News from New York State Department of State

For more information contact: Ruth Colon, 212-417-5803

Secretary of State Named to List of 100 Most Influential Hispanics

ALBANY, NY (10/05/2007; 1712)(readMedia)-- Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez has been named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine. This is the third time she has been selected, since the magazine began publishing the list in 1993, and she has the unique status of having been named for her work in three separate categories: the non-profit sector, the private sector, and government.

Secretary of State Cortes-Vázquez was named to the exclusive list in 2005, when she served a Vice President of Governmental Relations at Cablevision, which provides cable to approximately 2.9 million customers in New York and owns numerous subsidiaries such as Radio City Music Hall. Previously, she was included on the list, when she served as Executive Director of the Hispanic Federation, an umbrella organization comprised of more than 90 health and human services agencies that together serve more than two million predominantly Hispanic clients. She was also recognized for her efforts to increase the number of individual donors to the Fondo Latino Nacional (Latino National Fund) and for an educational plan aimed at increasing voter registration in the tri-state area.

Today, she was recognized for her work as New York's Secretary of State. Cortés-Vázquez is the first hispanic to occupy the Secretary of State post in New York, one of the oldest state agencies.

Cortés-Vázquez has distinguished herself nationally for her work with non-profit agencies, such as ASPIRA, which is the nation’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to leadership development for young people. Under her leadership, ASPIRA expanded its services and size of operation, establishing chapters throughout New York State and elsewhere. Services added involved programs for post-secondary education, community development and volunteer work.

The Secretary of State was also the first Hispanic woman to serve on the New York State Board of Regents, a position she held for six years. She is a graduate of Hunter College and has a Master’s Degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She also gained certificates from Harvard University’s Women and Power: Leadership in the New World Program and Columbia University’s School of Non-Profit Management.

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