The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility Board of Directors is proud to announce the addition of two new Coalition Members: SER-Jobs for Progress National Inc. and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
"Welcoming SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc., and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, two incredibly vital and successful national Hispanic organizations to the HACR coalition fulfills the Boards efforts to add organizations that will strengthen our effectiveness in managing our four planks: governance, employment, procurement and philanthropy," said new HACR Board Chair Alma Morales Riojas. "The HACR Coalition is positioned to extend its influential capital as the Hispanic community is now recognized as the largest minority in the United States. We are confident that with the addition of these two organizations, HACR is in an even stronger position to engage corporate America as the organization moves forward with an aggressive agenda for 2005 on behalf of Hispanics across the nation."
"We close out 2004 with the first Hispanic woman elected as HACR Board Chair and with our coalition membership growing from 11 to 13 national Hispanic organizations," said outgoing HACR Chair Antonio Flores. "This seems like a perfect ending for 2004 since we started the year with the announcement of Alfonso E. Martinez as HACR's new president and CEO. We have accomplished a lot this year, from launching the HACR Research Institute and the HACR Corporate Index survey to running two successful programs, the HACR Symposium on Corporate Responsibility and the HACR/Harvard Business School Corporate Governance Program."
"We are very pleased that the HACR Board of Directors has accepted our membership to be part of the growing coalition," said Ignacio Salazar, president and CEO of SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. "We are fully supportive of what HACR and its coalition members stand for on issues important to the Hispanic community and its relationship with corporate America."
"We are very excited to rejoin the HACR coalition," said Armando Ojeda, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "We are committed to the mission of the HACR organization and its members and we are ready to present a united front as we tackle important issues affecting the Hispanic community and Hispanic-owned businesses."
About SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc.
SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1964 as a project to address employment and economic concerns and inequities among Hispanics in America. As part of the nation's community organizing agenda to win the "War on Poverty," SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. was designed into the legislative agenda as an example of an effective community-based employment and training project that could effectively address these issues. For 38 years, SER had played a key role in the nation's workforce investment system, and today is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as the "premier community-based organization serving the employment needs of the Hispanic community."
SER addresses the education, employment, and economic needs of Hispanics and other underrepresented groups across America. Nationally, SER serves as the administrative arm of the SER Network of Affiliate Partners, and provides assistance to enhance the workforce development capacity of its affiliates through training and technical assistance, program development, research and policy, and fund development. Locally, SER operates community development programs, targeting Hispanics and other underrepresented groups, and also serves the business community.
The SER Network consists of 43 affiliates operating in more than 200 offices in 18 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The SER network serves approximately 600,000 individuals annually. SER has a strong partnership with corporate America through the Amigos de SER Business Advisory Council, which provides technical assistance, financial and in-kind support to SER, and employment opportunities for consumers.
About the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
In 1979, several dedicated Hispanic leaders realized the enormous potential of the Hispanic business community in the United States and envisioned the need for a national organization to represent its interests before the public and private sectors. Later that year, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in the state of New Mexico, creating a structured organization aimed at developing a business network that would provide the Hispanic community with cohesion and strength. Since its inception, the USHCC has worked toward bringing the issues and concerns of the nation's more than 1.6 million Hispanic-owned businesses to the forefront of the national economic agenda. Throughout its nearly 25 year history, the Chamber has enjoyed outstanding working relationships with international Heads of State, Members of Congress and the current White House Administration. Through its network of more than 130 local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and Hispanic business organizations, the USHCC effectively communicates the needs and potential of Hispanic enterprise to the public and private sector in several ways including:
- Implementing and strengthening national programs that assist the economic development of Hispanic firms
- Increasing business relationships and partnerships between the corporate sector and Hispanic-owned businesses
- Promoting international trade between Hispanic businesses in the United States and Latin America
- Monitoring legislation, policies and programs that affect the Hispanic business community, and
- Providing technical assistance to Hispanic business associations and entrepreneurs.
