Episode 005 Hispanic Heritage Month with Oscar Mejias

Conversations With Carole

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) takes place between September 15th to October 15th as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.

Beginning in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, but it was later extended to a month in 1988. Since then it has been celebrated nationwide. The month also celebrates the independence days of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th. They also include holidays that recognize Hispanic contributions such as Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day that is celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

From Spain to the cultures in South America we’ll talk with our expert guest today, who made his way from Venezuela to Florida to Rhode Island. He’s Oscar Mejais, the Founder, President, and CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, an organization that has grown from 100 hundred members to nearly 1000 in 7 short years! You won’t want to miss this show! You’re listening to Conversations with Carole!

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Oscar Mejías was born in Venezuela. He graduated as a computer engineer and arrived in the USA in 2003.

After relocating from Venezuela to Florida, Oscar has been working in Business, Education, and technology for the last 16 years in Rhode Island. He worked with several organizations, including the SBA, SBDC, RI Economic Development Center (EDC), and Center of Women & Entrepreneurs (CWE), for training and educational purposes. Oscar is the Chairman of the Emerging Markets Committee in the Economic Summit organized by the Small Business Administration of Rhode Island (SBA) since 2015. He worked as an IT Implementation Project Manager for a Global Financial Institution in Massachusetts (2011 - 2014).

Oscar Mejías is a recognized business and civic leader whose involvement with the Latino community in the last 15 years has given him a well-obtained reputation for dedication and leadership. As a business owner, and has been awarded as New England Minority Business Owner 2015(SBA).

He was recognized by The White House Initiative for Excellence in Education for Hispanics. He is the CEO of BETECH (an IT Consulting firm) and EMERGING STUDIES INSTITUTE, a Bilingual Vocational and Technical School.

Oscar Mejías is the Founder & CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to advocate, promote, and lead Hispanic-owned businesses to success. This successful organization provides technical assistance and resources to Latino Business owners, supporting the Latino Community's economic development in Rhode Island. With nearly 1,000 members, this organization represents a force in the state's economic ecosystem.

He is a recognized former member of several Diversity & Inclusion committees: Providence Foundation, Providence Community Library, Cranston Armory Steering Committee, and Governor's Working Group for Diversity in Construction, among others. He is a New England Council Diversity Committee member, the City of Pawtucket Mayor's Community Board and Co-Chair of the ARPA Task Force for the City of Providence. He is also an active member of several economic development committees in the state of Rhode Island, including the Board of Directors of the RI Public Expenditure Council, the RI Commodores Group, and the RI Committee for Economic Development Strategies.
He is married with two daughters and is proud of his first granddaughter.