“This conference is rooted in the idea that we all rise together. The goal of the conference is to close the skills gap, ready members in the community for leadership roles and furthering their careers – to close the gap between talent and opportunity,” says Latino Professionals Association Conference Chair Faustina Bohling. “Talent may be equally distributed around the world, but the opportunity is not.”
The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) of Greater Madison is getting set to host “Building Our Legacy,” a professional conference focused on leadership development and career advancement, which will take place Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, at the Radisson Hotel Madison. “Building Our Legacy” will feature breakout sessions, panel discussions, and three award-winning authors who will delve into their work and Latinx culture.
“In knowing that access to professional development isn’t always easily accessible, it’s part of the mission of LPA to ensure that it is,” Bohling says. “The conference, as well as our mentoring programming, supports the pillars of LPA: professional growth, leadership development, civic & public engagement, and personal enrichment.”
The goal of the LPA is to embrace the needs of Latino professionals to develop leadership skills, advance their careers, engage in the community, and enhance their personal lives. Every year, they work together to organize and host this annual conference. This is the second year for their “Building Our Legacy” conference which focuses on professional growth, leadership development, civic and public engagement as well as personal enrichment.
For the “Building Our Legacy” conference, the LPA is targeting to anyone who is looking for professional development and wanting to expand their networks.
“We have expanded the conference from one day to two days,” Nicole Sandoval, LPA president, tells Madison365. “We are also very excited to bring three local authors who shed light on Latino experiences from diverse perspectives.”
Those three speakers include:
• Keynote speaker Andrea-Teresa Arenas, author of “Somos Latinas: Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists,” will share her work of bringing 25 powerful narratives to light, as part of the Somos Latinas Digital History Project. She will provide insight on the inspirational lives and works of Latinas who have changed their world and history.
• Aaron Bobrow-Strain, author of “The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez,” will give a timely look into detention centers and immigration courts infringing on the book’s characters and a revealing view into “the human consequences of militarizing what was once a more forgiving border.”
• Armando Ibarra, author of “The Latino Question: Politics, Laboring Classes, and the Next Left,” will give an introduction to his book — a compelling critique of the political economy and explain how Latinos in pursuit of the American Dream get trapped in a cycle of debt and labor.
“Building Our Legacy” will be helpful for young professionals as they try to take the next advancement steps in their careers.
“People at any stage of their professional paths can find something at this conference,” Sandoval says. “We are intentional about recognizing that people have career needs and shifts at many points in ones’ life. We encourage participants to connect, grow, find mentors to help continue their professional pathing.”
The conference will feature keynote sessions, concurrent breakouts, panel discussions and one-on-one coaching.
“Our goal is stated in the title of the conference. We hope that we, as a community, come together to build our legacy,” Bohling says. “All of the speakers at the conference believe in this and share what they know to help be part of that. We believe in the communities we are part of, and feel that we all have something to give to each other. We all rise together.”
Latino Professionals Association, Inc. will host Building Our Legacy Conference from Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at the Radisson Hotel. To register, click here. If cost is a barrier, LPA encourages people to contact them at
