The New York Jets have selected Isabel Nazario, Associate Vice President for the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Rutgers University, as the recipient of the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award.
The NFL and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) have partnered for the fifth annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards during the 2015 celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The awards recognize the contributions of Hispanic leaders in each NFL market.
The Jets will honor Isabel on September 27 at their Hispanic Heritage game when they face the Philadelphia Eagles.
Isabel came to Rutgers from New York City in 1992 when she was appointed by the Rutgers Provost as the founding director of the Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC). Under her leadership the Latino Center received several awards including, among others, the New Jersey Exemplary State Award for developing innovative educational programs and creating a Latino cultural plan to document statewide Latino arts and cultural achievements. Currently, Isabel is Associate Vice President reporting to the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. Previously, she was the first Latina at Rutgers to be appointed as Associate Vice President for Academic and Public Partnerships in the Arts and Humanities from 2004 to 2013; from 1992 to 2004 she was the director of the Center for Latino Arts and Culture on the New Brunswick Campus; and from 2002 to 2004 she was appointed as the Executive Director of the Office for Intercultural Initiatives at Rutgers.
Each award recipient will select an organization of their choice that serves the local Hispanic community to receive a $2,000 donation.
Isabel has chosen the Breast Cancer Resource Center, YWCA Princeton to receive this donation.
The NFL will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month during week 3 of the season. A national spotlight will be shined on the NFL’s celebration during Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.