Hispanic Heritage Month: Panel Discussion on Migration, Affordable Housing, and Immigrant Communities

The Professional Dialogue and Development Team will host a discussion with the Honorable Deni Taveras, District 2 Councilmember and Vice-Chair of the Prince George’s County Council, and Abel Núñez, Executive Director of CARECEN DC (Central American Resource Center). In line with this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month theme, “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope,” the discussion will focus on historic and current issues of importance to the Hispanic communities of Prince George’s County, including immigration and citizenship, housing affordability and diversity, and potential impacts of the 2020 Census. This virtual event will include an opportunity for audience questions following the moderated discussion.

Speaker(s)/Instructor(s) Biography

Deni Taveras

Deni Taveras was re-elected to her second 4-year term on the Prince George’s County Council in 2018.  In 2020, she was elected as Vice-Chair (VC), making history as the first Latina elected to her seat and to a leadership role on the Council. As a council member, she has attracted $10 billion worth of investments from both private and public sources and has put eight schools and two libraries in the pipeline for construction in her district.  

Taveras is a strong advocate for educational equity and social justice issues, seeking to improve the lives of working families and diverse communities.  She chairs the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee and is a member of the Local Workforce Development Board.

Taveras holds a dual Master's degree in public affairs and urban regional planning from Princeton University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a Master’s degree from the University of Utah, and a Bachelor’s degree from Barnard College; the latter two in chemistry. 

Abel Núñez 

Abel Núñez joined CARECEN as its incoming Executive Director in March 2013. Mr. Nunez has a well-rounded background in nonprofit management and fundraising, as well as a history of community activism. Prior to CARECEN, he was Associate Director of Centro Romero in Chicago, IL, and was primarily responsible for the day-to-day operations, fiscal management, program administration, and communications.

Mr. Núñez has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Hofstra University. Before he moved to Chicago, he worked in D.C. for the Latino Civil Rights Center. From 1998 to 2000, he was also on the staff of CARECEN serving first as its Citizenship and Civic Participation Project Coordinator and later as its Deputy Director. Nationally, Mr. Núñez has served since 2008 on the Board of the Salvadoran American National Network (SANN). He is one of the founding members of the Residency Now campaign which was launched in January 2012 and seeks to obtain lawful permanent residency for immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Mr. Núñez received Georgetown University’s John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award.

Questions regarding this event should be directed to Tom Gross at Thomas.gross@ppd.mncppc.org.