Orlando Hispanic chamber chief resigns after 10 months

For the second time in a year, the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando has stepped down.

In a letter sent to chamber members Friday morning, Frank Lopez was quoted as saying that “changing personal and family demands” were the reasons for his departure. His resignation was effective immediately.

He was named president in January, following the resignation of Diana Bolivar in October. His resignation was announced by the chamber’s board chairman, Karla Garrido Muñiz.

The resignation comes as the chamber and many other organizations in Central Florida are bracing for a large influx of Puerto Ricans because of Hurricane Maria’s destruction on the island.

“In the next few weeks, we will begin to search for the best qualified individual to help us continue … building and supporting our business community,” Garrido Muñiz said in a letter. She also thanked Lopez for his service.

In a brief phone interview, Garrido Muñiz said the chamber will be looking for someone who can execute on the group’s strategic plan to meet the needs of its members.

“We’re looking hard at what the influx of Puerto Ricans coming to Florida, and how that is going to impact our economy,” she said. “So we need someone who really understands Central Florida.”

Most of the group’s 1,700 members are small businesses.

Specifically, the chamber wants to provide more help to those businesses regarding how to market their companies, how to use social media, and how to qualify as a minority-owned business in landing government contracts.

Lopez said in his statement that he’d continue working to encourage “entrepreneurial growth for the Latino business community.”

Previously, he led the ALPFA Foundation as the senior vice president and strategic partnerships and chief philanthropy officer. He also had a leadership position at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation.