Moises Vela

Vela is a native of Harlingen, Texas, graduating from Harlingen High School in 1980. His father, Moises Vela, was a Cameron County judge, and his uncle, Filemon Vela Sr., was a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Vela is gay. ==Political career==

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Vela to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an assistant to the administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service. While there, Vela advanced the department's employee diversity recruitment program. In 1996 he took on the position of chief financial officer and senior policy advisor/coordinator of Hispanic outreach activities at the Office of the Vice President. He became the first openly gay person and the first Hispanic-American to serve twice in the White House in a senior role. ==Advocacy career==

After serving on the staff of Vice President Al Gore, Vela helped launch a cyberspace company, later creating the consulting company "Diverse Directions," supporting the development of Latino marketing strategies and community outreach. Vela also created the El Centro Legal Latino in Birmingham, Alabama, which educates members of the Southeastern United States United States Latino community on their legal rights. He is now a board member of and the chief transparency officer for TransparentBusiness. In April 2021, Vela became a panelist for the new TV series Unicorn Hunters, a business investment show from the makers of the series The Masked Singer. In November 2022, Vela joined the board of Easy Energy Systems Inc, in a senior advisor role. ==Professional awards and honors==

Recognition for Vela has included being named to the Top 100 Most Influential People for Hispanics in the Nation's Capitol by El Tiempo Latino in 2017; one of the Top 101 Latino Leaders by Latino Leaders Magazine in both 2010 and 2011; one of the Top 300 Washington, D.C. Insiders by National Journal in 2010, and one of the Top 100 Hispanics in America by Hispanic Business in 2009. ==References==