Felipe Lopez Sustaita
Felipe Lopez Sustaita
Felipe Lopez Sustaita is a Mexican American government official. He is particularly known for his advocacy, public service, building partnerships and leadership.
Early Life & Education
"From the Fields to the Michigan State Capitol: The Migrant Worker Experience" (Talks at Google, November 5, 2018)
Felipe Lopez Sustaita was born in Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He grew up in a family living in poverty, with 12 siblings (8 of whom lived in the same house with him). His father was a Bracero in World War II; he was one of the men who was brought in to work in the United States'agriculture industry while Americans fought in the war.
Working in the fields as an adolescent, his village picked a variety of vegetables across different states.
Lopez Sustaita attended Michigan State University, graduating a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's degree in Social Work. He later attained a Doctorate's degree in Community College Education from Ferris State University. [1]
Career
Dr. Lopez Sustaita was a program coordinator for Lansing Community College's LUCERO program.LUCERO (Latinos Unidos con Energia Respeto y Orgullo) is a support services program designed to assist Latinos in the recruitment, retention, graduation and transferring of LCC students.
On June 24, 2016, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) appointed Lopez Sustaita as the Executive Director of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan (HLCOM). His goals are to "increase economic growth of Hispanics, promote better education and academic achievements for Hispanics, and increase awareness of issues faced by the community to local and state government."
Dr. Lopez Sustaita was also a keynote speaker for Cesar Chavez.** [📁]**
Personal Life
He has said that Christmas is a holiday that helps him think about family traditions, particularly with regards to maintaining his Latino heritage. Dating back to when he was a child, his mother would make tamales.