TUESDAY AFTERNOON: BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CABINET MEMBERS TO CONVENE AT CHCI LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS FEDERAL EFFORTS TO BOOST ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR LATINOS IN A CONVERSATION MODERATED BY FORMER HUD SECRETARY JULIÁN CASTROTU

Tuesday Morning: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will also deliver opening remarks at Latino Excellence in Action Plenary 

Washington, D.C. – September 16, 2024 –The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) will convene U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, and Acting U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Adrianne Todman for a compelling discussion on the federal government’s efforts to uplift the Latino community during the CHCI annual Leadership Conference on September 17th. Moderated by former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, the leaders will provide insights into ways to increase economic opportunity for Latinos and share information on a number of transformative federal government initiatives designed to strengthen communities. Speakers will also share efforts to improve awareness and access to resources and expand on the potential for innovative private sector partnerships to boost existing opportunities. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to also deliver opening remarks that highlight the imperative to recognize the extraordinary excellence of the Latino community earlier on Tuesday morning. 

“We are thrilled Secretary Raimondo, Administrator Guzman, Acting Secretary Su, and Acting Secretary Todman are joining us to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance equity and empower Latinos across this country and the success they’ve had in their respective policy areas,” said CHCI Chair, Rep. Adriano Espaillat. “Having the opportunity to hear firsthand about their visionary leadership in national affairs inspires the next generation of leaders and further shines a light on the unique challenges faced by Latino communities. We look forward to a productive dialogue on how we can continue to drive progress in these vital areas.”

“Hispanic Heritage Month is our celebration of our nation’s rich and diverse Latino history, culture, and contributions,” said SBA Administrator Guzman. “As we highlight our shared past, we also seek pathways to building a brighter future together. For me, my familia, and so many Latinos in this great nation, that bright future is powered by entrepreneurship. I look forward to joining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and my Cabinet colleagues to discuss the critical role that the federal government plays in advancing the American dream of business ownership, and how the Biden-Harris Administration continues to uplift the highly entrepreneurial Latino community through historic new opportunities.”

“I am honored to join the CHCI and Biden-Harris Cabinet members in support of advancing equity and opportunity for the Latine community. As the most pro-worker and pro-union administration to date, the Biden-Harris administration is leveraging historic federal investments to ensure workers from every background have access to good jobs,“ said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we especially thank Hispanic and Latine workers across the United States.”

“At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we proudly celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and recognize all that Hispanic and Latino culture has contributed to shaping our country,” said Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman.  “We work every day to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and ensure quality affordable homes for all Americans, including Latinos. At HUD, we are committed to building bridges, breaking down barriers, and working together to create a more inclusive and equitable society.”

The Cabinet panel is one of more than two dozen interactive sessions that CHCI will host over the course of its two-day conference. 

Onsite press credentials and interview requests with select participants, and organizational leadership may be available upon request.

About U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas

Alejandro Mayorkas was sworn in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by President Biden on February 2, 2021.  

A political refugee born in Havana, Cuba, Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant confirmed to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. He has led a distinguished 30-year career as a law enforcement official and a nationally recognized lawyer in the private sector. Mayorkas served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2016, and as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013. During his tenure at DHS, he led the development and implementation of DACA, negotiated cybersecurity and homeland security agreements with foreign governments, led the Department’s response to Ebola and Zika, helped build and administer the Blue Campaign to combat human trafficking, and developed an emergency relief program for orphaned youth following the tragic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Mayorkas also created the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate to better ensure the integrity of the legal immigration system.

Mayorkas began his government service in the Department of Justice, where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California, specializing in the prosecution of white collar crime. After nearly nine years as a federal prosecutor, he became the youngest United States Attorney in the nation, overseeing prosecutions of national significance, including the investigation and prosecution of financial fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, public corruption, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking, environmental crime, international narcotics money laundering, and securities fraud.

Mayorkas received his bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from Loyola Law School.

About U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo

Gina M. Raimondo was sworn in as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce on March 3, 2021.

As Secretary of Commerce, she is focused on a simple but vital mission — make America more competitive by spurring good-paying jobs, empowering entrepreneurs to innovate and grow, and advancing our economic and national security. She has championed President Biden’s Investing in America agenda by making historic investments in Internet access, manufacturing, economic development, workforce training, supply chain resiliency, and climate readiness through the implementation of the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Under Secretary Raimondo’s leadership, the Department of Commerce has begun work to deploy $39 billion in incentives for leading-edge chip manufacturing and $11 billion for research and development under the CHIPS program, putting the United States on the path to produce roughly 20% of the world’s leading-edge logic chips by 2030. She has announced more than $40 billion in grants to connect every American to quality, affordable Internet and more than $500 million for Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs that will supercharge local economies and transform regions into globally competitive innovation centers. Further, the Department has supported more than $6 billion in grant and contract projects to boost coastal and climate resilience and upgrade key infrastructure nationwide, announced the largest investment to support minority and underserved businesses in the Department’s history, pioneered targeted technology controls to prevent adversaries from using the most advanced U.S. technology for military modernization and human rights violations, and established the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity which united 14 countries to contribute to cooperation, stability, prosperity, development, and peace within the region. The Secretary has also taken a leading role in ensuring the responsible development of artificial intelligence and stood up the U.S. AI Safety Institute.

Raimondo has been called “America’s Point Woman on AI”and was featured on 60 Minutes for her leadership on national security issues, including U.S. semiconductor chip production, advanced technology export controls, and economic relations with China. She has been recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, a 2024 CNBC Changemaker and received the Brennan Center Legacy Award, the Business Executives for National Security Eisenhower Award, and the Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Award.

Raimondo was formerly the 75th Governor of Rhode Island and its first woman governor. As governor, she kick-started the state’s economy and made record investments in infrastructure, education, and job training by focusing on creating economic opportunities and good-paying jobs for all Rhode Islanders. Prior to serving as Governor, Raimondo was the Treasurer of Rhode Island, where she tackled the state’s $7 billion unfunded pension liability.

Raimondo earned her degree in economics from Harvard University and a doctorate from Oxford University through a Rhodes Scholarship. She is also a graduate of Yale Law School and clerked for US District Judge Kimba Wood. Prior to her service in state government, she founded Point Judith Capital, a venture capital firm in her home state of Rhode Island.

She is married to Andy Moffit and they have two children, Ceci and Tommy, and a rescue dog, Sparky.

About U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman

Isabel Casillas Guzman is the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and serves in President Biden’s Cabinet as the leading advocate for America’s 33 million small businesses and innovative startups.

Guzman has made advancing entrepreneurship her life’s work. Growing up, she worked alongside her father in his chain of veterinary hospitals, an experience that shaped her understanding of entrepreneurship and its transformative effect on customers and on communities. She went on to launch her own businesses across a range of industries and advise other founders in paving their way to the American Dream of business ownership. She served as SBA’s Deputy Chief of Staff in the Obama-Biden Administration and then led the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. In early 2021, President Biden asked her to lead the SBA, and her nomination was confirmed by a bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate.

Under Guzman’s leadership, the agency manages a $500 billion portfolio and deploys $50 billion in funding annually to America’s small business owners. As administrator, she spearheaded key agency initiatives to deliver essential pandemic assistance to the most vulnerable small businesses and underserved communities. She has also implemented effective strategies that help small businesses and innovative startups gain unprecedented access to capital, contracting, professional networks, technical training, digital tools and disaster support. As a result, more than ever before, millions of America’s entrepreneurs have the resources they need to start, grow and build resilient businesses.

About Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su

Julie Su became Acting Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2023. She was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve as the deputy secretary of labor on July 13, 2021. As deputy secretary, she served as the de-facto chief operating officer for the department, overseeing its workforce, managing its budget and executing the priorities of the secretary of labor.

Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Labor, Acting Secretary Su served as the secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. The LWDA enforces workplace laws, combats wage theft, ensures health and safety on the job, connects Californians to quality jobs and career pathways, and administers unemployment insurance, workers compensation and paid family leave.

Su is a nationally recognized expert on workers’ rights and civil rights who has dedicated her distinguished legal career to advancing justice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised communities and is a past recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.

As California labor commissioner from 2011 through 2018, Su enforced the state’s labor laws to ensure a fair and just workplace for both employees and employers. A report on her tenure released in May 2013 found that her leadership resulted in a renaissance in enforcement activity and record-setting results. In 2014, she launched the first “Wage Theft Is a Crime” multimedia, multilingual statewide campaign to reach out to low-wage workers and their employers to help them understand their rights and feel safe speaking up about labor law abuses.

Prior to her appointment as California labor commissioner, Acting Secretary Su was the litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, the nation’s largest non-profit civil rights organization devoted to issues affecting the Asian American community. Su is known for pioneering a multi-strategy approach that combines successful impact litigation with multiracial organizing, community education, policy reform, coalition building and media work.

Frequently named to top-lawyer lists such as the Daily Journal’s “Top 75 Women Litigators” in California and California Lawyer’s “Super Lawyers,” she was the first labor commissioner to be included among the Daily Journal’s “Top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers.” She has also been named one of the 50 most noteworthy women alumni of Harvard Law School and one of the 100 most influential people in Los Angeles in Los Angeles Magazine.

Su has taught at UCLA Law School and Northeastern Law School. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School and began her career with a Skadden Fellowship. Su speaks Mandarin and Spanish.

About U.S. Acting Housing and Urban Development Secretary Adrianne Todman 

Adrianne Todman is Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Deputy Secretary of HUD in June, 2021.

As Deputy Secretary, she served as the second highest ranking official at HUD, and executed both policy and operational priorities. This included providing guidance on department-wide initiatives to increase housing supply, improve disaster response and recovery efforts, steer climate and resiliency endeavors, and enhance customer access to HUD’s programs.

Additionally, she oversaw HUD’s efforts to improve agency hiring and workforce engagement, and enhance the agency’s risk assessments, IT investments and contracting protocols.

Prior to joining HUD she served as the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) from 2017 to June 2021. During her tenure, she improved the association’s financial standing and business operations, created a member-centric culture, and advocated for funding and policies to preserve and develop affordable housing and help communities thrive.

Before joining NAHRO, Acting Secretary Todman served as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA). At DCHA, she implemented a national award-winning model to house veterans experiencing homelessness, increased homeownership opportunities by 50 percent for low- and moderate-income families served by DCHA, increased the number of affordable units available in neighborhoods experiencing rapid growth, and oversaw multiple redevelopment efforts. She prioritized repairs to units, services for youth, workforce development, and commissioned the first citywide needs assessment of public housing residents.

Acting Secretary Todman previously served in several career positions at HUD. First, as a manager of HUD’s $500 million grant competition that focused on revitalizing distressed public housing sites, and also as a policy aide in the Office of the Secretary where she worked with staff across HUD’s programs.

Her career in public service began in the office of then-Congressman Ron de Lugo, a long-serving member representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Todman was born and raised.

Acting Secretary Todman believes that we have a responsibility to confront housing insecurity; increase and preserve the nation’s housing supply; eliminate housing discrimination; and support community resiliency, particularly following a natural disaster.

She has focused on ensuring that HUD has the staff and tools it needs to administer and provide oversight over programs critical to supporting people and communities across the country.

She is a graduate of Smith College and lives in Washington, D.C.

Julian Castro, Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Community Foundation

Julián Castro serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Community Foundation, the nation’s largest Latino-serving foundation. 

Julián’s deep commitment to the future of this nation is woven into his DNA. Raised by his mother Rosie Castro, a civil rights and Chicana activist, and his grandmother, Victoria Castro, on the westside of San Antonio, Texas, Julian grew up with a profound understanding of what it meant to love and serve community.  Inspired by a legacy of leaders working to safeguard our democracy and strengthen community, Julian has dedicated his life to public service.

Julián was elected to the San Antonio City Council in 2001 at age 26, then was elected Mayor of San Antonio in 2009. The youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city at the time, Julian revitalized and transformed San Antonio into one of the country’s leading economies. In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Julián U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, where he served until the end of the Obama administration.

In 2020, Julián ran for the Democratic nomination for President.

Julián earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. His memoir, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream, was published by Little Brown in 2018.

Julian is the proud father of a daughter, Carina, and a son, Cristián. Julián’s brother Joaquin currently represents Texas’ 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his free time, Julian loves spending time and traveling with his family.

Onsite press credentials and interview requests with select honorees, musical talent, participants, and organizational leadership may be available upon request.

CHCI 2024 Leadership Conference Host Sponsors 

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ABOUT CHCI

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is the premier Hispanic nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization in the country dedicated to developing the next generation of Latino leaders®. CHCI provides leadership, public service, and policy experiences to outstanding Latino/a/x students and young professionals, and convenes Members of Congress, other public officials, corporate executives, nonprofit advocates, and thought leaders to discuss issues facing the nation and the Hispanic community. Visit CHCI.org and follow us @CHCI on social media.