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NHLI A Catalyst for
Latina Empowerment
Celebrating 20 Years of
Achievement
The National Hispana
Leadership Institute’s (NHLI)
Mid-Career Fellowship
was the catalyst for
launching my business,
D&P Creative Strategies,
two and a half years
ago. NHLI gave me the
self-confidence to
follow my dream of
creating a business that
would allow my partner,
Catherine, and I to give
back to the communities
that matter so much to
us. The training
provided by NHLI,
encourages new leaders
to step out of their
comfort zones, question
their assumptions,
imagine new
possibilities, and
transform these visions
into realities. We
stepped out of our
comfort zone and created
a very successful
business that has
surpassed our wildest
dreams. I am just one
example among thousands
of Latinas who have been
empowered by the NHLI
experience.
NHLI was created in
response to a call to
action in 1987 to
improve the status of
Latinas across the
country. Since that
moment, 20 years ago,
NHLI has been training
Latinas to become agents
of change and ethical
leaders throughout the
world. The organization
also helps thousands of
Latinas to realize the
potential of their
dreams. By partnering
with Harvard University
and the Center for
Creative Leadership,
NHLI has become the
premier source of
empowerment, training
and leadership
development for Latinas.
Over the course of nine
months, NHLI’s
participants are trained
in public policy,
strategic management,
team building, the art
of negotiation and how
to effectively deal with
race, class and gender
issues. |
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NHLI alumni, Dolores
Huerta and Eva Longoria;
NHLI chair, Ingrid M.
Duran and NHLI board
member Catherine Pino |
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At
a time when our young
Latinas are facing so
many obstacles and
enduring a deluge of
negative statistics,
NHLI is doing its part
to address some of these
issues and to help
change the future of our
country by mentoring,
training and empowering
young Latinas through
the Latinas Learning to
Lead program. These
young Latinas have gone
on to graduate from
college and are now
beginning careers in a
multitude of fields
including business,
public service and the
non-profit sectors. Many
of the participants
credit NHLI for
providing them with the
solid foundation they
need in order to succeed
in life.
NHLI doesn’t stop with
the Mid-Career
Fellowship and Latinas
Learning to Lead program.
We also have empowerment
conferences in cities
across the country that
enable us to reach
thousands of Latinas
through one-day seminars
where they obtain
leadership training,
opportunities to network
with other Latinas and
catch a glimpse of the
power of NHLI.
Every year culminates
with our Executive
Leadership and Mujer
Awards Conference, where
we feature cutting-edge
workshops in management,
the development of
career skills,
networking and
inspirational sessions.
We also pay tribute to
Hispanic women at the
regional and national
levels who have made a
lifetime commitment to
serving the Hispanic
community. Our past
honorees have included
Dolores Huerta,
Christina Saralegui,
Antonia Hernandez, Linda
Chavez Thompson, Irma
Flores Gonzalez, Dr.
Antonia Pantoja, and
Consuelo Castillo
Kickbusch. Last year,
Eva Longoria received
the first ever Chairs
Award.
I
am thrilled and honored
to chair the board of
directors at such an
exciting time of growth
for NHLI. This year, we
are celebrating 20 years
of empowering Latinas to
become business owners,
writers, non-profit
leaders, corporate
executives and public
servants among numerous
other equally important
careers. We have also
launched a campaign
called Vision Forward:
Growing Latina Leaders,
which is now in its 2nd
year and aims to reach
$3 million by 2008.
I
look forward to working
with Marisa Rivera-Albert,
president of NHLI, our
board of directors and
our alumni to build on
the solid 20-year
foundation and to take
NHLI to new heights. I
would like to invite you
to join us in
celebrating 20 years of
Latina Leadership and
Excellence at our Annual
Executive Leadership and
Mujer Awards conference
in Denver, Colorado on
November 8th and 9th,
where you too can share
in the NHLI experience.
For more information
about NHLI, please visit
nhli.org
Ingrid M. Duran is co-founder
and principal at D&P
Creative Strategies and
is chair to the board of
directors for the
National Hispana
Leadership Institute (NHLI).
By
Ingrid M. Duran |
