FIFTH ANNUAL LATINO UPSTATE SUMMIT COMES TO MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN UTICA ON OCTOBER 21, 2011

Latino leaders from across Upstate New York will gather in the Mohawk Valley this fall for the Fifth Annual Latino Upstate Summit. This year’s event, which is being hosted by the Mohawk Valley Latino Association (MVLA), will take place Friday, October 21, 2011, 8 am to 5 pm, at the Information Technology Building on the campus of Mohawk Valley Community College.

“After coming to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, the Latino community in the Mohawk Valley is proud to welcome the Latino Upstate Summit to Utica,” MVLA President Sonia Martinez said.

Since 2007, the Summit has addressed such issues as education, immigration, health care and economic development by bringing together leading experts in these and other fields for panel discussions designed to make policy recommendations to New York’s leaders.

Experts on this year’s panels include:
• Health Disparities: Dr. Patricia Bomba, Excellus Health Plan; Dr. Aymme Belen, DMD PC; Dr. Martin Morell, MD, ARTHRITIS SPECIALISTS; and Dr. Cynthia Jones, MD, Utica Community Health Center
• Education: Dr. Andy Lopez-Williams, Mohawk Valley Charter School for Excellence; Mickey Smith and Elizabeth Jimenez, Adult Learning Center; and Ralph Hernandez, President of the Buffalo Board of Education
• Immigration: Peter Vogelaar, Executive Director, Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees; Peter Mares, La Casa & Catholic Charities of Wayne County; Andrea Callan, NY Civil Liberties Union;
• Youth: Gary Harvey, Youth Construction Initiative Program, Proctor High School; Kitzia Burgos, House of Good Shepherd; Mary Hayes-Gordon, Young Scholars, Utica College; and Rita Paniagua, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County
• Workforce and Employment: Edwin Lopez-Soto, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University; David Mathis, Oneida County Workforce Development; Ryan Leogrande, NYS Department of Labor;
• Community: Juan Thomas, Utica College; Patrick Johnson, New Life Institute, Cathie Bullwinkle, Oneida County Health Department
• Best Practices (Concluding workshop): Anthony Colon, Techno-Logic Solutions

“The 2010 Census says that there are more than 243, 000 Latinos living north of the Hudson Valley, in urban, suburban and rural settings. The needs for these communities are as varied as the cultures that represent Latinos,” Martinez said.

This year’s keynote speaker during the lunch will be Ms. Pegine Echevarria, MSW, CSP. Ms. Echevarria is CEO/President of Team Pegine Inc. a global think tank, training and organizational development company focusing on leadership, diversity and motivation. Her clients include the US Navy, US Army, National Guard Bureau, Colgate Palmolive, Intel, and Northrup Grumman.
In addition to the Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Utica-Rome area participants in this year’s summit include businesses, non-profit leaders and government officials from communities across New York State.

Other participating agencies and organizations include Hispanics United of Buffalo, Ibero-American Action League, the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Noticias y/e Notas, Capital District 100 Hispanic Women, and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

Sponsors for the 2011 Upstate Latino Summit include Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield, AmeriCU Credit Union, AT&T, Central NY Association for the Blind, CNY Latino, IBOPE Zogby International, Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce, Resource Center for Independent Living, 484 Design and No Sheep Designs.

For more information on the Summit, please visit our web site, www.latinoupstatesummit.org or contact Martinez at 315.738.1083 x147.