2010 Speakers

Key Note Speaker at the Opening Ceremonies

ALFRED A. VALENZUELA
MAJOR GENERAL
U.S. ARMY, RETIRED

  • Served 33 years in the United States Army
  • Served in 6 Infantry Divisions and 3 Corps
  • Served in Kuwait, Peru, Colombia, Somalia, Panama, Grenada, El Salvador, Korea, Germany, Puerto Rico and Turkey
  • Board of Directors of Boy Scouts – Texas
  • Board of Directors of Eagle Scout Association
  • Board of Directors of Boy’s & Girl’s Club
  • Board of Directors of Tomas Rivera Policy Institute
  • Board of Directors of Trustees St. Mary’s University
  • Board of Directors of Communities in School
  • Board of Directors of USAA
  • Board of Directors of Haven for Hope
  • Board of Directors of Taser International
  • Board of Directors of Armor Designs, LLC
  • Created an Educational Foundation
  • Opened a Charter School for at risk children on the West Side of San Antonio
  • Distinguished Alumni of St. Mary’s University
  • Eagle Scout
  • Boys Club Hall of Fame
  • Most Influential Hispanics, Hispanic Business Magazine
  • Bronze Star for Valor
  • Soldiers Medal for Heroism
  • Defense Distinguished Service Medal
  • Defense Service Medal
  • Former President / CEO to the San Antonio Housing Authority
  • Wrote and Published “No Greater Love:
    The Lives and Times of Hispanic Soldiers” with all proceeds going to the families of the 21 soldiers he buried from the war. The book recently won the 2008 National award for military Memoir / Biography.

Key Note Speaker at the Awards Luncheon

Jose Antonio Tijerino

Jose Antonio Tijerino is the president of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), which identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce. Mr. Tijerino has led the 23-year- old leadership organization for eight years.

Tijerino has made “sustainability and measurability” a priority for HHF in addressing education, community service and workforce development programs. In addition, he strives to project a more positive image of Latinos in America through a Youth Awards program, which feeds HHF’s other youth programs including a Speakers’ Bureau; and “near-peer” mentoring program called Mi Mentors which was designed to raise the high school graduation and college attendance rate by supplementing overwhelmed guidance counselors; and the LOFT (Latinos on Fast Track) workforce development program. A focus for HHF has been placed in the STEM and green fields to further providing opportunities for Latinos to move America forward in keeping with the country’s priorities. In addition, Tijerino has executive produced the star-studded Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center and TV specials broadcast on NBC and Telemundo stations as well as the Armed Forces Network.

Prior to this position, Mr. Tijerino was director of public relations for the Fannie Mae Foundation, specializing in strategic planning, public affairs, media outreach and grass roots mobilization campaigns for America’s largest affordable housing nonprofit. Before that, he served as a manager of corporate communications for Nike, Inc.’s marketing department where he developed, managed and implemented communications, public relations and public affairs strategies for the company’s global community affairs department and served as a media spokesperson. Before joining Nike, Mr. Tijerino developed and managed public relations and public affairs campaigns for Fortune 500 companies for six years as an executive for Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolf in Washington, DC under parent company Young & Rubicam.

Tijerino is active in the community by serving on various boards including Harvard’s Latino Leadership Initiative in the Kennedy School, America’s Promise, the National PTA, Museum of the American Latino, Smithsonian Latino Center, Voto Latino, among others. He has been recognized as a Latino leader by Presidents Obama and Bush and was invited to participate in the prestigious Renaissance Weekend alongside top leaders in America. He is was recently featured in HBO’s Habla series which aired during Hispanic Heritage Month; was a panelist for CNN’s Latino in America premiere; and was profiled on an hour-long Discovery Channel/TLC program for his work in the community and with youth. He was recognized as an Outstanding Young American, as a Hispanic Hero by the US Hispanic Youth Entrepreneurship, and the Brillante Award by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, among others. Tijerino has been featured as a spokesperson on Latino issues relating to education and leadership and his articles have been featured in the national media. He has also spoken at various higher education institutions including Harvard, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University as well as the commencement speaker for University of Maryland’s Latino graduation. Currently, Tijerino is part of a team developing a Green University to educated, certify and place the future and current workforce in green jobs through this on-line program. Tijerino earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland’s prestigious school of journalism and lives in Chevy Chase, MD with his wife Dinah, daughter Mercedes Grace, son Juan Antonio, and dog Bella.