Team

President & CEO

Castillo is a Native Latine woman, an activist, feminist, national strategic leader, and renowned speaker in diversity & inclusion, digital rights, hate speech, media, civil rights, and social justice. She is an expert in alliance building, authentic storytelling, Latine in entertainment, and women’s issues. Castillo is a big believer that digital rights are a human right, that there is a very real correlation between hate rhetoric and hate crimes, and that tech companies should be held accountable for disinformation on their platforms.

Castillo currently serves as the first woman President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC).

Nominated by Congressman Joaquin Castro, Brenda was appointed to the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress in 2021. She is an Executive Committee Member of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda; Steering Committee Member of Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity; a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights; and leads the Spanish Language Disinformation Coalition.

Castillo is an L.A. Emmy award-winning producer and media production director with decades of C-suite experience in the private, government, and nonprofit sectors for BP America, ABC, and KTLA 5 Television. She is the executive producer of the 10 year old Latinx Stream Showcase, and runs one of the oldest (20 years) diversity writers programs in the industry, the Series Scriptwriters Program. Her recent short, “You’ll Be Happy Here”, won Best Horror short at the LIFE Film Festival along with multiple nominations.

Director of Advocacy

Daiquiri Ryan Mercado is a multidisciplinary lawyer with nearly 15 years of experience working in advocacy, community engagement, and civil rights policy. In her role as NHMC's Director of Advocacy, Daiquiri strategizes with senior leadership on complex policy issues facing the Latine community in the United States. She leads NHMC's policy team in thought leadership, coalition-building, and civil rights advocacy on a variety of issues, including digital equity and empowerment, information fraud prevention, net neutrality, and other technology and telecommunications policy issues. Daiquiri has been featured in the Associated Press, CNET, Mitú, LA Times, Forbes, PBS, Rolling Stone, Gizmodo, and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. As a former NHMC Policy Fellow herself, Daiquiri is proud to work closely with NHMC's team of Digital Equity Policy Fellows each year.

In addition to her role at NHMC, Daiquiri is Founder & CEO at éxito & co., a community engagement and marketing firm focused on social-impact campaigns, cultural storytelling, and event curation. A proud alumna of Arizona State University and The George Washington University School of Law, Daiquiri lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, son, and two dogs.

Senior Director, Media & Policy

Felicia Mora delegates the planning and logistics of the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s events from inception to completion. Over the past six years she has assisted in rebranding and improving the structure and coordination of NHMC’s events. From casting and producing the Latinx Stream Showcase, to coordinating multiple timelines and schedules for the 20+ year old Series Scriptwriters Program, to connecting and coordinating directly with A-List talent for the Impact Awards Gala.

Felicia is a fourth-generation Angeleno. She attended Cal State Fullerton receiving her degree in American Studies with a minor in Art, and is the first in her family to graduate from college. Felicia enjoys ceramics and attending as many local/community events when she can. She is a proud Chicanx/Native/Filipinx-American, human-parent, and cat mom.

External Relations & Digital Media Manager

Cruz Castillo is a part of the team’s external affairs, creating networks and building bridges with organizations, individuals, and the community. He helps coordinate and strategizes NHMC’s social media to serve Latinx and all POC best and promote all the team’s hard work.

Before joining NHMC, Cruz has worked various jobs ranging from NBCUniversal to CTV Canada. He has years of experience in the entertainment industry ranging from production crew to social media.

Cruz grew up in Whittier, California, and is one of many in his family to graduate from a university; the bar is set high with the Castillos. Cruz advocates for the underdog, fighting for those not often thought of or given the opportunity.

Cruz is a graduate from Cal State Los Angeles, where he earned his B.A. in Interpersonal Communication and a graduate from Institute of American Indian Arts where he received his Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He is a proud Indigenous Native living on stolen land. When not at NHMC, he enjoys spending his time reading, being active in the community, and filmmaking.

Administrative Manager

Arianna Rodriguez is the Administrative Manager at NHMC, joining the team in February 2023. She is third generation, born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She is also the first to graduate from college in her family. Arianna received her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management with Cum Laude honors from the University of Phoenix. She received her Masters degree in Management from the University of Phoenix in Spring 2024. 

Arianna, being of Mexican and Salvadoran descent, is passionate about breaking down barriers for Latinx people in their communities. In her free time, she enjoys attending classic cars events, going to concerts and festivals, and spending the day with her cat.