Gene Camarena

Gene Camarena is an American businessman. He is currently the president and CEO of La Raza Pizza, a Pizza Hut franchisee which operates over 60 locations in Indiana, Texas, and New Mexico. He also has business interests in Marriott hotels, banking, and real estate.

Personal life Camarena was born and raised in Salina, Kansas, United States. He attended Sacred Heart High School, where he played on the football team. After high school, he attended the University of Kansas (KU), where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration, and Harvard University, where he received his Master of Business Administration degree in 1987. After attending KU, Camarena moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he has lived since, except for his two years spent at Harvard. Together, they have two daughters. He was also on the Pizza Hut Advertising Committee. In 1991, Camarena purchased eight Pizza Hut locations in the Texas panhandle. At the time, half of these stores were not profitable, and Camarena had to take care of his 2-year-old daughter with his wife pregnant with their second daughter. Camarena has served three terms as the chairman of the board of directors of the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association (IPHFHA), an organization which represents over 5,500 Pizza Hut locations. In 2018, he was inducted into the IPHFHA Hall of Fame.

Community involvement Camarena donated $100,000 in 1997 to establish scholarships at his high school for Hispanic students. In 2009, Camarena joined the board of directors of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and serves as the board chair and the chair of the audit committee. On September 30, 2022, Camarena was elected a trustee of the KU Endowment. Camarena is the Board Chair of the Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, On June 13, 2024, Gene and Yolanda were inducted together as the Kansas Business Hall of Fame 2024 contemporary honorees.