Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón was born on March 15, 1975.  She is an American actress, producer, director, activist and businesswoman. She is perhaps best known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on the television series Desperate Housewives which ran from 2004 to 2012 and for which she received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She also has a master’s degree in Chicano Studies and is deeply involved in advocacy and nonprofit work. The Eva Longoria Foundation supports Latina entrepreneurship through micro-loan programs; funds STEM extracurricular activities and mentorship for Latina students; and raises awareness on a national stage about issues relating to Latina education.

Longoria has worked to expand opportunities afforded to the Hispanic-American community through testimony before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and speeches at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference.