to see 2016 latino equity summit program and agenda

LATINO
EQUITY
SUMMIT
MOBILIZING ACTION 2016
MARCH 30, 2016
SHERATON GRAND HOTEL
SACRAMENTO
#LatinoEquitySummit
LATINO EQUITY SUMMIT 2016
BIENVENIDOS
Welcome to our 2016 Latino Equity Summit! Thanks to
your leadership, support, and enthusiasm, the Summit
has become the premier forum to unite key Latino
leaders, advocates, and policymakers to discuss timely
policy and community solutions that will improve the lives
of our youth and families. We are honored to have you
join us for this gathering of Latino leaders.
This year marks a historic moment in California politics! For the
first time in history, Latinos hold the top two leadership
posts in the state legislature. The appointments of
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate
President Kevin de León present an important
opportunity for our communities to champion policies
that will advance greater equity for Latino families. We
are thrilled to have both leaders share their policy
priorities and vision for a stronger California.
Overview of the Summit. After we set the stage for a Latino
Equity Agenda, we will take a deeper dive into two
important issues affecting our communities: climate
change and higher education.
Climate Change: Recent polls by EarthJustice, GreenLatinos
and Latino Decisions shows that registered Latino voters
have a strong commitment to the environment. Not only
do they care, Latinos are also disproportionately affected
by the impact of climate change. Latinos have an
increased risk of developing acute and chronic illnesses
from exposure to air pollution because a disproportionate
number of Latinos live in areas failing to meet one or
more federal standards for clean air. It also affects the
financial stability of families—Latinos make up more than
65% of the agricultural workforce in California. All of
them impacted by the drought.
LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Higher Education: Latinos highly value education. In the
past 25 years, enrollment into colleges has more than
tripled among Latinos. However, college graduation rates
continue to be disturbingly low. In California, only 16% of
Latino adults (25 and older) have earned an associate
degree or higher, compared to 38% of all adults. There
are complex—but fixable—underlying problems driving
these low graduation rates. Financial burden, academic
preparedness, faculty diversity (or lack thereof) are
among the factors. Our afternoon panel will share
highlights of existing and emerging opportunities that can
potentially change the course of the future of our youth.
Taking Action! As soon as we conclude the conversations
with key leaders and experts, we will take what we have
learned to the State Capitol. The goal of the Legislative
Visits will be to meet with key decision-makers, establish
new (and strengthen existing) relationships with
legislative staff, and have a dialogue about opportunities
for change that will help our families and communities
thrive. After our legislative visits we will reconvene for a
networking reception at Cafeteria 15L.
Today we come together as a powerful, unified community. We
are inspired by your leadership. With your participation,
we are confident that today will be a dynamic and
productive day. Together, we can ensure that the hopes
and dreams of our community become a reality.
The Honorable Aida Alvarez, Chair
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO
SACRAMENTO SUMMIT AGENDA
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
WELCOME
The Honorable Aida Alvarez, Chair, Board of Trustees, Latino Community Foundation
10:10 AM
THE TIME IS NOW: SETTING THE STAGE FOR A LATINO EQUITY AGENDA
10:25 AM
CALIFORNIA’S FUTURE
10:40 AM
LATINOS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE POLICIES
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO, Latino Community Foundation
Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León
Facilitator: Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO, Public Advocates
Panelists:
• Jose Carmona, California Program Director, Energy Foundation
• Strela Cervas, Co-Director, California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)
• Arsenio Mataka, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
LUNCH + KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Introduction: Ezra Garrett, Board of Trustees, Latino Community Foundation
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
LATINOS AND HIGHER EDUCATION: SECURING A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR STATE
Facilitator: Dr. Belinda Reyes, Director, César E. Chávez Institute for Public Policy
Panelists:
• Sarita E. Brown, President, Excelencia in Education
• Assemblymember Jose Medina, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education
• Sarahi Espinoza, Founder and CEO, DREAMers RoadMap
2:30 PM
UPWARD AND ONWARD: MOBILIZING ACTION!
3:30 PM
LEGISLATIVE VISITS AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL
5:00 PM
LATINO LEADERSHIP RECEPTION AT CAFETERIA 15L
Masha V. Chernyak, Vice President of Programs and Policy, Latino Community Foundation
#LatinoEquitySummit
CALIFORNIA LATINO AGENDA
LATINO EQUITY SUMMIT 2016
SPEAKER BIOS
HONORABLE AIDA ALVAREZ
received her undergraduate degree
from Cornell University and graduate
degree from Columbia University.
Jacqueline is passionate about
elevating the voice of communities and
using philanthropy as a catalyst for
tangible, enduring social change.
CHAIR, LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Aída M. Álvarez is the first Latina
woman to hold a United States
Cabinet-level position, as the
Administrator of the Small Business
Administration, during Bill Clinton's
presidency. Aida Alvarez's accomplishments include a career as a successful
investment banker, an award-winning
journalist, and an effective public
servant. She currently sits on the
boards of Hewlett Packard, Walmart,
and Oportun. Alvarez is also actively
engaged in the nonprofit community.
She chairs the Latino Community
Foundation, serves on the board of the
San Francisco Symphony, and is a
Commissioner for the Smithsonian
American Art Museum in Washington
DC. Aida is a Harvard graduate and
holds honorary doctorates from
Bethany College, Iona College, Mercy
College and the Inter-American
University of Puerto Rico.
JACQUELINE MARTINEZ GARCEL
CEO, LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Latino Community Foundation CEO
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel is a
visionary leader with over 18 years of
experience working on issues of equity,
community wellbeing, and health
policy. Prior to joining LCF, Jacqueline
was the Vice President of the New York
State Health Foundation, where she
served as a key advisor to the President
and helped to establish the foundation
as a credible resource for New York
policymakers and community leaders.
Jacqueline has served as Executive
Director for the Northern Manhattan
Community Voices Collaborative, an
NIH fellow for the Merida Department
of Public Health in Yucatan, Mexico,
Board Member for Grantmakers in
Health, and adjunct professor at NYU
Global Institute of Public Health. She
KEVIN DE LEÓN
SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
The first Latino elected President Pro
Tempore of the California State Senate
in more than 130 years, Senator Kevin
de León of Los Angeles believes every
child should have a fair shot at a higher
education, and that we can combat
climate change while building a new,
low-carbon economy with opportunities
for all Californians. As co-chair of
Proposition 39 – the California Clean
Energy Jobs Act — Senator De León
convinced voters to close a corporate
tax loophole to generate billions of
dollars and fund more than 40,000
California jobs to improve energy
efficiency and expand clean energy
generation in schools. This year,
Senator De León’s Democratic Caucus
has introduced legislation to strengthen
California’s climate leadership by
reducing petroleum use, increasing
renewable energy, and divesting public
employee pension funds from coal. The
son of an immigrant mother, De León
was the first in his family to graduate
high school and went on to receive a
Bachelors with Honors from Pitzer
College.
ANTHONY RENDON
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
Assemblymember Anthony Rendon
is the recently elected 70th Speaker
of the California State Assembly,
representing the 63rd Assembly
District of Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian
Gardens, Lakewood, Lynwood,
Maywood, Paramount, South Gate
and a northern portion of Long
Beach. He has been a strong
LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
advocate for environmental justice,
chairing the Water, Parks and
Wildlife Committee during his first
term and authoring Proposition 1,
the $7.5 billion state water bond
passed by voters in 2014. Now in his
second term, Rendon authored AB
Bill 530, a law that spurs revitalization of the lower portion of the Los
Angeles River and AB 496, which
connects schools with resources to
improve clean drinking water
infrastructure. Prior to serving in the
Assembly, Rendon was an educator,
Executive Director of Plaza de la
Raza Child Development Services,
adjunct professor at CSU Fullerton’s
Department of Political Science and
Criminal Justice, and environmental
activist. Rendon has a Bachelors
and a Masters of Arts Degrees from
CSU Fullerton, and Ph.D. from UC
Riverside.
GUILLERMO MAYER
PRESIDENT & CEO, PUBLIC ADVOCATES
Guillermo Mayer is the President and
CEO of Public Advocates, Inc. Prior to
becoming CEO, he served for 9 years
on the organization’s legal team,
specializing in litigation and advocacy
to improve public transportation
services in diverse low-income
communities. An expert in transportation equity, Guillermo played leading
roles in state and national policy
campaigns to enforce civil rights in
transportation decision-making. 2009,
he co-led a groundbreaking civil rights
administrative challenge against the
Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
for its failure to evaluate the impact of
the Oakland Airport Connector on
low-income and minority communities
in East Oakland, resulting in $70
million for transit service throughout
the Bay Area and catalyzing national
Title VI reform in public transportation.
The grandson of a bracero who worked
on California’s railroads in the 1940s,
Guillermo immigrated to the US from
Mexico with his family when he was 10
years old. Guillermo has a B.A from
San Diego State Univerisity and a JD
from UCLA School of Law.
JOSE CARMONA
CALIFORNIA PROGRAM DIRECTOR,
ENERGY FOUNDATION
Jose Carmona is the Program Director
for California at the Energy Foundation.
Before joining the Energy Foundation,
Jose was the Chief of Staff for the
Assembly Democratic Majority Leader
V. Manuel Perez. In that role, he
advanced energy-related legislation,
including a three-year extension of the
Self-Generation Incentive Program,
expedited permitting and siting of
projects within the Desert Renewable
Energy Conservation Plan, and secured
funding for renewable energy workforce
training in low-income and high
unemployment areas of California. Jose
has extensive legislative advocacy
experience, including advocating for
the passage of California’s landmark
climate change law, AB 32, the
Renewable Portfolio Standard and
serving as the lead energy advocate on
the AB 32 Environmental Justice
Advisory Committee. Jose holds a B.A.
in Social and Political Science from
CSU Chico.
STRELA CERVAS
CO-DIRECTOR, CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ALLIANCE (CEJA)
Strela Cervas is the Co-Director for the
Energy and Climate Justice Program at
the California Environmental Justice
Alliance (CEJA). At CEJA, Strela helps
communities across California chart
their own vision of a clean energy
future, and empowers people to speak
for themselves and develop their own
policy solutions. Prior to joining CEJA in
2008, Strela was an organizer with the
Pilipino Workers’ Center in Los Angeles
for 8 years, where she organized
low-wage Pilipino caregivers to fight for
meal breaks and against wage theft,
and was instrumental in launching the
first California Household Worker Bill of
Rights campaign. As a young child,
Strela suffered from asthma. But it
wasn’t until later, while visiting a Dole
banana plantation in the Philippines
that she learned of the connection
between asthma, allergies and toxic
pollution, especially in low-income
communities. Now a mom, Strela is
determined to fight for communities
suffering from asthma and other
health issues because of environmental injustice.
ARSENIO MATAKA
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Appointed by Governor Brown Jr. in
December 2011, Arsenio Mataka is
Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Justice and Tribal Affairs at the
California Environmental Protection
Agency. Prior to joining CalEPA,
Arsenio served as directing attorney for
California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
where he fought for justice alongside
some of the most exploited communities in our society. Arsenio’s
involvement with environmental justice
issues began at home with his parents
and later with the Great Valley Center,
where he provided extensive outreach
and capacity building services to rural
and underserved communities. In
2008 he served as an American Bar
Association diversity fellow in
environmental law in the office of Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Arsenio has a Bachelor’s degree in
History from Sacramento State
University and a JD from Humphreys
College School of Law.
DR. BELINDA REYES
DIRECTOR, CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ INSTITUTE
FOR PUBLIC POLICY AT SAN FRANCISCO
STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Belinda I. Reyes is an Associate
Professor of Latina/Latino Studies in the
College of Ethnic Studies at San
Francisco State University and the
Director of the César E. Chavez
Institute for Public Policy. She is an
expert in demographics, education,
immigration and urban economics. Her
research and many publications focus
on the policy issues confronting the
Latino and immigrant population in the
United States: racial diversity of
education and potential consequences
of under-representation, immigration
policy; and the social and economic
progress of racial and ethnic groups in
the United States. Dr. Reyes has been
a senior program associate at
PolicyLink; research fellow at the
Public Policy Institute of California;
lecturer at UC Berkeley; research fellow
at the University of Michigan; and
visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco. She holds a
PhD in economics from UC Berkeley.
SARITA E. BROWN
PRESIDENT, EXCELENCIA IN EDUCATION
Sarita E. Brown is President and
Co-Founder of Excelencia in Education,
a not-for-profit organization accelerating Latino success in higher education
by linking research, policy, and
practice to serve Latino students. She
has spent more than two decades at
prominent national educational
institutions and at the highest levels of
government working to implement
effective strategies to raise academic
achievement and opportunity for
low-income and minority students. She
started her career at the University of
Texas at Austin by building a national
model promoting minority success in
graduate education. Sarita moved to
the nation’s capital in 1993 to work for
education associations. She was
appointed as Executive Director of the
White House Initiative for Educational
Excellence for Hispanic Americans
under President Bill Clinton and U.S.
Secretary of Education Richard Riley.
Maintaining her commitment to
improving the quality of education for
Latinos, she co-founded Excelencia.
Sarita currently serves on the Board of
Directors of ACT, Catch the Next,
Editorial Projects in Education and
Excelencia in Education.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER JOSE MEDINA
CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON
HIGHER EDUCATION
Assemblymember Jose Medina is Chair
of the Assembly Committee on Higher
Education. Elected to the California
State Assembly in 2012, he represents
California's 61st Assembly District of
Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris and
Mead Valley. During his first term in the
Assembly, Medina passed legislation to
assist small businesses; help protect
seniors, and ensure the UC Riverside
Medical School received $15 million to
train students for crucial jobs in the
health-care industry, strengthening the
region’s economy and improving health
care accessibility. Medina brings to the
legislature a lifetime of experience in
education from his many years as a
teacher with the Riverside Unified
School District, also serving as a School
Board Member and Riverside
Community College District Trustee.
A graduate of UC Riverside with a
bachelor's degree in Latin American
Studies, and a master's degree in
History, Medina recognizes the critical
role higher education plays in
supporting jobs and opening up the
doors for opportunity.
SARAHI ESPINOZA
FOUNDER AND CEO, DREAMers ROADMAP
Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca is the
Founder and CEO of DREAMers
Roadmap, a mobile app platform that
helps undocumented students navigate
the necessary resources to access
higher education. This is Sarahi’s latest
project in a longer trajectory of activism
within and for the undocumented
community, which have placed her in
the spotlight of continued conversations
centered on national immigration policy.
Sarahi is a recent graduate of Cañada
College. She was a Champion of
Change at the White House in 2014,
received a House of Representatives
Award in 2015, and was recently
named in Forbes 30 under 30. A
former undocumented student who
once had to drop out of school to
support her family, Sarahi’s personal
experience informs her unwavering
vision: to help hundreds of thousands
of Latino students eliminate the barriers
to success and achieve their full
potential.
MASHA V. CHERNYAK
VICE PRESIDENT OF
PROGRAMS & POLICY,
LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Masha V. Chernyak is a strategic
visionary, community organizer, and
experienced advocate for the Latino
immigrant community. An immigrant
herself, Masha served in the Peace
Corps in rural Guatemala, was a
community organizer on Chicago’s
South Side, and is now working to build
Latino philanthropy in California. In
Chicago, Masha organized hundreds of
Latino parents and diverse cross-sector
leaders during an advocacy campaign
that brought the organization $98
million of funding from the State. As VP
of Programs and Policy at the Latino
Community Foundation, Masha
buildings the organization’s reputational capital, leads the marketing and
communications strategy, and
manages LCF’s investment portfolio
and change-making vision. She was
instrumental in launching the California
Latino Agenda, a campaign to connect
diverse Latino leaders to shape and
amplify a unified agenda for change.
Masha has a Marketing degree from
The University of Cincinnati and
Masters in Public Affairs and Politics
from The University of San Francisco.
CALIFORNIA LATINO AGENDA
LATINO EQUITY SUMMIT 2016
THANK YOU TO OUR LEGISLATIVE CAPTAINS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
ROBERTO ALFARO, Executive Director, HOMEY
DAVIN CÁRDENAS, Lead Organizer, North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP)
CARMELA CASTELLANO-GARCIA, President, California Primary Care Association (CPCA)
AMALIA CHAMORRO, VP of Public Policy, United Way of the Bay Area * LGCN member
ISABEL CORTES, District Representative, Office of Senator Loni Hancock *LGCN
LARIZA DUGAN CUADRA, Executive Director, CARECEN-SF
ALMA EL ISSA, Vice President, Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)
LINDA ESCALANTE, Voces Verdes
JOSE GONZALES, Founder, Latino Outdoors
MARICELA GUTIERREZ, Executive Director, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
CHRIS IGLESIAS, CEO, The Unity Council
LAURA JIMENEZ, Executive Director, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ)
REY LEON, CEO, Valley Leap Fresno
ALBERTO MELGOZA, Financial Systems Lead, Google, * LGCN
SANDY MENDOZA, Advocacy Manager, Families in Schools
SAMUEL MOLINA, CA State Deputy Director, Mi Familia Vota
XAVIER MORALES, Executive Director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
KARINA MUÑIZ, Political Director, Mujeres Unidas y Activas
ALICIA OROZCO, Program Manager, Chicana Latina Foundation
DIANE ORTIZ, Executive Director, Hollister Youth Alliance
BARBARA PINTO, Immigration Senior Staff Attorney, Centro Legal de La Raza
ZELICA RODRIGUEZ-DEAMS, Director of Programs, Somos Mayfair
WENDY DE LA ROSA, Behavioral Strategist, Irrational Labs,*LGCN
ALVARO S. SANCHEZ, Environmental Equity Director, The Greenlining Institute
JAZMIN SEGURA, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley + The San Francisco Foundation Multicultural Fellow, *LGCN
BENJAMIN TORRES, President & CEO, Community Development Technologies Center
JEANNETTE ZANIPATIN, Legislative Staff Attorney, MALDEF
*LGCN = Latino Giving Circle Network Member
LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
STAFF
JACQUELINE
MARTINEZ GARCEL
CEO
MASHA V. CHERNYAK
VICE PRESIDENT OF
PROGRAMS & POLICY
SARA VELTEN
VICE PRESIDENT OF
PHILANTHROPY
ALBA MERCADO
MANAGER OF PROGRAMS
& POLICY
ANNA GAGLIUFFI
LAURA LUDWIG
PHILANTHROPY &
COMMUNICATIONS
MANAGER
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
& OPERATIONS
AMBER
GONZALES-VARGAS
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HONORABLE AIDA ALVAREZ
HONORABLE ARABELLA MARTINEZ
JOHN MURRAY
LOUIS P. MIRAMONTES
ARNOLDO AVALOS
JIM FOLEY
EZRA GARRETT
JOHN GARCIA
LUIS HERRERA
HEATHER JOHNSON
MONICA PRESSLEY
RAUL RODRIGUEZ
YOLANDA RUIZ
DAN L. SKAFF
CHAIR
PRINCIPAL
AVALOS FOUNDATION
CITY LIBRARIAN
CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
SENIOR DIRECTOR FINANCE &OPERATIONS
ZIGNAL LABS
VICE CHAIR
LEAD REGIONAL PRESIDENT, PACIFIC
NORTH REGION, WELLS FARGO BANK
SENIOR PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
4H CONSULTING
SECRETARY
FOUNDER & MANAGING MEMBER
ELEMENT 98 SOFTWARE
TREASURER
RETIRED PARTNER
KPMG
VP, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, OPORTUN
EXEC. DIRECTOR, OPORTUN FOUNDATION
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
THE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION
VP OF LEGAL AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
KAISER PERMANENTE
VP AND GENERAL MANAGER
UNIVISIÓN
CO-CEO AND PRESIDENT
BENEFICIAL STATE BANK
CALIFORNIA LATINO AGENDA
ABOUT THE LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Latino Community Foundation (LCF) inspires philanthropy, invests in Latino communities and leads
transformative solutions for change. LCF has invested in and partnered with more than 65 Latino-based
organizations to advance educational opportunity for Latino children, youth and families. Through the
California Latino Agenda, LCF is mobilizing a statewide network of donors and advocates to advance equity.
LCF’s philanthropic movement has helped ignite the participation of diverse and powerful Latino
change-makers. Currently, LCF hosts eight Latino Giving Circles that are inspiring a culture of grassroots
philanthropy by and for the Latino community. Together, we are investing in community-rooted solutions and
helping to shape a new narrative of the Latino community. To learn more, visit www.latinocf.org and follow us
on Facebook.com/latinocommunityfoundation and on Twitter @LatinoCommFdn.
SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS
We invite you to share your thoughts on social media. Please use Facebook and Twitter to voice your ideas,
share your knowledge, and engage others. We will update our social media with photos and ideas throughout the day. Join in by using this hashtag: #LatinoEquitySummit
MIL GRACIAS
A special Thank You goes out to our amazing volunteer Hilda Jimenez for all of her support and enthusiasm.
Congratulations to our Programs and Policy Team and Jenna Carlsson for making this the best Summit yet!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION