Univision CEO Joe Uva to Receive One America Award

*CNN President Jim Walton to Present Award to Uva*

**E! News Anchor Giuliana DePandi Rancic to Emcee NIAF Gala**

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joe Uva, President and CEO of Univision Communications, Inc., will be honored at the National Italian American Foundation's (NIAF) 35th Anniversary Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. Uva will receive the NIAF One America Award on October 23, 2010 at the Washington Hilton. The black-tie event begins with a 6 p.m. reception followed by dinner and an awards ceremony.

The NIAF One America Award is presented for exemplary service in promoting unity, lifting communities, and building bridges across cultural lines in our nation. Throughout his life and career, Uva has worked to break down barriers, promote and celebrate the culture and values of the diverse communities living in the U.S.

Past NIAF One America Award recipients include former President George H.W. Bush, who in 2006 received the award for his efforts to raise funds in the U.S. for the victims of Indonesia's 2004 tsunami and, in the following year, Hurricane Katrina, through the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund and the Bush-Clinton Tsunami partnership. President Bush devoted his time and efforts to child survivors of these natural disasters. Christopher Reeve and Dana Morosini Reeve received the award during the Foundation's 26th Anniversary Awards Gala in 2001. The award symbolized the Reeves' team effort to help improve the lives of all Americans through their work raising funds for spinal cord injury research. The NIAF One America Award was also presented to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and his trainer and longtime friend, Angelo Dundee, in 2000. The award celebrated their outstanding partnership and friendship, which crossed racial and ethnic lines.

The NIAF gala is one of the premier annual events in the nation's capital, attracting more than 3,000 guests from the United States and Italy. In keeping with its tradition of hosting the president, NIAF has invited President Barack Obama to attend.

Giuliana DePandi Rancic, anchor and managing editor of E! News and star of the Style Network show "Giuliani & Bill," will serve as the evening's emcee.

Honorees joining Uva include Dott. Fulvio Conti, CEO of ENEL S.p.A.; Aurelio De Laurentiis, Italian film producer and president of the Naples Soccer Club; Tom Izzo, head coach of men's basketball at Michigan State University; Christopher J. Nassetta, president & CEO of Hilton Worldwide; and Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, physician-in-chief at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.

Since 2007, Uva has served as CEO of Univision Communications, Inc. overseeing the premier Hispanic media company in the U.S., with one of the top five television networks in America regardless of language — Univision Network, which is the No. 1 Spanish-language broadcast television network; TeleFutura the second leading Spanish-language broadcast television network in key dayparts; KMEX Univision 34, the No. 1 television station in the country regardless of language; Galavisión, the No. 1 Spanish-language cable network; Univision Radio, the No. 1 Spanish-language radio group; and Univision Interactive Media, which includes the country's leading Spanish-language online publisher and the #1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision.com. Before joining Univision, Uva served as president and CEO of OMD Worldwide, an Omnicom Group Company from January 2002 until March 2007. Before OMD, Uva held a number of positions at Turner Broadcasting, including president of Turner Entertainment Group Sales and Marketing.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of TiVo, Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO). Uva also serves on several non-profit boards, including the Ad Council and the International Radio & Television Society Foundation, and is a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2007 and has been honored by Young Audiences New York and The Valerie Fund for his commitment to children. Uva is a second generation Italian American, his paternal grandparents were from Fontana Rosa in Avellino and his maternal grandparents were from San Giorgio del Sannio a in Benevento. Born and raised in Westchester County, N.Y., he is a graduate of Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose and the State University of New York at Albany and currently resides in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Tickets to the October 23rd gala begin at $400 per person. Proceeds benefit NIAF's educational programs. For tickets or sponsor information, contact Jerry Jones at 202/939-3102 or [email protected], or register online at www.niaf.org.

NIAF serves as an organization promoting mutual respect and understanding among all ethnic groups. The Foundation promotes dialogue on heritage and ethnicity issues through its national and international programs including public policy forums, educational and youth initiatives, and media and leadership seminars.

SOURCE National Italian American Foundation