Bryan Weaver is a long-time community activist, a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) and a communications professional with over 15 years of experience in progressive causes. He has worked on coalition building in local and national politics, promoting liveable and affordable urban neighborhoods, crime prevention, education, community and economic empowerment, affordable housing issues and nonprofit work geared toward youth leadership development. He is a true believer in the economic and cultural diversity of Washington D.C., and uses his elected office as a platform to give a voice to those who have been forgotten by the city government.

Bryan served four terms (eight years) on the Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commission. He served as Chair for three years. An extremely active and engaged commission, it routinely deals with complex issues such as public safety; liquor licensing; building liveable, urban communities; strengthening multi-cultural neighborhoods and encouraging business development. As such, Bryan has years of leadership experience in one of the busiest, diverse and dynamic communities of Washington, D.C.

His ability to build consensus has allowed him to bring together different perspectives on key issues, enabling all parties involved to embrace mutually beneficial solutions. In 2007, Bryan was named the city’s best ANC Commissioner by Washington City Paper. Bryan also served as the president of the Adams Morgan Community Association–a civic association open to all residents of Adams Morgan.

Bryan founded the nonprofit organization, Hoops Sagrado, here in Washington D.C. in 1996. He continues to serve as its president today. Hoops Sagrado takes at-risk youth from Washington D.C. to the highlands of Guatemala every summer for a 5-week program of basketball (training, clinics and tournaments), cultural exchange, leadership development and mentoring, Spanish immersion, English tutoring and community-building activities. Hoops Sagrado, a 501(c)(3), also gives scholarships to Mayan teens interested in finishing high school and going on to college. Through Hoops Sagrado, Bryan is committed to developing leadership skills, self-confidence, and a sense of community service in at-risk youth using the game of basketball as a tool to experience a different country and culture.

On his own time, Bryan has taken on several mentoring roles for youth in Washington D.C. from serving as a tutor at Good Shepherd’s Teen Learning Center, to coaching high school basketball for Hyde Leadership Academy and The Adams Morgan Knights, to volunteering to help other D.C. nonprofit organizations help young people stay off the streets and in school.

Prior to founding Hoops Sagrado, Bryan served as a Field Representative and Organizer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 500. He has served as Press Secretary for The Body Shop, USA and Assistant Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee. He has worked as a communications consultant and contractor for progressive campaigns and causes such as the Education Trust – a national think tank dedicated to education policy, the Stand Up for Steel Campaign and the 2004 Athens Olympic Committee Bid. Bryan began in in politics as an aide to the late Senator Paul Wellstone and as an aide to Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Bryan received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis on race and public policy from Howard University. He is a 20-year resident of Washington, D.C. He has lived in Pleasant Plains, Columbia Heights and currently resides in Adams Morgan with his wife Maria Cardona and their two children — 6-year old Sebastian and 4-year old MayaLuna.

Maria Cardona

Early life

Maria Teresa Cardona was born in Bogotá, Colombia.[1] She moved to the United States with her family at the age of two and lived in Ohio but shortly after settled in Leesburg, Florida. She is a graduate of Duke University.

Career

Early start

Cardona spent five years[2] at the United States Department of Commerce, first as Deputy Press Secretary to Secretary Ronald H. Brown and in charge of the press offices of all the 14 agencies.[1] Following the airplane crash into a mountainside in Croatia that killed Secretary Brown, Cardona was left to handle the live press briefing alone. She then went on to be the Press Secretary[2] to Secretaries William Daley and Mickey Kantor. While there, she acted as Lead Communications Strategist for the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. In 1997, she was awarded the Department of Commerce's Silver Medal Award for Meritorious Federal Service.

From 1998 to 2001, Cardona was the Director of Communications[2] for the United States Department of Justice's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), acting as the Clinton Administration's top spokesperson on the complex issues surrounding immigration, including the Elián González affair. She was chosen by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the country of that year.[3]

From 2001 to 2003,[4] she served as Communications Director[3] of the Democratic National Committee, where she helped coordinate the national Democratic message for the party officials, elected leaders, candidates and state Democratic Party committees.

Cardona joined the New Democrat Network (NDN) in 2003[3] as their Vice President for Media Relations, where she developed and directed NDN's ongoing efforts to help Democrats better understand and community to the Hispanic electorate. She also directed NDN's Hispanic Project, which was created to expand research and polling, candidate recruitment, and national paid and earned media communications strategies targeted to Hispanic audiences, in both English and Spanish. The $6 million initiative was, at the time, the largest effort ever[5] to conduct dedicated research and deliver the Democratic message to the Latino community.

Dewey Square Group and Latinovations

Cardona joined DSG in 2005 as a Principal, helping their corporate, non-profit and trade association clients develop strategic partnerships at the national, state and local level, especially within the Latino community. She used her background to tap into the Latino community and ensure DSG clients were well represented and understand the demographic.[citation needed]

Cardona went on to launch DSG Latinovations,[6] the firm’s Latino strategies practice, which uses her influence and experience to advocate on Latino issues, guiding clients searching for building support on positions, products, and brands within the Hispanic/Latino community. Latinovations produces its own daily blog, titled La Plaza, which covers national news and policies that affect the Latino community.[7]

Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign

While at DSG, Cardona served as a enior advisor to the [[Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008|Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign],[2] serving as a campaign surrogate and spokesperson and representing the campaign on major national TV and radio, as well as Spanish-language television news and political programs. She also served on Clinton's Hispanic outreach team.[1]

CNN and present

In October 2011, Cardona joined the CNN Network[7] for the 2012 presidential election season as a political contributor, and was the first Latina Democratic contributor on CNN and the only person, at that time, to contribute to both CNN Domestic and CNN en Español.[8] "Having spent all of my professional career in communications, public policy, and politics, I'm thrilled to join CNN as a political contributor, especially as we are entering the excitement of the upcoming 2012 presidential election cycle," she said.[7] She continues to make appearances on CNN and CNN en Español and writes editorials speaking on a variety of national issues.[8]

Currently, Cardona sits as a board member of numerous organizations dedicated to Latino issues.[6] She serves on the Board of Directors for Hoops Sagrado,[9] a non-profit organization that provides learning and leadership opportunities to DC youth through a basketball exchange program in the highlands of Guatemala; New America Media,[10] the country's first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 3,000 ethnic news organizations; Citizenship Counts,[11] a non-profit organization dedicated to educating middle-school students on the responsibilities and civic duties of American citizens; PODER PAC,[12] the first political action committee that raises money for Latina candidates at all levels; the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino,[13] an independent commission established to study the feasibility of creating a national museum dedicated to highlighting the contributions of American Latinos; and co-chairs inSPIRE STEM USA,[14] a coalition of businesses, education advocates and other national organizations supportive of a two-part plan to address immigration and workforce development needs and improve the country’s STEM education pipeline.

She was named one of the nation's Top 50 Most Influential Latinos in 2012.[15]

USHCC and lawsuit

Cardona is a named defendant in a $50 million lawsuit filed in Houston, Texas by Javier Palomarez, the former president of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, after he allegedly embezzled more than $1 million from the organization and was accused of sexual misconduct by his chief of staff and female co-workers. Palomarez accused Cardona of spreading false stories about Palomarez to members of the media to damage his reputation.[16][17][18]

Personal life

Cardona currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Bryan Weaver, and their two children.

References

"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-12-13.

"The Arena: - Maria Cardona Bio".

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2003/3/10/maria_cardona_to_head_ndn_media.htm[permanent dead link]

"Maria Cardona".

"Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino: Maria Cardona". Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.

Politic365 Staff (18 January 2013). "Maria Cardona".

"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-12-13.

"Maria Cardona: Wise Latina Mom & Political Operative". Mamiverse.

"About Hoops Sagrado".

"NAM Board of Directors - New America Media".

"Advisory - Citizenship Counts – Gerda Weissmann Klein".

"Board of Directors".

"Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino: About". Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.

http://inspirestemusa.org/meet-the-co-chairs/

"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2013-12-13.

"Former Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President claims he was fired for refusing to carry on affair with female boss". Retrieved July 17, 2018.

"Scandal surrounding alleged extramarital affair of former U.S. Hispanic Chamber leaders from Dallas moves into court". Dallas News. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-29.

"Leader of Latino Business Group Steps Down Amid Sexual Harassment Claims". Retrieved 2018-10

State of the Union reflects Trump's presidency: Dishonest and chaotic

BY MARIA CARDONA, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 02/06/19 04:30 PM EST 390 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL