Christy Haubegger: 1968—: Publisher

Haubegger formed her own company, Alegre Enterprises Incorporated, and turned her marketing class project into a 200-page business plan that outlined the need for a magazine that catered to Hispanic women. Next she began to look for investors who would back the project, searching in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, California, the home of several venture-capital firms. When this plan did not succeed, Haubegger expanded her search nationwide. As she told Folio magazine, "I knocked on 105 doors and got 5 yeses." Haubegger not only found a venture capitalist willing to fund her project, but she also sparked the interest of Edward Lewis, founder and owner of Essence, the leading magazine for Black women.

With some of the initial investment money, Haubegger developed a prototype of the magazine and mailed out 75,000 test copies. In addition, she conducted 21 focus groups in cities with large Hispanic populations. This initial research helped her refine the look and content of the magazine. In June of 1996 the first issue of Latina hit the newsstands. The premiere issue featured Jennifer Lopez on the cover and sold over 200,000 copies.