The National Hispana Leadership Institute Announces its Continued Initiative to Address the Underrepresentation of Nonprofit Latina Leaders With the Support of the American Express Foundation

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following a highly competitive application process, the National Hispana Leadership Institute -- the nation's premier leadership organization for Latinas -- selected 22 outstanding professionals in the nonprofit sector to participate in the second class of the Advancing Latina Leaders in Nonprofits (ALL IN) Program, an effort spearheaded with the support of the American Express Foundation.

The fellows, who represent 10 states and a cross-section of Hispanic groups and who work on a variety of issues affecting the Latino and underserved communities, will begin the first phase of their training in Los Angeles, CA on November 1st, 2011. The program consists of four components including a five-day leadership training in conjunction with NHLI's Executive Leadership Training Conference attended by hundreds of Latinas nation-wide, an online webinar training series, a five-day intensive session in Washington, DC with a certificate from Georgetown University's Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership, and mentoring component as well as a capstone or leadership project to be implemented in the fellow's employing nonprofit organization.

"The 2011-2012 ALL IN Fellows are an exceptional group of women who exemplify the essence of Latina leadership, they are smart, high achievers, passionate about the issues they work for, and committed to improving opportunities for all Latinos," said Barbara DesMarteau, Acting President of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. "These young Latinas have a bright future ahead of them and without a doubt will transform the leadership culture in America's nonprofit sector."

"Programs such as ALL IN are vital to developing the leadership, voice and power of Latinas in the nonprofit sector," added DesMarteau. "The American Express Foundation understands the strategic importance of bringing more Latinas into the nonprofit leadership pipeline, supporting diversity of thinking and adding more leaders who have the skills and will to meet our country's challenges."

ALL IN is NHLI's newest program focused on emerging professionals. The program seeks to address the underrepresentation of Latina professionals in the nonprofit sector by preparing, promoting and sustaining the next generation of nonprofit leaders. The curriculum focuses on leadership styles and strengths, communication skills, strategic planning and other nonprofit management topics. It also provides access to Latina role models and mentors so that fellows find their voice as effective community leaders, build their external networks and advance in the leadership pipeline. Demand for talent coupled with a scarcity of Latinas in leadership positions will create significant challenges for the nonprofit sector in the coming years, but also extraordinary opportunities for Latinas.

The 2011 Class of ALL IN:

• Jacqueline Amparo, Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights Of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
• Leticia Andueza, New Economics For Women, Montebello, CA
• Stephanie Renae Bravo, Studentmentor.org, San Jose, CA
• Wendy Dorothy Cervantes, First Focus, Washington, DC
• Yesenia Flores Diaz, National Alliance On Mental Illness Of Montgomery County, Germantown, MD
• Vanessa Elizabeth Faxas, Girl Scouts Of The USA, New York, NY
• Jennifer Renee Garcia, Metrofuture Inc./mapc, Boston, MA
• Janet Hernandez, The National Council Of La Raza, Lanham, MD
• Patricia Leon-Guerrero, Teach For America, Rockville, MD
• Allala Lili, Nature Consortium, Seattle, WA
• Marisa Yvette Limon, Hispanic Scholarship Consortium, Austin, TX
• Isabel Morales Lizano, Girl Scouts Of River Valleys, Eagan, MN
• Cecilia Marie Majors, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Brookeville, MD
• Cristina Teresa Martinez, YMCA Of Greater Kansas City, Independence, MO
• Michelle Natalia Mendez, Catholic Charities Archdiocese Of Washington, DC Immigration Legal Services, Baltimore, MD
• Eva Liana Molina, California Reinvestment Coalition, Oakland, CA
• Karla Adriana Robles, Be A Leader Foundation, Phoenix, AZ
• Denisse Rodriguez, Year Up New York, New York, NY
• Sonya Martinez, Five Parks Community Action Center, Bountiful, UT
• Irma Adriana Taylor, Casa Of San Mateo County, Mountain View, CA
• Maritza Valenzuela, AIDS Alliance For Children, Youth & Families, Washington, DC
• Adina Marie Veen, Girl Scouts of San Diego, San Diego, CA

About American Express

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments and travel company founded in 1850. One of American Express' three platforms for its philanthropy programs is Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit sector, American Express is making grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st.

About NHLI

The National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) is the premier executive leadership organization preparing Latinas for positions of national and international influence, public policy impact and to contribute to the advancement of the Hispanic community. Founded in 1987 to address the disparity of representation of Latinas in leadership, NHLI's mission is to develop Hispanas as ethical leaders through training, professional development, relationship building and community activism. For more than 20 years, NHLI has developed hundreds of Latina leaders who have gone on to become elected officials, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, executives at non-profits and powerful decision makers. www.nhli.org  

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For more information about this program visit: www.nhli.org/ALL-IN/index.html or call (703) 527-6007

SOURCE National Hispana Leadership Institute