Raul López was born in Havana, Cuba in 1962. At age 5, his family escaped Communism for a new life in the US.

In 1995 he started CrossTown Courier, Inc. with two partners; later selling the company to pursue other interests. Very active in the Latino community, Raul has served and Chaired many boards and has always been very involved in politics; starting two PACs and serving on the Board of another. He was an alternate delegate for Bush’s 2004 campaign and served as Minority Communications Director for the Tennessee GOP. Raul currently serves in two Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, his local church, and various conservative causes. He also helped found and host 2 Hispanic TV programs: Que Pasa Nashville and Spanish TV; both dedicated to the opportunities and challenges facing the Hispanic community in Middle Tennessee. Raul now brings his talents and ideas to Chair the RNHA of TN.

Raul lives in Nashville with his wife and six children (2 of which are adopted from Colombia). He works fulltime at a Men’s Prison Ministry and owns a very successful Real Estate Company, Rocket Realty USA.

Juan was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico. His father died when Juan was 6 but his mother still provided him with strong morals, values and a deep commitment to family. At 9 Juan began playing baseball and at 17 came to Tennessee’s Martin Methodist College on a baseball scholarship. Knowing no one in Tennessee and with limited English skills, Juan mastered English in just 3 months! He transferred to MTSU in 1989, graduating with a B.S. in Criminal Justice in 1992.

After graduation, Juan was a correctional officer for the Davidson County Sheriffs Department. In 1995 he became an officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; serving first as a patrolman and later as a Homicide detective. Juan now heads the El Protector Program, a community outreach for Latinos, and also serves the hostage negotiation team as it’s Training Coordinator. In 11 years in law enforcement, Juan has received numerous letters of commendation and many awards for outstanding service including:

* Investigator of the month - 1998
* Police Officer of the year nominee - 1999
* Exemplary and outstanding award - 2001
* Officer of the month - 2003
* Certificate of commendation - 2004

Eager to give back to a community which provided so many opportunities, Juan serves on numerous boards including:

* New Hope Baptist Church
* Peppertree Homeowners association Board of Directors
* Metro Police Department El Protector Advisory Committee
* Metro Police Department Policy Advisory Committee
* Nolensville Road Community Partnership Association
* NRA member
* Active member Teamsters Law enforcement league
* Member (FOP) Fraternal Order of Police.
* Former assistant baseball coach Ravenwood High School (2004)

Juan’s daughter, Alena Isabel; two brothers Joaquin and Ivan; and his mother, Myrna, are his inspiration.

After serving honorably in the U.S. Army, Rene returned to his home state and joined the policy office of the Texas Lieutenant Governor's Office. While in this role, which focused on the development of public policy, he pursued a business degree with an accounting major at St Edwards University in Austin, Texas.

In 2000, Rene became part of the State's Legislative Audit Agency. Here he tracked the performance of governmental agencies and universities in the implementation of public policy. It was also here where he became painfully aware of the need to limit the responsibility, growth, reach, and power of government.

In 2006, Rene joined the internal expense compliance section of Deloitte, a public accounting and consulting firm, and relocated to Middle Tennessee. Since his relocation, he has been instrumental in organizing a Hispanic affinity group at Deloitte locally. He is a member of the local chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, volunteers for the United Way, and is on the Board of Directors of Conexion Americas, an organization serving Hispanic individuals and families.

Rene currently resides in Brentwood with his wife, Lucy, who is a naturalized US citizen originally from the Republic of Panama.

The RNHA is a national membership organization. Membership is open to all U.S. Citizens and legal residents, regardless race or ethnicity, that wish to identify themselves as Republicans and work to further the mission and goals of the RNHA.

Be part of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly and join the nation’s largest network of Hispanic Republicans and GOP leaders. Your membership will help promote a better understanding of the Latino community to all Americans. Your membership will provide opportunities to the next generation of Republican leaders. Learn more about membership benefits.