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.
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