Each year, the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists honors industry professionals and other leaders through four awards: Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Journalism, Community Service and the Estrella de Esperanza and Corazón De Oro.
Recipients of the Henry Guerra and Community Service awards are nominated and chosen by SAAHJ members via ballot vote. There were several deserving nominees this year. Congratulations to all of our award winners and nominees!
Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Nora Lopez, executive editor at the San Antonio Express-News, and a 35-year news veteran, is this year’s recipient of the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award. She oversees a team of talented editors and award-winning reporters. She has also worked as a reporter and editor at The Dallas Morning News and the now defunct San Antonio Light.
She served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists from 2020-2022. She has served as president of SAAHJ, where she was among one of the organization’s first board members. She served as vice president for the San Antonio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, where for about 15 years she produced, wrote and acted in “Gridiron,” a Saturday Night Live-style political satire fundraiser for San Antonio Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists scholarships.
Community Service Award Winner
AlamoPROMISE, the Alamo Colleges District program that covers college tuition and fees for San Antonio-area students, is this year’s recipient of the SAAHJ Community Service Award.
The AlamoPromise program covers tuition and fees for local high school graduates at 20 school districts and partners including 73 San Antonio-area high schools and programs as well as private, charter and home schools in Bexar County. The program enables the opportunity for a strong future to over 26,000 students and their families across our region.
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All of our deserving nominees deserve recognition. Thanks to all who nominated them.
Nominees for the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award:
- Dino Chiecchi, an associate professor at Texas State University in the School of Journalism and Communications is a founding SAAHJ member and a longtime National Association of Hispanic Journalists member
- Billy Calzada, Kin Man Hui, Jerry Lara and Luis Rios, four San Antonio Express-News award winning photojournalists who retired in 2023.
- Gilbert Garcia, an award-winning editorial writer and columnist at the San Antonio Express-News, with more than 20 years of experience. A graduate of Harvard University, he’s the author of the 2012 book, “Reagan’s Comeback: Four Weeks in Texas That Changed American Politics Forever.”
- Maclovio Perez, chief meteorologist at KAVU-TV, in Victoria, has worked in the journalism industry for over 50 years. He’s a founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists.
- Elizabeth Zavala, an award-winning county and state courts reporter at the San Antonio Express-News, has more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper reporter and editor. She has worked at five daily newspapers in Texas, including The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Denton Record-Chronicle.
Nominees for the Community Service Award:
- Intercultural Development Research Association, a nonprofit focused on public education policy analyses and advocacy, teacher and principal training, research and family and community engagement. Last year marked 50 years that IDRA has worked to ensure equal educational opportunities for all American students.
- Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., a nonprofit that for nearly 30 years has provided medical services and community support to low-income and uninsured families.
- Erika Prosper Nirenberg, first lady of San Antonio and senior director of customer insights at H-E-B.
- Lorena “Lorraine” Pulido, communications manager for VIA Metropolitan Transit, District 4 trustee for the Alamo Colleges District and chair of the Brooks Development Authority board, and marketing professor.
- Univision San Antonio (KWEX-DT), the San Antonio outlet of Spanish-language television network Univision.
Make plans to support SAAHJ’s 2024 gala
We look forward to celebrating Nora Lopez and AlamoPROMISE at our scholarship gala on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Grand Hyatt in downtown San Antonio.
We will also recognize and celebrate this year’s Corazón De Oro award, chosen by SAAHJ board members, and our scholarship winners during our gala.
Our SAAHJ Gala Committee is busy preparing for our gala and selling sponsorships. Reach us at gala@saahj.com or visit sahispanicjournalists.com/gala/ for more information.
