Press Release: Latino Leaders Applaud Selection of Governor Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce.

December 3, 2008

For more information contact:
MALDEF - Estuardo Rodriguez: 202-631-2892
LULAC - Lizette Jenness Olmos: 202-365-4553

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) today expressed its support of President-elect Obama’s selection of Governor Bill Richardson as the next Secretary of Commerce.

“Bill Richardson will be a major presence at the Cabinet level and will serve the nation and the Obama Administration well,” said NHLA Chair John Trasviña. “The Department of Commerce is of special importance to the Latino community for its impact on free and fair trade, minority business and a full Census count.”

Dr. Gabriela D. Lemus, Executive Director at the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) said “By appointing New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to the position of Secretary of Commerce, President-Elect Obama extends his promise of diversity into the Cabinet. The position will be critical to the new administration’s efforts to lift the ailing economy. During his two-term tenure as Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson was not only fiscally responsible- cutting millions of dollars in bureaucratic waste - he also grew jobs and reduced unemployment to its lowest levels in state history.  Both Governor Richardson’s domestic and global expertise will prove invaluable to the recovery of the U.S. economy.”

“We are delighted with the nomination of the first Latino to the Obama cabinet,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “Governor Richardson is a proven national leader with vast experience and a true commitment to public service. He is an economic diplomat, for which there is a vital role for at the Department of Commerce in our economic recovery.”

 
“We applaud President-Elect Obama's nomination of Governor Bill Richardson to serve as Secretary of Commerce. Governor Richardson's presence in the Cabinet will ensure that our fifty-million strong community is at the table when economic strategies for the country are debated and designed. His relationships with leaders abroad, especially in Latin America, will help President-Elect Obama repair our country's tarnished image and hopefully initiate a new "good neighbor" era between the U.S. and Latin America," stated Antonio Gonzalez, President of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP).”

“We are delighted with the nomination of the first Latino to the Obama cabinet” said Ronald Blackburn Moreno, President and CEO of ASPIRA. “He will surely make a very significant contribution to the new Administration and to the country.”

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) is composed of 26 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations. Established in 1991 as a nonpartisan association, the NHLA unites major Hispanic national organizations and distinguished Hispanic leaders from all over the nation to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address and raise public awareness of the major issues affecting the largest and fastest-growing minority community in the United States. 

###