Recognizing his commitment to elevating educational opportunities and initiatives for Hispanics and Latinos/as throughout the region, Francisco Gómez-Bellengé was recently honored as a recipient of a Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award at the 37^th annual Governor’s Distinguished Hispanic Ohioans Awards Gala.

Gómez-Bellengé, associate to the dean for special projects at Fisher, was one of seven individuals who received the award. The honor was presented by the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission (OCHLA). The commissioners are appointed by the governor.

“Francisco is a champion of underrepresented minority students, and has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Hispanics and Latinos/as community,” said Steffanie Wilk, associate dean for diversity and inclusion. “He is important to Fisher’s Diversity and Inclusion mission, and we congratulate Francisco on this well-deserved honor.”

The Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award honors those with Hispanic or Latino/a heritage whose service to the community goes above and beyond their job duties and whose work ensures their communities become better places for Hispanics and the general public.

Gómez-Bellengé has been instrumental in a number of programs at Ohio State and Fisher that have introduced and fostered educational opportunities for Hispanic and Latino/a individuals. This past year, as vice president of Prospanica Columbus, an association of Hispanic business professionals, Gómez-Bellengé brought the Girls Heart Reading Ohio program to Fisher. The seven-month workshop introduced middle- and high-school girls to the principles of business, innovation and entrepreneurship and connected them with business leaders and professors at Fisher for a hands-on experience.

He is the advisor to the Fisher Graduate Latino Association, the Hispanic Business Student Association. He coordinates the college’s specialized business accreditation; leads a variety of diversity initiatives and teaches a graduate course on managing diversity. At the university level, Gómez-Bellengé is a contributor to ¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State?, and a former co-chair of the Ohio State Hispanic Oversight Committee.

In the community, he is serves on the board of the Central Ohio Diversity Consortium, an association of diversity and inclusion professionals and is Executive Vice President of Prospanica Columbus.

The event was presented by OCHLA in partnership with The Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion.