Mónica Gil is senior vice president of Public Affairs for the Nielsen Company. In this role, she works with news media, elected officials, community leaders and Nielsen businesses including Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen Entertainment and Nielsen Business Media. Gil also manages Nielsen’s national Hispanic/Latino Strategic Community Outreach and the company’s California government and community affairs programs. Prior to joining Nielsen, Gil served as a senior member of Antonio Villaraigosa’s 2001 Los Angeles mayoral campaign team, and in 2005 was part of his mayoral campaign. Her communications expertise includes a role as senior vice president for Greer, Margolis, Mitchell & Burns (GMMB), a public policy, advertising and public relations firm where she developed comprehensive media plans and grassroots coalition building for a wide range of clients. Gil was also Director of Public Affairs and Community Outreach for Los Angeles’ Telemundo stations KVEA and KWHY, where she managed philanthropic efforts for Telemundo and served as the principle liaison for community outreach in the Los Angeles area. Gil is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the USC School of Administration and she serves on the board of the Getty House Foundation, Workplace Hollywood and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

Remembering Lena Lovato Archuleta

Civil rights leaders, community activist and outstanding educator, Lena Lovato Archuleta passed away on Sunday, April 3, at the age of 90. Lena’s long life was marked by her passion for education and her unwavering commitment to advancing success for the most vulnerable members of the community. She was one of the few leaders, whom in 1964 came together to create the vision for the first Latino non-profit organization in Colorado called, Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA). Archuleta was the first Hispanic female to be a DPS principal in the Denver Public School District. She was the first Secretary of the LARASA Board of Directors and a founder of LARASA and Mi Casa Resource Center for Women, Inc. She was also the first Hispanic president of the Denver Classroom Teachers’ Association, the Colorado Library Association and the Latin American Education Foundation. In October of 2002, the Denver Public Schools dedicated and named a new elementary school in Montebello after her name. In 2004, LARASA awarded the first Lena L. Archuleta Education Service Award in her honor. For six years, she also served on the national Board of Directors of AARP, following and lobbying on state legislative issues.

Alicia Lopez

Alicia Lopez, manager in the Transmission and Distribution Business Unit at Southern California Edison (SCE), has been honored by Southern California Edison as one of the women in Engineering for SCE’s diversity month in April. Her responsibilities include keeping tabs on a staff of 30 in the areas of distribution and sub-transmission planning, as well as field operational support. “Engineers are very professional but you need to prove that you have a qualified education and background to get the job done,� she says. “And once you do, regardless of gender, you are part of the team.� She believes being a woman in a male-dominated field has been an advantage. Lopez has worked at other utility companies, but now in her 14th year at SCE, she says this is where she found her opportunity to grow. Lopez, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, is a licensed engineer in California. She chairs the Metropolitan Los Angeles Power and Energy Society, and is past chair of the Metropolitan Los Angeles Section, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She has also served as secretary for the Los Angeles Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

María Rita Jaramillo

María Rita Jaramillo, a national Latina leader and advocate for women and children, was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Latino Children's Institute (NLCI). Jaramillo is currently with the National Education Association (NEA) and has held senior management positions in four federal agencies. "We will continue to advocate for Latino children and those children who are most vulnerable. Today 25 percent of kindergarten children and 20 percent of all public school students in America are Latino,� said Jaramillo. “It is clear that the success of America is inextricably linked to the success of Latino children. We will celebrate every success, and continue to move forward on behalf of our children and our country's future.�