A CONVERSATION WITH TWO SECRETARIES

The Council of Urban Professionals invites you to

SAVE THE DATE

for

A Conversation with 

New York Secretary of State 

Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez

&

New Jersey Secretary of State

Nina Mitchell Wells 

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

6:30pm to 8:30pm
 
The Council of Urban Professionals

55 Exchange Place, Suite 501

(Between Broad and William)

New York, NY 10005

For further details, please contact Ashleigh Gibson at 212-233-8950 or  agibson@nycup.org . 

Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez

Confirmed on March 6, 2007, Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez serves as New York States 65th Secretary of State. The Office of Secretary of State, established in 1778, is the third oldest office in New York State.

Secretary Cortes-Vazquez comes to the New York Department of State with a background in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors that extends over 30 years. Prior to her appointment, she was Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Cablevision Systems Corporation, a leading media, entertainment and telecommunications company. In another note of distinction, Secretary Cortés-Vázquez is proud to be the first Hispanic to hold the position of Secretary of State of New York.

Secretary Cortes-Vazquez has gained national recognition for her distinguished work in the non-profit sector. She served as President of the Hispanic Federation, a non-profit network of 90 Latino health and human service agencies in N.Y., N.J., Conn., and Pa., aiding more than two million Latinos annually. Under her direction, the Hispanic Federation provided over $1 million annually in capacity building grants. It also coordinated the "Latino Fund Collaborative," a national coalition of eight regional organizations whose goal is to create endowments and increase individual donor campaigns within the Latino community. Secretary Cortes-Vazquez expanded the organization's annual Hispanic public policy poll beyond NYC to include the tri-state area, making it the largest public opinion poll in the northeast that focuses on the Hispanic community. Additionally, under her direction, the Hispanic Federation created advocacy campaigns on AIDS, education, immigration, and child welfare. During her tenure, the Hispanic Federation also played a leadership role in providing relief to victims of natural disasters in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

In the early 90's, Secretary Cortes-Vazquez served as the Executive Director of ASPIRA of New York, the oldest and largest non-profit Latino youth leadership development and education advocacy agency in the nation. While at ASPIRA, one of her main accomplishments was the creation of an Endowment Fund. Under her tenure, the organization re-established the post-secondary education program in community volunteer service project as the core component of the ASPIRA leadership experience. The core program was expanded to include a public policy training initiative. Additionally, for the first time in its 30 year history, school-based chapters were established beyond New York City to New York's upstate school districts.

Secretary Cortes-Vazquez also has extensive experience in government service. In 2001, she was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents, a position she held until 2007. She was chief of staff to former New York Bronx County Chairman Roberto Ramirez. She also oversaw the Puerto Rican Hispanic Task Force and the annual Somos El Futuro Conference. Secretary Cortes-Vazquez served on the New York Redistricting Commission in 2003, and on the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board from 2001-2003. For 14 years, Secretary Cortes-Vazquez worked at the New York City Department of Aging, where she became Chief of the Bureau of Program and Resource Development. As Chief, she facilitated public and private partnerships within the agency and increased the number of community-based service providers, while ensuring they were held to the same standards as City and State facilities. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of positions working with pre-school age children, teenagers, and senior citizens in East Harlem.

A graduate of Hunter College, Secretary Cortes-Vazquez has a master's degree from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is a Toll Fellow, having completed the national leadership program for elected and appointed officials. She has certificates from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and from Columbia University's School of Non-Profit Management.

Nina Mitchell Wells

Nina Mitchell Wells was sworn in as New Jersey's 32nd Secretary of State on January 17th, 2006.

Since taking office, Secretary Wells has focused on promoting arts education, bolstering cultural participation and raising awareness about the Department of State's wealth of diverse programs and services.

As Secretary of State, Wells serves as the state's top cultural ambassador, one of two constitutional officers appointed to a four-year term by Governor Jon S. Corzine. She is aggressively working to expand outreach efforts to the public, improve customer service to the department's constituents, empower the state's youth, and develop programs to celebrate New Jersey's rich diversity and history. Secretary Wells has pledged to utilize her extensive background and expertise as a lawyer, public servant, educator and philanthropist to build broad based coalitions, public-private partnerships and creative programs, necessary to advance New Jersey's vast cultural resources and strengthen its economic development.

In her constitutional role, Secretary Wells is responsible for preserving the state's important historical documents and records. On a broader lever, Wells who oversees one of the premier agencies in New Jersey state government, is responsible for managing: Archives and Records Management; the New Jersey Historical Commission; the New Jersey Council on the Arts; the New Jersey Cultural Trust; the New Jersey State Museum; the New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission; the New Jersey Commission on American Indian Affairs; the Division of Community Service - AmeriCorps and the Governor's Office of Volunteerism; the Office of Youth and Community; and the War Memorial in Trenton. She has created programs to empower young women, encourage civic and volunteer service, and increase cultural participation throughout New Jersey.

Prior to Secretary Wells' appointment, she was President of the Schering-Plough Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Schering Plough Corporation and the Vice-President of Public Affairs at Schering-Plough Corporation. Her career began as a lawyer and public servant, serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the City of Newark's Law Department specializing in chancery law and serving as the legal advisor to the Newark Central Planning Board and the Newark Real Estate Commission. Secretary Wells' was tapped by Governor Jim Florio, to head the Division of Rate Counsel for the Department of the Public Advocate. During her tenure as the Rate Counsel, she was responsible for challenging all regulated utility rate filings in the State of New Jersey. Secretary Wells also practiced corporate law for many years with several major corporations including New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, Bell Communications Research, Inc. and The CIT Group.

During her illustrious career, Secretary Wells has worked to enhance educational opportunities for the students of New Jersey as Assistant Dean and Director of the Minority Student Program and Financial Aid at Rutgers University Law School. She has also served as a member of the board of trustees on numerous secondary and collegiate institutions, cultural foundations, community support and revitalization organizations and various philanthropic causes.

In 1996, Secretary Wells, received the "100 Most Influential" New Jerseyans Award, and continues to be recognized throughout the state as an innovator with unwavering determination and personal integrity. She is committed to continuing he Department of State's mission to enrich the quality of life of all New Jersey's citizens through the arts, history and culture of New Jersey.

Secretary Wells and her husband, Ted Wells, Esq. reside in Livingston, New Jersey and have two grown children, Teresa and Phillip.

The Council of Urban Professionals develops diverse business and civic leaders, empowering them to exert influence, achieve their individual goals, and create collective impact.

The Council of Urban Professionals

55 Exchange Place, Suite 501

New York, NY 10005

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