Ms. Liliam M. Lopez is the President/CEO and one of the co-founders of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SFHCC). The SFHCC was founded in 1994 by a group of young, dynamic professionals and has since grown to over 800 members. The SFHCC received the 1998-99 “Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Year Award” granted by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce based in Washington, D.C.

Under Ms. Lopez’ leadership, a scholarship program was implemented whereby low-income Hispanic students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools enrolled in the Academy of Travel and Tourism program would qualify to receive a $500.00 or $1,000.00 scholarship. During the last twelve years, 42 scholarships have been granted for a total of $22,000.00

Ms. Lopez has been the host and executive producer of three television series “Living in South Beach” and “Panorama.” “Panorama” is currently airing on Cable-tap Channel 36. Through Lopez’ vision, the Hispanic Chamber implemented a program that helps minorities who are either in the first phase of starting a business or who are in the process of expanding a business. The “Minority Business and Acculturation Program” provides technical assistance to hundreds of people who want to start a business but have no knowledge of what steps to take. This program operates through partnerships with Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The “Small Business Community Walk Outreach Program,” an initiation that was started by Ms. Lopez that focuses on a group of 12 chamber members and directors walking through different neighborhoods of Miami-Dade County and visiting local businesses to assess their needs, has provided assistance to over 200 small businesses.

Liliam M. Lopez, graduated with a 4.0 from St. Thomas University with a major in Political Science. She is past Executive Director of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination (SALAD). Lopez is a journalist and has been a staff writer for both “Proyecto” magazine and “Socialite Magazine.” She is a motivational speaker and has been invited numerous times to address women’s groups, among them the Displaced Homemaker of the Working Solutions Program of Miami-Dade Community College and the Federal Women’s Program of the U.S. Department of Justice, among others. Lopez is also a political analyst who during elections’ times is asked to make radio appearances on Spanish programs to analyze politics in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, respectively. Lopez has served in the following Boards and Committees: Current Board Member of the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged; Current Member of the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council (CAC); Current Board Member of the Working Solutions Program for Displaced Homemakers of Miami-Dade College; past member of the Marine Authority Board of the City of Miami Beach; Past Member of Miami-Dade County’s Affordable Housing Board; Past Vice Chairperson of the Miami-Dade Coalition of Chambers of Commerce; Past Member of the Miami Beach Commission on the Status of Women; Past Chair of the Hispanic Affairs Committee of the City of Miami Beach; Past Advisory Board Member of the Academy of Travel and Tourism of Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Past Board Member of the American Heart Association (Miami Beach Chapter) and past voting member of the Institutional Review Board of the Miami Heart Institute, among others.

Ms. Liliam M. Lopez has received numerous awards and recognitions including the City Keys of the City of Miami Beach presented by the Honorable Mayor David Dermer on June 20, 2002. Other awards received by Lopez include: “2005 March of Dimes Building our Community Award” in the Education & Training Category; the “2003 Business Woman of the Year Award” CEO non-profit category presented by the “South Florida Business Journal;” “In the Company of Women” award presented by the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department on March, 2003; “Women Worth Knowing” presented by the Commission on the Status of Women;” March, 1998; The 2003 Hispanic Leadership Award from City of Miami Beach; Miami Today’s Hispanic Impact for years 2003 and 2004; Nominee of United Way’s Essie Silva Community Builder Award, June, 2003, and the“1997 Women Leading the Way Award” from the New Women Entrepreneur Center. On March 25, 1998 former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin presented a proclamation to Lopez declaring March 25, 1998, “Liliam M. Lopez day in the City of Miami Beach; Metro Miami Magazine included Ms. Lopez as one of the 101 most influential women of Miami-Dade County in the year 2000. Ms. Lopez was “Nuestro Orgullo” of WLTV, (UNIVISION) Channel 23 on January 19, 1996. Lopez has been featured three times in the cover of “Domingo Social” of El Nuevo Herald and was recognized by the Sun Post newspaper as the “Best Local Representative of the Hispanic community and featured as one of the 50 most influential people in the City of Miami Beach. “In Focus Interactive” Magazine featured Lopez in the cover of their June, 2002 issue. Lopez was featured in the cover of the Miami Today on June 6, 2002 as “The Achiever. Lopez was recently featured in NBC/Telemundo during Hispanic Heritage Month as one of four Miami-Dade County leaders in the television segment “Chevron Presents 2004 Hispanic Heritage Heroes.”

Lopez is married to Architect Alfredo Sanchez, a Partner of Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, and they have a five-year old daughter, Lillian Karina Sanchez.