Reynaldo Decerega is director of programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and gained national attention by cutting President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's lip in a basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 game by accidentally striking him with an elbow.

Decerega played on the basketball team for St. Stephens School in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

 and was voted "most mature" and "most popular" in high school. He graduated from the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 in 1995.

Before joining CHCI, Decerega worked for the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars and the US Department of Labor, and taught history at a private school

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

 in Northern Virginia. In 2000, while teaching, he was nominated for the Fulbright

Fulbright Program

The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...

 Teacher Exchange Program.

In 2010, Decrega was nominated as one of twelve MillerCoors Lideres, which honors leaders within the Hispanic community for their achievements, vision and commitment.

For more than 20 years he has coached basketball teams composed of elementary

Elementary school

An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 and middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

-aged students in the Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 area. Decerega regularly plays basketball with the President, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.-Early years and personal:...

, and others. On November 26, 2010, Decerega's elbow accidentally hit Obama's mouth, requiring that Decerega receive four stitches on his elbow and Obama 12 on his lip.