Board of
Directors
Mr. Bhatia is a dedicated advocate for fiscal responsibility, education reform, and renewable energy, working to create sustainable and equitable solutions for communities. With over 25 years of experience in public policy, he has championed government and democratic reforms, fostering public-private coalitions to drive economic development and climate initiatives. He currently serves as the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor at Princeton University, where he lectures on public and international affairs.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Bhatia was influenced by his mother, a political science professor, and his father, an economist and partition war survivor, instilling in him values of public service, opportunity, and civil rights. As President of the Senate of Puerto Rico (2013-2017), he led critical fiscal and energy reforms, including legislation mandating a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. Previously, as Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (2005-08), he represented Puerto Rico’s policy positions before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies.
Internationally, Bhatia served as President of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA), facilitating legislative dialogues across the Western Hemisphere. He has also led NHCSL, CSG-East, and the U.S. Senate Presidents’ Forum, advocating for climate change policies and economic growth. A Princeton and Stanford Law graduate, he has testified before the U.S. Congress and United Nations and been featured in major media outlets. His commitment to public service and policy innovation continues to shape discussions on democracy, sustainability, and economic development.
Linda Hernández Rosado is a dedicated advocate for media accessibility, education, and social justice, with a strong commitment to community service. She has played a pivotal role in campaigns against domestic violence and AIDS prevention and has served as a Board Member for United Way of Puerto Rico. As a co-founder of the Images in Movement Video Archive at the General Archives Library, she has worked to preserve and promote media history. Additionally, she has served as a Board Director for Latino Justice PRLDEF and led an Emmy Award-winning team (2017) at the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation.
Her extensive career in media and communications includes leadership roles in public and private broadcasting. She served as President of the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation, overseeing public radio and television, and spent 20 years as Vice President and News Director for WLII TV Channel 11. She has also held positions with WKAQ-TV Channel 2 and WAPA-TV Channel 4 and was a Professor of Television Production at American University in Puerto Rico.
At HITN, Hernández was Chief Operating Officer from 2009 to 2011, overseeing television operations before joining its Board of Directors. She also led El Nuevo Día (Orlando) as Executive Director, managing newsroom operations and coverage. Hernández holds a Master’s in Library Science from the University of Puerto Rico and an Advanced Executive Program (AEP) Certification from the Kellogg Institute at Northwestern University. Her lifelong dedication to media, education, and advocacy continues to shape the industry and empower communities.
Nelson Denis is an attorney, author, film director, and former representative to the New York State Assembly.
A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Denis was an associate with the New York law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine. He served in the New York State Assembly for two terms, from 1996 through 2000, where he represented El Barrio/East Harlem and Manhattan Valley.
Denis was also the editorial director of El Diario/La Prensa, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New York City. At El Diario, he published over 300 editorials and won the Best Editorial Writing award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Denis has also published extensively in the New York Times, New York Daily News, The Nation, Newsday, Harvard Political Review, Publishers Weekly, Orlando Sentinel, The National Institute of Latino Policy, and other national publications.
Denis recently published War Against All Puerto Ricans (Nation Books, 2015), a non-fiction history book about the life of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, and his life-long struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico.
Denis wrote and directed the feature-length film Vote For Me! which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He also wrote numerous feature-length screenplays, which have won awards from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and CineFestival. Denis also wrote the screenplay adaptation of his own book War Against All Puerto Ricans.
Denis is currently completing his second feature-length film Make America Great Again – a dark comedy about a Dominican immigrant who, instead of finding the American dream, is accused of terrorism and chased by ICE agents all over New York City.
Long before Mr. Angel Cruz, Esq., joined the HITN Board, he served the New York State judiciary, first as a court attorney in Supreme Court Bronx County, then later as a law clerk to the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Term First Judicial Department. Mr. Cruz is a lifelong resident of the Bronx and a passionate advocate for his fellow residents. Mr. Cruz is today, a principal of Maldonado and Cruz, PLLC., a small boutique firm dedicated primarily to criminal defense on 161st Street in Bronx County. He also serves on New York State Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission (IJEQC) in the First Judicial Department and the 18B Appellate Division First Department Assigned Counsel Plan Central Screening Committee, which plays a vital role in ensuring the quality of advocacy on behalf of indigent defendants. Mr. Cruz, Esq. is currently admitted to practice law in the Supreme Court of the United States; the Federal District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Federal District of Puerto Rico.
Carmen serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Clayco Inc., an architectural, engineering, and construction services firm with over $7 billion in annual revenue. Since 2013, she has advised Clayco on complex commercial real estate construction and design-build projects, leading negotiations and resolving disputes on projects ranging from $100 million to $400 million or more. In addition to her leadership in corporate governance, compliance, and acquisitions, Carmen previously spent 26 years practicing corporate restructuring and business law, culminating in her role as Chair of the Corporate Restructuring Practice for North America at Baker & McKenzie LLP.
Ms. Hernandez is a dedicated advocate for many community initiatives, using her expertise in business law to support pro bono initiatives throughout her legal career. Her prior civic work has included serving on the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and assisting the Foundation with a historic transaction preserving the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wrights life works with New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and Columbia University’s Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library. She has also previously served on (i) the Metropolitan Pier Exposition Authority Board (ii) the Illinois Finance Authority; and (iii) as Commissioner on the Great Lakes Commission.
Recently, Carmen was recognized for her exceptional contributions in Crain's Notable Latino Leaders for 2024 and received the 2025 Felisa Rincón de Gautíer Legal Trailblazer Award from Chicago’s Puerto Rican Arts Alliance. She is a founding member of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture and currently serves as Trustee on the board of the DuSable Black History Museum and Educational Center.
Carmen serves as a HITN Board Member, contributing her expertise to support the organization’s mission of empowering Hispanic communities through education and media.
Michael D. Nieves serves as the President and CEO of HITN, one of the nation's pioneering non-profit Spanish-language television networks. Under his leadership, HITN has significantly expanded its reach, adding over 10 million Latino households to its audience within his first two years and forging a long-term strategic partnership with Sprint Communications that continues to bolster the network’s mission. He has driven the network’s commitment to informative and culturally relevant programming, exemplified by Tu Momento, a Spanish-language series he conceived to simplify the U.S. electoral process during the 2016 election cycle. The program earned the 2016 Social Good Leader Award from Cynopsis Media, reinforcing HITN’s role as a trusted source of civic engagement content. Since his tenure began, HITN has secured three Emmy nominations—its first since its founding in 1983—and achieved a milestone victory in 2024 with its first Emmy Award for “Ramon and Irmgard”, part of the Puerto Rican Heritage Series, a project he initiated in 2022. In addition, HITN’s Tú Cuentas Cine Youth Project, originally greenlighted by Nieves in 2021, has won multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Telly Awards.
With over 25 years of experience shaping New York’s political landscape, Nieves has been a strategic force behind numerous electoral campaigns at the city, state, and federal levels. His expertise in political strategy and public policy has guided the careers of Assemblyman José Rivera, Assemblyman Robert Rodríguez, Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell, City Council Member Robert Cornegy, and former Congressman Charles Rangel, among others. His influence extends beyond New York, as evidenced by his pivotal role in Jesús “Chuy” Garcia’s 2015 Chicago mayoral campaign, which led to the city’s first-ever run-off election.
Nieves’ extensive public service career includes key roles in the New York City Council, where he served as Senior Advisor to the Majority Leader, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Council Speaker, and Director of State and Federal Affairs. As Deputy Director of Council Services, he played a critical role in managing the Council’s operations and budget while spearheading advocacy efforts on state and federal matters impacting the city. His deep expertise in election law and political strategy has made him a widely respected figure among Latino elected officials.
Before his tenure in government, Nieves led successful consulting firms specializing in political advising for Latino candidates and elected officials. His influence has been recognized with multiple accolades, including The Top 75 Political Consultants (2022-2024), The Power of Diversity: Latino 100 (2022), and The Brooklyn Power 100 (2022) from City & State Magazine. His expertise has also extended to educational policy, where he has provided counsel to the government of Puerto Rico.
Beyond his professional achievements, Nieves remains deeply engaged in civic and community affairs, serving on the boards of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago, the New York Puerto Rican Parade, and New York City Public Schools Community School Board #32. He and his family are active members of St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Brooklyn, NY. Looking ahead, he continues to champion initiatives that empower Hispanic communities through media, education, and civic engagement, ensuring that HITN remains a leading voice in public service broadcasting.
