September 12, 2023

President's Advisory Commission Speakers

Watch the recording: https://video.ibm.com/asutv

Beus Center for Law and Society

Arizona State University – Downtown Phoenix Campus

Phoenix, AZ

On Tuesday, September 12^th, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics convened its public meeting of the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

Public Agenda

Roll Call

Emmanuel Caudillo, Designated Federal Officer, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Chair Welcoming Remarks

Jules Buenabenta, Chair, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Arizona State University Welcoming Remarks

Vanessa Ruiz, Deputy Vice President for Educational Outreach , Arizona State University

Update from the White House Hispanic Initiative

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Remarks by White House Officials

Neera Tanden, White House, Assistant to the President, Domestic Policy Council Director
Tom Perez, White House, Senior Advisor & Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Taking the Pentagon to the People Presentation

Charmane Johnson, Presiding Official and Taking the Pentagon to the People Lead, Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense

Hispanic Serving Institution Panel: Building Hispanic-Thriving Campuses to Foster Student Success

Marla Franco, PhD, University of Arizona, Vice President, Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives
Marisol Garcia, Arizona Education Association President
Amalia Pallares, University of Illinois Chicago Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement
Cecilia Alcantar-Chávez, Master of Global Management candidate, ASU; Former President, Associated Students of ASU

White House Remarks

Mayor Steve Benjamin, White House, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement

Economic Opportunity Panel: Investing in Latinos

Ines Hernandez, Racial Equity Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce
Kylie Patterson, Senior Advisor for Opportunity, and Inclusion for CHIPS for America, U.S. Department of Commerce
Monica Villalobos, President & CEO, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Octavio Heredia, Director, Global Development Global Outreach & Extended Education, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
Leah Palmer, Executive Director, Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute, Maricopa Community College
Gabriela Cruz Thompson, Senior Director of University Research & Collaboration in Intel Labs, Intel Corporation

Community Testimonials

David Adame, President & CEO, Chicanos Por la Causa
Deborah Santiago, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Excelencia in Education
Xóchitl Rodriguez, Parent Advocate, All in Education

Commission Discussion/Voting on Recommendations

Jules Buenabenta, Chair, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Next Steps

Chair’s Closing Remarks and Adjournment

Jules Buenabenta, Chair, President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Biographies

Emmanuel Caudillo, Management & Program Analyst, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, U.S. Department of Education

Emmanuel Caudillo is the management and program analyst to the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. Previously on detail to the initiative in 2012, he transitioned full-time in 2013. From 2009 to 2013, he was a budget analyst at the U.S. Department of Education, overseeing the student aid administration account. He has held research positions in various organizations, including Abt Associates and the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Jules Buenabenta, CEO, Jules, and Associates Inc./Chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

Jules Buenabenta is the CEO of Jules and Associates Inc., one of the largest privately owned equipment leasing companies in the country. He is also the manager and majority shareholder of Vendor Direct Solutions LLC, a records, facilities, and IT management company. Moreover, he currently oversees the development and deployment of FiT, proprietary records management and lifecycle software in the legal and education fields, and its adaptability to other industries. Knowing the role higher education played in his career, Buenabenta devotes significant time and resources to his alma mater, the University of Southern California. Most recent, Buenabenta was appointed to serve on the USC Marshall School of Business’s board of councilors, which provides strategic advice and counsel to the school’s dean. Passionate about opening doors for Hispanic students, he served as co-chair of the USC Associates’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee, supports the USC Latino Alumni Association, and participates in growth initiatives aimed to expand the bonds between the university and the Hispanic community.

Vanessa Ruiz, Deputy Vice President for Outreach within Educational Outreach and Student Services, Arizona State University

Vanessa Ruiz is the Deputy Vice President for Outreach within Educational Outreach and Student Services at Arizona State University. In her current role, Ruiz leads several teams creating a vision to develop and implement strategic partnerships with non-profits, K-12 schools, foundations, corporate partners, faith-based leaders, and other community stakeholders to advance the educational attainment and economic opportunity for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Previously, as director for diversity initiatives and community engagement, Vanessa Ruiz led ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s strategy and tactical planning for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, staff, and students, as well as first-generation college students.

Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, U.S. Department of Education

Melody Gonzales is a community-oriented leader committed to building the capacity of organizations and leaders shaping a brighter, more equitable future for our nation. She leads the White House Hispanic Initiative, an office created by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14045 and housed under the leadership of Secretary Miguel Cardona at the U.S. Department of Education. The Initiative works to advance education, equity, and economic goals in partnership with the White House, federal agencies, and external stakeholders; lead a 21- member commission; run a federal Interagency work group centered in advancing equity and access to federal resources for the Latino community; and lead in-person and virtual public engagement efforts.

Neera Tanden, Director, Domestic Policy Council, The White House

Neera Tanden currently serves as Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden. Previously, she was Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary in the White House. She has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. Prior to her roles in the Biden-Harris Administration, Neera was the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, one of the largest think tanks in the country, with teams across all components of domestic policy including crime, education, immigration, health care, civil rights, and more. As President of CAP, Neera drove ideas that became part of the Biden-Harris agenda: proposals on clean energy subsidies, a new childcare program, and closing the “boyfriend loophole” on guns.

Tom Perez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, The White House

Tom Perez serves as Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Perez brings decades of local, state, and federal experience to the White House having served as a former Montgomery County, MD Councilmember; as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice; as Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and as Secretary of Labor under President Obama. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his master’s degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.

Stephen K. Benjamin, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, The White House

Steve Benjamin is an Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement. Prior to joining the Biden- Harris Administration, Benjamin was the Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina from April 2010 through December 2021. Benjamin has served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2018-2019), as President of the African American Mayors Association, Vice Chairman of the Global Parliament of Mayors, Executive Chairman of Municipal Bonds for America, Chairman of the FirstNet Authority, a Member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, and as a member of several corporate and nonprofit boards. Mayor Benjamin served as the Spring 2022 Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. of the Saint John Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

Charmane Johnson, DoD Presiding Official & TTPTTP Lead, Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defense

Charmane S. Johnson, a 36-plus year dedicated public servant and leader, directs operational Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) prevention strategies, plans, and programs to eradicate employment discrimination, impacting 1.4 million active-duty military personnel, 1.3 million Guard and Reserve personnel, and 950,000 DoD civilians. She is the Functional Community Manager with oversight of the DoD-wide EEO 0260 occupational series, addressing critical gaps in DoD Military Department and Component EEO mission resources, training, workforce development, and competency frameworks. She oversees DoD Special Emphasis Programs, addressing institutional and systemic employment barriers preventing women and minorities from advancing to their highest potential.

Marla Franco, PhD, Vice President, Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives, University of Arizona

Dr. Marla Franco serves as the Vice President for Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives at the University of Arizona (UA). She has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years at public universities in California and Arizona, having served in various roles within academic and student affairs to champion greater college access and degree attainment among underserved and minoritized students, which strongly informs her work today. Dr. Franco led efforts that resulted in the UA becoming the first four-year public university in the state of Arizona to be federally recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education in April 2018. She is now working across the university to develop a centralized vision for maximizing this designation in a way that truly benefits students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members from diverse backgrounds.

Marisol Garcia, President, Arizona Education Association

Marisol Garcia was elected as President of the Arizona Education Association (AEA). Marisol is the first woman of color to serve as AEA President and the first Chicana. Marisol is not new to leadership, having served as Vice President since 2016, sitting on the AEA Board of Directors, chairing statewide committees, and co-founding the AEA Latino Outreach Cadre. In 2018 Marisol was one of the education activists to lead the #RedforEd movement in Arizona. She most recently led the union in creating a New Vision for Arizona Schools, an aspirational roadmap for true equity in Arizona schools during and post the Covid-19 pandemic. During the 2020 election, Marisol served as the co-lead organizer for the Educators for the Biden/Harris national campaign and represented Arizona during the state roll call for the 2020 DNC convention.

Amalia Pallares, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement and Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois Chicago

Amalia Pallares is Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement and professor of Political Science and Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. Since 2018 she has been in the chancellor’s cabinet (first as an associate chancellor and then as a vice-chancellor) responsible for designing and leading critical initiatives addressing equity and engagement in a diverse public university, including faculty recruitment and development, student belonging and equity, cultural and experiential programming, inclusive education, community collaboration and engagement, legislative advocacy, and strategic planning. Prior to this role, Dr Pallares was head of the Latin American and Latino Studies Department (2013-1018) and was also associate dean for educational programming in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2006-2008).

Cecilia Alcantar-Chávez, Master of Global Management candidate, Arizona State University Former President, Associated Students of ASU

Cecilia Alcantar-Chavez is a first-generation Hispanic student from a family of 13, driving global change for social impact. She has done this throughout her Mechanical Engineering degree as two-term Student Body President of the ASU Polytechnic campus, representing thousands of students annually.
With a total budget of over $1.5M, she has worked on dozens of projects advocating for international, minority, and economically disadvantaged students. She is now a Master of Global Management candidate at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU and works as an Assistant Project Manager at ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory. She will continue to effect change as a global project manager.

Ines Hernandez, Racial Equity Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce

Ines Hernandez is driven by her passion and commitment to building inclusive, resilient, and thriving communities. She has over 20 years of experience building cross-sector consensus that led to community and economic development solutions, new policies, and action with demonstrable results. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently appointed Ines as its first- ever Counselor for Equity. In this newly created role, Ines works across the Department’s 13 bureaus to institutionalize equity across all workstreams and advise senior leadership on policy design and implementation strategies that help advance the equity agenda within the Department’s programs and strategic initiatives.

Kylie Patterson, Senior Advisor for Opportunity, and Inclusion for CHIPS for America, U.S. Department of Commerce

Kylie Patterson (she/her) serves as the Sr. Advisor for Opportunity and Inclusion for CHIPS for America, a $50 billion investment to strengthen and revitalize U.S. manufacturing, innovation, and technological leadership. Previously, she was the Director of the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, chaired by Rep. Maxine Waters. She was a key member of the policy team that codified the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce, MBDA is the only federal agency tasked with promoting the growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses. She was also on the team that reauthorized and extended the Paycheck Protection Program, an SBA-backed loan that helped businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis.

Monica Villalobos, President & CEO, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Ms. Villalobos was named President & CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber in late 2019 after serving as the Vice-President and Foundation Executive Director for seven years. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic growth initiatives of the chamber. She is also the operator of the Arizona Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, the Native American Business and Economic Development Center (NABEDC), and Ascend Phoenix funded by JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Her background and experience as a corporate marketing executive and as an entrepreneur result in a unique combination of skill and talent. Arizona’s Hispanic Market (2012- 2020), DATOS Tucson (2012- 2015), Minority-, Women-, Hispanic-, Family-owned Business Enterprise Reports (2012- 2013, 2022) and the AZ Supplier Diversity (2012), Employee Resource Group (2013), Sustainability (2014), Global Trade (2015), Minority Business Economic Indicator (2017- 18) and Diversity & Inclusion (2021) Best Practices white paper series Ms. Villalobos was the founding principal at ResearchByDesign, a marketing research firm specializing in primary qualitative and quantitative research.

Octavio Heredia, Director, Global Development Global Outreach & Extended Education, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University

Mr. Octavio Heredia is Director for Global Outreach & Extended Education in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. During his tenure since 2002, he has assumed several roles within the organization and currently leads the efforts of the Schools of Engineering in research and product development for innovative technology in higher education. As Director, he is responsible for the planning, implementation and support of graduate engineering online programs, custom corporate education projects delivered across the world, leading workforce development initiatives, and implementing innovative technology-based learning solutions across the Fulton Engineering learning organization.

Leah Palmer, Executive Director, Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute, Maricopa Community College

As the Executive Director for the Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AzAMI), Leah has established a proven record of transformative and innovative results with over 20 years of experience forging industry partnerships and sector collaborations providing needed solutions for training workforce talent. With Arizona’s economy rapidly growing, Leah has developed workforce implementation strategies for the manufacturing sector, delivering competency-based training skills in aerospace, semiconductor, automation, robotics, electronics, 3D printing, drafting, machining and welding programs effectively addressing the growing workforce demands in Arizona.

Gabriela Cruz Thompson, Senior Director of University Research & Collaboration in Intel Labs, Intel Corporation

Gabriela Cruz Thompson is Senior Director of University Research & Collaboration in Intel Labs at Intel Corporation. In this role, she and her team identify and fund critical large and medium scale research programs at leading universities and she leads workforce development programs that enable Intel’s growth. She also currently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate at the National Science Foundation. Ms. Thompson has held several other roles in the company’s manufacturing facilities during her 20+ year career at Intel. She earned a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University and a Chemical Engineering Degree from the University of Costa Rica. Today, she calls the Portland, Oregon area home.

David Adame, President & CEO Chicanos Por la Causa

Since becoming President & CEO, CPLC has experienced significant growth and expansion in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Texas, and Mexico making CPLC one of the nation’s largest community development corporations. Prior to joining CPLC in 2008, David built an extensive resume in real estate and development projects and served as Vice President of Arizona Operations for McCormack Baron & Salazar and as Senior Deputy Director of Fannie Mae’s Arizona Partnership Office. David was Program Officer with the Phoenix Office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and he worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in corporate banking and retail business loans.

Deborah Santiago, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer Excelencia in Education

Deborah A. Santiago is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelencia in Education, America’s premier authority on efforts accelerating Latino student success in higher education. As an innovator, thought leader, and educational visionary, she has led research and advanced evidence-based practices and strategies for more than 20 years. She has held leadership positions with education organizations around the country, including the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the Los Angeles Alliance for Student Achievement.

Kevin Lima, Deputy Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, U.S. Department of Education

Kevin Lima is Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. Kevin was Special Assistant in the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education between 2021-2023. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Kevin Lima was the youth political director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2020 election. Kevin led youth engagement inside and outside of the DNC and helped build youth infrastructure to help Democrats win key races across the country while simultaneously developing a diverse leadership pipeline to strengthen the future of the Democratic party.
Kevin has been a political organizer since graduating with a political science degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 2016. He was an organizer for the Nevada State Coordinated Campaign in Las Vegas where he organized to elect the first Latina senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, and worked for NextGen America as their California campus and organizing director for the 2018 midterm.

Jasmin Chavez, Confidential Assistant, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics and the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, U.S. Department of Education

Jasmin Chavez is a Confidential Assistant for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics and the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Prior to this role, she was a Policy & Communications Associate at Dewey Square Group, where she managed the technology and telecommunications policy portfolio for the company’s Latino clients, some of which were Fortune 500 companies. Jasmin served her Virginia community as the State Director for the Virginia League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) for three years. She has also served as the Latino Outreach & Political Director for Victoria Virasingh for Congress and as the Chair of the Virginia Todos Con Biden Youth Committee.
Jasmin serves her alma mater as the youngest member of McDaniel College Alumni Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She is an alumna of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, The National Museum of the American Latino Young Ambassadors Program, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. In 2018, she was awarded Woman of the Year by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). She most recently was awarded the Young Alumnus of the Year Award from the McDaniel College Alumni Association, and in October 2023, will be receiving the 30 under 30 award from Hispanic Executive’s NextGen Collective in New York. In November 2023, she will be the youngest Latina woman to receive a Poderosa award from El Poder De Ser Mujer.

Public Comment

If you have written comments pertaining to the work of the Commission, you may email comments and attachments to WhiteHouseHispanicInitiative@ed.gov with the subject line: “Written Comments: Public Comment.” In the email, please include your name(s), title, organization, mailing address, email address, and telephone number.