Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC)
Ray Mellado
Chair and Founder
Ray Mellado is the founder, Chairman of the Board & CEO of the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC). The mission of HENAAC is to seek, identify and document the outstanding contributions of Hispanic Americans to science, engineering and technology. HENAAC began to carry out this mission through its annual conference, now entering its eighteenth year. In recent years, HENAAC has also developed educational programs like the HENAAC Hall of Fame, the HENAAC College Bowl, and Viva Technology.
In 2000, HENAAC introduced the College Bowl, an innovative, competitive two-day workshop for college students preparing to enter engineering careers. In 2001, HENAAC launched Viva Technology, a year-round K-12 educational program designed to introduce pre-college students to the exciting careers in science, engineering and technology. Thru 2007, Viva Technology will have worked with over 50,000 students, parents and teachers. Mellado was the founding publisher of TECHNiCA™ and Rego™ Magazines.
Mellado entered the private sector after a distinguished 21-year marketing/sales career with the Xerox Corporation. In his final assignment and position as a National Sales Manager, Mellado was responsible for all revenues and services to the Utility Industry in the western United States with a revenue and sales responsibility of $62 million.
Throughout his career, Mellado has taken an active leadership role in the Hispanic Community.
In 1977, while a notable member of the Xerox marketing team, Mellado was a founding member of the Hispanic Association for Professional Advancement (HAPA), one of the first Hispanic Employee Associations in Corporate America. HAPA was proud to have him serve as one of its founding presidents. Mellado has also coached football at the high school, community college and college level for 17 years.
Currently, Mellado serves on the Executive Advisory Council for the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA), the National Academy of Engineering's Action Forum on Diversity, a group chartered to work with the Academy to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering as well as US Navy's Diversity Senior Advisory Group(DSAG) reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He also serves on the Board of the Foundation for the Advancement of Science Education (FASE), producers of award-winning educational products that have earned three Peabody Awards.
Mellado was born and raised in Los Angeles, California where he attended Cathedral High School, East Los Angeles College and Whittier College. He and his wife, Carmela, have been married for 36 years and have three grown children, daughters Anna and Regina, and son Peter, four grandchildren, Adara, Jessica, Vivian and Atticus.