The Honor Roll follows the November 2009 release of the online edition of the Latino Leaders Network Directory™, which includes contact information for Latino leaders from the Obama administration, Capitol Hill, and national advocacy organizations. The directory and Honor Roll are available at www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org.

The online directory identified 307 Latinos who serve in the Congress as members and staff. Of those, 29 serve as Members of Congress in either the Senate or the House of Representatives, 18 as Latino Chiefs of Staff, and 12 as Legislative Directors. The directory also includes Committee Staff Directors, Press Secretaries, Schedulers, Legislative Assistants, Legislative Correspondents and District Directors, as well as organizational leaders for major Latino advocacy organizations. Data for the resource was compiled via the web, phone surveys and through intercept interviews on Capitol Hill. Every office on the Hill was visited to both collect and confirm data as of August 2009. Those featured are encouraged to visit online and update their listings to ensure accuracy.

Mickey Ibarra, Founder & Chairman, announced the Honor Roll during a panel discussion today on Capitol Hill entitled “State of Diversity on the Hill,” hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, Congressional Black Associates, Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association and Congressional Muslim Staffers Association. He noted in his remarks: “While we can be pleased with the progress made in promoting diversity on Capitol Hill and in our government, there is no reason to be satisfied. The Latino Leaders Network is committed to continuing our work to honor and recognize members of Congress who practice diversity in hiring and recognize the importance of employing public servants who represent all segments of our society.”

In addition to the release of the Honor Roll, a new groundbreaking report, Unrepresented: A Blueprint for Solving the Capitol Hill Diversity Crisis was released. To receive a copy of the report, please contact Lindsay Vidal at Lindsay.vidal@gmail.com or on www.chsadc.org.

Latino Leaders Network™ (LLN) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop ongoing opportunities to bring leaders together to establish relationships and dialogue on issues important to the Latino community. In addition to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™, other signature LLN events include the Latino Leaders Issue Hour and Tribute to Mayors. Mickey Ibarra, LLN founder and chairman, served as Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House from 1997 to 2001. Other Latino Leaders Network Board members include: Michelle Minguez Moore, LLN Executive Director; Maria Teresa Petersen, Voto Latino; Ruben Alvarez, The Molera Alvarez Group; David Ibarra; Ibarra Foundation, and Ken Trujillo, Trujillo Rodriguez & Richards, LLC. For more information, go to www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org.

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“We are delighted to welcome José Hernández to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™ and to present him with the Nambe Eagle Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to our community,” says Mickey Ibarra, Founder and Chairman of the Latino Leaders Network™.  “As a groundbreaking scientist and engineer and a pioneer in space, he has opened doors of opportunity to many Latinos who see his achievement as living proof that what we can dream, and we can become. For all young Latinos who dream of going into space, the frontiers of possibility are limitless.”

José Moreno Hernández was born in French Camp, California and considers Stockton, California his hometown. Mr. Hernández’s family is originally from La Piedad, Michoacán, México and came to the United States as a migrant worker family, travelling back and forth between California and Mexico throughout the year. As a child, Mr. Hernández worked alongside his family harvesting crops in the California fields and was actually in the fields hoeing sugar beets the moment he decided to become an astronaut.

Despite the odds against him, on August 28, 2009, Mr. Hernández became the ninth Latino astronaut in space, and the fourth astronaut of Mexican ancestry, as part of the crew of Space Shuttle Mission STS-128, where he filled the post of Mission Specialist. He joined the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in 2001 (where he worked as Chief of the Materials and Processes branch) and was accepted to the NASA astronaut corps in 2004. Prior to joining the Johnson Space Center, Mr. Hernández worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, where he worked on signal and image processing applications in radar imaging, computed tomography, and acoustic imaging. While at Livermore Labs, Hernández co-developed the first full-field digital mammography imaging system, which has proven useful for detecting breast cancer at an earlier stage than present film/screen mammography techniques. He has won recognition awards for his work on this project.

His other honors include: NASA Service Awards (2002, 2003), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory “Outstanding Engineer Award” (2001), Upward Bound National TRIO Achiever Award (2001), U.S. Department of Energy “Outstanding Performance Commendation” (2000), Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES) “Medalla de Oro” recipient for professional and community contributions (1999), Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award, “Outstanding Technical Contribution” (1995), Graduate Engineering Minority Fellow (GEM) (1985), and Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society member.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the sponsor for the Network Reception and Exxon Mobil is the sponsor of the luncheon. Media partners include the Hispanic Communications Network, Latino Leaders Magazine, Latina Style online, and El Tiempo Latino.

The first Latino Leaders Luncheon Series event was held in 2004 and more than 20 luncheons have taken place since that time, featuring Labor Secretary Hilda Solis; Governor Bill Richardson; Senators Bob Menendez, Mel Martinez and Ken Salazar; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Father Virgilio Elizondo; actors Wilmer Valderamma and Eva Longoria; journalist Maria Hinojoso; and NY Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, among others. Details and photos from each of these events are available on the Latino Leaders Network™ website (www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org).

Latino Leaders Network™ (LLN) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop ongoing opportunities to bring leaders together to establish relationships and dialogue on issues important to the Latino community. In addition to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™, other signature LLN events include the Latino Leaders Issue Hour and Tribute to Mayors. LLN also produces an on-line leadership directory and publishes the Latino Honor Roll highlighting members of Congress who employ at least one Latino in their DC Congressional office. Mickey Ibarra, LLN founder and chairman, served as Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House from 1997 to 2001. Other Latino Leaders Network Board members include: Michelle Minguez Moore, LLN Executive Director; Maria Teresa Petersen, Voto Latino; Ruben Alvarez, The Molera Alvarez Group; David Ibarra; Ibarra Foundation, and Ken Trujillo, Trujillo Rodriguez & Richards, LLC. For more information, go to www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org.

Notes: Media wishing to cover the luncheon are asked to RSVP to Jennifer Devlin at 703-876-1714 or jennifer.devlin@cox.net. Press call time is 12:00 pm for the luncheon.

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“We are delighted to welcome Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series(tm) and to present her with the Nambe Eagle Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to our community,” says Mickey Ibarra, Founder and Chairman of the Latino Leaders Network(tm).

Secretary Hilda L. Solis was confirmed as Secretary of Labor on February 24, 2009. Prior to confirmation as Secretary of Labor, Secretary Solis represented the 32nd Congressional District in California, a position she held from 2001 – 2009.

Solis demonstrated efforts to expand access to affordable health care, protect the environment, and improve the lives of working families. She is a recognized leader on clean energy jobs, she authored the Green Jobs Act which provided funding for “green” collar job training for veterans, displaced workers, at risk youth, and individuals in families under 200 percent of the federal poverty line.

A nationally recognized leader on the environment, Solis became the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000 for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues. Her California environmental justice legislation, enacted in 1999, was the first of its kind in the nation to become law.

Solis was first elected to public office in 1985 as a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees. She served in the California State Assembly from 1992 to 1994, and in 1994 made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the California State Senate. As the chairwoman of the California Senate Industrial Relations Committee, she led the battle to increase the state’s minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996. She also authored a record seventeen state laws aimed at combating domestic violence.

Solis graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. A former federal employee, she worked in the Carter White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and was later appointed as a management analyst with the Office of Management and Budget in the Civil Rights Division.

She was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Secretary of Labor on January 20, 2009.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the sponsor for the Network reception and the Coca-Cola Company and Verizon are the sponsors for the luncheon. Media partners include the Hispanic Communications Network, Latino Leaders Magazine, and El Tiempo Latino.

The first Latino Leaders Luncheon Series event was held in 2004 and more than 20 luncheons have taken place since that time, featuring such diverse speakers such as Governor Bill Richardson; Senators Bob Menendez, Mel Martinez and Ken Salazar; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Father Virgilio Elizondo; actors Wilmer Valderamma and Eva Longoria; journalist Maria Hinojoso; and NY Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, among others. Details and photos from each of these events are available on the Latino Leaders Network(tm) website (www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org).

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“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Cigarroa to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™ and to present him with the Nambe Eagle Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to our community,” says Mickey Ibarra, Founder and Chairman of the Latino Leaders Network™. “A nationally prominent surgeon, he is the first Hispanic leader to be named the chief executive of a major university system and a U.S. health science university. His work in the field of surgery and medical research make him one of the foremost Latino medical leaders in the world.”

Dr. Cigarroa was appointed Chancellor of the University of Texas System in January 2009, the first Latino to ever lead a major university system in the United States. Previously, he served as the President of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. A renowned pediatric and transplant surgeon, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale and his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. During his twelve years of postgraduate training, he held internships and residencies at Massachusetts General, where he was named chief surgical resident. He also held both fellowship and faculty positions at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

As a medical researcher, Dr. Cigarroa pioneered several surgical innovations. In 1997, he was part of a surgical team that split a donor liver for transplant into two recipients, the first operation of its kind to be performed in Texas. Earlier that year, he led the surgical team that performed the region’s first successful small bowel transplant in a child. A Mexican American native of Laredo, Texas, he is the son of Laredo physician Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa, Jr.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the sponsor for the Network reception and the Coca-Cola Company and Verizon are the sponsors for the luncheon. Media partners include the Hispanic Communications Network, Latino Leaders Magazine, and El Tiempo Latino.

The first Latino Leaders Luncheon Series event was held in 2004 and more than 20 luncheons have taken place since that time, featuring such diverse speakers such as Governor Bill Richardson; Senators Bob Menendez, Mel Martinez and Ken Salazar; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Father Virgilio Elizondo; actors Wilmer Valderamma and Eva Longoria; journalist Maria Hinojoso; and NY Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, among others. Details and photos from each of these events are available on the Latino Leaders Network™ website (www.LatinoLeadersNetwork.org).

Latino Leaders Network™ (LLN) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop ongoing opportunities to bring leaders together to establish relationships and dialogue on issues important to the Latino community. In addition to the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™, other signature events supported by the LLN are the Latino Leaders Issue Hour and the Latino Mayors Tribute. LLN is also the producer of the “Latinos on the Hill” directory and first-ever Latino Honor Roll. Mickey Ibarra is President of Mickey Ibarra & Associates, a government relations and public affairs firm . He served as Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House from 1997 to 2001. In addition to Mickey Ibarra, the Board of Directors of the Network includes: Michelle Minguez Moore, Executive Director; Maria Teresa Petersen, Executive Director for Voto Latino; Raul L. Rubio, a government affairs consultant; Ruben Alvarez, co-founder and Managing Partner of the Molera Alvarez Group; and David Ibarra; a Utah business owner and founder of the Ibarra Foundation.

Notes: Participation in the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™ is by invitation only. For more information, please contact Michelle Minguez Moore at 202-969-8777.

Media wishing to cover the luncheon are asked to RSVP to Jennifer Devlin at 703-876-1714 or jennifer.devlin@cox.net. Press call time is 12:00 pm for the luncheon.

Download this media advisory