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Advisory Council

Advisory Council Fall 2023

The University of Notre Dame maintains advisory councils for its principal academic units to advance their development in the broadest context. Council members acquire an understanding of the mission, plans, and priorities of the Institute and of the wider University. As members of the Notre Dame family, they in turn share this understanding with others, serving as ambassadors for the Institute and the University in the cities where they reside and in their respective professional communities.

  • Ruben C. Berumen, ND ’79, President of B-Gear Services Inc., Miami, Florida, Member since 2018
  • Bruce A. Broillet, ND ’71, Partner, Greene, Broillet, and Wheeler, Los Angeles, California, Member since 2018
  • Sofia I. Casillas, ND '24, Fulbright-Garcia Robles Fellow, Lone Tree, CO, Member since 2024
  • G. (Lupe) Eichelberger, ND ’82, Owner, Gazebo Gourmet Group, LLC, Seaside, FL, Member since 2014
  • Gregory Lawrence Evans, ND ’89 (Law), Partner, McGuirewoods, LLP, Carmel, California, Member since 2015
  • Bernard Luis Fraga, Associate Professor, Emory University, Decatur, GA, Member since 2024
  • Philip (Phil) K. Fuentes, Owner and Operator of McDonald’s, CHBIP Management, Inc., Chicago, Illinois - Chair, Member since 2010
  • Peter Gonzales, ND ’16, JD ’19, Associate, Quarles & Brady LLP, Chicago, IL, Member since 2020
  • Mary GrimesTrotter, ND '88, Los Alamitos, California, Member since 2022
  • William (Bill) C. Koury, ND ’66, Retired Radiologist, Sarasota, FL, Member since 2008
  • Francisco Lozano ND '94, Senior Director, Gainsight, Member since 2025
  • Thomas J. McNeil, President of Mainelli Mechanical Contractors, Omaha, Nebraska. Member since 2013
  • Alexis Marie Meruelo, ND '16 ND '21 (MBA), Chief Vision and Purpose Officer, Meruelo Group, Newport Coast, CA, Member since 2024
  • James (Jim) R. Wilson, Director, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, DC, Member since 2024

Welcoming Our Newest Members

Francisco Lozano

Francisco Lozano- Headshot of a man with short brown hair, glasses, and a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a dark blue blazer over a light blue shirt.

ILS Advisory Council Member 2025

Francisco Lozano is the dynamic sales executive with 20+ years sales experience at the intersection of services, data, and technology. Analyzes data to gain clear perspective of market conditions to plan, optimize, measure, and monetize revenue opportunities. Collaborates with stakeholders to ensure that proposals are scoped appropriately, and value is maximized. Leverages deep sales experience and expertise to steer growth and innovation. Proven ability to drive new business and deliver against target KPIs.

 

 

Bernard L. Fraga

ILS Advisory Council Member 2024

Bernard L. Fraga

Bernard L. Fraga is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and faculty coordinator of the Latinx Studies Initiative at Emory University. He studies American elections, focusing on racial/ethnic politics, voter turnout, and the impact of election laws on voters and politicians. He received his B.A. in Political Science and Linguistics from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy from Harvard University.

Broadly speaking, Fraga studies how racial/ethnic identity and context shape our political behaviors. His award-winning 2018 book The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of race and voter turnout, examining White, Black, Latinx, and Asian American voting patterns from the 1800s to the present. The Turnout Gap documents large and persistent racial/ethnic gaps in participation and explains the causes and consequences of these disparities, indicting a lack of mobilization and engagement with a diversifying electorate.

Fraga also conducts work on who runs for office, youth voter turnout, partisan competition, voter suppression, and other topics related to contemporary American elections. His research has been published in leading journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Electoral Studies, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, and Identities, Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, and the Stanford Law Review. Findings from Fraga’s work have been featured in various media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, CNN, and The Economist. Fraga’s research has been supported by the Carnegie Corporation, National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the Mellon Foundation, and various academic institutions. He has won multiple awards including the APSA Section on Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior Emerging Scholar Award, the APSA Section on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Best Book Award, the MPSA Lucius Barker Award, and the MPSA Latina/o Caucus Early Career Award. Fraga has also served as an expert consultant on multiple cases dealing with elections and voting rights, and regularly advises organizations dedicated to enhancing the civic and electoral engagement of all Americans.

Alexis Meruelo

ILS Advisory Council Member 2024

Alexis Meruelo, young, white woman, blond hair, poses for a picture. White pillar background

Alexis currently serves as the Chief Vision and Purpose Officer for Meruelo Group, where she oversees Corporate Social Responsibility efforts across Meruelo Group’s business portfolio, representing over 25+ companies, in over 10 different industries, with over 6,000 employees. As the second generation of her family’s leadership and legacy, Alexis is leading Meruelo Group’s future vision for impact and community. Their companies span across industries such as hospitality, television, banking, food manufacturing, and real estate, including companies such as the Sahara Hotel and Casino, Grand Sierra Resort Hotel and Casino, and Meruelo Media. Alexis has dedicated her career to building stronger communities and expanding the impact their organizations make across the West Coast. She works across industries to create change: implementing internal programs to recognize and uplift team members, as well as external partners on a national scale in order to help elevate underrepresented communities in business. Their driving focus for change is to help empower and uplift the Hispanic community to succeed in higher education, economic advancement, and leadership positions for brighter future.

Alexis is also a renown Public Speaker, Empowerment Advocate, and Philanthropist that focuses on inspiring Latina’s to believe in themselves and hold positions of power. She received the HCF Honoree Award in 2022 for her philanthropic work. Alexis is proud alumna of the University of Notre Dame, earning both her BBA and MBA degrees from the University in 2016 and 2021.

James R. Wilson

ILS Advisory Council Member 2024

James R. Wilson, older white man smiles, navy blue suit and tie, grey hair

James R. Wilson is a Washington, DC native and resident. He holds masters degrees from George Washington (public policy) and Johns Hopkins (writing) universities, and serves as a director at the US Comptroller of the Currency. Jim has been an active supporter of Institute for Latino Studies literary initiatives, including Letras Latinas' "Afro-Latinx Poetry Now" (South Bend, 2022) and "We the People" celebrations (Folger Shakespeare Library, 2024). His ILS endowment aims to enable the voices of LatinX writers to ring more loudly, more distinctly, and more equally in the United States. Jim began his term as an ILS Advisory Council member in July 2024.