Occupation: I am a director of IT for Danone North America. I’ve been there for three years and have more than 15 years of experience in the IT field. I started from the ground up. I was a program developer, an assistant analyst, and did help desk support before I started moving into more of a management role. It didn’t come easy, but it’s nice to be in a management position when you have a team of engineers that trust what you’re telling them and guiding them for.

Family: I was born and raised in Mexico and was there for 21 years until I moved to the United States. My sister was 11 years older than me, and we used to live with my grandma, dad, and my mom. My grandma died in March 2004, then my dad died November 2004 (a week prior to my college graduation). He was a very fine gentleman and a successful sales rep for the yellow pages in the region. He was a figure of support and patience. When my sister died in July of 2005, I decided I needed to go to a new place. I was working for Softtek in Mexico and an opportunity came in August 2005 to be an onsite support specialist in Danbury. I didn’t ask about anything — I just said yes. I decided to move my mom with me six months after. It was quite a challenge because she had a lot of weight on her shoulders mourning. Now she has a very busy life in Mexico, and it makes me very happy to see her happy.

Pets: I have two. Dino is a 10-year-old Yorkshire terrier and Maya is a 2½-year-old Boston terrier.

How long have you lived in Newtown? For over three years. I lived in Bethel for five years and Danbury for three years. I had worked for Alexion Pharmaceuticals in Cheshire when I decided to move to Newtown because it was a perfect commuting point, but right after I moved, I got a job in White Plains, N.Y. It’s a challenge, but I put everything on a spreadsheet to see if it was worth it, and it was the best decision.

What do you like to do in your free time? I take the dogs to the dog park and for walks in Fairfield Hills. I also like gardening and have a big vegetable garden that has tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers, and carrots. Besides that, I am starting my master’s degree, so that’s going to become my hobby.

Do you have a favorite author? Mitch Albom is an inspiring author. I also like Jack Welch and Gabriel García Márquez.

What is your favorite travel destination? I cannot express how much I like nature. My favorite place is Ushuaia [in Argentina], which is called The End of The World. From the bottom of the continent, you can see the Andes Mountains, Antarctica’s icebergs, and even Magdalena Island, which is a reserve for penguins.

What is the best part about Newtown? It’s very safe and clean. People are nice and care for the town. When you go to the supermarket, people smile at you. I also like the fact that it has shown to be a very successful and prominent town.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mother because of her strength and support. She is my figure and example to live by. I don’t think I’ve ever known a stronger human being. Professionally, I had a mentor, Aaron Parent. He was more than my boss; he was my friend. He taught me you have to take chances and risk it all sometimes.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? “You’re going to be great. Don’t fear.” That was from my sister.

What is something you cannot live without? My Mexican food! If you can imagine, I’ve learned to live without a lot, but I would say it’s the hope that something bigger is out there for me.

What is your proudest accomplishment? To build a team of individuals within my organization that are smarter than me. As Steve Jobs said, you hire smarter people not to tell them what to do, but for them to tell you what to do.