Management and
Team

Michael D. Nieves is President and CEO of HITN, one of the first non-profit Spanish language television networks in the U.S. During his first two years as CEO (2015-2017), HITN added more than 10 million Latino Households to its subscriber base. In addition, Mr. Nieves spearheaded a historic partnership with Sprint Communications. During the 2016 election, Nieves conceived the HITN original production, Tu Momento, a Spanish-language television program explaining the US electoral process from state primaries and caucuses to Inauguration Day. The program was awarded the Social Good Leader Award of 2016 by Cynopsis Media. Under Mr. Nieves’ leadership, HITN has received three Emmy nominations and has won the prestigious Telly Award for the Public Affairs show featured on HITN TV called Estudio DC and a Telly Award for Tu Cuentas Cine Youth Fest.

For over 25 years, Nieves has helped build the political landscape in New York by serving as strategic and policy advisor and consultant to numerous elected officials and campaigns across New York City and New York State. Campaigns have included the elections of state and city representatives, borough presidents, members of Congress, and judicial candidates. Among those Mr. Nieves has served are Assemblyman and former Bronx Democratic leader José Rivera, Assemblyman Robert Rodríguez, New York City Council Member Robert Cornegy, former Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), New York City Civil Court Judge Lisa Headley, and Transit Workers Union Local 100. In 2015, Mr. Nieves served as a key strategic advisor to the Jesús “Chuy” Garcia campaign in Chicago, which resulted in Chicago’s first-ever run-off election for the mayoralty.

Michael Nieves has a distinguished record in government service. He has served as Senior Advisor to the Majority Leader of the New York City Council; as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Council Speaker; as Director of State and Federal Affairs for the Council; and as Deputy Director of Council Services. In the latter position, he oversaw the administrative functions and budget of the New York City Council and individual Council members. As Director of State and Federal Affairs, Nieves was the principal lobbyist for the New York City Council concerning all New York State-related matters. Among Latino elected officials, Mr. Nieves is renowned for his political strategy, public policy, and election law expertise.

Mr. Nieves is hailed by many as one of the top Latino political operatives in the State of New York, receiving, among others, “The Top 75 Political Consultants for 2022” Award, The 2022 “Power of Diversity: Latino 100” Award, and the 2022 “Brooklyn Power 100” Award by City and State Magazine. He has also served as an advisor on educational policy for the government of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Nieves’ numerous civic and community involvements include 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.

Alejandro comes to HITN with a wealth of experience in the non-profit and educational sectors. Alejandro has contributed to and in some cases, restructured organizational outreach processes and internal collaborative forms in different Latino communities and organizations across the country, such as New York, Hartford, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Alejandro leads the Administrative Team and is directly responsible for supporting the work of Michael D. Nieves, President, and CEO of HITN. He also co-leads, with Cynthia Rivera, “Tú Cuentas Cine Youth Fest”, now in its second year, slated to take place October 9-16, 2022. He has quickly become part of the HITN team, supporting, among others, production for several HITN collaborations on the census, and e-sports as it affects Latino communities. He is the lead for the 45th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of HITN, slated to take place in 2025.

He serves as President of the Board of Directors of Youth Connections Charter School (YCCS), and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, both of which are located in Chicago.

Janet manages the administrative functions of senior officials within the organization, particularly the President and CEO. She is responsible for coordinating calendars, scheduling meetings, and acting as a liaison between management and employees.

Recently, Janet has served as a Community Assistant at Bronx Community Planning Board. She worked with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and also as Director of Constituent Services, Director of Community Outreach and Office Manager for the Majority Leader of the New York City Council.

Cynthia currently coordinates HITN’s Second Annual Tú Cuentas Cine Youth Festival (TÚ ‘22.) She has led the Administrative Team and worked alongside the Executive Team and with HITN Presidents/CEOs for 8+ years. As Website Editorial Manager, she works to enhance HITN’s web presence by assigning and curating content to the staff, marketing, and digital managers.

Cynthia has been responsible for the management of media production projects and budgeting. She serves as a liaison for HITN partnerships and organizations across national markets, including Puerto Rico, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) & SOMOS, an annual conference addressing the needs of the Hispanic population.

Anthony is an Executive Assistant for special projects to the President and CEO, Michael D. Nieves. He joined HITN, first as an intern in 2016, then came on-board full time in June 2022. His work involves special projects such as promoting Latino civic engagement, business documentation, and special project support and compliance. He earned his B.A. in Political Science and Public Law from the University at Albany, and is currently pursuing law school.

As CLO and CDO of HITN, Maryann is responsible for guiding the development and alignment of HITN’s educational content – on the air, online, and on the ground – and for overseeing the acquisition and application of the critical resources to manage this work.
Before her work at HITN, Maryann held a range of senior administrative positions in both the private and public sectors, including her role as Chief Learning Office for Teachscape, Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Early Childhood and Special Assistant to the NYC Schools Chancellor.

Maryann holds graduate degrees from the City College of NY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Teachers College, Columbia University.

Angel Audiffred comes to HITN with experience in advertising, media and government. While working in advertising, Angel worked as an account supervisor and directed the production of various campaigns, while managing client relations. In 2014, the New York State Department of State named Angel a New York Empire State Fellow with a placement at the New York State Department of Labor. Angel also served at the New York City Council, where he worked as a Chief of Staff for two council members and press officer for the Majority Leader and Speaker of the Council. In 2010, Angel was awarded 40 Under 40 Rising Stars by City Hall News.

In 2017, he joined the Board of Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. Angel resides in Queens, New York, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Marketing from F.I.T., SUNY and a graduate degree in Strategic Communications at Columbia University.

Naomi Rivera is a former member of the New York State Assembly with over 20 years’ experience in senior levels of State and City Government. She is only the second Puerto Rican to be elected to the State Assembly in its 226-year history, paving the way for Latinas. She was a voting member of the standing committees on Health and Education and worked closely with the executive office, and the state secretary of health to create programming opportunities that address disparities.
As Executive Director of Government Affairs for HITN, Naomi is responsible for the co-development of HITN’s community and government affairs unit. She works collaboratively on government relations. She fosters relationships developed over many years in the public and private sector in order she facilitates partnerships to maximize community reach, and bolster programs that supports the agency’s mission to advance the educational, cultural, and socio-economic aspirations of Hispanics.

Federico is responsible for designing and producing educational apps and web content, most noticeably for the award-winning Cleo & Cuquin Explore + Learn app as well as multiple Pocoyo Playsets. As Project Manager and Designer, he works with people of diverse talents and cultures to fulfill HITN’s vision.

Federico holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Toulouse in France, a Master’s Degree in Video Game Design from the European University in Madrid, Spain. He is currently a candidate for a Master’s degree in Technology Management from Columbia University.

Rudy Vargas IV has worked with Hispanic communities for over a quarter of a century. As Manager of Community Relations for HITN, his experience in working with the gamut of community to faith-based organizations has served him in good stead. Rudy develops relationships and partnerships that promote the value of education, leadership and community engagement. Born in East New York in Brooklyn, Mr. Vargas holds a doctoral degree in Hispanic/Latino practical theology from Barry University, a master’s degree at Fordham University and a B.A. from S.U.N.Y. Empire State College. Rudy is married to Sandy Vargas and has three children, Vanessa, Rudy V, and Veronica Raquel. He is the proud grandfather of Samantha Christine and Genevieve.

Philip Wayne Mahlke comes to HITN with experience in business management, accounting and government. As Government Affairs Coordinator Mr. Mahlke works with the other members of the Department to coordinate HITN’s on-going relations with both State and City officials. In addition, he oversee the Budget for the Department. Mr. Mahlke has worked has a medical administrator, accounting supervisor, and has directed various political campaigns. Mr. Mahlke also served at the New York State Senate, where he worked as a Chief of Staff for two state senators and as Legislative and Budget Director in the New York City Council. Wayne has long been a community activist. In 1993, he received the 1999 PFLAG Morty Manford Award from and the 2001 Queens Winter Pride Award. Wayne was born and raised in Queens, graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from St. John’s University and studied at Nashotah House Episcopal Seminary.

Rudy Vargas IV has worked with Hispanic communities for over a quarter of a century. As Manager of Community Relations for HITN, his experience in working with the gamut of community to faith-based organizations has served him in good stead. Rudy develops relationships and partnerships that promote the value of education, leadership and community engagement. Born in East New York in Brooklyn, Mr. Vargas holds a doctoral degree in Hispanic/Latino practical theology from Barry University, a master’s degree at Fordham University and a B.A. from S.U.N.Y. Empire State College. Rudy is married to Sandy Vargas and has three children, Vanessa, Rudy V, and Veronica Raquel. He is the proud grandfather of Samantha Christine and Genevieve.

At HITN since 2014, Briszeida Bullock began as an Office Manager and has moved into her current role as Assistant to the Director of Human Resources. In this role, she helps with recruiting, onboarding, and scheduling meetings/interviews with prospective interviewees, and employees. Briszeida also works with the Admin team in collaboratively planning and managing internal and external events. She is part of HITN's 40th Anniversary Gala planning team. Music, running, and cycling enthusiast, Briszeida is a proud Angeleno transplant living in Brooklyn.

Janet manages the administrative functions of senior officials within the organization, particularly the President and CEO. She is responsible for coordinating calendars, scheduling meetings, and acting as a liaison between management and employees.

Recently, Janet has served as a Community Assistant at Bronx Community Planning Board. She worked with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and also as Director of Constituent Services, Director of Community Outreach and Office Manager for the Majority Leader of the New York City Council.

Kelsey currently works in the Admin department as an Office Assistant. She also assists the finance department. In the near future, she hopes to collaborate with Government Affairs and Community Relations in building positive relationships to keep communities safe, and increase the level of financial literacy in low-income communities. Kelsey attends John Jay College of Criminal Justice, pursuing her degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Counseling.

Félix Jáquez joined HITN’s Facilities team in 2006 and is a key part of the team dedicated to making HITN a safe place by following all of the state and city-mandated cleaning protocols. Félix is responsible for outgoing facilities mail, general upkeep, and cleaning supplies inventory. In addition, he leads the planning and decoration for the Holiday and Three Kings Annual Party, as well as other HITN special events. During the pandemic, he and the other members of the Facilities team took the lead in ensuring that all of HITN was maintained up to the latest COVID standards.

Gerardo “Panama” Ford joined HITN in 2017 as part of the Maintenance Team and is another core part of the team dedicated to making HITN a safe place by following all of the state and city-mandated cleaning protocols. “Panama” is the first in on a daily basis, and is in charge of mopping the granite floors throughout HITN headquarters, in addition to cleaning the 3 production studios and outside care of the garden. During the pandemic, he and the other members of the Facilities team took the lead in ensuring that all of HITN was maintained up to the latest COVID standards.