HPAC Estrella Leadership Institute - Desert Vista Campus

Hispanic Professional Action Committee

UA Alumnus and Community Leaders Facilitate Latino Leadership Development

Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group, projected to almost triple by 2050 and expected to make up 29% of the total 440 million projected U.S. population. Arizona’s population is already 30% Hispanic. Latinos’ under representation in key top-level positions is an issue of great importance for the Hispanic Professional Action Committee. They have developed the Estrella leadership Institute to bring attention to this need and to provide leadership training and networking opportunities for young professionals. The ultimate goal of this institute is to facilitate the advancement of Latinos to key policy making positions in education, health, government and business. The Estrella Leadership Institute will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2009, 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM will be held at the Desert Vista Campus of Pima County Community College.

The institute is meant for Latino professionals who have career experience and are ready to explore opportunities for advancement and for leadership and service. It is also for persons vested in the success and advancement of Latinos who are looking for ways to develop the expertise of Latinos for leadership. There are still some spots open for participation in this institute. For more information you may contact Sofia Ramos, HPAC, Immediate Past President and Institute Chair at 520-471-1995 or email sramos1984@gmail.com.

The Estrella Leadership Institute is a first step to develop participants’ skills, insights and opportunities to become leaders in policy, initiative development, and service. The goal of this institute is to increase the dialogue and preparedness of Latinos for leadership in business, education, health and government. Participants will assess their individual strengths, develop a personal strategic plan and explore opportunities for service to the community. The Institute will enable participants to develop: A vision of themselves as leaders committed to service; their leadership skill set; Insights regarding institutional culture, protocols and expectations; Opportunities for mentoring and networking; and A plan for advancement to top ranks of health, education, business and government.

A powerful and accomplished group of Latino leaders will provide workshops in their area of expertise. Most presenters are graduates of the University of Arizona and are heavily involved in service to the community and to education and advancement of Latinos. Richard Fimbres, Governing Board Member for Pima County Community College and top PCC administrators, Chancellor Roy Flores and Raul Ramirez, Vice Chancellor of Education and Outreach and will also present. The event is co-sponsored by the Raytheon Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement (H.O.L.A.S.), and League of United Latin American Citizens (L.U.L.A.C.), with support from Dan Eckstrom. Institute sessions are meant to empower and inspire participants to prepare to lead but also to become active in service to their community:

Nelba Chavez, Ph.D., former Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services, provide the keynote address titled, Personal Responsibility: a Call to Action! Dr. Chavez will draw from her lifetime of service in the local and national arenas and her extensive experience advocating for rights of mental health and substance abuse patients, and low-income populations.

PCC Chancellor, Dr. Roy Flores’ presentation, Institutions of Power: Understanding Power Structures and How They Affect You, will provide insights about navigating your career within an institution. He will provide insights regarding institutional protocols and expectations.

Patricia Taylor, former, Raytheon Missile Systems top-level Executive, will help participants assess their strengths and develop a plan with a presentation titled, Creating a Competitive Edge: Using Your Strengths.

Tomas León, M.B.A., Vice President, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, will use his experience in business, non-profits and community service to provide insights on using knowledge gained from all these areas to help advance in your career. His session is titled Creating Opportunities for Advancement.

Richard Fimbres, M.Ed., Governing Board Member for Pima County Community College, will talk about our responsibility to our communities and the need to be involved in service. His session is titled, Leadership, Service and You.

Lea Marquez Peterson, M.B.A., Executive Director, Greater Tucson Leadership and interim President and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber will discuss, Leadership Opportunities.

HPAC is a non-profit, non-partisan, Tucson-based organization whose purpose is to effect change by monitoring and studying issues that impact Hispanics at local, regional, national and international levels. HPAC promotes the well-being and culture of Hispanics in the fields of education, health, business, and government. HPAC members will propose solutions to local and regional issues, analyze the functioning of government, develop leadership of Hispanics through training, and promote Hispanic representation on boards, commissions and government. Visit HPAC’s website at http://www.hpactucson.org/

Dr. Nelba Chavez was nominated by President Clinton on February 25, 1994, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 14, 1994, Nelba Chavez, Ph. D., as the first Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services where she administered a three billion dollar budget. As the first Hispanic/Latina to head an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in its 200-year history, she one of the first to provide the perspective of the wise Latina. President Clinton acknowledged her talents when he said, "Dr. Chavez's broad range of experiences in the areas of mental health and substance abuse will provide valuable perspective in addressing these problems. Her dedication to these issues will be a great benefit in her new position." She was a consultant to the U.S. State Department on issues pertaining to mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment. Her work at the national level was recognized by the American Medical Association with an Award for Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to the mentally ill, also United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson acknowledged her efforts with an Award for Distinguished Service to Mental Health. Dr. Chavez’s served as executive director and chief operating officer of La Frontera Center. Under her leadership, La Frontera received national recognition as an outstanding example of a comprehensive community-based mental health because it was a pioneer in providing mental health, drug and alcohol services to adults, children and families in one center. Governor Napolitano named her Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Dr. Chavez earned a B.A. sociology and psychology from the University of Arizona, a Master of Social Welfare from University of California Las Angeles and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare and Policy from the University of Denver, Colorado. She also attended the Kennedy School of Government –Executive Program at Harvard.

Richard Fimbres, Governing Board Member for Pima County Community College Leadership, has a lifetime of dedicated service and coalition building, which he has used to effect positive change locally and across the nation. Mr. Fimbres serves as a Governing Board Member for Pima County Community College and as a Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Council Board Member. He has also served a number of leadership positions for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Vice President for the Elderly. He is the immediate past National Vice President for the Farwest Region of LULAC. He served in the Pima County sheriff’s Department for 20 years and is a United States Army Vietnam-era veteran. Governor Napolitano appointed Richard to Office of the Governor Department of Transportation where he served for almost seven years. In 2002, the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named Fimbres as its Man of the Year. Richard received the Valle del Sol’s Exemplary Leadership Award (2001) and the LULAC National Man of the Year, also named one of Pima County’s most influential individuals (2000) by Tucson Citizen Newspaper. He also received the 1998 Jefferson Award for his community service efforts, and the 1985 Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s Officer of the Year Award. Mr. Fimbres is a graduate of Pima Community College, The University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University.

Dr. Flores is in his sixth year as Chancellor of the Pima Community College (PCC) District. PCC serves more than 75,000 students annually through traditional campuses including distance classes, adult education and workforce development programs. Dr. Flores has served in a number of high-level appointments: President of Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, President of Elgin Community College in Illinois, and Executive Vice Chancellor for the Virginia Community College System. Dr. Flores serves on a number of influential boards, including board member of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc. (TREO), the Southern Arizona’s economic development and outreach coordinating organization. He also served on the board for the Carondelet Health Network and served as Chair of the Arizona Council of Community College Presidents. He also serves on the Southern Arizona Leadership Council and the Tucson Airport Authority, and was appointed by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to the Governor’s state-wide P-20 Council on Education. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for several national organizations, including the American Association for Community Colleges Dr. Flores currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and the Advisory Board for Educational Testing Service (ETS). He is also a member of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Equity for the American Council on Education. Dr. Flores holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University. He holds an M.S. degree, also in Economics, and a B.A degree in Social Science, from Indiana State University. He has served as an economic advisor with the United States Department of State, and conducted research on monetary theory and human capital theory.

Mr. Tomas León joined the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona as Vice President of Community Philanthropy in 2007. Prior to this, the Tucson native was President and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of Youth On Their Own, a Tucson nonprofit that serves abandoned and homeless young people. During his tenure at the Hispanic Chamber, he served as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Council for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the University of Arizona Hispanic Alumni Association, the Hispanic Professional Action Committee (HPAC) and the Literacy Leadership Council and sits on the community advisory board of Mutual of Omaha Bank. He received an award from HPAC in 2003, for his dedication to the advancement of the Hispanic community. Tucson Business Edge named him as one of Tucson’s 40 Under 40 emerging community and business leaders in 2005 and was selected as advocate of the year (2007) by Open Inn for his commitment to Arizona’s children, youth and families. He also received an Award of Distinction by the Metropolitan Pima Alliance for his work in the Tucson Regional Town Hall. Owner of León Properties LLC, a real estate investment company, and partner in the Centerfield Baseball Academy, León holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business from The University of Arizona and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

Patricia Taylor, a fifth generation Arizonan and proud University of Arizona alum, where she earned a B.S. Degree in Business Administration, graduating with distinction. A former top-level executive with Raytheon Missile Systems Company and a member of the Operations Council she helped set policy and direction. Ms. Taylor was a member of the Union and Management Council, a Team Leader for Quality Improvements, Raytheon Six Sigma Champion, Diversity Co-Champion and Co-Chair of the company-wide Facilities Best Practices Team. She is an Investor and Managing Partner in two business ventures in Tucson. Her expertise is translating strategy into structure, process, and execution to enable the success of others and is based on having realistic expectations, a willingness to succeed, strong communication skills, and teamwork, coupled with a steadfast sense of accountability and integrity in all dealings. Pat is known for her volunteerism and leadership efforts to advance diversity and coalition building, including Salpointe Catholic High School (SCHS) Board of Directors, member of Tucson Leading Women Club (Past President) and the UA President’s Club. She served on the YWCA Board of Directors, the UA Flandrau Science Center Advisory Board, UA Plaza of Honor Executive Committee (Co-chair), Co-chair of the UA President’s Hispanic Advisory Council, UA Campaign Arizona Leadership Team, and Top Cat Advisory Board. Pat’s numerous awards, include UA Women Who Lead Award for Leadership, LULAC Presidential Award for Educational Leadership, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year, YWCA Business Leadership Award, Raytheon Woman on the Move Award, UA Omega Delta Phi Outstanding Role Model Award, El Centro Cultural Mujer Business Leader Award.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

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***PHOTOS AND WEB DESIGN BY ANTONIO ARROYO***

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Automatic Slide Show