SFLHCC SFLI
LEADERS
Liliam M. Lopez
Roland Sanchez Medina, Esq.
President/CEO and Founder
Partner SMGQ Law - Sanchez- Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Gomez & Machado, LLP
South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SFLHCC)
Liliam M. L ó pez, President/CEO and founder of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SFLHCC) and its Foundation since 1994 and 1996, respectively, established the Chamber with a mission to foster business growth through networking and mentorship. The SFLHCC, under her leadership, has grown into one of the longest-running and most robust Hispanic chambers in the U.S., boasting over 1,650 members and hosting over 20 events annually, including monthly lunches attended by 400-500 influential Miami executives. L ó pez's commitment extends beyond business success, with the SFLHCC Foundation awarding over $800,000 in scholarships. The Education Enhancement Fellowship Program, which is part of the Foundation, has taken students to Microsoft headquarters, Facebook, Comcast, Southwest Airlines, our nation ’ s Capital and other important venues in an effort to empower these youths. Those efforts led to the SFLHCC Foundation being inducted as a Champion of the of Miami-Dade County Public School ’ s Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. As an active community leader, she serves on various boards, including the Board of Directors of the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the GMCVB. She served for two years on Miami-Dade County ’ s Economic Recovery Task Force; She was appointed by Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to serve on the Building Blocks Advisory Board; she is a Governing Board Member of Larkin Charter School for Health Sciences; serves on the Board of Directors of the Beacon Council, Board Member of the Miami-Dade Area Health Education Center (AHEC), among others. Lopez strongly believes in social causes and giving back to the community. Fifteen years ago she implemented “Help our Children” for the youth of Centro Mater (an aftercare and early childcare school for financially disadvantaged families). The SFLHCC collects over 1000 toys annually as part of the Christmas Toy Drive for them. These children and their families are also receiving information on improving their health through diet and exercise thanks to a grant procured by Lopez through Cigna.
Roland Sanchez-Medina was born in Havana, Cuba, but left the country at the age of two with his family to seek political asylum. They later moved to Philadelphia before permanently moving to Miami. In 1991, he graduated from Boston Law School and soon worked as a senior associate at Holland & Knight. He then became a partner at the major legal firm McDermott, Will & Emery, where he was a member of the Corporate Department. He currently works at SMGQ Law, of which he is a founding partner. The lawyers at SMGQ Law have handled cases involving a number of Fortune 500 companies, publicly traded companies, privately held companies, and many others. Roland Sanchez- Medina Jr. concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate and securities law. After gaining recognition in the community, he served as Cuban American Bar Association president in 2009. Mr. Sanchez-Medina has volunteered himself to multiple causes to help the community, including being Chairman of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and advocating for the professional advancement of Hispanics. Through the organization, he has helped so many Hispanics and minorities from all ages. During his Chairmanship, the height of Covid-19 broke out and severely impacted the world. Roland Sanchez-Medina understood there ere things he could do to help his community and the more than 1,700 members of the SFLHCC. He started the endeavor by providing the members with educational tools. Sessions on getting the most out of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and getting them forgiven were among them. There were also sessions on expanding access to other services and resources as they became accessible. Recently, Sanchez-Medina Jr. was sworn in as president-elect of the Florida Bar during the 2023 Annual Florida Bar Convention on June 23, 2023. According to Best Lawyers' 2017 rankings, Sanchez-Medina was voted the Best Lawyer in America. This recognition is based on the opinions of top attorneys regarding the professional skills of their peers in the same region and field of law.
According to Sanchez-Medina, his greatest privilege, however, was raising his three children, Mariana, Alessandra, and Christian.
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