Key organizations that cater to Atlanta's Hispanic community will have to search for new leaders this year.

Maritza Pichon, head of the Latin American Association, will step down in May after five years at the helm of the nonprofit on Buford Highway.

Charlotte B. Teagle/AJC (ENLARGE)

Maritza Pichon, executive director of the Latin American Association, is not worried about her organization going through changes. 'There is so much leadership ... in the wings,' she said.

RELATED LINKS: NEW LEADERS Here are some leadership changes in organizations that serve Atlanta's Latino community. Latin American Association • Outgoing director: Maritza Pichon • Reason for change: Decided to move on to other opportunities • Tenure: 2003-08 • Up next: Searching Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce • Outgoing director: Sara González • Reason for change: Died last month • Tenure: 1996-2008 • Up next: Searching Mexican Consulate in Atlanta • Outgoing director: Remedios Gomez Arnau • Reason for change: Transferred to San Diego by the Mexican government • Tenure: 2001-08 • Up next: Salvador De Lara took over last month. Mexican American Business Chamber • Outgoing director: Beatriz Gasiba • Reason for change: Family relocated to Las Vegas • Tenure: 2002-08 • Up next: Elizabeth Uribe took over last month. • More metro and state news

In addition, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce lost its president with the death of Sara González last month. She had planned to retire in May.

The boards of both organizations will hire firms to conduct searches for replacements.

Georgia's Latino population has grown about seven-fold in the last 18 years, from 100,000 in 1990 to 700,000 in 2006, according to census numbers.

As the community has grown, the organizations that serve it must become more corporate and less personal.

"One of the things that tends to happen in Latin American countries and Hispanic communities is that leadership tends to be very personal," said Carlos Diaz, chair of the board of directors of the Latin American Association. "We don't do, historically, as well with institutions."

One of Pichon's significant contributions to the Latin American Association was preparing a strategic plan that will outlast her, Diaz said.

"Maritza really helped to focus the staff and the board on, 'Let's decide what this organization is really going to be about,' " Diaz said.

Pichon is not worried about the future of the Latin American Association or that of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which grew from 172 members to 1,500 in 12 years.

"There is so much leadership behind the scenes and in the wings," she said.

Pichon, 53, served as chief financial officer at Cox Radio from 1996 to 2000. She became director of the Latin American Association in 2003.

The nonprofit, founded in 1972, helps Latino families in Atlanta find jobs, learn English and become citizens. It has a budget of $3.5 million.

When Pichon arrived, the association had a backlog of 10,000 immigration cases.

That's down to about 2,000 cases now, Pichon said. The organization will focus more on green card applications and less on deportation or asylum cases, Pichon said.

The number of students who attend the association's youth leadership conference to learn how to apply to college has also grown from about 300 to 1,400. The association has opened more community outreach centers near concentrations of Latino population, including in Norcross and Roswell.

Pichon says she has accomplished what she set out to do.

"I came in and made my mark based on the skills I brought. I'm excited about what's in the future," she said.