TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Eric Lopez:
A Purpose Written in His DNA

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In the summer of 2025, Eric Lopez found himself at a gala dinner in Santander, Spain, during the 28th Annual U.S.-Spain Council Forum. Senators, congressional representatives, and international leaders filled the historic hall. The King of Spain, Felipe VI, arrived. As interim executive director of the Fulbright Association, Eric seized the moment. He shook the monarch’s hand and spoke to him about Fulbright, determined to advocate for the program he was working to protect.

 

“It was surreal,” Eric reflected later. “As I was shaking his hand, I thought, ‘Who would have thought a kid from the Bronx would grow up to  be hobnobbing with royalty?’ Not in my wildest dreams did I think that. The last time I had that thought was when I shook hands with President Obama.” The evening closed with fireworks exploding across the Spanish sky.

 

The origins of that defining moment trace back to Eric’s roots and the legacy of service embedded in his DNA, stretching back to his great-grand uncle, Nicolás Silfa Canario, a decorated World War II veteran from the Dominican Republic who fought in the Western Pacific Theater. For Eric, the drive to make an impact and serve a greater purpose is not just a career—it is heritage.

 

The Legend of the Black Egg and the Bronx

 

Eric often recalls the “Legend of the Black Egg,” a story he rarely shares, but one that symbolizes his own unlikely journey. Born and raised in the South Bronx during the 1980s, Eric’s world was defined by resilience. “The building I grew up in was the only standing building on the block,” he remembers. “Although we weren’t blood related, everyone in that building was family. As a young man, I thought the whole world was like that.”

 

Television painted a different reality—neat suburban homes, manicured lawns. “I thought those were fictional TV settings. Then one day my dad, who was a handyman, brought me to a job on Staten Island. I saw a private house and thought, ‘What is going on? Why don’t we have this?’ That’s when I started to wonder why society is the way it is. From then on, my aim was to help change this—to make an impact on communities and people’s lives. That’s what has driven my entire career.”

 

Early Steps Toward Service

 

Eric’s professional path began in the nonprofit space after graduating from Hofstra University. He worked as a client advocate at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS), determined to address systemic inequities he had witnessed firsthand. After three years at NDS, and at the caring insistence of mentor and friend, Dr. Linda Longmire, he applied for a Fulbright grant—an opportunity that would become a turning point.

 

Fulbright in Hungary: A Defining Year

 

In 2008, Eric was awarded a Fulbright grant to Hungary. He spent a year in a rural community where Romani leaders had founded the Dr. Ambedkar School. “In that classroom, but for the language, I completely recognized all the social cues, interactions, everything that was going on. I felt like I was back in the South Bronx,” he says. “That revelation—that we’re all the same, that kids everywhere want the same things—was eye-opening. It was a beautiful, amazing experience.”

 

That year shaped his philosophy of service and reinforced his belief in the power of international exchange to bridge divides.

 

Building a Multifaceted Career

 

After returning from Hungary, Eric moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a fellow at the White House Office of Management and Budget, entrusted with projects that impacted millions. He then joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, followed by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), where he helped to lead the Research Institute and the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index.

 

Seeking a broader skill set, Eric entered the private sector, leading outreach and policy initiatives. He later became Executive Director of Governance, Programs & Enterprise Priorities at Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, where he learned to navigate corporate leadership at scale.

 

Over two decades, Eric built trusted relationships with executives, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders. “When someone trusts me, I treat it as a responsibility I must honor—and I will go to great lengths to protect it.,” he notes. Alongside these roles, he founded GlobeServe Consulting in 2012, advising nonprofits and corporations on global outreach and partnership development.

 

Eric has also worked closely with, and continues to support, the work of organizations such as HACR, and  CHCI.

 

Leading Fulbright Through Crisis

 

Eric joined the Fulbright Association’s board in 2023, quickly rising through leadership roles. By early 2025, he was board secretary. Then, in June 2025, he was asked to step in as interim executive director—the first Latino to hold the role—in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.

 

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned and the program faced the threat of permanent defunding. Alumni, chapters, and international leaders looked to Eric for direction. “These were extraordinary circumstances,” he says. “I was working with Executive directors of commissions across the world to help turn the tide.” He galvanized stakeholders, coordinated advocacy with congressional members, and worked closely with FFSB board members to help save the program.

 

His diverse background—in government, nonprofit, and corporate leadership—proved essential. “I took all my experiences and applied it here,” he says. The result: Fulbright’s funding was secured, ensuring the program’s continuation.

 

Spain: A Moment of Recognition

 

Eric’s leadership was on full display at the U.S.-Spain Council Forum in Santander. Advocating for Fulbright alongside U.S. senators and representatives, he underscored the program’s impact. The highlight came when he spoke directly with the King of Spain, an honorary Fulbrighter. “I told him about the support we need. He said he was fully supportive. Later, in his remarks, he emphasized international academic freedom and transatlantic cooperation—all that we stand for. That was powerful.”

 

Full Circle: Back to Hungary

 

Eric’s journey will come full circle in February 2026, when he will return to Hungary to give closing remarks at the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. . For him, it is both a professional honor and a personal milestone.

 

“My career has been about impact and service,” he says. “That’s what led me from the South Bronx to Hungary, to the halls of Congress, to corporate boardrooms, and now to international stages. To return to Hungary, where it all began, is a reminder that the work of building bridges never ends.”

 

 

Eric Lopez
Founder and Principal
GlobeServe Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric--lopez/