Metro Roundup: Carlos Alemán named CEO of HICA

The board of directors of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama has announced a long-planned change in leadership.

Isabel Rubio, founder and CEO for the past 20 years, will step down from her position on Dec. 31. Carlos Alemán, HICA's chief operating officer, will step into the role of CEO on Jan. 1. Alemán joined HICA's professional staff in 2018 as deputy director.

“Working at HICA has been an extraordinary experience”, Rubio said. “The opportunity to serve my community in collaboration with my incredible teammates has been a privilege and honor. I am proud of our accomplishments, especially creating a place that welcomes, embraces and empowers our Latino community to achieve their dreams and aspirations. I am deeply grateful for the support HICA has received: our funders who have believed in us, our partners who have welcomed us and been willing to be changed by us, and our Latino community who gave us their trust. I look forward to supporting Carlos and the board of directors as HICA continues its high level of service to the community.”

Since founding HICA in 1999, Rubio has grown the organization from a staff of one into a robust, culturally-specific organization with binational recognition. HICA's staff of 26 bilingual professionals serves more than 5,000 people each year. Rubio has raised more than $19 million to support Latinos with college access, citizenship and access to capital, including small business development, entrepreneurship and home ownership. In 2021, that work culminated in the pursuit of the Community Development Financial Institution designation for the Camino Loan Fund of HICA, which will allow HICA to provide even more financial resources for the Latino community.

With more than 20 years’ experience in nonprofit leadership, Rubio’s future plans include continued service to the community with specific interests in the areas of strategy, community development and engagement, philanthropy, social justice and equity, after a brief period of respite in early 2022. 

Aleman has a long history of both professional leadership and board service to HICA, beginning as a board member and serving as chair of the board of directors prior to becoming HICA's deputy director in 2018. Prior to joining HICA's staff, Aleman was an assistant professor of history at Samford University, a position he began after completing a doctorate in history at Michigan State University, with an emphasis on Latin America, immigration and race.

Aleman is a first-generation immigrant from Nicaragua. He and his family are deeply rooted in the Birmingham community, exemplified by his civic commitments. In August 2020, Aleman was elected to Homewood’s City Council, becoming the first Latino elected to public office in Alabama. Aleman is a board member of several organizations, including the National Partnership for New Americans, the Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Red Mountain Park and the Literacy Council of Central Alabama. He also is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Birmingham.

“It is an honor and a privilege to step into the chief executive officer role at HICA. it is a dream come true for me,” Alemán said. “As an immigrant who came to this country as a child, I have been able to realize many opportunities because my family relied on organizations like HICA. I feel a deep sense of responsibility and gratitude to every person who walks through HICA's doors because I know first-hand what it means to be welcomed. I look forward to serving our community and working with our terrific team as we lead HICA into its next era.”

For the past three years, Rubio and Alemán have worked side by side with  HICA's board of directors to prepare for this transition in leadership. Rubio and Alemán have led the organization through the development of a new strategic plan, which provides a roadmap for the future. In the coming years, HICA will continue to carry out the programs on which the community depends while it expands its support for access to capital for business owners and homeowners and deepens its policy advocacy work on behalf of the Latino community.

HICA's vision is an Alabama in which everyone has full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and economic life. Its mission is to champion equality, civic engagement, and social justice for Latino and immigrant families in Alabama.

— Submitted by the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama