Octavio A. Hinojosa Mier
Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Executive Director

Octavio A. Hinojosa Mier is Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), a 501 (C) (3) non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to creating a broader awareness of the diversity of thought, heritage, interests and views of millions of Americans of Hispanic and Portuguese descent.

Prior to his current position, Octavio served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC), a Congressional member organization committed to promoting the best interests and policies of more than 45 million Americans of Hispanic and Portuguese descent. During his tenure, congressional membership of the organization grew from its original seven founding members to include sixteen distinguished members.  

Octavio has over five years work experience with the U.S. Department of State. From 1996 to 2001, he was assigned to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security where he served as a Security Analyst for U.S. embassies and consulates in the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Africa. In 2002, the Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of Resource Management appointed Octavio to serve as Special Advisor and Executive Secretary of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Governance Board where he coordinated high-level meetings with Senior State Department officials on a handful of Post-9/11 initiatives

In 2004, he was also selected by the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., and the US-Spain Council as one of the “Young Hispanic Leaders” representing the United States at a business, cultural and political leadership program in Madrid and Santander, Spain

In addition to serving as the Executive Director of CHLI, Octavio also serves on a number of non-profit Boards, including the Creyentes Council, Líderes Hispanos, Liberty’s Promise, Trekking for Kids, and the Washington Catholic Forum,

Octavio holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, the nation’s top public affairs school. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he is also conversant in French and Portuguese.

A native of Los Angeles, California, and eldest son of Mexican immigrant parents, Octavio grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas. He resides in northern Virginia together with his wife Gina Lizárraga.