Meet our writers

We are an extended family and we take advantage of opportunities to work together.

  • Gary M. Stern

    +60 articles

    Gary Stern, a contributing writer for HO  has written hundreds of articles that have appeared in such leading publications as The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, USA Weekend, Crain's New York Business, Electronic Business, and Tennis. 

  • Frank DiMaria

    +60 articles

    Frank DiMaria is a freelance writer living South Carolina. When he’s not writing he teaches computer science and digital literacy in a middle school in Fort Mill.

  • Mary Ann Cooper

    +50 articles

    Whether the subject is health care or movies, women's issues or trends in television, Mary Ann has written about it or spoken about it. She is the author of more than 100 book projects including “Natural Cures for Common Diseases,” “101 Ways to Pamper Yourself,” and "Easy Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol." She was a nationally syndicated columnist for 30 years and contributing writer to an eclectic group of magazines including Hispanic Outlook, Women's World, Television Week, GRAND Magazine, Boxoffice Magazine, Looking Good Now Magazine, and American Media Special Magazines.  

  • Gustavo A. Mellander

    +50 articles

    Dr. Mellander was a university dean for 15 years and a college president for 20.

  • Peggy Sands Orchowski

    +40 articles

    Peggy (Dr. Margaret) Sands Orchowski Ph.D. has been the credentialed Congressional Correspondent for the Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education magazine in Washington DC since 2006.  Her new book “The Law That Changed the Face of America: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965” was published by Rowman & Littlefield in September in time for the 50th anniversary of its signing.

  • Enrique Del Risco

    +40 articles

    Enrique Del Risco Arrocha, also known as Enrisco, was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1967. He has a degree in History from the University of Havana and a doctorate in Latin American Literature from New York University (NYU), where he currently works. as a teacher in the department of Spanish and Portuguese. He was a finalist for the Cintas Foundation Fellowship for Creative Writing -for the project “Trilogía cubana del Hudson” (2011), and has received the following awards: Prize of the Contest Trece de Marzo 1993, Prize of Short Story magazine “Revolución y Cultura” 1994, Villa Awards de Madrid 1996 and V Ibero-American Cortes de Cádiz Award 2008, for the works: Shrunken Works (1992), Loss and recovery of innocence (1994), Crocodile tears (1998), Leve Historia de Cuba (2007), and ¿Qué Will they think of us in Japan? (2008).

All our writers

Rebeca Saray Griego

Rebeca Saray Griego

Melyssa Allen

Melyssa Allen is director of public relations at Meredith College, where she manages news, media relations, marketing writing, and social media functions in the Division of Marketing and Communications. She has more than two decades of experience in higher education communication.

Margarite Reinert

Margarite Reinert, LMSW, studied social work and criminal justice at the University of South Dakota and earned her master’s in social work at the University of Iowa. She teaches social work and researches trauma-informed practice and social justice. She serves on and is actively involved in university and community initiatives advancing social justice, education, and community well-being in Siouxland.

Gisela Angulo-Avellaneda

Gisela Angulo-Avellaneda is the Marketing and Communications Lead at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Originally from Colombia, she champions empowerment, particularly among immigrant women, drawing from her upbringing steeped in advocacy and a commitment to community upliftment.  

Alejandro Figliolo

Alejandro Figliolo is a tango dancer, choreographer and instructor, President of the “Fundación Cultura y Arte Popular.” He finished his studies at the former Tango University, now CETBA in Buenos Aires. He has performed in Corrientes Avenue theaters in Buenos Aires and traveled worldwide with different tango companies.   Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/alejandro.figlio) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBuio7OFsdrJqHNWCe7p6w)

Alyssa, S. Cortes-Kennedy, Ph.D.

Alyssa, S. Cortes-Kennedy, Ph.D., is a native South Texan, storyteller, academic and research scholar. She is an ambitious advocate for life-long learning, experiential leadership, and global citizenship.

Jeffrey A. Hayes

Dr. Hayes currently is a professor at Penn State University, where he has been a faculty member since 1993. 

Anne-Marie Núñez, Ph.D.

  Inaugural Executive Director, Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success Distinguished Centennial Professor in Educational Leadership and Foundations The University of Texas at El Paso.

Tony Payan, Ph.D.

Tony Payan, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. He is also a professor of social sciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. His main lines of research are related to issues that affect the U.S.-Mexico border and binational relations. He is the author, co-author, and editor of nearly twenty books on issues that affect the binational relationship, as well as of numerous book chapters and academic articles. To learn more about the Center, visit https://www.bakerinstitute.org/center/center-us-and-mexico.   

Kevin Prehn

Kevin Prehn is president of Concorde Career Colleges, where he leads a dedicated team across eight states, preparing tomorrow’s healthcare professionals for diverse, in-demand careers. Kevin’s transformative leadership recently secured Concorde the prestigious 2023 School of the Year recognition from the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools.  

Jennifer C. Monroy

Jenni is a first-generation Guatemalan American and international education practitioner who completed a Fulbright in Romania (2021-2022). Her career and doctoral studies are dedicated to enhancing cultural immersion opportunities and access for college students, especially those from historically marginalized groups. 

Christie Counts

Christie Counts is the Assistant Communications Specialist in the Office of Student Success at Cal Poly Pomona, where she develops and executes strategic communications, digital marketing campaigns, and social media management to highlight student achievements and campus initiatives. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communications with an emphasis in Multimedia Journalism.

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