NAHJ Board names Anna Lopez Buck Interim Director

The board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists announced Monday that Anna Lopez Buck will be joining the organization as development director and interim executive director effective immediately.

“The NAHJ board is pleased and proud to welcome Anna Lopez Buck back to NAHJ. She brings to us a strong track record of fundraising and cost control, which is what we need to stabilize our finances and allow us to return to our core mission–the advancement of Latino journalists and the fight for fair and accurate coverage of Latinos and our issues,” said NAHJ president Michele Salcedo.

Over the past decade, Lopez Buck has raised more than $20 million as director of development of National GEM Consortium, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing science and engineering fellowships in underserved communities; UNITY: Journalists of Color and NAHJ.

In 2004 Hispanic Business magazine named Lopez Buck one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics. She coordinated and planned fundraising efforts for the President Barack Obama’s Latino Inaugural Celebration in 2009. Lopez Buck serves on the board of the National Hispanic Corporate Council and is a lifetime member of NAHJ.

“I am honored to return to NAHJ during a critical time in the news industry and look forward to working with NAHJ’s leadership,” said Lopez Buck. “I am proud to join the organization whose work reflects the importance of the advancement of Latinos in the news media and has been my lifetime goal to ensure that we portray people of color in a fair and accurate manner.”

Lopez Buck returns to NAHJ from the American Red Cross, where she served as executive director for corporate diversity. In that position, she developed strategies to enhance diversity with the American Red Cross and established relationships with key Latino organizations to increase outreach and awareness to better prepare the Latino community during emergencies and disasters.

Lopez Buck will implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy and oversee the transition to continue member services and the move from the National Press Building. In that role, she will be working closely with outgoing executive director Iván Román, who will be leaving Aug. 31.