WASHINGTON, DC -In addition to Millennium Sponsor ING, AT&T, CFSA, State Farm Insurance Companies, Univision Communications Inc., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and the Walt Disney Company have joined as Congressional Sponsors for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) 25th Annual Conference to be held in Washington, D.C. through June 28th.  

Comcast, Entravision Communications, Inc., Nissan North America, Southwest Airlines have joined as Titanium Sponsors for the Edward R. Roybal Legal Gala, held during NALEO’s Annual Conference, on June 26. 

“America’s Latino leadership plays an important role in our society,” said Arturo Vargas, NALEO’s Executive Director.  “Corporations understand that investing in the nation’s Latino leadership is a great way to support the Latino community.  Through our sponsor partnerships, we will be able to raise Latino issues from obscurity to the forefront for discussion, and continue promoting the policymaking success of our members.” 

More than 800 Latino public officials working at all levels of government in communities across the nation will convene in the nation’s capital for the NALEO Annual Conference, known as the nation’s Latino Political Convention.  Conference participants will join political and policy leaders for panel discussions on education, mental health, affordable energy, the growing economic crisis, community investment and the growing clout of Latino voters on American politics.

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, will participate in separate forums with Latino elected officials on Saturday, June 28.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators Robert Menendez, Ken Salazar, and Hillary Rodham Clinton will participate in a national luncheon with conference attendees on June 26.  Other dignitaries include U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral, and Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

To commemorate NALEO’s 25th Annual Conference, the organization is holding its annual Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala, the conference’s signature social event.  This event is where NALEO formally presents its Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service.  The yearly award pays tribute to the organization’s founder, the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal, and recognizes exemplary service by a Latino elected or appointed official whose work has given meaningful voice to the people they serve and to the Latino community.  This year, NALEO will honor the former Democratic presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson for his illustrious public service as Secretary of Energy, United States Ambassador, member of Congress, and member of the NALEO Board of Directors. 

Prior to the formal presentation of the award by NALEO Educational Fund Board Member Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, daughter of the late Congressman, the event will feature several tributes to Governor Richardson by his former colleagues, including House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Charles Rangel, former Rep. Esteban Torres, and former New Mexico House Speaker Raymond G. Sanchez.

Other sponsors include: Aetna, Inc., The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., The California Endowment, The Coca-Cola Company, Edison Electric Institute, Eli Lilly and Company, Ford Motor Company, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC-North America, Microsoft Corporation, MWH, Pfizer, PhRMA, PG&E Corporation, Takeda, Toyota, USA Funds, Washington Mutual, Waste Management, Inc., Western Union, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bank of America, Corrections Corporation of America, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, General Motors Corporation, Hewlett Packard Company, Luminant, Miller Brewing Company, Southern California Edison, Verizon, API, American Airlines, Annie E. Casey Foundation, CFSA, Center for Responsible Lending, Consumer Health Care Products Association. Dewey Square Group Latinovations, PBS, Together RX Access, U.S. Census Bureau, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, Banco Popular, The Nielsen Company.