July 24, 2006 National- On Saturday, July 22, 2006 Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. (SIA) held its 7th annual Summer Leadership Conference. Historically held in New York City, this year's conference was held simultaneously in three cities: Chicago, New York and Washington D.C.
The mission of the conference is to empower the members of SIA and others in the community through a series of workshops. This year’s theme, "Latinas Leading the Way" set the platform for an interesting array of discussions on important issues from political and community involvement, health and wellness to balancing family and career.
In Chicago, the speakers were a diverse group; from women stemming from someone who appeared on news programs such as ABC Nightly News and who inspired attendees to do more due to her work with Mother Teresa, to a rising professional at Harris, N.A. who talked about attaining career goals in the face of life's obstacles, finished by an interactive presentation concerning relationships, violence and negative stereotypes associated with race and gender.
In New York, the speakers proved to be just as diverse, from a discussion on political involvement and the role of Latinas in the political process to succeeding in the corporate world through a stimulating presentation lead by a Latina executive at NBC. This all flowed easily into the final presentations dealing with decisions of family and disease prevention.
To Be Or Not to Be a Working or Stay at Home Mom workshop speaker Lynda Perdomo-Ayala, an administrator in the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at SUNY StonyBrook, recognized Latina leader in the campus community and an honorary member of the SIA organization, was impressed with the event as a whole. "It was a good cross section of topics that overlapped each other well," said Ms. Perdomo-Ayala as to what she hoped attendees took away from it "the value of self- importance, [this] is what you can share with the rest of the world."
In Washington, one of the most informative and best received seminars was Women Leading Healthy Lifestyles, lead by Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera, MD, Medical Director at the Spanish Catholic Center of Catholic Community Services. "Every topic she touched on was everything you always wanted to ask your primary care physician and your OBGYN on how to stay healthy and how to really do it.," said Rosanna Ortiz, one of the coordinators of the Washington D.C. conference. The D.C. conference also included a seminar on purchasing real estate, and ended the day with a Professional Roundtable which proved to be an excellent networking opportunity.
Speaking of the three conferences, Ivone De Jesus, SIA's National President said, "I am very pleased with the efforts of hermanas from around the country who came together to make these events such a success for the Hermandad and the community at large."
All the speakers of this year's conference generously volunteered their time to share their experience with attendees. This year's conference speakers included:
Chicago: J. Breezer Ricky, a consultant to non-profit organizations and churches, focusing on strategic planning and leadership issues. She is also a volunteer and a member of the Board of Directors of Franciscan Outreach Association. Most notably she wored alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India, at Kalighat, the home of the dying destitutes; Aarati Kasturirangan, an educator for the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus Advocacy Network, serves on the Board of Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers, and is an active member of Incite! Chicago; Aty Guerrero, Senior Business Performance Analyst for Harris, N.A. who manages financial processes for the Chicago Operations division.
New York: Ululy Rafael Martinez, Esq., Deputy Chief of Staff for New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Alexandra V. McCauley, Vice President, Employer of Choice, NBC Universal; Lynda Perdomo-Ayala, Administrator, Department of Pharmacological Sciences at SUNY StonyBrook and Honorary Member of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.; Elizabeth Lee-Rey, MD, MPH, Co-Director of New York State Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Rose M. Guilbe, MD, Medical Director, Montefiore Medical Center.
Washington D.C: Marcela Salazar, selected by House Democratic Leader as the Hispanic Press Advisor works for the Hispanic Press Advisor; Jeffrey Vargas, serves as an internal change agent and diversity manager for the United States Department of Energy; Marcela Urrutia, a Senior Policy Director for Hispanic Affairs at the Office of Senator Harry Reid and a recognized leader for Hispanic issues and advocacy; Michelle Velilla and Christian Velilla, of Re/Max Regal Team, Rick Eul, of Bank of America; Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera, MD, Medical Director at the Spanish Catholic Center of Catholic Community Services.
About Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. (SIA):
SIA was founded on September 29, 1990 by a diverse group of women with the goal of creating an organization that would help their communities, unite women, and uphold a set of distinct goals. Its dedication to scholarship, service and professional development within the Latino community has grown beyond New York, with chapters in several states including: New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.
SIA is more than a sorority; we are a family and network of professional, strong and dedicated women leaders. We are also a 501(c)7 tax-exempt organization and we work in conjunction with the Solidaridad Inspiración Amistad Community Foundation, Inc.- a 501(c)3 Community Foundation committed to scholarship, service and professional development within Latino communities nationally.
Contact:
Helen D. Torres, Director of Communications
Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.
917-446-7013
communications@hermandad-sia.org
www.hermandad-sia.org
