Puentes New Orleans, Incorporated was founded as a non-profit community development organization in April 2007 by a concerned group of Latino community leaders who realized that in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the New Orleans area Latino community was being systematically excluded from important city planning.  These individuals recognized that in large part this exclusion was due to the disorganization and disenfranchisement of the pre Katrina and post Katrina Latino community.  With support and guidance from Providence Community Housing, the Hispanic Apostolate Community Services of Catholic Charities,  Loyola University's Common Good, ASI Federal Credit Union, Enterprise Community Partners and Neighborworks America, Puentes began work aimed at empowering Latino families and individuals to become fully integrated participants of the Greater New Orleans area.

In the organization's early planning stages, Puentes intended to focus solely on developing the needed capacity to become a non-profit housing developer in order to meet the housing needs of a Latino population that had grown from an estimated 90,000 in the seven parish area to over 140,000.  Puentes quickly realized, however, that in order to have an immediate impact it would have to address the historical powerlessness and voicelessness that was a dominant element of the Latino community.  It would be necessary to first focus on developing social capital, a unified Latino community-centered voice, and a pool of new Latino community leaders.  Puentes succeeded in doing just this, and in the course of only fifteen months established itself as a leading Latino organization in the New Orleans area.  In the first fifteen months of existence, Puentes has already been at the forefront of organizing against, educating about, and challenging anti-immigrant laws at the State of Louisiana legislature, initiated an education, training and capacity development program that tackles relations between law enforcement and the Latino community,initiated an eight-month voter registration campaign, and conducted various other educational programs about issues affecting the everyday lives of New Orleans area Latinos.

As a young organization with large aspirations, Puentes continues to strive to become a major institution serving Latinos in the New Orleans area.  Through its various programs, which can be explored in our programs page, Puentes pursues its mission to create access and build assets for the Latino community of the Greater New Orleans area.

Puentes Leadership

Puentes New Orleans, Inc. is led by an Executive Director, an active Board of Directors, and a strong team of community volunteers.

Puentes Executive Director:   Vacant
See the job announcement and description for
The Executive Director of Puentes New Orleans, Inc.

Puentes Board of Directors:   Salvador Longoria

                                                          Martín Gutiérrez

                                                          Bertha Montenegro

                                                          Jessica Venegas

                                                          Carolina Hernández

                                                          David Gallegos

                                                          Richard Martínez

                                                          Enrique Moresco

                                                          Ana Gershanik

                                                          James D. Huck Jr