After acting as the executive director of the United Hispanic-Americans for 16 years, Rosa Gerra has retired.
Gerra and her family helped found the organization more than 40 years ago.
According to the website, the UHA’s purpose is “to improve the quality of life for Hispanics in Northeastern Indiana by providing advocacy, social and cultural services and promoting an understanding of Hispanic cultures, challenges and opportunities.”
Programs include the Adult Tobacco Free Program and De Mujer a Mujer, which teaches women how to prevent HIV/AIDS and STDs.
Gerra and her brother, Tony Cuellar, started the organization to address social injustices against Hispanics. “The discrimination was blatant then,” she said in a 2007 interview.
“Under Rosa’s leadership, UHA has taken a leadership role in addressing the needs of the ever-growing Hispanic/Latino population in northeast Indiana,” says the new board president, Larry Graham, who added that a strategic planning process is under way to determine the UHA’s future focus.
Former board president G. Herb Hernandez was appointed acting executive director of the organization, 2424 Fairfield Ave., at the UHA’s last board meeting.
