Highly active in civic affairs, Villanueva was a long-standing member of the board of the New Jersey Federation Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she also served on the committee for the McDonalds Scholarship Fund. She has garnished numerous awards and honors for her community contributions. In 1998 in recognition of her hard work, dedication, and efforts in the Latino Community, she was awarded the “Statue of Liberty”. In 2005, Villanueva received the President’s Award from the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, presented by Governor Christina Todd Whitman, in recognition of her support of the unity and integration of the Latin American community. The same year, La Tribuna Newspaper awarded her its “Distinguished Women of 2005” award for her work on behalf of Continental Airlines in the Hispanic Community.
In October of 2007, at the “31st Anniversary of the Defile Hispano American de New Jersey”, Leonor Villanueva was elected “Hispanic Executive Women of the Year.”
Born in Santa Clara Cuba, Ms. Villanueva came to the United States in 1962. She holds a B.A in Marketing from Kean College of New Jersey. She has two grown daughters and a beloved grandchild.