Management Biographies

[ Alberto Monserrate ]
Co-Founder, CEO & President of Latino Communications

Monserrate moved from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Minnesota in 1984 to pursue a degree from the University of Minnesota.

A professional background of ten years that included Radisson Hotels International, the Minnesota State Senate, Ameriprise (formerly American Express) and Wells Fargo Advisors (Formerly Prudential Securities) and experience in management, accounting, financial planning, investment advising and marketing and community relations to emerging markets, helped prepare Monserrate for his role as an entrepreneur.

As the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the Latino Communications Network (LCN) since 2000, Monserrate is recognized as the leading authority on Latino media in Minnesota. Alberto is recognized locally as an authority on marketing to the Latino community, and he is frequently quoted in the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Minnesota Public Radio and Minnesota Business publications.

LCN is the parent company of the weekly Spanish newspaper La Prensa de Minnesota, the Spanish alternative weekly Vida y Sabor, 24-hour Spanish radio stations 1400 and 1470 AM La Invasora and an events group division.
The summer of 2007, with no major mainstream media partnerships to provide funding or promotion, Latino Communications Network drew more than 20,000 attendees to its inaugural Lake Street Festival.

La Invasora AM 1400 and 1470 signed deals with the Minnesota Twins Baseball team in 2008 and 2009 to broadcast more than thirty games in Spanish.

Besides spending time with his two children, Carlos and Alycia, Alberto volunteers his time to several education and leadership organizations. Monserrate has been a consultant and trainer for the Neighborhood Development Center. He currently serves as Board Chair of Hiawatha Leadership Academy, a south Minneapolis elementary public school that serves kids that are 60% Hispanic, 35% African American, and 98% free and reduced lunch.  He also serves on the board of directors of the Citizens League and The Make A Wish Foundation, Minnesota chapter. He has served on the boards of La Oportunidad and El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad.

Alberto was also a founding board member of KIPP Stand, a middle school that opened in the fall of 2008, and Twin Cities Academy a middle school in St Paul that opened in 1999. He has also served in the Minnesota Department of Education No Child Left Behind implementation and the Assessment and Accountability committees for the past 5 years.

 

[ Juan Carlos Alanis ]
Founder of Gente de Minnesota, Senior Associate Editor

Born in Monterrey, México in 1968, Juan Carlos Alanis moved to Minnesota after falling in love with its 4 seasons and natural landscapes. Graduated from Nuevo Leon State University with a degree in Computer Science.

With vast of experience in MIS & desktop publishing fields, he created "Nuestra Gente", renamed later "Gente de Minnesota", a newspaper devoted to the new Latino community of Minnesota.

When asked why he got involved in the media business, Juan Carlos responds, "I saw the opportunity to create a publication that trully reflected the interest and goals of the latino community, particularly the inmigrant, something that could unify and help our community to grow."

"Gente de Minnesota" was a independent company created in 1997, and in 2002 it entered an agreement to merge with Latino Communications Network to creating the powerhouse it is now.

Some results of this merge is the growth "Gente" has experimented both in circulation and in content. There is no surprise that "Gente de Minnesota" is now the leader in distribution, sales and community envolvent. Its has been hard to keep on, but is growing at the rythm of our community.

 

[ Mario Duarte ]
Founder & Publisher of La Prensa de Minnesota

Born in El Salvador, he came to Minnesota in 1982 with his family at the age of 43. Forced to adapt, Mario took classes in English at Macalester College and took courses in TV and radio production at Minneapolis Community College.

From 1985 to 1990, Mario was Communications Director for Centro Cultural Chicano, where he was in charge of producing their monthly newsletter, their weekly radio show and a monthly television show.

It was during his experience as a volunteer during the 2000 Census that Mario realized the great need for a newspaper that focused on Minnesota’s Latino community. Thus in 1991, Mario launched Minnesota’s first Latino newspaper, La Prensa de Minnesota.

Mario is now one of Minnesota’s most prominent leaders. His dedication to his community has been awarded by numerous companies and organizations including: Centro Legal, La Familia, La Raza Federation, El Instituto de Arte y Cultura, the American Red Cross and The Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He has also been awarded the Minnesota Order of the North Star by the Secretary of State of Minnesota for Community Leadership.

In addition, he is a founding member of the Minnesota Minority Media Coalition, and is a current board member of the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, CTC, SPNN and El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad (St. Paul Foundation).