In the News

• On Oct. 11, Katherine Archuleta joined the senior executive team of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper as chief operating officer. She returned to her hometown from a post as the executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation in Albuquerque.

Yessica Diaz

On Dec. 1, the National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF) awarded 10 scholarships to Hispanic students in the fields of medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health and public policy. Each student received a $1,500 award, presented at a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. NHHF is the 501(c)3 arm of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA).

Among the scholarship recipients was Yessica Diaz, 31, a second-year doctoral student at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to represent the future health professionals of the field,” said Diaz. “I think NHMA is doing great work in trying to reach out to future health professionals and supporting my education and other students’ through the process.”

This is the first time the scholarships had been awarded. “There is a dearth of Hispanic health professional in the United States. Only 4 percent of all physicians, 3 percent of dentists and 2 percent of nurses are Hispanic,” said Elena Rios, president and CEO of NHHF. “NHHF hopes these scholarships will help increase those numbers and develop the future leaders in health care.”

Clara Padilla Andrews

This year, El Hispanic News celebrates its 25th anniversary. Founded in 1981, the bilingual paper is the oldest Hispanic publication in the Pacific Northwest, supplying international, national, sports, people, and business news primarily to that region.

Publisher of El Hispanic News since 1995 is former New Mexico Secretary of State Clara Padilla Andrews, who has helped guide the paper to its current status as a primary means of outreach to the Hispanic market for corporate America and local and state government agencies. In 2004, the paper received 22 awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications, including Outstanding Bilingual Weekly.

“Reaching 25 years of community service is no small task for a Latino publication,” said Lupita Colmenero, Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility board member and National Association on Hispanic Publications president. “My warmest congratulations to the staff, the readers, the advertisers and in particular to Clara Padilla in this important benchmark for El Hispanic News.”