Hispanic RE Group Names COO

Moises "Moe" Vela Jr., who was the senior adviser on Hispanic affairs to former Vice President Al Gore, has been named chief operating officer and director of marketing at the San Diego-based National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.Mr. Vela left a "thriving" private consulting practice, Diverse Directions LLC, to join NAHREP, the organization said. Gary Acosta, chairman of the 14,000-member association, said under Mr. Vela's leadership the group hopes to expand its membership and "become a strong lobby in Washington in support of homeownership advocacy for the Latino community." The organization can be found on the Web at http://www.nahrep.org.