Saturday, June 28, 2008
Conference Program & Events (Download PDF)

Opening Session and Breakfast:
Ya es hora: Changing America's Political Landscape
8:00am - 9:30am
The Ya es hora Campaign, launched in 2007, is an unprecedented national civic engagement campaign coordinated to inform, educate and motivate Latinos to participate in America’s democracy. Ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía!, the first phase of the campaign, was the driving force in mobilizing over one million legal permanent residents to apply for U.S. citizenship last year. In 2008, the campaign will focus on registering and mobilizing at least nine million Latinos nationwide to participate in the General Election. This session will highlight how Ya es hora is changing
America’s political landscape by significantly increasing the participation of our community and how it has brought together all sectors of the community to achieve it.

Breakout Sessions:

Latino Higher Education: Strengthening the Nation's Workforce and Global Competitiveness
10:00am - 11:30am
(In partnership with The National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members, a Council of the National School Boards Association)
Knowing that higher education is key to the nation’s workforce and global competitiveness, the NALEO Educational Fund has worked with Latino elected and appointed officials in the states of California, Florida, New Mexico and Texas through a series of strategic convenings and activities in order to provide Latino policymakers
from various jurisdictions with an opportunity to discuss, analyze, and systematically develop effective goals, tools, and strategies that promote key aspects of successful higher education access principles in their respective states. This session will highlight the results and recommendations from this two-year initiative by the NALEO
Educational Fund, and feature a discussion with leading higher education experts on how Latino elected and appointed officials can play an important policymaking role in furthering efforts to increase Latino access to colleges and universities across the country.

Bolstering Our Foundation for Sustainable Communities
10:00am - 11:30am
Municipal, county and state officials are constantly working on creating and supporting sustainable communities. However, the country’s aging infrastructure is not prepared to support the growing needs of our growing population. Steps at every level of office can ensure the restoration of the physical assets of the country. This session will
discuss the current state of infrastructure in the United States and strategies to increase safety while promoting economic growth.

Latinos and the Presidential Campaigns
10:00am - 11:30am
Come meet the power players of the 2008 Presidential Campaigns. Serving as consultants, strategists, key staff, and surrogates, Latinos have imbedded themselves in Presidential politics and redefining the way campaigns are reaching out to our community. Session participants will hear from those politicos in the trenches who are
committed to having their candidate become the next President of the United States. Learn about what drives them, what keeps them up at night, and how Latinos are writing the next chapter in our nation’s political history.

Financial Services and the Latino Community: The Emergence of Niche Providers
10:00am - 11:30am
Even before the current credit crunch, many Latino families and businesses have had to rely on financial services providers that are not part of traditional or mainstream banking. As the Latino market grows, a number of financial service providers are positioning themselves to serve the Latino community’s sometimes unique financial needs. From the emergence of Latino-owned and operated banks and financial institutions, and other providers, to the use of alternative methods to determine credit worthiness, Latinos are faced with a growing number of options to obtain
credit and to participate in the financial system. This session will provide policymakers with an overview of these emerging niche providers, their impact on Latino communities, as well as regulatory elements to protect Latino families and businesses as they navigate the financial services industry.

National Leadership Luncheon
12:00pm - 2:00pm

Breakout Sessions:

Election 2008: The Naturalized Citizen Voter and the Changing Political Landscape
2:30pm - 4:00pm
In recent presidential elections, the share of naturalized citizens in the Latino electorate has grown steadily, and with the dramatic increase in Latino naturalizations since 2006, the newly-naturalized will be a significant group of Latino voters in Election 2008. During this session, panelists will address the role of Latino naturalized citizens in Election 2008, and effective strategies to mobilize and reach them. Panelists will also discuss key issues in our naturalization and election policies that affect the ability of new Americans to become full participants in the electoral arena.

Health Care Reforms and The Presidential Campaigns
2:30pm - 4:00pm
The health care system is simply failing too many Americans. Latinos are more likely than not to be among the more than 46 million Americans who do not have health coverage, and the millions more who worry about losing the coverage they have. During the course of the primary elections, presidential candidates brought the discussion of healthcare to the forefront of the political discussion. Considering the health and healthcare crisis that faces the Latino community, it is clear that the next President of the United States must address this critical issue. Presidential
campaign health policy advisors and Latino health policy experts will participate in a discussion of the health care reform needed to address the most critical health issues facing the Latino community.

State and Local Immigration Measures and the Future of Our Immigration Policy
2:30pm - 4:00pm
Our states and localities have become the new battlegrounds in our nation’s debate over the future of our immigration policy. This panel will address the dramatic increase in state and local anti-immigrant measures, and strategies to combat them. Panelists will also discuss opportunities for enacting positive policies that recognize the
important economic and civic contributions of newcomers to our communities.

Winning Women V: Latinas in Office
2:30pm - 4:00pm
Every election cycle, Latinas continue to achieve groundbreaking political milestones. As leaders, they not only face the usual challenges of governance and politics, as well as balancing the demands of family, career, community, and staying in office. This session will highlight strategies that dynamic Latinas in elected office are successfully
implementing to build, maintain, and grow a leadership base that strengthens their public service.

National Assembly of Receptions
5:00pm -7:00pm

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