WHO WE ARE

Meet The Immigrant Hall of Honor's Board of Directors.

Sara Puig Laas | Founder

Sara is the original visionary and a founding director of the Immigrant Hall of Honor. Civic involvement has always been a priority; a graduate of the University of Texas, Laas has served as an officer on many arts-related boards, including the Writers League of Texas in Austin, where the Laredo native now lives. Her long career includes Human Resources Management for a bank, interviewing prominent authors and other guests on television, and small business owner. In retirement, her non-fiction and poetry have been published in anthologies and other media.

Philip Ochoa | Founder

Philip is co-founder and President of Federal Defense Industries,
supporting the diverse needs of the US Military foreign partner support logistics channel since 2000. As President of FDI, he has helped create multiple innovative database tools and led the company to sales of more than $450MM. Ochoa earned a BBA from Texas Tech University with an emphasis in marketing. Ochoa's years of community service include roles as president of his college fraternity, Past President of the Laredo Rotary Club, former member of the Santa Barbara Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow, and current member of the San Marcos Academy Alumni Council. He now resides in Boerne, Texas.

Julia Vera | Founder

Julia resides in California, where she has been a member of The Screen
Actors Guild since 1987. An actress, producer and casting director for plays, this wide-ranging actor has also had many film roles. Credits include the award-winning TV series This Fool, and as the grandmother in Disney's Elena of Avalor. A bilingual native of Laredo, Texas, she does oral translations of documentaries and movies, and in 2024 was executive producer of a film documentary, 2,500 Miles. Vera served four years as national president of Comisión Femenil Mexicana Nacional.