J. Fernando Barrueta, a longtime Greater Washington real estate veteran who also led the Hispanic College Fund for a decade, died Sunday, his son, Anthony Barrueta, said on LinkedIn.
He was 80. The cause of death was not immediately available.
Barrueta, who was serving as executive vice president at Colliers at the time of his death, was one of the region’s most influential leaders, earning admiration in both the commercial real estate industry and the Hispanic business community.
In a Facebook post, Antonio Tijerino, CEO and president of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, called Barrueta a “proud Mexican American from El Paso.” The son of Mexican immigrants, Barrueta came to Washington with $300 and a scholarship to Georgetown University, where he planned to pursue a career in medicine before landing in sales.
“He was a presence in Washington based on compassion, relationships, social change and having fun,” Tijerino said. “Let’s not forget that because no one had more…
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