Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Board Elects Congressman Joe Baca Chair

WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation's premier Latino youth leadership development and educational organization, announced the election of Congressman Joe Baca (CA-43) as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

CHCI's Board also welcomed three Members of Congress, Hon. Luis Fortuno (PR), Hon. Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), and Hon. Albio Sires (NJ-13).

Along with Chairman Baca, CHCI has elected three new Board Officers. Ms. Carmen Guzman Lowrey, Director Government and Industry Relations at Fannie Mae, will serve as CHCI's Vice-Chair. Ms. Susan I. Santana, Government Affairs Counsel to Dell, Inc., will serve as Secretary. Mr. Francisco Gali, President and CEO Gali Service Industries, Inc., will serve as Treasurer.

Chairman Baca's election to the post signals his dedication to CHCI's mission. First elected to Congress in 1999, Baca will lead CHCI at a time when the organization is in its strongest position, with a healthy infrastructure to sustain new initiatives.

"We need to increase CHCI's reach efforts to Latino youth, open doors of opportunity across our nation, while creating a pipeline of talent," said CHCI Chairman Baca.

The number of Latinos in the U.S. under the age of 24 has doubled over the last 15 years, from 10 million to 20.5 million.

Chairman Baca's strategic vision for CHCI includes five focus areas: growing leadership development programs; strategic events; marketing initiatives to raise CHCI's visibility; investing in infrastructure; and maximizing board member expertise while engaging sister organizations.

"Our goal over the next two years is to enrich the lives of young Latinos, by providing resources to students and families as they pursue their educational and career goals."

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit leaders and corporate executives. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit http://www.chci.org/.