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National Latina / Latino Commission
Rabbi James Oviedo
Rabbi James Oviedo

James Oviedo is a former U.S. Army Elite Special Forces Team Leader and Federal Agent, who has passionately embraced life, leadership and family.  In the business world, he successfully founded and managed a leadership and management consulting company that served customers on 3 continents— Microsoft, Boeing, AT&T, United Arab Emirates, FBI, ATF, Salem Communications, World Vision, Crown Financial, Family Life Today and numerous others.  Today, he continues to serve professionally as a Leadership and Management Counselor to leaders in business, government and community-based organizations.He served for five years as the National Latino Outreach Director for Enfoque en la Familia (Focus on the Family—a $35M/year nonprofit) where he hosted a nationally syndicated radio show, served as a spiritual leadership Trainer and Counselor, as a national public policy and grass roots Campaigner, as a national Public Speaker, as a radio/TV Host, and has appeared on numerous radio/TV shows and news interviews.  He has served as an Advisor on families to Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, and as an Advisor on immigration to U.S. lawmakers and to President George W. Bush.  He also served as the West Region Director for Jobs for Life.  Presently he serves as the President and CEO of ATC (Always Thinking Community), a nonprofit community management and life-building organization based in Tucson, Arizona, and as the Executive Director of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Arizona Latino Commission
His degrees include a Masters in Business Management, an MBA (Human Resources) and a Masters of Divinity.  He is currently working toward his doctorate in Organizational Leadership & Management Development with an emphasis on Community Management.  Mr. Oviedo is also an accomplished theologian and Rabbi of a small Jewish community that embraces Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.  He graduated with honors throughout all of his college undergraduate and graduate programs, and as the valedictorian of his high school class.When it comes to extracurricular activities, he is an expert Black Belt in multiple forms of Martial Arts.  In the early 1980’s he played professional soccer in New York.  Today he stays in shape by playing handball with some of the local youths he mentors.
Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, South America in 1960, James Oviedo was the only one of three siblings to survive abortion attempts by their Jewish mother.  At age 4, he migrated with his Catholic father to New Jersey with brief stops in Brooklyn and Queens along the way.  James and his father were reuniting with his mother who had migrated to Washington, D.C. a year earlier to escape her husband’s abuse.  James’ father took the initiative to reconcile; however, within a short time of reconnecting in New Jersey, his father’s violent abuse resumed.
At age 7 James became the target of a 13-year old neighborhood bully.  When his father, a notorious drinker and brawler discovered that James had been doing all he could to avoid the over-sized boy, a monumental confrontation ensued.  After being pinned to the wall and having his father’s fist thrust full force into his stomach, James was ordered to face the bully and fight like a man, or return home to face additional disapproval.  Through a miraculous series of people and events, including a beat cop who, at one point, unwittingly served as his only healthy boyhood role model, James Oviedo has persevered.  Today, he remains dedicated to pursuing life, and the opportunity to share the benefits of that pursuit with other human bein

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