Alumnae

Featured Alumnae

		As Esmeralda Santiago (ELP 1990) was going through the program, she found inspiration to begin her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. She pledged to her classmates that she would dedicate her life to telling the stories of Latinos in the US, and went on to publish several books. Her second book, Almost a Woman was featured on Masterpiece Theater’s American Collection—the first ever film of the series with a Latino theme. “NHLI helped me define myself, pursue my passion and gave me the skills to earn a living as a writer. The program was life changing for me. It has paid back a thousand-fold,” says Esmeralda.
		The National Latina Health Network (NLHN) was founded by Elena Alvarado (ELP 1991). Germinating from Elena’s Executive Leadership Program (ELP) project, the NLHN became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1997, and has grown into a network of over 1,500 Latina professionals involved in health, community services, public affairs, academia, business, labor, and public health. Based in Washington, DC, NLHN’s organizational goals are to strengthen, support, and engage networks of Latina leaders in the field of public health and to build local community health partnerships to enhance the quality of life of Latinas and their families.
		Olga Garcia (ELP 2000), Human Resources, MillerCoors, is a three-prong supporter of NHLI. As an alumna of the Executive Leaderhip Program, she credits the program with reminding her to step outside of her comfort zone. “The leadership training was the first step to complete engagement. The vast network of women I met throughout the years has served as an invaluable resource.” As a corporate sponsor, she views NHLI from a business perspective and notes that: “MillerCoors has much to be proud of; our return on investment in NHLI has definitely proven to be considerably high.” As a former board member of NHLI, she took her stewardship responsibility seriously to ensure that its impact would still be felt 20 years from now. “All of us will reap the benefits of NHLI because of its multiplier effect. There will be more Latinas at the decision making table and more Latinas to serve as role models for future generations.”
		When Marisa Demeo (ELP 2001) entered the Executive Leadership program, she served as lead attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Washington, DC office. Six years after graduating from NHLI, Marisa became Magistrate Judge for the Washington, DC Superior Court. In 2009, Marisa was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of Washington, DC.
		Jennifer López (LLL 2003) was a McNair Scholar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) when she participated in the LLL program. Upon graduation from UNLV, Jennifer served as a press intern for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and subsequently became the Senator’s Deputy Press Secretary for Nevada. She recently completed a master’s degree in Public Communication at American University. Her LLL experience peaked her interest in Latino voter mobilization and she now plans to pursue doctoral studies on the rhetoric of voter messages.

The National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), a national 501(c )3 organization based in Washington, DC, was established in 1987 to address the underrepresentation of Latinas in the corporate, nonprofit and political arenas. NHLI’s mission is to develop Hispanas as ethical leaders through training, professional development, relationship building and community activism. NHLI seeks to transform the lives of Latinas and their communities by:

Enhancing and developing leadership abilities among Latinas
Ensuring that Latinas are in leadership positions and have the access and power to influence public policy
Providing visible role models and mentors for Latinas
Improving services to Hispanics across the country through its extensive alumnae network.

NHLI has been credited by alumnae with helping them to take career risks, changing how they view the world, inspiring them to become advocates for their communities, and founding new nonprofit organizations or launching small businesses. Data from our Alumnae survey indicates that NHLI:

Fosters self confidence and self-esteem and broadens ambitions and vision for educational advancement—more than 74% of executive program graduates attained postgraduate degrees, including nearly 28% with doctoral-level degrees.
Helps with career advancement—one third (33%) of executive graduates report holding executive-level positions compared to 17% before the NHLI experience, more than 20% have run for public office or been appointed to a political position.
Has made a significant impact on communities across the country through more than 500 alumnae Leadership Projects, directly reaching more than 31,000 Latinas and touching hundreds of thousands of lives.

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