The Philadelphia OIC recently announced four new members to its Board of Directors; one of which is Javier Suarez.

Suarez is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a role he has filled since 2016. He is a critical member of the “small, but mighty team” at the Chamber, dedicated to the mission of promoting the advancement and economic growth of Hispanic businesses and professionals in the Greater Philadelphia region. 

A born and raised Philadelphian of Colombian descent, Suarez has spent the entirety of his career promoting both entities of his background — the Latino community in Philadelphia.

Suarez is also the executive director of Live Work Philadelphia. 

Established in 2021, Live Work Philadelphia is a nonprofit organization that serves as an independent resident attraction program for the City of Philadelphia with a focus on branding the benefits of living and working in Philadelphia. 

Throughout his career, Suarez’s goal has been to help bring Latino professionals together while enhancing visibility and inspiring a more robust and influential Hispanic presence in Philadelphia. 

Past roles have displayed that very mission, which include executive producer of the Hispanic Choice Awards, Philadelphia’s premier red carpet event honoring Latino professionals; president & CEO of the Hispanic Yellow Pages; and producer of Festival de las Americas, Philadelphia’s largest outdoor festival for Latino music. 

Philadelphia OIC is just the latest organization in which Suarez serves on its Board of Directors.

Suarez is also on the Board of Directors for Children First and Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC), among others. He previously served as President of ALPFA Philadelphia from 2014 to 2016, an organization he remains active in to this day. 

The three other new members of Philadelphia OIC’s board of directors are Vincent D. Gordon, President of Gordon Policy Group, LLC; Ali Jaffar, CEO of KeyMedium; and Tia Lyles-Williams, Founder and CEO of LucasPye BIO and HelaPlex. 

Philadelphia OIC is an organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy through education and job training. 

It was founded in 1964 by Reverend Leon H. Sullivan, who was among the staunchest advocates for creating career opportunities for individuals from underrepresented and underserved communities.