Time:
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Location:
U.S. Department of Commerce
Herbert C. Hoover Building, Main Auditorium
1401 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20230

The Federal Triangle Partnership, consisting of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Agency for International Development is pleased to announce its program commemorating National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated every year from September 15 through October 15. The 2012 National Theme is "Diversity United, Building America’s Future Today.”

This year's program will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover Building Auditorium. The Department of Commerce is located at 1401 Connecticut Ave. NW, and is accessible from the Federal Triangle Metro station on the blue/orange lines. Seating for this event is on a first come, first serve basis.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Frances Colón, Deputy Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State. Dr. Colón also served as the Science and Environment Adviser for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where she was responsible for environmental and scientific issues that affected U.S. foreign policy in the Americas and vice versa. During that time, Dr. Colón coordinated climate change policy for the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, which President Obama announced in 2009. In 2011, the Spanish government selected her for the “Young U.S. Hispanic Leaders Program,” representing the State Department’s science and technology priorities abroad. Dr. Colón earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2004 from Brandeis University and her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1997 from the University of Puerto Rico.

The Mistress of Ceremonies will be Maria Cardona. Ms. Cardona is a Principal at the Dewey Square Group (DSG) and Latinovation as well as a seasoned Democratic Strategist, and CNN/CNN en Español Political Contributor. She is a public affairs and communications professional with more than 18 years’ experience in the political, government, public relations, campaign, community and coalition building arenas. Previously, she was a senior vice president for the New Democrat Network, and before that, the communications director for the Democratic National Committee. During the Clinton administration, Maria served as lead communications strategist at the Department of Commerce for the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. In 1997, she was awarded the DOC Silver Medal Award for Meritorious Federal Service.

A Latin band will serve as our cultural entertainment by playing a diverse repertoire of Latin music.

If you are unable to attend the observance in-person, you may be able to view the event remotely using Virtual Teleconference Technology (VTC). If your agency has VTC capabilities, please refer a point of contact to address technical issues to the contact person listed below.

This program is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to (202) 482-4481 or TTY (202) 482-2030 as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made.