On September 17, the Denver Latina Chamber in partnership with the United States Hispanic Chamber and State Farm, hosted the inaugural Tribute to Latina Trail Blazers: “Reconocimiento de Las Meras-Meras”. The Tribute to Latina Trail Blazers recognizes the achievements of individuals who have paved the way for other Latinos in their national and local communities. Rosa Navejar accepted the “Latina Trail Blazers Business” Award at the Denver Latina Chamber’s “Latina Trail Blazers” awards ceremony on behalf of Robert E. Bard in Denver on Thursday, September 17. (Left to right - Juanita Chacon-Latina Chamber founder, Anita Padilla-Fitzgerald-MegaStar Financial Corp., Jessika Aerni-Latina Chamber Chair). Photo credit: Jaime Aguilar.
Stephanie Villafuerte, who currently serves as the deputy chief of staff to Gov. Bill Ritter, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be Colorado’s next U.S. Attorney. A longtime Denver prosecutor and adviser to Gov. Bill Ritter, is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and would become the first Latina to run the office if elected. Villafuerte is a board member of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver in 1987 and her law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1991.
Alicia Villarreal
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) recently announced Alicia Villarreal of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP as its new general counsel. In this role, she will serve on a pro bono basis as a non-voting board member and provide advice and counsel on board governance and legal matters to the Institute. “CHCI is thrilled to bring Alicia Villarreal and the firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP on board,” said Esther Aguilera, CHCI president & CEO. “Her vast legal background will provide CHCI with the expertise and advice we need in support of our mission and future initiatives.”
Dedicated to community service, Villarreal is the founding president of the Mexican American Bar Foundation (MABF), a non-profit charitable organization she established in 1991 to increase diversity in the legal profession. She also serves on the board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching junior high and high school students about our Constitution and the importance of civic participation. She also participates on panels before minority and women’s bar associations and legal conferences on topics ranging from trial practice and corporate compliance to diversity.
Villarreal received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1989, her M.P.A. from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin in 1989, and her B.S.W. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985.
“I am very proud to join the board of CHCI as its new legal counsel and excited to help further the great work the Institute does on behalf of the Latino community,” said Villarreal. “This representation is emblematic of our firm’s commitment to pro bono legal services and diversity and we look forward to getting to work on behalf of CHCI.”.
Carmen Nazario
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. In this role, she will oversee the Administration for Children and Families within HHS. “Carmen Nazario has a distinguished record of more than 40 years working in human services at every level of government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors,” said Secretary Sebelius. “She has devoted her career to developing and implementing programs that promote the well-being of children and families, and she will build on that important work as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.” Nazario has vast experience in public service with a focus on improving services to children and families within the United States and around the world, dating back to 1968. Until her recent nomination, Carmen Nazario was an Assistant Professor at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where she taught social policy and coordinated the Social Work Practicum at the School of Social Work. From January 2003 – December 2008, she served as Administrator of the Administration for Children and Families for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where she led an agency of 4,000 staff with a budget of over $220 million.
Nazario has held a number of national leadership roles, including Vice President of the Board of Directors of the American Public Welfare Association, President of the National Council of Local Public Welfare Administrators, and Secretary of the National Council of State Human Service Administrators. Nazario is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. She received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico in 1967, and was awarded her Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work in 1973.
[This article has been
edited for www.latinastyle.com. For the full version,
check out the September/October issue of LATINA Style.]
