Michel Zajur

Member, The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
State Advisory Board

Michel Zajur is the founder and President/CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and attended Virginia Commonwealth University. He is married to Lisa, his wife of 20 years and is the father of three. Michel has been the owner of his family’s restaurant La Siesta Mexican Restaurant in Richmond for over 30 years.

In 1992, Michel and his wife Lisa began offering cultural shows to the community so that children could learn about the Hispanic culture and motivate them to learn Spanish. This program, known as Siesta Town, has served over 45,000 school children. Today Siesta Town is known as the Spanish Academy & Cultural Institute, which helps businesses meet their needs in learning Spanish and consulting companies on understanding the Hispanic culture.

Michel has helped Hispanics establish themselves on an informal basis for many years. In 2000, he decided to establish the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to help Hispanic businesses succeed by connecting them with business opportunities within the state of Virginia.

In addition to his involvement in the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Michel Zajur has served on many boards throughout Virginia, including the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Red Cross, United Way, Catholic Charities, Performing Arts Foundation and the Greater Richmond Retail Merchants Association.

He was appointed by the Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, to the Commission on National and Community Service in October 2002, and the Governor’s Latino Advisory Commission in 2004, on which he serves as chairman of the Business Issues Committee. He also served on the Congressional Safety and Security Council and the Chesterfield County Blue Ribbon Committee for Economic Development. In October 2002, Michel received the prestigious National Conference of Community Justices, Humanitarian Award. Michel and his wife Lisa were facilitators and the coordinators for World Wide Marriage Encounter in the Richmond area. Michel strongly believes in contributing and serving within the community.

Biographical notes provided by the office of Michel Zajur