Keynote Speakers
Rosa Rosales The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) elected Ms. Rosales as National President. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Ms. Rosales was among the first Mexican American women to become labor organizers in recent times. Active in LULAC, she was the first woman to hold the position of State Director. She received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Michigan.
Wisconsin's Puentes/Bridges Program and It's Possible Implication to Latino Immigrants
Dr. Enrique E. Figueroa, Director
Roberto hernandez Center
Wisconsin's Puentes/Bridges Program as well as other organizations working with Latinos in rural Wisconsin have been working together to provide for a better understanding of Latino/Mexican immigrants working and living in rural parts of the state. This effort has the support of a number of entities that is unique in the history of the state, for it brings together folks with a common vision to have rural communites that incorporate and engage all members of the community into its civic life.
Dr. Enrique E. Figueroa, Director of the Roberto Hernandez Center, is the chief executive and administrative officer. He works extensively with the Latino community of Greater Milwaukee in areas of program development, research, outreach, and community empowerment through education. Dr. Figueroa earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from University of California-Davis.
How to use our Cultural Values and Lessons Learned to Achieve Success
Gladis Benavides, President
Benavides Enterprises Inc.
The presenter will identify five values recognized as important in the context of the Latino culture and their application towards sucess at a time of change and challenge to Latino individuals and families.
Gladis Benavides is a citizen of the world. She has lived in many countries and experiences many cultures. She is also multilingual. The combination of her experiences, have added to the depth of her understanding of opportunities and challenges associated with issues related to Diversity Management. Gladis communicates profound insights regarding multiculturalism in a comfortable, practical and understandable manner.
She is recognized as an expert in Human Resources, Contract Compliance and Diversity Management with over twenty-five years of experience in these areas. She has also assisted Corporations in developing marketing strategies to reach and penetrate targeted markets. She has a wide breadth of experience in providing advice and counsel to corporations across the country
Ms. Benavides professional experience includes being faculty member in various Institutes at the University of Wisconsin were she teaches Organization Development, Cross-cultural Communications and Conflict Management and Resolution. She was Director for the Office of Human Resources, Employee Development/Training and the Office of Affirmative Action/Civil Rights Compliance in the two largest Departments in the State of Wisconsin. Her experience in both the private and public sector has provided her with practical knowledge and skills to effectively assist her clients. She is actively involved in issues and concerns related to labor and employment relations and customer/community services.
She develops and provides training and technical assistance specifically designed to respond to local labor, market, population and community characteristics. Those characteristics reflect the growing cultural diversity in the United States and particularly the Wisconsin’s population.
Her background and experience in systems and organizational development allows her to effectively integrate Diversity concepts, policies and procedures into Human Resources, Employment Relations, training, client/ customer and community relations.
In addition, Gladis has extensive experience designing and utilizing internal processes, systems and procedures to confidentially efficiently address conflicts, resolve issues of inter/intra-cultural communications to and ensure fairness and eliminate liability.
The Journey to Cultural Proficiency: One District's Path
Ms. Martha Gutierrez, Human Resources Administrator
Kenosha Unified School District
School District is on a cultural competency journey in an effort to close the student achievement gap. Staff explores self-awareness and develops skill building as they travel through their journey: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer
Martha Gutierrez earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in 1997 from Alverno College in Professional Communication and Business Management. In 1999, she earned her Master’s of Arts degree from Alverno College in Adult Education with an emphasis in Instructional Design (Corporate Training and Development). Ms. Gutierrez has been a member of the Society of Human Resources Management since 2003. In 2004, she earned her Professional Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Martha Gutierrez has been in Human Resource Management for 17+ years, and has been a Human Resources Administrator with Kenosha Unified School District since April 2004. She has notable experience in strategic human resource planning, performance management, staffing, compliance with federal and state laws, employee relations, compliance with union contracts, employment contract negotiations, human resources policies, employee benefits, compensation and payroll, training and development, and management counseling concerning human resource impact on an organization’s operating decisions.
The Immigrat Rights Movement: Where do we go from here?
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Director
Voces de la Frontera
Given the recent tabling of the Senate immigration bill and the rise of local anti-immigrant local ordinances, what is the future of the immigrant rights movement? Voces de la Frontera's Executive Director, will share her reflections on a recent 10-city 8 day tour called the Wisconsin Reality Tour that is an effort to broaden the movement and to deepen the understanding in the American public and with elected officials as to the nature of our broken immigration system and the need to push for a federal reform that represents the interests of working people.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz is the founding Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera, a low-wage and immigrant workers center with chapters in Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin, including a student chapter called Students United for Immigrant Rights with members from 3 high schools. Voces de la Frontera is increasingly recognized as Wisconsin’s leading voice for immigration reform.
Recent accomplishments include leading nationally recognized Immigrant Rights Marches with 80,000 participants on May 1, 2007. People marched through the streets of Milwaukee for immigrant and human rights. Latino, Polish, and African immigrants were joined by Chicanos, African Americans, Caucasians and others. The unified message was: We stand together against an oppressive, apartheid system that forces 12 million people in this country to live life in the shadows, locked into low wage jobs and silenced at their mistreatment by abusive employers. On May 1, 2006, 70,000 participants marched on Milwaukee streets and 30,000 participants on March 23, 2006. Under Ms. Neumann-Ortiz’s leadership, the energy of these mobilizations was effectively converted into electoral power with a record 32% increase in targeted Latino wards in Milwaukee and Racine in November, 2006.
Ms. Neumann-Ortiz is recognized as a national leader in immigration reform, serving on the board of a national coalition of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FAIR) and featured in national interviews on National Public Radio and CNN. She serves on the board of the Wisconsin Legalization Coalition (representing 44 allied organizations in the State), Wisconsin Citizen Action board and Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice board. She has received community award recognitions from Labor Council for Latin American Advancement chapters in Milwaukee and Janesville, the 2006 “Do What is Just” Award from MICAH, the 2006 Public Service Award from the National Association of Social Workers – Wisconsin Chapter and the 2006 “Education: A Family Affair Award of Excellence”, presented by the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, the State Department of Public Instruction and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, and most recently the Equal Justice Medal by Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. Ms. Neumann-Ortiz also writes a regular column in the local Spanish Journal.
Prior to directing Voces de la Frontera, Ms. Neumann-Ortiz served as the Coordinator of the High School Equivalency Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, advancing migrant education in Wisconsin. Ms. Neumann-Ortiz also previously worked as Director of the Wisconsin Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and as Coordinator for of an Economic Development Project in the Printing Industry, supported by the Center for Community Change.
Ms. Neumann–Ortiz earned her Masters Degree in US/ Chicano History at the University of Texas- Austin and her Bachelor of Art degree in English at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
**The original estimate of 60,000 reported by organizers during the event did not take into account the fact that the bridge and Wisconsin Street was full of people who could not get to the park and people who were still joining the ranks. At the end of the event, the turnout broke last year’s state record as the largest march in Wisconsin’s history and the only city in the country to have an increase over last year’s mass marches.