We are honored to have the speakers & special guests below for the 2009 conference.  Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis- HWC Lorraine Lee National Leadership Award 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. 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. 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.
|  National HWC Latina Leadership Awardee: Nely Galan Latina media dynamo Nely Galán - dubbed the "Tropical Tycoon" by The New York Times Magazine is one of the entertainment industry’s savviest firebrand talents - bringing her considerable expertise to full effect as a successful producer and entrepreneur; a galvanizing powerbroker in the Latino world; and a female empowerment and motivational speaker. Galán, a former President of the powerhouse Telemundo network, has owned and operated her own media company since 1994. Her company has launched 10 groundbreaking television channels in Latin America, and has also produced a staggering 600 episodes of programming that crosses all genres - from reality series to sitcoms, telenovelas to talk shows, in both English and Spanish. Galán was also responsible for creating and executive producing the smash FOX reality hit "The Swan", and as its in-house life coach, wrote the bestselling companion book "The Swan Curriculum". "The Swan" has aired in over 70 countries around the world, and was famously spoofed by the Olsen Twins and Tina Fey on "Saturday Night Live".
Recently Galán appeared on the NBC hit "The Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump" joining an all-star cast including Gene Simmons, Nadia Comaneci, Marilu Henner and the infamous Omarosa. Galán’s appearance on the show, where she raised $250,000 for her charity COUNT ME IN, furthered her reputation as one of the nation’s top female moguls.
|  Miss Arizona USA Alicia-Monique Blanco Alicia-Monique Blanco is 21 years old and a native of Arizona. She graduated with honors from Desert Vista High School in 2005. After high school Alicia was accepted into the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. It is where Alicia-Monique has been able to utilize her keen interest in journalism, philanthropy and the media to sharpen her public speaking skills, as public speaking is something she really loves to do.Her love for public speaking landed her an internship at KNXV-TV ABC15 Sports and News in 2006. She is currently a Community Outreach Ambassador for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Phoenix Affiliate, a certified Wish Granter for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Arizona and a religious education volunteer at Corpus Christi Church in Ahwatukee.
Alicia-Monique is also a spokesperson for Chances for Children of Arizona, which is a non-profit organization that educates children about healthy choices and encourages physical fitness. Her love for children is evident through her contribution as a summer camp counselor for Camp Kesem; a student run non-profit organization for kids whose parents have or have had cancer. Alicia-Monique is also an avid volunteer with Frank Elementary School in Guadalupe, AZ and the Tempe School District where she is a mentor and pen pal for at risk children. For approximately twelve years she has assisted with the Adopt-a-Family program for the less fortunate families in the town of Guadalupe. She is also active in Best Buddies and eBuddies Arizona.
During her reign as MISS ARIZONA USA® 2009 she plans to remain just as active as always. She plans to dedicate most of her time to “Go Red for Women” and the American Heart Association championing and promoting cardiovascular awareness, as well as keeping physical education in our schools with Chances for Children of Arizona and the NFL “Keep Gym In School” campaign.
|  National HWC Youth Leadership Awardee: Toni Gutierrez Toni Gutierrez, a 16 year old high school junior from Palm Desert, California already boasts numerous community and national accomplishments. As a long time Girl Scout, Toni served as the emcee for the 2008 Girl Scouts national convention before a crowd of 8,000 persons and showed the best of what Latina girls are capable of doing. Her academic accomplishments range from a 4.0 plus GPA, an athlete and being recognized as a community leader by numerous civic organizations and foundations. Toni was recently appointed to be a National Girl Consultant to the National Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts USA and will serve as emcee for the HWC Youth Leadership Institute in conjunction with this 2009 national conference. |
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2009 Registration
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2009 Expo Open to Public
Oct 1st - 2nd
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