Gabriel Silva Marques

Early life and education

Marques is an alumnus of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University, where he obtained a B.B.A. degree at age 20 and an M.B.A. at age 21, both in finance. At Hofstra, Gabriel was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and the Hofstra University Honors College. In 2014, Marques received his Juris Doctor from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and was the recipient of the school’s Special Service to the Public and Community Award in 2014. He is currently admitted to practice law in New York State.

Community

Marques founded and served two terms as the Chairman of the New York Portuguese American Leadership Conference (2012-2015) and was named President Emeritus of the Portuguese Civic Association of New York State on January 31, 2016.

In 2012, Marques organized the first recognition of Portugal Day in Nassau County by hosting the Portugal Day Celebration at the Nassau County Legislative Chambers. The event has since been held annually (renamed the New York Portugal Day Gala) and has been recognized in a New York State Senate resolution and named a “TOP 25” Portugal Day Celebration in the United States by LusoAmericano Newspaper (2013, '14, '15 and '16). In 2014, the Celebration became so large that it was split to incorporate a Parade in the Village of Mineola, New York organized by the Daughters of Portugal. The Inaugural New York State Portugal Day Parade was the first Portuguese themed parade in the 100-year-old history of Portuguese on Long Island. It is currently the largest parade hosted in the Village of Mineola.

In 2013, Gabriel organized Hofstra University's "Spotlight on Portugal" during the 30th Annual Dutch Festival (in which he was an honorary master of ceremonies) and a Touro Law Center and Aristides de Sousa Mendes Foundation joint-event to honor the Holocaust hero. The success of these events in drawing young Portuguese-Americans later served as the base for his creation of the New York Portuguese Youth Conference, an annual event first held at the Yonkers Portuguese American Community Center in October 2015.

Conselheiro das Comunidades Portuguesas

In July 2014, Marques was featured in the national LusoAmericano Newspaper as one of the most innovative young Portuguese community leaders in the United States. He was subsequently selected by Ambassador of Portugal to the United States H.E. Nuno Brito as a member of the U.S. Delegation for the annual summit of international Portuguese diaspora leaders at the Palace of Necessitates in Lisbon in May 2015. It was during this conference that Gabriel delivered a presentation on the success of the Portuguese communities in New York, catching the attention of the Secretary of State and other senior members of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On September 6, 2015, Marques was selected to represent the communities of Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Caribbean on the Portuguese Government's 80-member pro-bono Diaspora Advisory Council (Conselho das Comunidades Portuguesas - CCP). During the annual Council assembly on April 26, 2016, in the Portuguese Senate Chambers, Gabriel was elected President of the Regional Advisory Council on Portuguese Communities in North America and elected Secretary on the CCP sub-committee on Economics, Social Issues and Immigration.

Amateur soccer

In 2011, Marques coached the Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club to its fourth New York State Division 1 Championship (Dr. Randolph G. Manning Cup), beating the 2010 National Champion New York Pancyprian-Freedoms in the finals. In the same year, the team also reached the finals of the New York State Champions League (Sal Rapaglia Cup) and placed 4th in the United States Adult Soccer Association national George F. Donnelly Cup. In total, Marques won 20 major trophies with Mineola Portuguese and individually received the 2012 LISFL "Hero of the Game" President's Award for his accomplishments.

Awards and honors