Hear from seven Latinas who are breaking barriers and forming the next generation of leaders at the 2018 UnidosUS Annual Conference in July
The Future is Latina: A look at the Latinas Brunch and panel discussion
Women have played an important role in UnidosUS’s history. In 1972, Graciela Olivarez, an UnidosUS Board member (also known as “Amazing Grace”) campaigned for equal representation of men and women on the Board of Directors. And for the past 13 years, the organization has been led by Janet Murguía. Additionally, nine out of 13 of the current top leadership at UnidosUS are women.
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The Latinas Brunch is one of the most well-attended sessions of our Annual Conference. And this year’s edition will feature speakers and panelists who are breaking barriers and leading the next generation of a more diverse and dynamic leadership across different industries.
About the Latinas Brunch Featured Speakers
Ilia Calderón made history last November when Univision selected her as the anchor of Noticiero Univision. This made her the first Afro-Latina to be the anchor of an evening news program on a major television network.
Cecile Richards—the President of Planned Parenthood for 12 years—is a dedicated advocate for women’s health care. Under her leadership, Planned Parenthood played a critical role in shaping women’s health care options under the Affordable Care Act, a law that was crucial in boosting health care enrollment in the Latino community.
The Future is Latina Panel
The Latinas Brunch will also feature a dynamic discussion of the accomplishments of Latinas and the progress we have yet to make. It will be moderated by Alicia Menendez, Co-Host of PBS’s Amanpour & Company, Contributing Editor at Bustle, and Host of the Latina to Latina Podcast.
The Future is Latina panel will feature Elizabeth Guzman, Virginia House Delegate (VA-31); Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO, Teach for America; Natalia Oberti Noguera, Founder and CEO, Pipeline Angels; Greisa Martinez Rosas, Deputy Executive Director, United We Dream; Silvia Olivas, Co-Executive Producer and Story Editor of the Disney show Elena of Avalor. They are all leading voices who will inspire attendees to follow their aspirations and better tackle challenges in their own communities.
About the Panel Speakers
Elizabeth Guzman immigrated from Peru to the United States to look for a better future for her oldest daughter. She went from working three jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment for herself and her daughter to becoming one of the first Hispanic women elected to the Virginia State Legislature last November. In 2018, she delivered the Spanish-language response to President Trump’s 2018 State of the Union Address.
Elisa Villanueva Beard joined Teach for America in 1998 as a corps member in Phoenix. Four years later, she was leading Teach for America’s work in the Rio Grande Valley, where growing up she was just one of a few Mexican American students. She has been CEO since 2015, and under her leadership, Teach for America has impacted the education of more than 750,000 children in over 2,600 schools.
Natalia Oberti Noguera is the Founder and CEO of Pipeline Angels, which is a network of women investors that act as ‘angel investors’ for women and non-binary femme entrepreneurs. She is also the creator and host of Pitch Makeover, a podcast on startups, pitching, investing, and #morevoices (women, non-binary people, and men of color).
Greisa Martinez Rosas is Deputy Executive Director at United We Dream. Originally coming to the United States from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant, Martinez Rosas has organized for immigrant rights on the local, state, and national levels for the past decade.
Silvia Olivas is the Co-Executive Producer and Story Editor for Elena of Avalor, Disney’s first Hispanic cartoon princess. Olivas was featured at a Conference workshop last year where she spoke to the importance of empowering Latino voices in Hollywood, and how she works to increase Latino representation in both on- and off-stage roles.
The speakers and panelists at the Latinas Brunch have carved their own paths to success. But they’re also making sure they give back by giving voice and providing platforms for others to follow in their footsteps.
We are proud and excited that they will join us at the Latinas Brunch, a celebration of female empowerment across industries. To learn more about speakers and workshops at the UnidosUS Conference, visit conference.unidosus.org.
MORE ABOUT THE UNIDOS US ANNUAL CONFERENCE
