Emilio Estefan Jr., Latino Promoter

For more than three decades, Emilio Estefan Jr. has amassed producing credits for a Who's Who of Latino singers: Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan, his wife of 33 years. But in 2009 Estefan readily stepped into the spotlight himself to cochair a congressional commission charged with developing a "plan of action" for a museum celebrating the achievements of Latinos in America. Last May the commission recommended the Smithsonian American Latino Museum be established on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Cuban-born Estefan was 15 when he immigrated to Miami. He formed his first band, the Miami Latin Boys, in 1974, which later became the Miami Sound Machine. Estefan hopes the new museum will inspire young American Latinos. "They're going to see that their dreams can come true in this country."