Hispanic Public Relations Association Launches New York Chapter

Bicoastal Presence to Meet the Needs of Robust Community of Hispanic PR and Social Media Professionals

NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is expanding its reach nationally by introducing a New York chapter dedicated to supporting and growing the Hispanic PR profession in the heart of the big apple.

"National expansion has always been a goal for HPRA, and we have long desired to make the organization accessible to our colleagues on the east coast," said Lourdes Rodriguez, HPRA president, Los Angeles Chapter. "Thanks to the partnership we have formed with some key executives in New York, we can now make this happen."

HPRA NY will be structured similarly to its LA-counterpart, and will deliver on the same mission: to promote and support the Hispanic Public Relations profession while serving the needs of this growing industry and its future leaders. Additionally, similar to Los Angeles, HPRA NY will focus on the Hispanic social media space, and help communicate the importance of its role in the overall public relations discipline.

"We have been dedicated to forming this New York chapter for some time," explained David Henry, president of TeleNoticias and the appointed President of the HPRA NY chapter. "The Hispanic marketing community in New York is a close-knit group, but those of us who live in the Hispanic PR world needed our own, official family."

Founding members and board of directors for the NY chapter include: David Henry as President; Vice President Monica Talan, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Univision Communications, Inc.; Treasurer Melissa Smith, Executive Vice President of RL Public Relations; and Secretary Claudia Mejia-Haffner, Vice President of The Axis Agency.

Hispanic public relations professionals, defined as those who work at least half of their time in the Hispanic market, can join the NY chapter by going to www.hpra-usa.org. Annual membership dues will cost $125.

Formation of the New York chapter is the first step in a broader plan to establish HPRA not only as an organization that serves the needs of Hispanic public relations professionals throughout the country, but as a resource organization for all communicators wanting to learn more about the Hispanic marketplace.  "We welcome the membership of practitioners across the country and will develop new chapters as the need arises," said Rodriguez.

The first true benefit to NY chapter members will be a discount rate to the upcoming Hispanic Public Relations & Social Media Marketing Conference in Dallas, TX, May 10 -12, 2010. The conference, co-presented by HPRA and the Hispanic PR Blog, will provide attendees with case studies, professional development, and career and networking opportunities that are focused on Hispanic PR and social marketing. Detailed information and registration is available at the conference website, www.HispanicPRConference.com.

About Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA):

HPRA was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization to establish a network of Hispanics employed in the public relations profession. HPRA has more than 250 members representing public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, non-profit and corporate companies. HPRA is dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic professionals and provides educational seminars and workshops throughout the year. The organization has awarded more than $220,000 in scholarships to Latino students pursuing a career in communications.  HPRA strives to be a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking insights into the Hispanic market.  For more information please visit www.hpra-usa.org.

SOURCE Hispanic Public Relations Association