The Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County (LCC) has announced today that its board of directors has approved the Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison (LPA) as an independent organization.
LPA, borne out of the Latino Chamber of Commerce, was formed to enhance the lives of Latino professionals through community engagement and professional development. LPA’s vision is to cultivate a community that inspires, develops and empowers Latino professionals to pursue success.
“Recognizing a real need to develop Latino professionals, the board of directors of the Latino Chamber Of Commerce originally created LPA, under the LCC umbrella, in 2013,” LCC Vice President Juan José López said in a statement. “At its inception, LPA had 55 members. At the end of 2016, their membership exceeded 200 members.
“This is a logical next step,” he added.
LPA was launched October 9, 2013, by a special committee of the Latino Chamber of Commerce Board. Through its mission, the LPA engages in collaborative programming to increase access, seize opportunities and solve complex social problems.
“The vision of LPA is to cultivate a community that inspires, develops, and empowers Latino Professionals to achieve success,” said LPA President Tania Ibarra. “In the past year, we have developed the LPA Excel Building Capacity Model in order to implement our mission. The model has four pillars: 1) leadership development, 2) career growth, 3) civic and public engagement and 4) personal enrichment.”
“We are excited for this ensuing phase of LPA,” stated Jessica Cavazos, executive director of the Latino Chamber of Commerce. “More so now, with the growing population of Latinos in Wisconsin, the importance of cultivating the next generation of our workforce through professional development and career growth is important.”
As independent organizations, it will be LCC’s mission to continue empowering and collaborating with organizations that build and strengthen the communities we serve and impact.”
Dr. Nestor Rodriguez, for the LPA, vice president of programs for LPA said, “The LPA independence allows the Chamber and the LPA to focus on their respective missions and through their collective impact improve Latino economic growth.”
Founded in 2003, the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County is a non-profit organization that represents the Latino and non-Latino business community in the greater Madison area to assist and promote the interests of its members and community through advocacy and programs that make an overall impact to Dane County’s economic growth.
Founded in 2013, The Latino Professionals Association vision is to cultivate a community that inspires, develops, empowers Latino Professionals to pursue success.
