The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina is dedicated to securing continued economic opportunities, supporting conservative values, and ensuring the rights and liberties set by our Founding Fathers for ALL Americans, continue to be for ALL Americans.
Meet the State Board
CHAIRMAN
Eduardo was born in Panama City, Panama and immigrated with his mother and sister to the United States when was just 2 years old. His family decided to settle down in Gaston County, North Carolina where Eduardo grew up and graduated from East Gaston High School in Mount Holly. While at East Gaston Eduardo received a full athletic scholarship for cross country and track & field to attend St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina. While attending St. Andrews, Eduardo graduated with general honors, majored in History, minored in political science and was the student body President his junior and senior year. After graduating from college Eduardo starting working full time as a political staffer and most recently worked on the 2020 Trump Victory campaign in North Carolina as a Regional Field Director for the NCGOP. After the 2020 election he joined Congressman Patrick McHenry as his new campaign manager and where he is employed currently. While working as a political staffer Eduardo has completed
his master’s in Public Administration and Policy at American University and also helped create his family eggnog business that is popular during the holidays.
Eduardo started as the secretary and, shortly after became the political director with the RNHA-NC during the 2022 cycle when the organization was formed. He helped to make sure the state chapter stayed engaged with constituents, candidates and elected officials on what was important to the Latin community and how best to grow the state chapter. As chairman Eduardo will be focused in county chapter growth, membership growth, and fundraising to build the RNHA-NC’s financial independence. With these goals of county chapter, membership growth, and building strong financial structures, this will ensure the RNHA-NC is a solid-state organization not just for the next year but for the next decade. Eduardo also currently serves as National Committee for the RNHA National.
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Cecilia is a proud Christian, and Venezuelan political exile. She holds a degree in International Trade. Cecilia is a founder of the Youth and Democracy in the Americas, a non-profit organization established in Miami, Florida in 2018 with the mission to educate and empower student leaders with the opportunity to expose their challenges, issues, and public policy goals of their nations to diplomats, politicians, and government officials, and promote the rule of law. Cecilia has been involved in politics since her early years. She is a former Deputy State Director for VAMOS in North Carolina for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She has also worked with Senator Marco Rubio and the General Secretary of the Organization of American States. Last year, she spoke on Health and Resilience of South America in the Hemispheric Dialogue
towards the IX Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. She’s organized numerous student forums at the Florida International University, and other universities, explaining how socialism destroyed her homeland and has been advocating for freedom by sharing her story with youth across the region.
Cecilia is a leading advocate for young voices in the defense of the rule of law and freedom across the Americas.
VICE-CHair
Juan is a graduate at William Peace University and is honored to have been elected as Vice-Chairman of the RNHA-NC. In High School, Juan focused heavily on charity work and developed a passion for serving his community. Looking for new ways to actively serve and give back to his hometown of Lenoir, Juan started volunteering for his local GOP. This started a journey that has given Juan the opportunity to serve various capacities in campaigns. He has
served in offices such as Congressman Patrick McHenry, Office of the North Carolina
Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, and the North Carolina House of Representatives where he currently serves as a Junior Staffer. Throughout his term, he hopes to use his experience to make the RNHA-NC a vibrant and active organization that has the potential to make an impact on the Latino community across the great State of North Carolina.
SecretarY
Sandy was born in Brooklyn NY but spent most of her formative years in Dominican Republic up until college when she returned to the US. She has been married for 20 years to her best friend and is the mother of three beautiful children. She went to seminary for her degree in ministry and is working on her second degree in business. In 2022 she ran for school board. She has since involved herself in various communitarian efforts. She’s involved in her local party and looking for ways to reach out to the growing Hispanic community in her county.
Emmanuel RUiz
Director of communication
Emmanuel is a first-generation Southerner born to political asylees from Colombia. Though born in Greenville, North Carolina, he is proud to call the colonial capital of New Bern home. His entry into politics began at age 15 as a volunteer for Nick Freitas’s 2018 Senate Campaign in Virginia. It was this experience that began his love for liberty and politics . Since then, Emmanuel has aided in the Odham for Mayor campaign as the Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, a Field Organizer for the North Carolina Republican Party, and had the great privilege of working with Ron DeSantis for Governor campaign in 2022. He currently works as Campaign Manager for Friends for Josh Kohr. The Lord gave Emmanuel a special passion for educating his generation in the values of Faith and Freedom. He has started the Liberty Youth Coalition, an organization dedicated to educating and mobilizing the next generation of leaders in the ideas of liberty. He brings this passion to the
NC RNHA. He plans on bringing Hispanic youth into the RNHA with a focus on strong policy positions and a digital first strategy. Manny also currently serves as Director of Communications for RNHA National.
Meet Our Local Leaders
Mecklenburg County Leadership
Maria Elena Conaway
Maria Elena immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua at age seventeen to pursue her education. She obtained a B.S. in Biology from Sacred Heart College, graduating Cum Laude, and later earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Medical Technology, along with an MBA from The University of North Carolina Charlotte. Presently, she holds real estate licenses in North and South Carolina and is associated with Helen Adams Realty.
Since 2007, Maria Elena has been actively involved in the Republican Party, volunteering for various campaigns including those of Mitt Romney, Pat McCrory, and Donald Trump. She currently chairs The Mecklenburg County RNHA (Republican National Hispanic Assembly) and participates in multiple women-based Republican clubs. Additionally, she has served as a local and state delegate, a RNC replacement alternate, and holds positions in various political committees.
Coming from a socialist country, Maria Elena is committed to safeguarding against socialist ideologies in the U.S. and upholding Republican values. She serves as the Vice Chair for District 12 and as an Assistant Precinct Chair for County District 5, actively supporting candidates like Tariq Bokhari.
Cecilia Anzola Ramirez
She has extensive experience in managing finances small and medium size, culminating in her position as Vice President of Administration, Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of Nova Digital Systems, Inc. In 1998 with the guidance and support from Congress Woman Sue Myrick and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, Cecy her husband Dan and a group of Republican leaders founded the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of NC-Charlotte. In 2013, Governor Pat McCrory appointed her as Vice Chair of the Gov. Advisory Council on Hispanic and Latino Affairs and in 2014 he appointed her as Chair of the
Council. After her husband’s diagnosis with ALS, Mrs. Ramirez has been active with the Joe Martin ALS Foundation helping Hispanic families affected with this terrible disease.
Jessica Castillo
Proudly of Salvadoran descent, my grandfather came to the United States during WWII due to the shortage of workers. He was a mechanic by trade, and headed to California to work specifically on boats. He then sponsored my dad to come in 1951, and he was enrolled in the US Army one week later. He didn’t speak a lick of English, yet he eventually mastered it after 2 years of serving during the Korean War. My mother came in 1958 in pursuit of the American Dream. She was sponsored by a family member in El Salvador to immigrate to California. Upon arriving, she stayed with an aunt while she worked her way into a data entry position with the Army and Airforce. Prior to that she earned an AA in Computer Sciences. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have been able to grow up in the best country in the world. Our family is fiscally conservative, which mostly aligned us with the Republican Party. My family was lucky enough to have left El Salvador through waves of Communist threats, but we housed many family members who would have potentially been in danger. My parents also sponsored those who qualified to come here to escape the threats of communism. Jessica is a proud Penn State Alum. She has lived the American dream and is grateful for the opportunities this country offers.
Craven County Leadership
Isabel Goldvarg
Isabel is an U.S.A. naturalized citizen born in Colombia, South America. She is a business
administrator that came to the U.S. on a work visa and while working here met the love of her life.
Isabel is also a mother, a military wife, and home maker. Most of her work career before becoming a
wife and mother, was in the insurance industry and sales. One of her previous jobs took her through
most of south America and the Caribbean. So much traveling and moving with her family, allows her
to understand different Hispanic cultures and as an U.S. citizen she also understands the needs
and struggles of adaptation to new the environment within our Hispanic community. She lived in
Colombia during the wars of the cartels and knows through firsthand experience the terrible
influence that communist guerrillas have in the identity and security of a country. While working in
Venezuela, she witnessed firsthand the crumbling of the Venezuelan Economy and the poverty and
crime that followed Chavez socialist regime. She joined the RNHA to preserve her new home,
United Estates of America, as the land of Opportunity and Freedom that she knows and loves.
Hector Javier Ruiz Mendoza
Hector Javier Ruiz Mendoza, a political asylee from Colombia, escaped political violence due to his involvement in politics. He immigrated to the United States in his early 20s after marrying his wife, Isabel. Currently holding an associate’s degree in divinities from Liberty University, he has been actively involved in the Republican Party for the last four years, contributing to door knocking and grassroots mobilization efforts.
Despite his political engagement, Hector’s primary role is that of a father. He now serves as the interim-pastor of Iglesia Bautista del Calvario, the first Spanish-speaking Baptist church in Craven County. His main motivation lies in ensuring a prosperous and free America for his children and future generations, reflecting his commitment to safeguarding the values he cherishes.
Info Coming Soon