The NALEO Educational Fund's Constituency Services Department promotes the governance and policymaking success of Latino elected and appointed officials by providing technical assistance and support to the leadership of the Latino community. The Department's vision is
to the see Latino elected and appointed officials shape and better American society.

Established in 1990, NALEO's Constituency Services Department has trained thousands of Latino elected and appointed officials throughout the country. The program increases their knowledge of emerging substantive policy issues and the skills associated with effective public service. NALEO's Constituency Services Department provides the training through three major components: (1) NALEO regional and national Policy Insittutes, (2) the NALEO Annual Conference, and (3) the biennial NALEO National Institute for Newly Elected Officials.

Programs & Services

The NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI)
The NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI) enhances the public policy, governance and leadership skills of the nation’s Latino elected and appointed officials through training sessions at Policy Institutes in order to help eliminate the academic achievement gap for Latino students.  The NELI program is designed so that it provides ongoing and sustained leadership development and competency building opportunities for the nation’s Latino school board members, community college trustees, state legislators and other elected officials who play a role in education for their communities.

The NELI curriculum is delivered through NALEO Policy Institutes, which are three-day training sessions held around the country that focus on a particular education issue related to closing the academic achievement gap for Latino students, including teacher quality, parental involvement, public school finance, high school reform, and higher education access and success among others.  Institutes provide a dynamic forum in which policymakers can discuss and analyze local, state, and federal education policies, research and developments.  This comprehensive understanding of critical educational issues promotes a broader educational vision, enabling participants to act at a local level, while linking their efforts to a larger cause and picture, maximizing their effectiveness and their ability to be pro-active. 

With the generous support of sponsors State Farm®, W.K. Kellog Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation for Education, the NALEO Educational Fund’s NELI program has provided comprehensive leadership development training and resources to 685 Latino school board members and state legislators from 27 states and the District of Columbia through 19 NELI Institutes.

 NALEO Educational Fund's Healthy Communities Initiative
The NALEO Educational Fund has recognized that its work in this arena is conducive to supporting government leaders in promoting healthy school and community environments in low income and underserved communities to address youth obesity in addition to other corresponding quality of life concerns. 

The NALEO Educational Fund’s Healthy Communities Initiative is designed to enhance the effectiveness of Latino leaders and their ability to advance successful health policy, related investments and reform in their communities.  Also, to increase participating Latino elected and appointed officials’ skills to provide for effective governance, public policy and leadership throughout the nation, thereby helping to address urgent health issues such as childhood obesity and disparities facing Latinos today.  Introduce and contextualize the issues of childhood obesity and active living, providing technical assistance to champions who demonstrate a strong interest in affecting change, and tracking and disseminating promising practices and model legislation.

The Healthy Communities Initiative is part of Leadership of Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

NALEO California Health Leadership Program
The NALEO California Health Leadership Program’s primary purpose is to strengthen the governance skills of a select group of 12-15 Latino elected officials from throughout California around a specific health topic important to the state’s Latino community. 
The California Leadership Program is made possible with the generous support of The California Endowment.

Policy Institutes on Sustainable Communities
Elected officials around the country want to create livable, sustainable communities for their constituents, large and small, rural and urban.  Through the NALEO Educational Fund Initiative on Sustainable Communities, elected officials will learn innovative strategies to foster communities that are more economically prosperous, environmentally sound, and socially equitable.

The NALEO Educational Fund’s Sustainable Communities Initiative is a multi-year project targeted to Latino elected officials from the municipal and county levels.  The Initiative equips Latino elected and appointed officials with the tools they need to become competent and effective leaders in order to develop sustainable communities for their jurisdictions – and to promote effective policies pertaining to Sustainable Communities.  Innovative strategies and solutions are presented in a format that is accessible and meets the needs of policymakers.  
A forum for networking and creating strategic alliances with colleagues, experts and other stakeholders will help Latino policymakers to leverage common resources in support of sustainable communities.   Through participation in the NALEO Educational Fund’s Sustainable Communities Initiative, Latino policymakers will become experts and advocates on the targeted issues and have an enhanced capacity to promote the development of livable communities. 

National Institute for Newly Elected Officials
The NALEO Educational Fund will hold it seventh biennial National Institute for Newly Elected Officials in Washington, D.C.  The Institute is a one-of-a-kind vehicle for newly elected officials.  The training sessions offer participants tips on how to manage the media, public finance, policy and ethics with national experts and Latino leadership.  Additionally, sessions are tailored for officials from different segments of government and to specific situations they may encounter.  Our “boot camp” provides newly elected officials with a chance to learn, share, and develop new skills as they begin their lives as public servants.

Since 1996, 277 newly elected officials have participated in the National Institute.  From 1996 to 2006, the program has served a Member of Congress, 56 state legislators, 115 municipal and county officials, 98 school board members and community college trustees, four judicial officials, and three special district officials.  The NALEO Educational Fund is proud to be able to carry on this tradition, which began 10 years ago, and provide our newest leadership with the tools they will need as they begin their careers as public servants.

All Latino officials elected to their first term in office as of January 2007 are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.  Applications for the Newly Elected Institute will be available in August 2008.

Contact Us

Cielo Castro
Director of Constituency Services

Jose Carrillo
Director of Strategic Initiatives

Eric Wagner
Deputy Director of Constituency Services

Marcella Martinez
Deputy Director of Constituency Services

Elisa Sequiera
Program Coordinator

Julio Esperias
Member Services Coordinator

Veronica Lomeli
Program Coordinator