Remembering Ignacio E. Lozano Jr.

Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., a former member of the Disney Board of Directors, passed away on Wednesday, December 27. He was 96.

Lozano served as a director on Disney’s Board for two decades, from 1981 to 2001. He was the chairman of Lozano Communications and former publisher of the influential Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión, one of the county’s oldest and most respected dailies. Lozano was also the former ambassador to El Salvador during President Gerald Ford’s administration.

“Ignacio E. Lozano Jr. was a giant of the publishing world, a supporter of the arts, and a vital member of Disney’s Board of Directors for 20 years,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Ignacio was a steady force during a transformational time for the company, and his leadership helped bring Disney into the future. We are grateful for his many achievements, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family.”

Lozano’s daughter Monica C. Lozano, who was Chairman of U.S. Hispanic Media Inc. and Chief Executive Officer and Publisher of La Opinión, also served on the Disney Board from 2000 to 2016.

He is survived by four children and nine grandchildren. Disney is making a donation in his memory to the Lozano Latino Studies Scholars Program Scholarship Fund at the University of Notre Dame, where Lozano studied journalism and served as a trustee.