The Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center (ChesMRC) has appointed new Board member, Brian R. Naranjo, to its Board of Directors.
Brian brings decades of distinguished public service to the Board of ChesMRC, having served as a commissioned United States Foreign Service Officer for 32 years at the U.S. Department of State. Over the course of a career spanning 17 assignments at home and abroad, Brian rose to the Senior Foreign Service — the diplomatic equivalent of flag rank. His service took him across the Western Hemisphere, including postings at U.S. missions in Venezuela, Canada, and Mexico, where he worked migration and consular issues from the foreign policy side of the border — engaging directly with the governments, communities, and individuals at the heart of one of the defining challenges of our time.
A resident of St. Michaels and a proud member of the Eastern Shore community, Brian is committed to bringing that same expertise and dedication to bear on the domestic side of those same issues. He joins ChesMRC’s mission to empower people from different cultures to become successful and engaged members of our community — ensuring that migrants and immigrants are treated with fairness and dignity, in full accordance with U.S. law, and that their extraordinary contributions to our society are recognized and celebrated.
For Brian, this mission is not only professional — it is deeply personal. His Venezuelan-American wife and daughter, and his in-laws, all of whom came to this country from Venezuela, reflect the very story ChesMRC works to support every day: people who leave everything behind in search of safety, opportunity, and a better life, and who go on to enrich and strengthen the communities that welcome them.
ChesMRC Board President, Curt Reintsma, welcomes Naranjo and said “We are very excited to have Brian join the Board. He has demonstrated his talents and commitment to making life in our community better in a number of ways. I know his contributions to the Board and our organization as a whole will enhance ChesMRC’s ability to carry out its important and critical mission”.
Founded in November of 2012, The Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center (ChesMRC) empowers people from different cultures to become successful and engaged members of our community. Since its inception, ChesMRC has assisted over 9,500 people from our community, including adults and children.