Founders

LISA ZAJUR has been an educator for 36 years, holding a degree in education, specializing in communications, curriculum design and leadership. She is a certified cultural trainer on the Hispanic culture, and with a focus on helping others, she developed the Awaken the Spanish Within® Language and Cultural Training programs to help people understand the Hispanic culture, while learning to speak Spanish in an easy, fun, and practical way. The Voice Tonality™ technology patent pending system of learning that Lisa created, increases language comprehension and retention, using a whole brain approach to learning a foreign language. Clients such as U. S. Coast Guard, Bank of America, CapitalOne, Bon Secours Health Systems, Richmond Public Schools, and many others have connected with the growing Hispanic community through the energetic style of training offered in the Awaken the Spanish Within® courses. The unique training programs have received the Rising Star Award from the American Business Women’s Association, and can be customized to include industry specific Spanish terms and phrases, and cultural training on the Hispanic culture. Lisa also designed the Awaken the Spanish Within® Immersion in Mexico course, to provide participants with a chance to “live life as a Latino” to better connect with Hispanic clients, co-workers, staff, and the community.

Lisa and her husband Michel together wrote the children’s book called The Piñata Story published in 2018. The Piñata Story is an interactive bilingual book that transports its readers on a cultural journey, which highlights a story about the meaning of the piñata and what the candy inside really represents, while teaching Spanish. Children can interact on a bilingual path at home with their families within The Piñata Story book through: Tips to Sounding Out Words in Spanish, a Bilingual Glossary, Making a Piñata, the Piñata Song, and the History of the Piñata!

MICHEL ZAJUR is the Founding President/CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber that he started in 2000, and has grown the chamber through his innovative community efforts into a powerful statewide organization with national and international reach. He is an entrepreneur, who owned La Siesta Mexican Restaurant, a featured speaker on promoting and sharing Hispanic culture, and a community leader who has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Ohtli award, which is the highest award bestowed by the Mexican government upon a non Mexican citizen, The National Conference of Community Justices Humanitarian Award, and the Minority Small Business Champion Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. He was recognized as One of the 25 People You Need to Know in the State by Virginia Business magazine. In 2003, he establishes the Virginia Hispanic Foundation in an effort to further provide education, information, and resources to the Hispanic community. The Richmond Times-Dispatch honored him as the “2018 Hall of Fame Inductee during their Person of the Year award ceremony. Michel has a passion for building bridges and extending ladders in order to construct a better community for all.

Zajur attended college at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University all while helping his family at La Siesta Restaurant. Zajur married a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, Lisa, and now has three dynamic kids who have each started their own professional careers.

As a result of his work with outreach programs and his involvement within the community, Zajur founded a statewide organization, the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (VAHCC), in May of 2000. The VAHCC serves as the bridge linking the Hispanic business community within the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2003, the VAHCC Foundation was established as an effort to further provide education, information and resources to the Hispanic community.

As Founder and CEO of the VAHCC, Zajur has helped to educate Virginia’s community about changing demographics within the state and has helped to provide business opportunities to include the Hispanic population in the business world. Zajur works to build partnerships with the Hispanic community on a national and statewide level, while connecting all those interested in Hispanic business, including the Virginia Hispanic business community; Virginia businesses and corporations; local, state, federal, and international entities; non-profit organizations; and individuals.

Zajur has received numerous awards which include: the National Conference of Community Justices Humanitarian Award in 2002, the Minority Small Business Champion Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2006, and the Global Excellence Award from the Virginia International Business Council in 2011. Zajur was recognized as “One of the 25 People You Need to Know in the State” by Virginia Business Magazine, and was acknowledged as one of Richmond’s most influential and inspiring people by Boomer Magazine in 2012. In September of 2012, Zajur received the Ohtli Award which is the highest award bestowed by the Mexican government upon a non-Mexican citizen. And in June 2016, Zajur was recognized as one of 30 people who have “helped shape the Richmond Virginia community” in the Richmond Times Dispatch’s newspaper’s Metro Business 30th Anniversary Special Edition.

Michel is an author of the bilingual children’s book, Piñata Story, co-authored with his wife, Lisa Zajur. Piñata Story, is an interactive bilingual book, that transports its readers on a cultural journey, which highlights a story about the meaning of the piñata, while learning Spanish. Since 1987 the Zajur’s told this story about the piñata to over 100,000 students, and it became so popular they decided to write the Piñata Story book for children everywhere to enjoy!

Michel has served on numerous boards, and is a requested public speaker for many businesses, events and organizations, and is a consultant for organizations looking for his expertise in helping them connect to the Latino community.

To schedule Michel to speak at your next event contact info@casamosaic.com