Mario H. Lopez is the President of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, an advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity, and prosperity for all in public policy. HLF advocates on Capitol Hill and state legislatures, before regulatory agencies, and in the courts, to further its core principles and work with policymakers to defend and strengthen the American Dream.
HLF executes communication campaigns in English and Spanish to educate constituents about where candidates for public office and elected officials stand on critical issues. Since its inception in 2008, HLF has successfully completed millions of constituent contacts across all mediums. HLF is the first free-market non-partisan national advocacy organization governed exclusively by Latino political and public policy professionals.
Lopez appears and is quoted regularly in English and Spanish language media outlets. In addition to writing as an official Contributor to The Hill, he has written for dozens of publications on politics and policy. A passionate communicator dedicated to promoting liberty, his lifelong political involvement started with founding the first High School chapter of Young Americans for Freedom in California. As a professional, he has extensive experience in media and public relations, political campaigns, and the public policy process. He was named one of the 50 Most Influential Latino Republicans by Newsmax magazine, which called him “A strong voice for Latino interests and Republican ideals.”
In 2017 Lopez was appointed by Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai to the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Digital Diversity and Empowerment. Lopez served on the U.S. Senate Republican Task Force of Hispanic Affairs as appointed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT). Previously, Lopez was tapped to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Conference—a Republican caucus that promoted legislation and policy. He implemented communication and legislative strategies, focused heavily on coalition building, messaging, and issue management—including health care, tax reform, energy and education. He served as liaison to the White House, the executive branch, private sector, and public policy communities. Lopez previously served on the Hispanic Advisory Board for the Republican National Committee, and was a presidential appointee for George W. Bush. In his first Capitol Hill post, he served as Deputy Director of Coalitions and Outreach for House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts. He has served on political campaigns in California and Virginia.
Lopez earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from the University of San Diego. He is a graduate of The Fund for American Studies’ Institute on Political Journalism, and performed graduate work at the University of Southern California in both Political Science and the highly-regarded Master of Professional Writing program.