Celebrity Speakers

Willie Barcena-2006
Comedian Willie Barcena, a 12-year comedy veteran, is continually expanding his credits. He recently added The Morning Show on KSFM 102.5 Sacramento to his growing resume of accomplishments. Since his debut at KSFM, The Morning Show has risen to the number one spot in this highly competitive market. Willie Barcena is proud to say he is just an everyday guy.   His blue-collar upbringing gave him the people-skills to relate to a wide array of audiences. Growing up in the diversity of Los Angeles taught Willie that peoplehave more similarities than differences. He takes that knowledge and uses it to create humor that crosses the cultural and economic boundaries of America. His street-smart wit along with his mother's "Just use common sense, dummy!" attitude has impressed Jay Leno to bring him back for five Tonight Show appearances.

Ricardo Antonio Chavira - 2005
A native of South Texas, Ricardo Antonio Chavira was born in Austin and raised in San Antonio, where he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, now the Performing Arts School, and Incarnate Word College. He received his MFA from the highly regarded UC-San Diego's Professional Actor Training Program in 2000, and moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter. Since that time, he has worked consistently in all areas of the entertainment industry - film, television and theatre. Film credits include Touchstone's The Alamo and several independent films. Television credits prior to Desperate Housewives include a series regular role on The Grubbs, recurring roles on Six Feet Under and The Division, and guest star roles on Joan of Arcadia, Kingpin, 24 and JAG, as well as NYPD Blue and two other Steven Bochco series, Philly and City of Angels. He also guest starred on ABC's George Lopez last season. Chavira starred in a production of Tracers at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles, and has worked at some of the country's top regional theatres, including at the La Jolla Playhouse in Dogeaters, The Guthrie in Jack and Jill, the San Diego Rep in Bandido, and most recently the Seattle Rep & Missouri Rep, where he starred in a co-production of Living Out. His success on Desperate Housewives has afforded him the opportunity to help in the fight against Breast Cancer, a cause that became highly personal to him at the age of 15, when he lost his own mother to breast and ovarian cancer. He is San Antonio's honorary spokesman for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and last June served as the National Team Captain for the "Race for the Cure" in Washington DC. In addition, Chavira and fellow Desperate Housewives castmate James Denton have joined forces to help raise $10 million to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Lee National Denim Day, calling on fans and millions of workers nationwide to join them on October 7 in wearing denim to work in exchange for a $5 donation to the Komen Foundation! Chavira's greatest achievement and honor, however, was the birth of his son, Tomas Antonio Chavira, in 2003.

Sergio Arau &Yareli Arizmendi - 2004
MTV Award Winning director Sergio Arau and acclaimed actress Yareli Arizmendi are the husband and wife duo and co-creators of  “A Day Without a Mexican”, a politically charged masterpiece of wit, irreverence and social commentary. It not only illustrates the impact of Mexican and Mexican Americans on California’s economy, but highlights the growing cultural presence and power of Latinos in America. Arau's & Arizmendi’s multi-media lecture event explores topical news items with a Latino point of view. Their searing and poignant commentary dissects what it means to be Latino in post-9/11 America.

Enrique Castillo - 2003
Enrique Castillo is a talented actor and script writer. Enrique's acting credits include the Hi-Lo County (1998), The End of Violence(1997), My Family (1995), Blood In, Blood Out (1993), and Boarderline (1980).His Scripts include Stone Wedding, The Cobra, August 29th, Ceteranos: A Legacy of Valor, Deerdancer, The Last Angry Brown Hat and others.

Lupe Ontiveros - 2003
A well-known stage, television and film actress, Lupe Ontiveros plays the young-at-heart grandmother in Greetings from Tucson. Born in El Paso, Texas, Ontiveros graduated from Texas Women's University and then moved to Los Angeles to complete her graduate studies at California State University, Los Angeles.  She worked for 15 years as a social worker, but was bitten by the acting bug after she saw a newspaper ad for extras.  On a dare, she auditioned for the part and hasn't stopped working since.Her first big break was on the television show Alice. Since then she has guest starred on numerous shows, including Veronica's Closet, Leap of Faith, Resurrection Blvd., The Brothers García, and was a series regular on Dudley with the late Dudley Moore. Ontiveros is a community activist devoted to various causes involving children, women and education. One of her favorites is The Caption Media Program of National Association for the Deaf, an organization that assists schools and universities in captioning video, educational and film material for the hearing-impaired. She is a founding member of the "Latino Theatre Company" in Los Angeles, which strives to create a positive image of Latinos in the entertainment industry.Dedicated to encouraging people to better their lives, Ontiveros travels to women's prisons and schools to speak on the importance of an education and also enjoys helping her fellow actors with their careers.

Nicholas Gonzalez - 2002
Nicholas Gonzalez is rapidly becoming an actor well known throughout the world.  He has appeared in numerous films, television programs and live theater.His fresh face and versatility is making him a role model for Latino youth everywhere. / Nicholas' Films: Spun; Scenes of the Crime; Princess & the Barrio Boy; Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu; Raving Exodus; The Rest Room; Little Cuba / Television Roles: Resurrection Boulevard; Walker, Texas Ranger; That 70's Show; My Little Assassin; Dharma & Greg; Undressed; One World; Mission Extreme / Theater: Tango Palace; Zoot Suit; Gas; Winged Man; Accidental Death of an Anarchist; Claudia Meets; Fulano Colorado; Joaquin Who Thinks; His Name is Jack;Fed Up: A Cannibal's Own Story

Camille Guaty - 2002
Camille Guaty is a rising Latina star, with many appearances as Olivia on the series "Raising Dad" on Nickolodeon.Camille recently starred on the Disney Channel's movie "Gotta Kick It Up", where she portrays Daisy, a rebellious teenager who is really not that tough. You'll be seeing lots more of Camille!!!!

Esai Morales - 2001
1978 Ran away from home at age 15 when his mother objected to his theatrical ambitions; became a voluntary ward of the state.Enrolled in NYC's High School of Performing Arts. Professional stage debut, "El Hermano" at the Ensemble Theater in NYC.1981 Off-Broadway debut at age 17 in NY Shakespeare Festival production of "The Tempest".1983 Feature debut, "Bad Boys" opposite Sean Penn.1984 TV acting debut, "The Great Love Experiment", an "ABC Afterschool Special".1985 First feature starring role, "Rainy Day Friends" (released on video 1988).1985 First TV guest shot, "The Equalizer".1986 TV miniseries debut, "On Wings of Eagles" starring Burt Lancaster.1992 Broadway debut as a young Syrian in love with the titular temptress in "Salome".1994 TV directorial debut, "America's Most Wanted".1995 Appeared in "My Family/Mi Familia".1996 Co-starred in ABC TV-movie "Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story".1997 Had leading role in "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca".2000 Played recurring role in the Showtime drama series "Resurrection Blvd.".2001 Joined regular cast of the ABC series "NYPD Blue" as Lt. Tony Rodriguez.