Hispanic & Latin American Heritage Honorees: 6abc recognizes Richard Negrin and Alejandro Bedoya

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- 6abc is celebrating Hispanic and Latin American Heritage all month. The station is recognizing two Philly Proud honorees for their contributions in those communities.

Rich Negrin is the former Managing Director of Philadelphia and the first Latino to become Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will be honored for his groundbreaking work.

And Philadelphia Union captain and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya whose activism to bring awareness to stop mass gun violence helped him become one of Major League Soccer's Humanitarians of the Year.

BIOS

Richard Negrin is the Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the first Latino to serve in that role.

In his time with DEP, Mr. Negrin has developed a plan to reform and improve DEP permitting, has overseen the promotion of Environmental Justice, worked to ensure a stable and swift recovery for Pennsylvanians impacted by the East Palestine train derailment and has held polluters accountable while helping to obtain historic amounts of support for community funds to remediate and support impacted communities. Every day he works across stakeholders to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have their right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the environment and our natural resources.

Prior to leading DEP, Rich served as the Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy and head of external affairs at Commonwealth Edison, where he led efforts to develop clean energy regulatory policies and worked to encourage the use of renewable energy, spur the adoption of electric vehicles, increase energy efficiency and support vulnerable populations impacted by climate change and extreme weather events.

Negrin's extensive track record also includes serving as Deputy Mayor and City Manager of the City of Philadelphia. He led the creation of the City's first Municipal Innovation Lab and the City's first Center of Excellence, was architect of PhillyRising, an award winning neighborhood quality of life program and also served as a member and leader of several community-based organizations including serving as President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania.

His programs have received a White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama and he has been recognized as National Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association. He has received the Visionary Leadership Award from Neighborworks USA and the Community Champion Award from the Friends of the Free Library.

Mr. Negrin graduated from Rutgers University School of Law and received his bachelor's degree in political science from Wagner College. During college he was a consensus football All-American and served as captain of the football team, leading them to the Small College National Championship in 1987. After college, he played briefly in the National Football League, signing contracts with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.

Bio via Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Alejandro Bedoya serves as the captain of the Philadelphia Union.

He has made the third-most appearances in club history as well as having the third-most assists and is one of only four players in Union history to score at least 20 goals and contribute 20 assists (he currently has 22 goals and 32 assists).

Bedoya has led the team as their captain to many milestones over the last few years, most notably the club's first-ever trophy in 2020, the Supporters' Shield, and last season led the squad to their first appearance at the MLS Cup.

Off the field, Bedoya has found equal success.

He was named the 2022 MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year for his dedication to activism in his community and nationwide.

A staunch advocate for gun safety, Bedoya has used his platform to educate and illuminate organizations that put gun safety at the forefront.

A member of multiple organizations that put efforts toward gun safety, equality, and equity, Bedoya continues to use his voice for matters bigger than sports.

Additionally, Bedoya served as an honorary co-chair for Philadelphia's Bid Committee for the FIFA World Cup 2026, whose successful campaign has secured Philadelphia as a 2026 World Cup host city.

Familiar with the big stage himself, Bedoya has made 66 appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team and played in all four of the US's matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.