Message from the President and CEO
Springing into 2023 with Inspiration
After a restful and re-energizing sabbatical, I’m glad to be back at work with my UnidosUS familia, excited and ready to take on the opportunities and challenges facing our community in 2023. Upon my return in February, I hit the ground running at our annual Changemakers Summit and the 36th Annual UnidosUS Capital Awards.
The UnidosUS Changemakers Summit brought together 230 aspiring and veteran advocates representing 65 organizations from our Affiliate Network. The Summit, held in our nation’s capital, provides a unique and welcoming space in which attendees can learn from UnidosUS policy leaders, collaborate with peers and build their personal and professional relationships.
Changemakers underwent strategic training to bolster their advocacy skills, preparing them for effective legislative visits. Key sessions included Policy Advocacy: Effectively Raising Your Issues with the Administration, The Power of US: the Congressional Landscape and its Implications for Latino Policy Priorities, and Interested in Federal Funding? Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities. Participants also attended federal agency sessions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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During the three-day summit, we also held the 36th Annual Capital Awards, a special celebration that honored Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Mike Madrid, principal at Grassroots Lab for their contributions and advocacy benefiting the Latino community. We also bestowed the UnidosUS Public Service Award accepted by Aliento Founder and CEO Reyna Montoya for Aliento’s efforts to pass Proposition 308, which secured access to in-state tuition and scholarships for undocumented youth in Arizona.
These days spent en familia – with our Affiliates, community leaders and advocates, including many of you, our donors who support these important and uplifting opportunities – were incredibly inspiring to me. As you read more in this issue about how your support makes a profound difference to Latinos across the country, I hope you, too, will feel just as inspired! Thank you!
Adelante,
Janet Murguía
President and CEO
