Sponsored by Disney 26th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)

HOLLYWOOD, Ca. The opening reception of the 26th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) was held at Disney’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood CA. Sponsored by WDW Minority Business Development and Disney Corporate Diversity Programs, the reception featured a special 3-D screening of the Disney/Pixar film, “UP”. Welcome remarks on behalf of The Walt Disney Company were presented by Efrain Fuentes, Director of Disney Diversity Programs. Prior to the film, a special musical performance featuring favorite Disney characters, including Mickey and Minnie, kicked off the evening. Guests were also treated to an old-fashioned movie experience with popcorn, candy, hot dogs, hamburgers and delicious ice cream sundaes. A special tribute was presented by NALEO to California’s elected officials who were recognized for their years of service at the event.

Established in 1976, NALEO is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan membership organization whose constituency includes the nation’s more than 6,000 elected and appointed Latino officials. NALEO’s Educational Fund is the nation’s leading 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. Established in 1981, the NALEO Educational Fund is making significant contributions to the progress of the nation’s 45.5 million Latinos.

The NALEO Educational Fund achieves its mission through integrated strategies that include increasing the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, mobilizing the Latino community to engage in civic life, and promoting policies that advance Latino civic engagement.

NALEO’s flagship program is the biennial NALEO National Institute for Newly Elected Officials, which is a national training seminar. Held in Washington, D.C., the Institute is an intensive three-day orientation to public service for 60 newly elected officials from across the country, representing all levels office.

The NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI) assists the nation’s Latino elected and appointed officials with technical assistance, training, and networking opportunities designed to increase their governance skills and effectiveness as education policymakers and advocates. The NELI Institutes provide training on the topics of higher education access, bridging the education gap, and early childhood education.

The NALEO Healthy Communities Initiative (NHCI) develops Latino policymakers to become effective health advocates to create healthy communities, eliminate childhood obesity, and promote the health and vitality of the communities they serve.

NALEO California Health Leadership Program (NCHLP) fosters a cadre of Latino policymakers who are poised to assume positions of leadership to directly affect the well-being of Latinos throughout the state of California. Over the course of a year, NCHLP participants attend four Leadership Group meetings, which provide them with the necessary tools to form an action plan to implement policies aimed to build healthy communities.

The NALEO Policy Institutes on Sustainable Communities enhance the capabilities of Latino elected and appointed officials to be effective leaders and advocates for their communities on issues such as housing, community revitalization,
and economic development.

Recognized as the “Latino Political Convention”, the NALEO Annual Conference has evolved into a professional development program providing jurisdictional professional development training, non-partisan policy discussions, and an extensive networking forum.

Implemented in more than 20 cities across the United States, the Ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! (It’s Time, Citizenship!) campaign has proved itself as a successful model for reaching the Latino community as it easily surpassed its goal of helping to mobilize one million legal permanent residents to apply for citizenship.

The Ya es hora ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go and Vote!) campaign sought to inform and motivate the Latino community to vote in the 2008 election. With over 11.1 million Latinos exercising their right to vote, the bilingual informational hotline was critical to the record turnout with 35,745 calls placed from January 1-December 31, 2008 and over 25,000 Latinos registering to vote on the campaign’s website, www.veyvota.org.

The 2009 the Ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign will focus on the 2010 Census, and the importance of full participation from all Latinos. NALEO’s Executive Director, Arturo Vargas, states the importance of the census this way, “Unfortunately, the Latino population has never been fully counted in the decennial enumeration, and Census Bureau estimates suggest that the 2000 Census may have missed as many as 1 million Latinos. Let us be clear: the only way to achieve a successful census is to count all Latinos. We are committed to helping the Bureau eliminate the undercount through our participation in the ya es hora, ¡HAGASE CONTAR! (It’s Time, Make Yourself Count!) Campaign. The Campaign – an unprecedented coalition of national Spanish-language media and Latino organizations – will promote the importance of the census, educate members of the community about filling out their census forms and encourage households to mail back their responses once they complete their forms.”

The NALEO Educational Fund provides national leadership for important public discussions on key issues that affect Latino participation in the political process, including immigration and naturalization, election reform, the Census, and the appointment of qualified Latinos to top executive and judicial positions. Also, policymakers, at all levels of government, rely on the organization’s expertise to ensure that the perspectives of the Latino community are integrated
into their policy proposals.

The NALEO Educational Fund is headquartered in Los Angeles, and maintains offices in Houston, New York City, and Washington, D.C.