Julia Arata-Fratta, senior accountant at Wegner CPAs, has a renewed responsibility toward Latinos in the county and city she now considers “home.” Recently named the president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce in Dane County, in addition to her Wegner role, Arata-Fratta, 44, is now charged with leading the Latino business community.
The Latino Chamber, in existence for several years, began with a lot of fanfare, but some of that exuberance waned over the years, partly due to the economy, which hit the Latino community hard, and partly due to what Arata-Fratta says is a cooling of attitudes toward Latinos. It’s a difficult subject that she broached gingerly. “Wisconsin used to be friendlier to immigrants,” she said, quietly.
Not surprisingly, she joins those calling for immigration reform, including passage of the Development, Relief and Education of Minors Act, or DREAM Act, though she recognizes its contentiousness. The Act was proposed by Senator Richard Durbin and Rep. Howard Berman in 2009, and aims to allow qualifying undocumented individuals the opportunity to enlist in the military, attend college, or even gain a path
toward citizenship.
Obtaining a U.S. citizenship status, in fact, is a dream Arata-Fratta and her husband, Dante, have been pursuing for years. Hailing from Argentina, the couple moved to Canada, then lived in Georgia and Louisiana as they furthered their education. When they made the conscious decision to remain in the U.S. permanently, student visas evolved over many years into Green Cards. Six years ago, when Dante was offered a teaching position at UW-Madison, the couple and their two boys moved to Madison. They recently applied for the U.S. citizenship exam, and hope to take The Oath soon. “I want to be able to vote and have a passport,” Arata-Fratta said, admitting she’s anxious for the process to be over.
Arata-Fratta, 44, has worked at Wegner since moving here. She volunteered for the Latino Chamber board in 2007, and assumed the role of president in October. The Chamber has grown over the past three years, she said, and now has about 70 members.
Last year, the Latino Chamber relocated to an office in the Centro Hispano building in Madison, a decision that she said has resulted in a positive spike in the amount of traffic and interest the office has received.
“We’re open three days a week and have a part-time, paid employee,” Arata-Fratta said, though one day she hopes to be able to justify and fund an office that is available to constituents five days a week.
The Latino Chamber works with WWBIC and MATC to promote and offer Spanish-language business courses such as QuickBooks, for example, and courses on business plan preparation.
“Often, Latinos don’t plan,” Arata-Fratta admitted. ‘They just want to open a restaurant, for example, but don’t go through the entire process. They may not understand payroll taxes, or what licenses are needed. This is our function as a Chamber. Our mission is to help them with planning, to have them think with their heads,” she said.
One myth Arata-Fratta hopes to dispel is the notion that the Latino workforce is relegated to lower-paying service jobs. While those are important and add to the fabric of a community, she said plenty of Latinos here are employed as lawyers, Web designers, doctors, engineers, and architects.
During her term, she hopes to recruit four more board members; create more business partnerships; increase educational training opportunities; grow membership; and find the funding to further the Chamber’s goals.
Most of all, she wants to help the people.
“I chose to be president. I have the background as an accountant. I have an MBA. I can help them, and want to make a difference in Madison, Dane County, and create more jobs.”
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