youth and swimming for more than 40 years.

Currently Coach Lopez is the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.  Previously he served as the Director of Civil Rights for the Federal Transit Administration and was detailed as a lawyer under President Clinton.  Coach Lopez holds a Bachelors of Science and a Juris Doctorate.  He is a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.  Next year Coach Lopez will serve as chairman of the Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee on behalf of the Fairfax County School Board.

Anthony Jimenez, who will receive the Hermes Award, is the founder and President and CEO of MicroTech, a Vienna, Virginia-based company recently named America’s Number One Fastest-Growing Hispanic-Owned Business by Hispanic Business Magazine. MicroTech employs more than 350 professionals (one-third of whom are Hispanic) who support more than 100 federal government contracts.  Tony is also an active volunteer and philanthropist in his community as well as on national and international projects, and encourages his employees to volunteer as well.

Before launching MicroTech in 2004, Tony worked for the federal government in the areas of information technology, strategic planning, enterprise transformation, and acquisition management. His career began when he enlisted in the United States Army at 18, earning a bachelor’s degree and two masters degrees while he served, eventually being named Lieutenant Colonel.  As a Hispanic service-disabled veteran, Tony has made it a priority to offer training and encouragement to veterans and advocate on their behalf. He also mentors Hispanic entrepreneurs and promotes opportunities for young Latinos to pursue and excel in science and technology.

A community institution making a positive impact in the lives of Latino families since 1967, the Hispanic Committee of Virginia is the oldest and largest Hispanic nonprofit organization in Northern Virginia.  Last year, HCV provided over 50,000 services benefiting over 14,000 individuals.  The Committee provides information and referrals, social services case management, immigration and citizenship legal services, homeownership counseling, microenterprise development, financial literacy education, workforce development, adult education, and youth mentoring.  For more information about the awards or the celebration, visit www.hcva.org.