Chief Executive Officer - ¡HICA!

Dr. Carlos E. Alemán is the CEO of the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama (¡HICA!), Alabama’s leading community development and advocacy organization for Latino and immigrant families in Alabama. He is also the President of the Camino Loan Fund, ¡HICA!’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), providing small business loans to (low to moderate income) LMI entrepreneurs. He and his family are deeply rooted in the Birmingham community, exemplified by his civic commitments. In August 2020, Dr. Alemán was elected to Homewood's City Council, becoming the first Latino elected official in Alabama. He was appointed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to the Alabama Workforce Board and the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs. He serves on the boards of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, REV Birmingham, the Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, and Kiwanis Club of Birmingham. In 2023, Dr. Alemán was named Non-Profit Leader of the Year at the Summit Media Minority Business Awards and a Birmingham Business Journal Nonprofit CEO of the Year award finalist. In 2024, he was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama. He is also an alum of Leadership Birmingham (Class of 2020), Leadership Alabama (Class XXXIII), Mosaic Changemakers South (2024), and the NALCAB Latino Executive Advancement and Development (LEAD) Fellowship (2023-2024). A former faculty member at Michigan State, Agnes Scott College and Samford University, Dr. Alemán taught history and Latin American Studies. He is passionate about education, community development, and creating opportunities for prosperity. An immigrant from Nicaragua, Dr. Alemán grew up in San Francisco. He received his BA from UC Santa Cruz and his PhD in History from Michigan State University. He loves spending time with his wife Mercedes, children Amelia and Byron, and their dog Joy.