Ramonita Vargas Named 2022 Community Leader of the Year by Cleveland Magazine

Ramonita Vargas is the heart of the Spanish American Committee. Our nonprofit organization has served as Ohio's first and largest Hispanic social services agency for over 55 years. Ramonita has been at the helm since 2010, but in truth, she's been operating as a lifeboat for Clevelanders who share her culture for nearly 40 years. Ramonita’s accounting and organizational skills helped turn a nonprofit that was $200,000 in debt into one with a 1.1 million dollar budget.

But Ramonita says she is successful because she understands. She was born in Cleveland of native Puerto Rican parents and she and her six siblings grew up poor in a two-bedroom house. So she knows what it's like to be hungry and to lack the proper clothes.

Now she uses that understanding to tackle the needs of her community serving more than 5,000 people a year. Most individuals and families who come for help do not speak English and require immediate assistance with housing, employment, and basic necessities. Ramonita proudly points out that they never turn anyone away. Congratulations to Ramonita Vargas, the 2022 Community Leader of the Year for diversity and inclusion!

Watch Cleveland Magazine's video honoring Ramonita below and read her interview on their website.