Maria has been the Host of the broadcast since day one — more than fifteen years ago. She was the first Latina correspondent to work for National Public Radio. In addition to her duties at Latino USA, Maria is the Senior Correspondent for public television’s NOW on PBS and the host of Maria Hinojosa: One on One. We encourage you to read more about Maria’s philosophy of the program and the story of how she became a journalist.

For the past 25 years Salinas has been a vital source of news for millions of Hispanics in the United States and 18 countries in Latin America. She is co-anchor for the highly rated Noticiero Univision, where she has handled some of the most challenging assignments in modern day journalism. Each week she steps away from the camera to discuss the news of the week with Maria Hinojosa on NPR’s Latino USA. In addition to her position as network anchor, Salinas co-hosts the prime-time television news magazine “Aqui y Ahora.” She is one of the few Hispanic syndicated columnists in the United States. Her weekly column on U.S. Hispanic issues and Latin America is distributed by King Features Syndicates in both English and Spanish to more than 55 daily newspapers in the country. You can read more about María Elena on her website.

Alex Avila is Senior Producer for latinousa.org, which supports the National Public Radio program Latino USA, a weekly national radio program that covers news and cultural issues affecting the nation’s 43 million-strong Latino community.

Alex Avila joined Latino USA as a deputy producer in 1998 and served as Senior Producer from 2001 to 2008. His journalism experience includes work as an assistant editor for Hispanic Magazine, managing editor for the National Hispanic Journal, and managing editor for Arriba Art & Business News. He also teaches broadcast journalism and podcast production at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.

Known variously as “the Mixmaster,” “Engineer Extraordinaire,” and “Papi,” Walter Morgan is Latino USA’s Senior Broadcast Producer & Senior Music Producer for KUT Radio in Austin.

Favorite quote: “The only constant is change.”
Favorite band: All that play in tune.
Favorite food: Black beans and rice with potato chips.
Favorite radio host: Hmmmm… Maria Hinojosa?

Born in Lake Charles Louisiana, he has lived in Texas for the past… oh… good long time. Morgan attended Lamar University in Beaumont Texas as a Music Composition Major and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, BS, Radio-Television-Film. He has received numerous awards for his work with the Latino USA broadcast team including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award, and numerous National Federation of Community Broadcasters Golden Reel Awards.

He lives in Dripping Springs, Texas with his wife Susan and their 5 dogs, 2 cats, chickens, rabbits, lovebirds, and 3 goats. Their 3 kids are all grown up and are great, as are the grandkids Hazel and Little Walt.

Hook ‘em.

Angela Maldonado is a producer for Latino USA. Having joined the staff in 2005, she handles a variety of duties, from accounting, record keeping, and office management to marketing and production. In her time with the show, she’s co-hosted a special on Latinos and Obesity, produced news features and band profiles.

She came to KUT Radio by way of Clear Channel Radio, where she worked as a promotions assistant and board operator for three years while attending Texas State University-San Marcos, where she graduated in May 2004, with a print mass communication degree.

A Corpus Christi native, Angela is also a freelance writer and blogger and has called Austin home since 2002.

Mincho Jacob is the Deputy Producer for Latino USA. He is responsible for the development of content and serves as assignment editor for contributors.

Mincho describes himself as a Guatemalan who grew up steeped in Tex-Mex culture, and a love for Puerto Rican and Cuban music… perfect training for work at Latino USA. He has also lived throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, most recently completing a year of study in Salvador, Brazil. While in Brazil, Mincho worked closely with Ilê Aiyê, the renowned bloco afro or Afro-centric carnival and community association. He taught English and Spanish classes to youth in the community, and also trained students to conduct field recordings to document stories of their neighborhoods.

Mincho is also a part-time musician (who isn’t in Austin?), playing bass in salsa, country, and rock bands.

Katie Davis is a Washington DC writer and a 25-year veteran of public radio. “Neighborhood Stories”, her ongoing series of audio essays, appears on NPR’s All Things Considered and PRI’s This American Life. Her essays are included in You Are Here: Personal Geographies (Princeton Architectural Press 2004) and the upcoming Reality Radio. Davis has received fellowships from the McDowell Colony, The Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and the D.C. Commission on the Arts. She is the founder/director of The Urban Rangers Youth Corps that gives kids “tools for life” in Washington D.C.

Seán Collins has been a Benedictine monk, a network news producer, a community organizer, and a cook. He also sold books for awhile. In fact, it was the job in the bookstore that got him interested in radio. He worked at NPR for almost 20 years, producing All Things Considered and Weekend Edition Saturday, managing coverage of everything from political conventions and the attacks on 11 September 2001, to the day a hundred-year-old cheese sandwich was found behind a cushion in a sofa in London. In 2008, he served as a judge of the Third Coast Audio Festival in Chicago. Really, his only other claim to fame is that he once rode in an elevator with Ella Fitzgerald. He lives in Saint Louis, roots for the Cardinals, and reads a lot of poetry. Collins sometimes wonders whether he should have stayed in the monastery, but they didn’t allow radios and he’s grown fond of the medium.