Cox Honors Arizona Latino Leaders in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month

For the ninth year, Cox Arizona is honoring four Valley Hispanic leaders for their social contributions to the Arizona community.

Cox Communications kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month in a “big league” way during a special D-backs pre-game ceremony at Chase Field on September 14^th. Also during the month, a multi-media campaign will run on local media channels to highlight the four honorees.

“We are delighted to honor these individuals whose commitment, hard work and dedication to their communities have made a difference,” said Steve Rizley, senior vice president and general manager, Cox Communications.  “We hope that all the great work that these individuals do for their community inspires others to do wonderful things for our state and continue highlighting their stories through our annual program during Hispanic Heritage Month.”

The individuals featured in the campaign are:

Remarkable Representative

Anna Tovar

A life-long Tolleson and West Valley resident, Anna Tovar is a State Representative for Disctrict 19. She served on the Tolleson City Council for seven-and-a-half years and was vice mayor for over two years until she joined the House of Representatives. She was also a teacher for five years, and as a teacher and mother, she understands the issues demanding immediate attention such as schools and hospitals, infrastructure needs, jobs, housing, and a declining economy.

Tovar has been at the forefront of diverse projects that have brought revenue and job growth to her district. The completion of roadway construction, attracting commercial and retail businesses to the area, advocating for new housing developments, promoting environmentally friendly programs and working to build new police and fire stations are just a few of her accomplishments.

Outstanding Leader

Marta Martinez

Martha E. Martinez was born and raised in a small town in Guanajuato, Mexico. She immigrated with her oldest son to the United States in July of 1986. She is currently the manager of Language and International Programs at Maricopa Integrated Health System where she manages the daily operations of the interpreters, translators and international patient programs. Martinez is also the MIHS Public Relations Liaison with the Hispanic Media and the Spanish Bilingual Assistant Class coordinator. She serves in different committees that involve the Hispanic community. During her 16 years at the Medical Center, she has touched the lives of thousands of patients and family members who have benefited directly from her work as a translator, interpreter, prenatal educator and community volunteer, or indirectly through the hundreds of interpreters she has trained through the Spanish Bilingual Assistant program.

Extraordinary Artist

Marcelino Quiñonez

A Phoenix actor and writer originally from Durango, México. He earned his BA in Theatre from Arizona State University. Quiñonez has starred in various theatre productions including the world premiers of Speak Spanish to Me at Phoenix Actors Theatre, Parted Waters at Arizona Jewish Theatre Company, “A Little Bit of Water” for Tempe’s Childs play and James Garcia’s “Voices of Valor” at Gammage Auditorium. From 2007 until 2011, Quiñonez was a high school English and Drama teacher at Espiritu NFL YET Charter school in South Phoenix. He is the recipient of the 2008 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40 Award and The New Times Magazine’s Big Brain Award for his active arts participation in the community. He was on the cover of TIME Magazine in an issue dedicated to the power of the Latino Vote. He is also a blogger for VOTOLATINO.ORG.

Community Visionary

Israel Barajas

He is the Phoenix Hispanic Marketing Coordinator for Cox, Arizona. In his role, he supports Hispanic marketing initiatives across the country for Cox products and services such as El Mix and Super Mix Hispanic video packages, Cox High Speed Internet, and Digital Telephone as well as unique calling plans to Mexico and Latin America. Israel holds a Master’s in Business Administration, marketing emphasis from Grand Canyon University and Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Arizona State University. The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recognized him in 2009 as one of the 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40.