Cecilia Alvear

She was the Network's Mexico City Bureau Chief from 1982 until 1984 when she was transferred to Miami to serve as the Senior Producer for Latin America. In 1989 she was assigned to the West Coast. 

In 1998 she was part of the NBC News team that reported on Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and Honduras and covered the historical Papal visit to Cuba. In 1999 she produced stories on another Papal visit to Mexico and on the  the earthquake that damaged Armenia , Colombia, and the turnover of the Panama Canal to the Panaminians. 

Prior to joining NBC, Alvear worked in the Los Angeles area for all three network-owned local stations. While working at the CBS outlet, KNXT (now KCBS), as a producer for "Two on the town" she was part of a team that won the local "Emmy" in the best series category.

In the 70's and early 80's Alvear was a Board Member and Vice President of the California Chicano News Media Association, one of the first organizations of Latino Journalists. She was honored for her "pioneering efforts" on behalf of CCNMA at their 1996 Scholarship dinner. 

Alvear has been a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists since the 80's. She has participated in the annual convention as a panelist, speaker and/or recruiter for NBC News. Alvear was elected Vice President-Broadcast in 1996 and represented NAHJ on the Board of the Radio and Television News Directors Association. In 2000 she was elected to a two-year term as President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. That same year she made the "Hispanic Business" list of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States." 

In 1995 and 1996 Alvear was Editor at Large of "Si," a short-lived magazine depicting the Latino experience in the U.S.

Born in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, Cecilia Alvear immigrated to the United States in the 1960's and became a U.S. citizen in 1984. She frequently returns to the Galapagos, where she is helping to upgrade the public elementary school first started by her late father, the former military governor of the islands.