NHLI’s Annual Leadership Conference Attracted Top Latina
Leaders, Experts and Celebrated Women for their Achievements
When Maria Diaz Urbino (NHLI Class
of 2002) learned the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) was returning
to her community in November, 2008 to hold the 8th Executive Leadership
Training and Mujer Awards Conference, she didn’t think twice about attending
the annual convening.
A long-time community leader in Orlando, a city known for
hosting some of the country’s top conventions and special events, Maria knows a
good thing when she sees it, and she knew the NHLI 2008 Conference was the
place to be to network with hundreds of professional Latinas from across the country,
obtain skills-building training, and hear from exciting motivational speakers.
“The NHLI conference is a national caliber conference that
represents the very best Hispanics have to offer to our community and our great
nation,” said Urbino, who works as a Community Relations Manager of Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
By connecting with fellow professionals, attending
cutting-edge seminars and visiting informational fairs, participants leave the
training more knowledgeable and full of ideas for new opportunities.
Take Pauline Nuñez, from NHLI’s second graduating class in
1989. While attending NHLI’s annual conference in Denver, Colorado last year,
the networking opportunity the conference provided put Nuñez on the radar for a
job at the Census Bureau.
The two-day conference offered a variety of workshops
ranging from professional development to politics to corporate strategies to
financial advice — many facilitated by
NHLI’s very own talent pool. Alumnae — who have gone on to become elected
officials, senior managers, entrepreneurs, executives at non-profits and
powerful decision makers — share their expertise each year with the
conference participants.
A jam-packed session on public speaking titled Are You Ready
for Prime Time? by Ysabel Duron (NHLI ’90), Senior
Anchor, KRON4 News in San Francisco, provided tools to get participants ready
to represent their organizations, business or themselves as speakers.
Neddy Perez, a 2000 alumna and Human Resources &
Diversity Consultant, along with Adriana Comellas-Macretti (NHLI ’03) from
State Farm Insurance Companies, shared top tips on How to Recession Proof Your
Career? during the challenging economic climate.
While many were still dissecting the presidential elections
results, NHLI’s alumna Ingrid Duran (’02), founder of Poder Pac, and Laura
Drain (NHLI ’08), co-chair of Latinas for McCain, provided the first past
election analysis from a Latina perspective and discussed opportunities for
Latinas with the new administration.
Judy Majors, NHLI ’08 graduate and Senior Project Manager of
the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Fannie Mae, informed the public
about Home Ownership in Times of Economic Stress, and Marieli Colón Padilla,
Vice President of Fleisham-Hillard, Inc. and NHLI Class of 2006, moderated a
discussion about Cultural Segmentation and the Growing Influence of Latinas in
Marketing.
Consequently, the conference included informative workshops
and presentations provided by other renowned experts, panelists and speakers
including Goya Foods celebrity Chef Fernando Desa and Congresswomen Loretta and
Linda Sánchez.
Long time NHLI friends Ret. Ltc. Consuelo Castillo
Kickbusch, President and Founder of Educational Achievement Services, Inc., and
media mogul Nely Galán, President of Galan Entertainment who is also an alumna
from the class of 1989, empowered the attendees with their inspiring keynote
speeches. In addition, renowned artist, Sina Sutter, enhanced the gala with her
painting Cruzando Fronteras, which was used as the conference signature
artwork. Sina has created art for previous NHLI conferences.
There were many firsts at the conference. Making
their debut at this year’s conference, the Ask the Expert sessions provided
attendees with one-on-one coaching on resume writing, interviewing skills,
effective speaking and presentation skills, negotiating compensation, preparing
for a promotion or career change, and other topics.
As in previous years, the Latina Authors Book Signing proved
to be a popular stop for many of the conference goers. Cristina Benitez
featured her latest book, Latinization: How Latino Culture is Transforming the
U.S.; Suzanne Moreno presented her Latino’s Guide to Parenting and
Congresswomen Loretta and Linda Sánchez signed scores of their book, Dream in
Color: How the Sánchez Sisters are Making History in Congress.
The conference culminated with the Mujer Awards. With
Sarykarmen Rivera, a TV personality at Telemundo Orlando, as Mistress of
Ceremony, the gala paid tribute to three outstanding Latinas for their
unrelenting commitment to their communities and their lifetime achievements.
The 2008 honorees have made it their life’s work to empower their communities
through the media, and by expanding access to health care.
The year’s Chair Award was presented to Nely Galán. She was
honored for her commitment to the Latino community through her entrepreneurial
spirit and charity organization Count Me In, a non-profit organization that
empowers women to create their own business and achieve financial independence.
Galán is the perfect example of a celebrity who channels her star power to
transform the lives of others.
Dr. Angela Diaz, MD, MPH, received this year’s National Award
for her lifetime work in the medical field. As Director of the Mount Sinai
Adolescent Health Center—which under her leadership has become the
largest adolescent health care center in the U.S.—Dr. Diaz has been a
pioneer in providing free primary care, reproductive health, mental health and
health education services to teens. Dr. Diaz is an NHLI graduate of the Class
of ’96 is also President of the Children’s Aid Society, the country’s oldest
child services agency.
The 2008 Regional Award was presented to Rossana Rosado,
Publisher and CEO of El Diario La Prensa, the oldest Spanish daily newspaper in
New York delivering outstanding news content to all its readers. She is honored
for her distinguished achievements in the print and electronic media industry and
unsurpassed commitment to the Latino community.
The 2008 Executive Leadership Training and Mujer Awards Conference
was a resounding success thanks to the contribution of numerous supporters and
allies; the participation of renowned experts, panelists and speakers and the
support of NHLI’s board members, staff and volunteers.
Special thanks to NHLI’s conference sponsors: State Farm
Insurance Companies, Wal-Mart, T-Mobile, MillerCoors, the United States Postal
Service, Sprint, Southwest Airlines, General Motors, Nordstrom, Ford,
McDonald’s, Nationwide Insurance, Nissan, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon,
Hispanic MPR, The Walt Disney Company, BBVA Compass, WaMu, The Cartel Group,
Goya Foods, Anheuser Busch, UPS, American Family Insurance, Fannie Mae, Latinosinhighered.com,
Telemundo Orlando, Radio La Fantástica, Latina Style Magazine, La Prensa-Orlando, Nielsen Company and DFW Airport.
Additionally, NHLI would like to acknowledge TV producers,
Neisa Condemaita and Andrew Arbuckle, for the production of the 2008 Mujer
Awards honorees’ video clips; translator Nichelle Gillian for her services; and
the team of Diversity Broadband TV who produced NHLI’s first conference
webcast.
Silent Auction Raises Funds for NHLI
Once again, NHLI friends pitched in and donated a variety of items including iPods, jewelry, and hotel stays that were auctioned off at the Mujer Awards Gala. The silent auction has become a gala tradition and the funds raised help NHLI continue its mission to develop Hispanas as ethical world leaders. A special thank you to our donors:
Maria Cecilia Buron de Patanian
Patricia Lee Chavez
Amelia De Jesus
The Coca Cola Company
Compass Bank
ConAgra Foods
Educational Management Corporation
Emily Gantz McKay
Nora Garza
Ford Motor Company Fund
Goya Foods, Inc.
Hotel Palomar Arlington
Johnson & Johnson
Key Bridge Marriott Hotel
Laura Lopez Cano
Leticia Lopez
Migun Health Center-Miami, FL
MillerCoors
Motorola, Inc.
NHLI Class of 1988
NHLI Class of 1995
NHLI Class of 2005
NHLI Class of 2006
NHLI Class of 2008
Elizabeth Orlando
Pauline Nunez
Priscilla Pena
Denise Perez
Virginia Robles-Villalba
T-Mobile
Verizon Communications
Wal-Mart
The Westin Alexandria |
