Opposition balks at not getting answers to “the important question”
Boston – The Board of Directors of the Boston Olympics 2024 Partnership elected yesterday three new Latino members to the Board. Yvonne Garcia, Oz Mondejar and Vanessa Calderon-Rosado joined the governing board along with representatives from the Olympic and Paralympic Family. Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Raisman, and local scholar athlete Alfreda Harris of Roxbury were among the new additions.
The three announcements yesterday had an immediate impact on social media as the three new Latino members are very active, well respected and visible in the community.
Oswald Mondejar, Sr. VP of Mission and Advocacy at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare at Home was recently appointed to a new 17 member U.S. Advisory Committee on Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. “Oz” as he is better known by, is a beloved member of the Latino community for his many volunteer work, and has been recognized as a regional and national leader for his commitment to workforce development for the community with disabilities.
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, Ph.D., is the CEO of IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, an organization active in empowering individuals through education and workforce development and arts programs, and in creating vibrant affordable housing communities. Through her leadership, IBA has become the largest Latino-led non-profit organization in Greater Boston.
Yvonne Garcia is the national chairwoman for the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and a Senior Vice President for State Street Corporation. She is a highly visible power broker who has been active on many fronts. She was selected as a Top 25 Woman for Hispanic Business Magazine in 2009 and most recently was selected as the Top 5 Latina Executive in the country by Latina Style Magazine for 2012.
The Boston 2024 Board of Directors provides governance oversight on key policy issues leading up to and including the final bid for Boston’s pursuit of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Scheduled to meet as a full Board twice a year, members also lend their expertise more frequently as participants on Board committees including audit, executive and governance/nominating committees.
While the Boston 20014 board expands, opposition to the Olympic has also been more vocal in recent weeks.
Evan Falchuk, the former gubernatorial candidate who now runs the United Independent Party, has been working with state officials on the language for his ballot initiative to allow voters to chime in. He wants to ensure that no taxpayer money is used for the Olympics, unless it is related to upgrading transportation infrastructure.
“Boston 2024 is furiously pumping out announcements almost daily about venues and board members and financing schemes. But the big question still isn’t answered: who gets to decide if billions of dollars in tax money are put at risk?” Falchuk texted to El Mundo Boston when asked about his reaction to the announcement.
“Should it be those who will profit at taxpayer expense or voters themselves? They won’t say – but the answer is clear: it should be up to the voters“, added Falchuk.
Initially, Boston 2024 opposed a referendum but has changed its position and now supports putting the question of an Olympics before the voters.
Membership on these committees is expected to be finalized over the next several weeks.
The full list of Boston 2024 Board of Directors is available at https://www.2024boston.org/about.
