Jose Calderon
Named President of the Hispanic Federation

On Wednesday, April 11th, the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Federation (HF) unanimously voted to name José Calderón as President of HF.  The appointment is effective immediately.

“We are very pleased with the final decision by the Board of Directors in the selection of José Calderón”, indicated Cristina Schwarz, Chair of the Board. “HF is in strong position with a great reputation and a broad platform from which to continue launching high impact initiatives and advocacy efforts in support of its nearly 100 Latino member agencies across the Northeast.  We are confident in José’s ability to lead HF and continue our expansion. I also want to thank our board member Mario Baeza, who chaired the Search Committee and its members, for the level of integrity and due process in the consideration and selection process”.

The HF Board appointed Mario Baeza to head the Search Committee to identify the fourth president in the history of the Hispanic Federation, one of the leading Latino organizations in the nation. The Committee was assisted and guided by Ms. Emily Gantz McKay of EMG Consulting, LLC in managing the process for the Board.

The Country's Premier Latino Organizations Launch Latinos For Democracy: Movimiento Hispano

On Thursday, February 23, the Hispanic Federation, the Labor Council for Latin America Advancement (LCLAA), and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced their partnership in an unprecedented non-partisan effort to increase voter registration and mobilize the Latino vote. The campaign’s goal is to register 200,000 voters and mobilize at least 100,000 Latinos to polls in the November 2012 elections. The combined group effort will be known as Latinos for Democracy which is part of Movimiento Hispano that also includes curtailing voter suppression, educating voters about key Latino issues and facilitating Latino immigrants to become citizens.

HF President Lillian Rodriguez Lopez to Leave After Successful Seven Year Tenure

On Monday, January 30, 2012, the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Federation announced the departure of its President Lillian Rodriguez Lopez on February 17, 2012 to assume a new position with The Coca Cola Company.  In making the announcement, Chair of the Board Cristina Schwarz stated, "Lillian has made immense contributions to the Hispanic Federation during her seven year tenure as President and her sixteen year career with us.  Her advocacy and untiring work on behalf of the Latino community has built a lasting legacy in New York and across the country.  She leaves the Federation in a strong position.   Thanks to her leadership and the commitment of our Board of Directors and staff, the Federation is well positioned for continued growth in New York, the Northeast region and in Washington D.C.  We will miss her but wish her continued success."

NHLA Progress Report: Much Work Remains for President, Congress on Jobs, Education, Immigration, and Other Issues

The report identifies successes of the past two years while challenging leaders in Washington to adopt policy priorities to strengthen the growing Hispanic community

On Wednesday, August 10th, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the 30 leading Hispanic organizations in the United States, released its Hispanic Public Policy Agenda Two Year Progress Report, a detailed assessment of the achievements of President Obama and Congress in 2009 and 2010 and the crucial work that remains.  Download the report by clicking here.

As determined by the debt ceiling deal enacted into law last week, Members of Congress will return to Washington in September to make appropriations decisions cutting $3 billion from domestic non-defense spending for fiscal year 2012 and then before year’s end make much bigger decisions about reducing the national debt by $1.5 trillion over the next decade.  

“The decisions made in Washington in the coming months will have a lasting impact on the Latino community.  Our progress report documents some of the achievements that have been made to help Latinos survive through the Great Recession.  Congress, the new super committee, and the Administration should take lessons from this report and know that deep cuts to programs that have kept families working and in their homes cannot be sacrificed during their negotiations.  Our focus should be on building the economy – not hurting Americans by slashing safety net programs,” said Lillian Rodriguez López, Chair of NHLA and President of the Hispanic Federation.