The Dominican Republic’s double Olympic gold medalist Felix Sanchez and director of the governmental Consumer Protection Agency (ProConsumidor) Altagracia Paulino have been voted Man and Woman of the Year by Diario Libre readers. The winners will receive their awards tonight, Thursday 21 March. The eight finalists will also be honored at the Hotel Embajador ceremony.
The other finalists were Rafael Emilio Yunen, director of the Centro Leon in Santiago, culture promoter Freddy Ginebra, president of Casa de Teatro, Edwin Olivares of the Emergency Operations Center (COE) and Dr. Julio Amado Castanos Guzman, rector of the Universidad Iberoamericana and director of Plaza de la Salud medical center in the Man of the Year category.
In the Woman of the Year category, painter Elsa Nunez, who celebrates 50 years in art, publicist Catalina Salazar, president of the Un techo para mi Pais non-governmental organization, psychologist Ana Simo and Dominican athlete Yamilet Pena, were the runners up for the award that began in 2006 and seeks to honor persons that have made outstanding contributions to their community or to Dominicanness.