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I hope that you had
wonderful holidays and
that you are recharged,
re-energized and ready
for a wonderful,
prosperous and healthy
2007. We begin our
thirteenth year of
publication amid a fury
of activity. This may
seem unbelievable to
anyone that does not
live here in Washington,
D.C., but we are already
on a full-blown
presidential campaign.
In the past, two years
before the election was
a time for exploratory
committees, quiet
inquiries and coalition
forming. No more.
Campaigns are moving
full steam ahead. On the
Democratic side, among
many others, Latinas
will have the
opportunity to choose
from a Latino, Governor
Bill Richardson; a Woman,
Senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton; and an African
American, Senator Barack
Obama. To add to the
fray, Senator Clinton
has chosen Patti Solis
Doyle, a long time
adviser and friend to
head her political
campaign. On the
Republican side, Senator
Mel Martinez assumes the
office of Republican
Party General Chairman.
There you have it; the
fight for the Latino and
women vote is on. In the
House of Representatives,
the first female House
Speaker in the history
of our country, Nancy
Pelosi, firms up her
Hispanic ties by
appointing Congresswoman
Nydia Velázquez to Chair
the Small Business
Committee, Congressman
Silvestre Reyes to Chair
the House Permanent
Select Committee on
Intelligence and
Congressman Xavier
Becerra as Assistant to
the Speaker.
Congresswoman Hilda L.
Solis is named Vice
Chair of the House
Subcommittee on the
Environment and
Hazardous Materials by
Chairman John D. Dingell
and Congressman Joe Baca
assumes the Chairmanship
of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus. There
is no doubt that changes
will be made to this
initial line up but be
prepared for a couple of
political years, the
kind you have never seen
before.
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Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA,
became Speaker of the
House on Thursday,
January 4, 2007.
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On a personal note, we
begin our year with our
annual LATINA Style
50 Awards and Diversity
Leadership Conference.
Every year this unique
event becomes more
relevant as Latinas
continue to climb the
corporate ladder.
Secretary of Labor
Elaine Chao will grace
us once again by
delivering the keynote
address during the
awards luncheon. Her
yearly participation is
one of the highlights of
the conference. It is
quite an uplifting
experience to begin our
year in the company of
some of the most
accomplished Latinas in
the country.
On a different note, our
ongoing coverage on
Latina entrepreneurs
will experience a
significant face lift.
In preparation to our
2008 tenth year
anniversary of the
Business Series, we have
increased our schedule
of events and the
magazine and online
support that will be
provided to our LATINA
Style Business
Series Network members.
In addition, we are also
pleased to announce that
after five years of work,
the Anna Maria Arias
Memorial Business Fund
has moved to a new stage
with new sponsors, new
partners, and a
significantly expanded
agenda. Applications for
the Fund will be made
available beginning
March 1st. Please stay
tuned for an exciting
announcement shortly.
Robert E. Bard |
