In Memoriam for Marilou Martinez Stevens
Dear New America Alliance Members and Community,
It is with great sadness that we share the loss over the passing of one of the New America Alliance (NAA) founding members, Marilou Martínez Stevens. Marilou contributed greatly to the NAA over the entirety of our 20-year history. She was one of the original founding board members, served as Treasurer and Vice-Chair of Governance, and served as Chair of the Board from 2004-2006. Marilou most recently supported the NAA in an operational capacity as our external CFO.
Marilou grew up in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned degrees in accounting and computer programming which led to a long and successful career as a Certified Public Accountant.
Marilou achieved much acclaim and influence as a leader in the Hispanic business community, being named Businesswoman of the Year in Fort Worth and one of the Nation's Top 50 Businesswomen to Watch. In addition to her leadership within the NAA, Marilou was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America, having served as the first female Chair of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce.
Marilou served as the treasurer of the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra. She also gave seminars and talks to Hispanic groups about entrepreneurship and finance. In addition, she assisted people with tax questions via Spanish language help lines. Furthermore, for many years, Marilou served on the Military Academy Selection Committee for Congresswoman Kay Granger that reviewed and interviewed applicants for appointments to the 4 US Military Academies.
The following is an excerpted chapter about Marilou from Building The Latino Future, Success Stories for the Next Generation, written by Frank Carbajal and Humberto Medina. The 2008 book also features many NAA founders and former board members. We are forever grateful to the contribution that Marilou so passionately and professionally made to the mission of the New America Alliance. As Marilou's daughter Felicia shared, "She dearly loved everything about the NAA." In her spirit, we carry on the work that Marilou helped start twenty years ago.
Marilou is survived by her husband Daniel, her son Ryan and daughter Felicia.
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