Latino Talks Program

Wi-Fi: Hamiltonpublic Pass: thehamilton

Welcome Remarks

 Nathalie Rayes, President & CEO, Latino Victory Foundation

La Luz Award

HONORING: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

PRESENTED BY: Luis A. Miranda, Jr. Latino Victory Project Board Chairperson

Panel 1: Rise Up! Young Latinos Owning Their Power

PANELISTS:

 Katya Echazarreta, First Mexican-born woman in space and electrical engineer

 U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, FL-10

MODERATOR: Jeannette Reyes, Journalist & Anchor of Fox 5 Morning and Good Day DC

The Trailblazer Award

HONORING:

L. Rafael Reif, MIT President Emeritus

PRESENTED BY: Vanessa Nadal, Global Marketing Counsel at The Esteé Lauder Companies and Adjunct Faculty at Fordham University School of Law

Panel 2: A Fireside Chat with Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona and Administrator Isabella Guzman

PANELISTS:

 Dr. Miguel Cardona, United States Secretary of Education

 Isabella Guzman, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

MODERATOR:

Nathalie Rayes, President & CEO, Latino Victory Foundation

The First Award

HONORING:

 U.S. Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo, CO-08

 U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, OR-06

PRESENTED BY: Frankie Miranda, President & CEO of the Hispanic Federation

Panel 3: A Conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Maria Manuela Goyanes

PANELISTS:

 Lin-Manuel Miranda, Songwriter, Actor, Director, and Producer

 Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director, Woolly Mammoth Theater

MODERATOR: Sandra Lilley, Managing Editor, NBC Latino

Closing Remarks and Reception

LATINO TALKS SPEAKERS

Dr. Miguel Cardona

U.S. Secretary of Education

Dr. Miguel A. Cardona became the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education after a distinguished career as an elementary school teacher, principal, district administrator, and Connecticut education commissioner. He is a firm believer that being an educator isn’t only a job – it’s an extension of your life’s purpose. Secretary Cardona’s focus throughout his career on raising the bar for equity and excellence for all learners guides his leadership of the agency in service of the nation’s 65 million students and families. Secretary Cardona oversaw efforts to safely reopen schools for in-person learning, going from only 46% of school buildings open when President Biden took office to nearly 100% open just nine months later while distributing historic federal education funding for P-12 schools and colleges, working to increase higher education access, affordability, and student success; and leading unprecedented federal efforts to transform the country’s student loan system. He and his wife, Marissa are proud parents of one student in public high school and another in college.

Dr. Yadira Caraveo

U.S. Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo, CO-08

Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo, M.D, represents Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, composed of most of Adams County, a large portion of Weld County, and a portion of Larimer County. Prior to her election to Congress in 2022, Rep. Caraveo served families across the North Denver metro area as a pediatrician. As one of the few Spanish-speaking pediatricians in the area, Rep. Caraveo spent nearly a decade treating families and children from Denver up to Greeley. As a pediatrician, Rep. Caraveo saw the struggles that families across the North Denver Metro area encounter everyday — problems that she couldn’t fix as their doctor. Rep. Caraveo decided she had had enough, and ran for the state legislature to make life better for the working families she saw in-clinic every day. In the state legislature, Rep. Caraveo worked across the aisle to take on special interests and advocate for the needs of Colorado families. When Colorado’s 8th Congressional District was drawn following the 2020 census, Rep. Caraveo decided to step up and run for Congress to fight for families from Commerce City to Greeley at the federal level.

Katya Echazarreta

First Mexican-born woman in space and electrical engineer

Katya Echazarreta is an electrical engineer. She was born in Mexico, and her family moved to the US when she was about 7 years old. Growing up in the US was difficult at first due to the language barrier, but this pushed her to work even harder, and she became a fluent English speaker within two years. Kat elected to start her studies at San Diego City College, despite acceptances elsewhere, and work part-time at McDonald’s in order to help support her family. She later transferred to UCLA and after graduating, served as an Electrical Engineer for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, designing tests for spacecraft simulation systems and led testing. She has worked on 5 NA missions, including Perseverance and Europa Clipper. In June 2022, Katya was selected from over five thousand applicants to participate in ‘Space for Humanity’s’ launch, becoming the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space aboard Blue Origin’s NS-21 flight. Katya is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at Johns Hopkins University in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and as a role model to the young women entering STEM education, hopes to portray an honest and encouraging example that can help prepare them for the experiences that lie ahead.

Maxwell Frost

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, FL-10

Congressman Maxwell Frost is the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress. He is proud to represent the people of Central Florida (FL-10) in the United States House of Representatives. As a former organizer, musician, and community activist, Frost was inspired to get to work at 15 years old after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary claimed the lives of 26 innocent people. From that moment on, Frost dedicated his life to fighting against gun violence and empowering communities across Florida and the U.S. to get behind gun reform, including joining forces with those affected by the Parkland and Pulse shootings to shed light on this epidemic. Now, as a freshman member, Frost has been appointed to the powerful Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the critical Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where he will fight for the issues top of mind for Floridians. In Congress, Frost is committed to representing the people of his hometown in Orlando and Central Florida and being their voice in Washington, D.C. Frost is laser-focused on working to deliver change and results on issues of housing affordability, healthcare, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, transportation, justice reform, climate change and more.

Maria Manuela Goyanes

Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Maria Manuela Goyanes is the Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Prior to joining Woolly, she served as the Director of Producing and Artistic Planning at The Public Theater, where she oversaw the day-to-day execution of a full slate of plays and musicals at the Public’s five-theatre venue at Astor Place and the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park. Earlier in her career at The Public, she managed some of the theater’s most celebrated productions, including Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Maria is a first-generation Latinx-American, born to parents who emigrated from the Dominican Republic and Spain. She was raised in Jamaica, Queens, and has a collection of hoop earrings to prove it. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from Brown University.

Isabella Casillas Guzman

Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Isabella Casillas Guzman was sworn in as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration on March 17, 2021. She serves as the voice for America’s 33 million small businesses and innovative startups in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. Administrator Guzman has made supporting small businesses her life’s work. From a very young age, working beside her father in his chain of veterinary hospitals in Southern California, she gained a deep appreciation for the small business owners who define Main Streets in neighborhoods across America, deliver our products and services, and innovate to solve global problems. Administrator Guzman spent her early career in the private sector as a founder, advisor, and consultant. There she learned the crucial role small businesses play in creating paths to the American Dream. She went on to commit herself to public service—serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the SBA, and as Small Business Advocate for the state of California to help advance equity and opportunity for all entrepreneurs. Under Administrator Guzman’s leadership, the SBA has continued to scale dramatically, while revamping programs and services to address crucial challenges —delivering hundreds of billions in relief to help millions of small businesses survive the pandemic.

SANDRA LILLEY

Managing Editor of NBC Latino

Sandra Lilley is Sandra Lilley is the Managing Editor of NBC Latino, a vertical of NBCNews.com based in New York. She previously served as political writer for the site. She started her career as a general assignment reporter for Telemundo NY (WNJU-TV), eventually becoming news director of the station. She also produced and reported pieces for the public affairs show “Caucus: New Jersey” on NJ-NY PBS. Sandra was a dayside managing editor for MSNBC and a planning editor for the NBC News domestic desk. A bilingual journalist, Sandra has reported and provided on-air commentary in English and Spanish.

Frankie Miranda

President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation

Frankie Miranda is the first openly gay president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation (HF), the nation’s premier Latino non-profit membership organization. Since joining HF in 1998, he has played a key role in expanding HF’s member network to include hundreds of community-based organizations that operate across the U.S. while also establishing critical programs that empower hundreds of thousands of Latinos.[FM1] [RC2] [3] Frankie sits on the New York State Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Board, the external Comcast Corporate DEI Advisory Council, and is a trustee of Fundación Banco Popular. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University. Frankie lives in Queens with his husband Ricardo and cat Valentina.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Songwriter, Actor, Director, and Producer

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy, Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, and actor, LinManuel is the creator and original star of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, and the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award and 2018 Kennedy Center Honors. He has been an active supporter of relief efforts in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria. He lives with his family in NYC.

Luis A. Miranda, Jr.

Latino Victory Project Board Chairperson

Luis A. Miranda, Jr., is the chair of Latino Victory Project. He is also the Founding Partner of The MirRam Group, a government affairs, lobbying and political consulting firm in New York City. He has previously served in three New York City mayoral administrations. Mr. Miranda is the Founding President of the Hispanic Federation and past chairman of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Vanessa Adriana Nadal, Esq.

Global Marketing Counsel at The Esteé Lauder Companies and Adjunct Faculty at Fordham University School of Law

Vanessa Adriana Nadal, Esq., is global marketing counsel at The Esteé Lauder Companies and adjunct faculty at Fordham University School of Law. She is co-creator of the first law school course on U.S. cosmetics regulation, which launched at the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham in 2019. Previously, she was an international litigation and arbitration associate at Jones Day and a research and development scientist in the personal care products division at Johnson & Johnson. Vanessa holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from MIT and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. She is married to Lin-Manuel Miranda, and they live in New York City with their two children, their dog Tobillo, and all the grandparents very close by.

Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker. Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained the Speakership – the first person to do so in more than six decades. Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for 35 years. Currently serving as the Representative for California’s 11th Congressional District, she is fighting For The People to lower costs, grow paychecks and create jobs. She is the architect of generation-defining legislation, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan, and a defender of democracy at home and abroad. Married to Paul Pelosi, she is a proud mother of five and grandmother of nine.

Nathalie Rayes

President & CEO of Latino Victory Foundation

Nathalie Rayes is the President and CEO of Latino Victory, a progressive organization working to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base of Latino donors to support this critical work. Formerly, Nathalie was Vice President of Public Affairs for Grupo Salinas in the U.S., a Mexican conglomerate. Rayes was named one of the 25 most powerful Latinas in the United States by People en Español Magazine, Top 10 Hispanic Líderes by Hispanic Executive Magazine, and Al Día The Archetypes Public Service Honoree in 2021. She was recognized by Huffington Post’s “40 Under 40 Latinos in Foreign Policy” and Hispanas Organized for Political Equality “Ray of Hope” award in 2015.

L. Rafael Reif

President Emeritus of MIT

L. Rafael Reif has served as the seventeenth president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the period 2012–2022. In education, his central focus has been the development of online learning. The findings of his Institute-wide Task Force on the Future of MIT Education spurred rapid adoption of blended learning models in MIT classrooms, inspired the creation of new forms of credentialing such as the MicroMasters, expanded educational access for learners around the globe, and equipped MIT to respond to Covid-19 with a quick pivot to remote learning. Dr. Reif has made it a priority to equip the next generation of innovators with the tools to drive their ideas to impact. A member of the MIT faculty since 1980 and the inventor or co-inventor on 13 patents, Dr. Reif has served as director of MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories, as head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and as provost.

Jeannette Reyes

Journalist & Anchor of Fox 5 Morning and Good Day DC

Jeannette Reyes is a television journalist, social media content creator, and inspirational speaker. She is currently a morning anchor for Washington’s FOX 5 Morning and Good Day D.C. Jeannette previously served as an evening anchor for Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV 6 ABC. She has garnered a combined 1.7 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, where she often comments on everyday life, motherhood, and marriage as a parody of her signature msnewslady. She is also an inspirational speaker, drawing on her upbringing, culture, professional acumen, and social media savvy to encourage others to reach for their full potential. She was recently honored by Black Women in Media as a recipient of BWIM’s News and Journalism Award. The daughter of Dominican immigrants, Jeannette was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. Jeannette earned her Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism from Kent State University and is married to Robert Burton, who works as an anchor for Washington’s ABC 7.

Andrea Salinas

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, OR-06

Congresswoman Andrea Salinas is the proud daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a dedicated public servant working for the people of Oregon’s sixth district. Her father immigrated to the United States as a child and picked cotton and tomatoes in the fields of the Rio Grande Valley before eventually going on to serve as a police officer. Andrea was the first person in her family to attend a four-year university and earned her degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She served as a US congressional aide and policy advisor to Senator Harry Reid and Congressman Pete Stark. Later, Andrea moved to Oregon, where she served as a district aide for Congresswoman Darlene Hooley and fell in love with the communities of the Willamette Valley. In 2017, she was appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives and served through the end of her term in 2022. In the Oregon House of Representatives, she served as House Majority Whip and was the Chair of the House Health Care Committee.

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