Always Looking Ahead. Never Looking Back: Mary Ann Gomez

From the Working Fields of Stockton, CA to the Nation's Capital. 

Mary Ann grew up in Bacon Island, which is located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in San Joaquin County, northern California, about 30 minutes from Stockton and 90 minutes east of San Francisco. 

But before your imagination wonders and a smile comes across your face, you need to know that on Bacon Island, there are no white sandy beaches, no tropical drinks, and no seashells nor palm trees swaying in the wind.

To say Bacon Island is a different kind of Island, would be an understatement.

This “island” is a 5,400-acre piece of land bounded on the west by Old River, on the north by Connection Slough, on the east by Middle River, and Woodward Island Canal on the south. Its population is made up mostly of farmworkers who picked asparagus, corn, onions, and potatoes. It is where Leonides Gomez, from Michoacán, Mexico, and Margaret, from Brownsville, Texas, decided to raise their five beautiful children and provide for them.

Bacon Island is a place that values hard work, from sunrise to sunset. It values sacrifice and discipline and takes no excuses. It’s the kind of place where one develops a high pain threshold. There are no sick days or long extended vacations. There are no convenience stores, movie theatres, nor restaurants. It takes almost 30 minutes to reach the main road. High school was an hour each way on the big yellow school bus.

(Serene View from Mary Ann's favorite tree @ Bacon Island).

An advocate & champion is born.

As the eldest of five: four girls and one boy, Mary Ann knows well that there are a lot of firsts that come with that title. And a lot more responsibility than one can imagine or would like. Although as an only child I cannot understand that dynamic, I certainly see it in action when we visit Stockton. 

While her parents were working in the fields, Mary Ann cared for her younger siblings: for some as a big sister and for one as a “second mom” given the 15 year age difference between them. 

While Mary Ann’s mission in life is to help others become their best, she’s very passionate about being an advocate for families who are traditionally left out of the process. Her kind of advocacy is special because she takes the necessary steps to keep them informed, with respect, and more importantly, in the manner, they prefer to learn about the issues. 

She entered the world of advocacy when she took on her youngest sister's elementary school board and won, improving the lives of not only her sister, but many other children. For Mary Ann, there’s a sense of pride in being an advocate, helping others who cannot help themselves. It’s the Bacon Island values that I treasure so much.

Like a lot of Latino families, Mary Ann’s parents placed a tremendous value on a college education even though neither of them finished elementary school. All five Gomez kids are college graduates, a truly remarkable feat given where they came from. Two graduated from U.C. Berkeley and one holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University. Mary Ann is a graduate of the prestigious University of the Pacific, where she was recognized with the University’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award in Public Service.

She also holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College. They too recognized her with the 2020 Meritorious Service Alumni of the Year award.

You can rest assured that the new generation of Gomez kids: four nephews and one niece will achieve more than their parents and grandparents.

(Mary Ann, Pacific President Eibeck, along with the other 2019 Alumni Honorees) 

The Sacramento & San Diego Years.

Armed with a communications degree from the University of the Pacific, Mary Ann moved north to Sacramento for new opportunities.

Lucky breaks came her way and she worked at well-known public relations firms such as Deen + Black and Fleishman-Hillard. She perfected her marketing and sales experience at Coors Brewing Company and McDonald’s Corporation.

In 2002, she headed south to San Diego. She worked for a regional newspaper, the Latino Times, started her own consulting business, and represented PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s trade group. 

Mary Ann was able to give back to numerous organizations in California, including the American Heart Association where she was Chair of Media Awards for the California Affiliate, as President of the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, board member of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, the California Capital Airshow, and Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez's Reaching for the Stars Foundation.

The Move to the Nation’s Capital.

In the summer of 2009, Mary Ann decided to pack up and leave northern California, her beloved family, and all her West Coast friends for Washington, D.C. not knowing what life had in store for her.

She decided that is was time to explore new opportunities and embraced the move with open arms. The move to D.C. would be challenging at first, and life-changing in many ways.

Her first job was as Executive Director of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP). Her time at NAHP was rewarding for both her and the organization given her expertise in communications and public relations, and her passion for entrepreneurship.

After two years at NAHP, she was hired as the Executive Director – now President & CEO – of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) where she continues to lead, excel and do what is most important to her: provide opportunities for young, talented Latino students.

CHLI's internship programs have been described as life-changing, something Mary Ann knows a lot about.

In 2015 Mary Ann opened CHLI’s Florida office. Another major milestone for the organization which will allow it to expand its programs and Florida based funders.

In January of 2019, Mary Ann began her two-year term as Chair of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), one of the most influential Hispanic organizations in the U.S., which celebrates its 34th year in 2020. Before being elected Chair by her HACR Board members, Mary Ann served as Vice-Chair for the last two years.

As Mary Ann continues to exceed expectations and take CHLI to new heights, it is clear that the move across the country was the right one. And it’s also clear that she’s never forgotten where she came from: the working fields of Northern California, a place called Bacon Island, Camp 3.

__________________________

I wrote this article in honor of my wife, Mary Ann Gomez. Mary Ann’s story is inspiring and uplifting, so please share with folks who need a little of both in their lives.

The article has been updated and edited for the LinkedIn #ThankfulTo series. It first appeared in LATINO Magazine last year, Thank you again to @AlfredoEstrada, Publisher, LATINO Magazine for sharing Mary Ann's story with his readers.