WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday, Latino Victory Foundation and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) announced an effort to identify and nominate Hispanic candidates for incoming political appointments and positions in other sectors through the Latino Talent Initiative. Building upon the groundwork of NHLA’s Latino Appointments Program, the new partnership will proactively work to streamline the process for Latinos interested in politically appointed positions in the next administration.
Along with advocates, corporate partners, and strong networks of senior leaders, the Latino Talent Initiative will be working to identify, recruit, and encourage Latinos at all levels to submit their applications in order to ensure Latino voices are represented at all levels of government, including the highest positions within the administration.
Interested candidates will be able to submit their information for consideration as part of new platform to be launched in the coming weeks. The searchable database will be constructed with a series of approximately 40 questions that gives a robust sense of a candidate’s previous employment, skill sets and strengths.
“Three years ago, NHLA launched the Latino Appointments Program, to address the extreme underrepresentation of Latinos among appointed positions in the executive branch at the state and federal levels, because we fundamentally believe that our government must reflect the diversity of the people it serves. When people of all backgrounds contribute their diverse experiences and perspectives in service of our nation, the result is better government for everyone,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council For Latin American Advancement. “The Latino Talent Initiative will play a significant role in identifying qualified Latino candidates to serve in the next president’s administration and thus ensure that our 58 million voices are heard in government. Combining our efforts with the Latino Victory Foundation at this critical juncture, months before new leadership enters the White House, we are bringing NHLA’s Latino Appointments Program to a new level. Working together, we will help identify more candidates for appointed positions so that our government can become more representative.”
“There is no doubt that this year’s election is one of the most consequential in modern history, and the Latino community has the power to elect our next president,” said Cesar J. Blanco, Interim Director for Latino Victory Foundation. “This is why we are encouraging Latino professionals to consider heeding the call for public service. By building the necessary infrastructure, we will have a pipeline of Latino professionals that are both qualified and willing to serve. We want to make sure that the excuse of not being able to find talented Latino candidates for staffing becomes a question of the past. NHLA laid the groundwork for this initiative, and we are grateful to have such dedicated partners to pursue our mission of increasing Latino representation in all levels of government and political power.”
While appointments range from entry level to Cabinet Secretaries and Ambassadors, the Latino Talent Initiative is strongly committed to expanding the executive leadership pipeline. There are opportunities for people with a wide range of experience, from recent graduates to seasoned professionals who manage personnel, set and implement policy, drive agendas and oversee millions of dollars through programs and initiatives. Each administration normally appoints approximately 6000 political positions of which roughly 3000 are full time, without counting White House staff. The remaining are part‐time boards or commissions meant to help fulfill the mission and policy priorities of the seated President.
With the exception of NHLA’s Latino Appointments Program, there has been no other effort fully funded as a stand-alone program whose primary mission is to recruit and recommend Hispanic talent on such a large scale. The Initiative will build on NHLA’s process, modeled after other successful programs such as the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, whose program has been hugely successful in increasing the number of LGBTQ appointees.
