Head of Hispanic Center of Western Michigan resigns

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The president of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan is resigning from her position effective July 17.

Evelyn Esparza-Gonzalez joined the center in 2017 as finance director and was named president of the organization earlier this year, with a press release thanking her for overseeing the organization during a period of growth.

“Our success in supporting our most vulnerable community members is a direct result of our staff’s willingness to go above and beyond every day,” she said in a statement. “The center has become a welcoming and supportive environment thanks to their tireless efforts,” Esparza-Gonzalez said. “It has been an honor to represent the center in this capacity, and I will always remain a friend and supporter of the center and its mission.”

A press release announcing her departure did not provide a timeframe or process for hiring her successor, but said “staff will play an important role in a collaborative strategy to select the center’s new director.” Center officials could not immediately be reached Friday afternoon to discuss who will lead the center on an interim basis.

A press release credited Esparza-Gonzalez with leading the center’s efforts to purchase a church in Grand Rapids’ Roosevelt Park neighborhood that would become “a gathering place for the local Latino community.”

The site would also house preschool education, after-school programs and adult education courses.

“Evelyn’s dedication is an example for all of us at the Center,” said Irving Vega, who sits on the Hispanic Center’s board of directors. “Her vision and leadership have had a profound impact on the Hispanic Center and the community it serves. We are grateful to Evelyn for her leadership and will continue the Hispanic Center’s mission to strengthen and support our community.”

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