Rafael Toro began his career in the field of public relations in 1979 as the assistant
to Mayor Kevin White in Boston where he handled a variety of city campaigns, cultural
programs and community activities, while serving as a liaison to the Hispanic community.
In 1985, Rafael joined Goya Foods, Inc. as Director of Public Relations where he first
set out to extend Goya’s outreach and brand awareness to a variety of Latin communities
including Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, South and Central American. As the Hispanic
population grew throughout the United States and Goya’s popularity increased among
general market consumers, Goya’s product line and facilities expanded as well. In
turn, Rafael’s responsibilities expanded and led him to play a role in Goya’s crossover
into mainstream media.
Rafael currently oversees Goya’s public relations department including public affairs,
media relations, community activities, corporate contributions, food donations, sponsorships,
production and cultural programs. In celebration of Goya’s 75th anniversary in 2011,
Rafael coordinated the launch of a yearlong media and event campaign to honor Goya’s
history and success. The campaign included a nine city concert series with Latin artists
Marc Anthony, Ana Gabriel and Marco Antonio Solis where Goya donated 75,000-pounds
of food to local charities in the name of each artist. Rafael also cultivated a strong
relationship with the White House and the Obama administration and helped to facilitate
President Barack Obama’s recognition of Goya, the only company that has been honored
by The President. He also facilitated Goya’s collaboration with First Lady Michelle
Obama to launch MyPlate/ MiPlato, a national health initiative to educate Americans
on how to eat healthier.
Over the years Rafael has extended the efforts of Goya’s good-will under the charitable
arm of Goya Gives, a global initiative committed to promoting and supporting the overall
well-being of communities through social responsibility, environmental initiatives
and company values. Through Goya Gives, Goya supports over 300 organizations including
Catholic Charities, United Way, Maestro Cares, L.U.L.A.C., The United States Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce, Feeding America and City Harvest. In celebration of Goya’s 75th
anniversary, Rafael administered Goya’s donation of one million pounds of food to
United Way on the 75th day of the year. He has also coordinated disaster relief efforts
for food donations of one million pounds of food to victims of Hurricane Sandy, Maria,
Harvey and Irma. In 2016, Rafael developed the Let’s Give to Kids campaign to raise
funds for The Maestro Cares Foundation, a non-profit founded by Marc Anthony and Henry
Cardenas dedicated to building orphanages in Latin America. He also implemented a
mentorship program with a select group of Goya employees and orphans in the Dominican
Republic. Rafael and his wife, Meiling Toro, currently mentor two of the children
from the orphanage. Rafael also initiated the annual Goya Scholarship Fund and the
Goya Employee Scholarship Fund to provide students with a four-year college scholarship
of $20,000 in honor of Goya’s dedication and commitment to higher education. In 2017,
Rafael created the ‘Can Do’ campaign, a year long, nation-wide cause-marketing initiative
to benefit Feeding America and raised over 1.5 million pounds of food for families
in need throughout the United States.
In 2013, Rafael played an intricate role in the commissioning of a life size statue
of Roberto Clemente. On June 27, 2013, Goya honored the lifetime achievements of Roberto
Clemente and unveiled the statue at the Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx to
celebrate Clemente’s 40th anniversary of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The unveiling attracted over 300 members of the community, family and friends as well
as press including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, El Diario, CNN Latino, Telemundo, ESPN, and Univision to name a few.
Rafael holds a Masters in Education from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He is a board member of Hostos College, Ballet Hispanico, and the Christian Rivera
Foundation. He has been married for 30 years to Meiling Toro and has one daughter
Nicole.
