2019 Latina of Influence Sofia Salgado | Executive Director MANA de San Diego
Hispanic Lifestyle is pleased to recognize Sofia Salgado, Executive Director for MANA de San Diego as a 2019 Latina of Influence. Ms. Salgado along with our entire list of 2019 Latinas of Influence are invited to participate in Latina Conference 2019 taking place April 10 and 11, 2019 in Ontario, California.
Sofia Salgado is the Executive Director for MANA de San Diego, a non-profit Latina organization, where she leads their strategic planning, marketing and operations efforts while overseeing 200+ volunteers who plan and implement MANA’s programs serving more than 1,000 Latinas in San Diego County. The mission of the organization is to empower Latinas through education, leadership development, community service and advocacy. MANA has been around for 32 years and Sofia is their first Executive Director. She brings outstanding industry skills and an in-depth knowledge about MANA de San Diego that is only surpassed by her passion to help Latinas succeed. Under Sofia’s leadership, MANA de San Diego was awarded the “2018 Chapter of the Year” by MANA National headquartered in Washington, DC. Other achievements for the organization include the 2017 FBI Director’s Award for Community Leadership and the 2015 Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Sofia has been instrumental in MANA’s growth in serving the Latina community. She has facilitated a big-picture approach by positioning the non-profit as the premiere organization in education, mentorship and volunteerism for Latinas of all ages. Sofia has been instrumental in doubling the budget for the organization as well as increasing the numbers served by 100% as she developed a strategic plan to strengthen programs, streamline processes, maximize human resources and expand community reach. Her vision includes strengthening community presence, collaborations, infrastructure and processes so that MANA not only acutely understands the current and emerging needs of Latinas, but is also positioned to meet those needs through creative, effective and collaborative programming.
Before joining MANA de San Diego, Sofia was the Community Affairs Manager for KSWB/Channel 5 and KGTV/ABC10 where she positioned and marketed the stations as leaders in the areas of local issues such as education and the diversity of the San Diego region. She created and implemented projects that made a measurable difference in the community as well as promoted the television stations as upstanding corporate citizens. Sofia’s biggest accomplishment was creating and overseeing the KSWB Cares for Kids charitable fund which granted more than $18 million to local children’s charities during her tenure.
Sofia has a long history of involvement in the community. Her community service and recognitions include the following:
- San Diego Mayor’s Latino Advisory Board, current
- San Diego State University Latino Advisory Board, current
- Harvard Business School Club of San Diego Non-Profit Development Program, 2014
- NBC 7 Community Advisory Board, 2014
- City of San Diego, Salary Setting Commissioner, 2011
- San Diego Metropolitan 40 Under Forty Award, 2004
- National Association of Broadcasters Service to Television Award, 2002
- LEAD San Diego, Inc., Class of 1997
- MANA de San Diego Member of the Year, 1997
A daughter of immigrant parents, Sofia was born and raised in El Centro, CA, where one in four still live in poverty. Sofia is a first-generation college graduate of UC San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in Communications.
Nomination submitted by Inez González Perezchica, Ed.D.
Sofia Salgado is the Executive Director of MANA de San Diego, the largest chapter in the nation. MANA de San Diego is lifting up the San Diego Latino community by mentoring young girls to go to college, providing financial and emotional support to college and graduate students, coaching young professionals to move up to decision-making positions. As the Executive Director she leads and organization doing outstanding volunteer work to make San Diego better.
