Rick Ortiz is the President and CEO of the award-winning Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GDHCC). He was unanimously chosen by the GDHCC Board of Directors in 2012 to lead the organization. As President and CEO, he oversees the GDHCC’s operations, financial, and budgetary management, grant and economic development programming compliance, corporate and community partner relations, fundraising, entrepreneur partner relationships, and advocacy. Before he joined the GDHCC as president and CEO, Ortiz worked as an attorney, specializing in business and tort litigation. He has represented individuals, small and large businesses, financial institutions, leasing companies, governmental entities, and nonprofit organizations and has served as general counsel to boards of directors. Ortiz’s community involvement includes serving on the Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council, Dallas Regional Chamber Board of Directors, Dallas ISD Superintendent’s Advisory Board, North Texas Commission Board of Directors, UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board, Visit Dallas Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2013. He has served as a board member of the Concilio, North Texas Navidad en el Barrio Foundation, and the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was also a member of the DFW Airport Availability and Disparity Study Review team, Dallas Citizens Council, JFK 50th Anniversary Committee, and the Mayor Mike Rawlings’ advisory and transition team. Ortiz worked as a Bristol Meyers Squibb/Ventiv Health U.S. Sales pharmaceutical representative prior to attending St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, where he received his Juris Doctor in 2003. Ortiz graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and management.
Ricardo Ortiz is a member of the Dallas Economic Opportunity Leadership Academy, Class of 2019-2020, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.
The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.
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