Our chapter election is here! We have a diverse and enthusiastic group of candidates. You will notice several familiar faces. Cast your vote by the close of business this Friday, September 18th by emailing nahjdc@gmail.com

Melissa Macaya – President

Producer at CNN en Español

Melissa Macaya is a bilingual multimedia journalist who is passionate about covering political and international issues especially focused on Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic community. Born and raised in Venezuela, Melissa has gained journalism experience on the local, national and international level. She currently serves as a producer for CNN en Español where she produces content for two shows and across digital platforms. Prior to CNN, Melissa was a fellow at NBC News in their Washington bureau and worked with Univision locally in Texas. She recently completed a Master’s degree from Georgetown University in International and Political journalism. Melissa loves to travel and has worked and lived in 5 countries: Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, Argentina and the United States.

Patricia Guadalupe – Vice President

Bilingual multimedia journalist

Raised in Puerto Rico, Patricia Guadalupe is a bilingual multimedia journalist based in Washington, D.C. She has been covering the capital for both English and Spanish-language media outlets since the mid- 1990s. She previously worked as a reporter in New York City. She’s been an editor at Hispanic Link News Service (where she still writes political news), a reporter at WTOP Radio (CBS Washington affiliate), a contributing reporter for CBS Radio network, and has written for NBC News.com and Latino Magazine, among others. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and has a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. She specializes in business news, politics and cultural issues, and also freelances as a translator/interpreter.

Aileen Schlef – Secretary

Freelance reporter for Hispanic Link News Service and LATINO

Aileen Schlef established Creative Alliance Communications (CAC) following more than 20 years of executive experience in corporate, government, university and community settings. Aileen has also has chronicled Latino life since the 1970s launch of La Luz Magazine, Hispanic, Nuestro, LatinaStyle, among others. She is currently a freelance reporter for Hispanic Link News Service and LATINO. She was a founding member of the pioneering National Latino Media Coalition in the 1970s and headed the Latino Media Task Force of Washington, DC.An active member of the National Press Club (NPC), Aileen was honored with Vivian Awards in 2011 and 2013.

Beatriz Pascual– Treasurer

Foreign correspondent at EFE

Beatriz Pascual is a multimedia journalist with five years of experience in the media industry. Born and raised in Spain, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 2014 and arrived in Washington with a Training Scholarship program sponsored by EFE, the leading Spanish-language news agency and the fourth largest news agency in the world. Now, working as a foreign correspondent in EFE, she covers Justice, National Security and Immigration news. Defined as multitask-er, she likes to portray the different angles of reality in different formats: written stories, photographs, video and radio pieces.

Arelis Hernandez – At-Large Member

Politics reporter at the Washington Post

Arelis Hernandez is a politics reporter at the Washington Post but has covered everything from the Washington Nationals Ill-fated playoff run to the protests in Ferguson following Michael Browns shooting death. Prior to that she was a crime and breaking news reporter at the Orlando Sentinel, where she earned awards for team coverage of Trayvon Martin’s death and trial of George Zimmerman. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill School of Journalism. She has worked and interned at Baltimore Sun, AP, Star News in Wilmington, NC and her first job out of college was writing for Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine.