August 30, 2004 Keynote Speeches Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Press Contact: Bibi Martí, (202) 707-1639
Public Contact: Carlos Olave, (202) 707-3702

The Library of Congress Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee presents two keynote speeches in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Sept. 15.

Cresencio Arcos, former U. S. ambassador to Honduras, will mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month events with a keynote address at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in Madison Hall of the Library’s James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Marisa Rivera-Albert, president of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, will mark the end of the month’s events with a keynote speech at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, also in Madison Hall.

All events are free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are necessary.

Cresencio Arcos was appointed Director of International Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in June 2003. Previously, he was the AT&T Corp.’ vice president and managing director for international public affairs for Latin America and Canada and has served as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board at the White House.

Arcos retired with the rank of ambassador from the U.S. Department of State after a 25-year career, which included serving as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras in 1989-93. Among his duties, Arcos has served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Inter-American Affairs and on the State Department’s North American Free Trade Agreement Task Force.

Arcos has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He was a graduate research fellow at the University of Oregon’s Institute of International Studies and was a postgraduate student at George Washington University’s Institute of Sino-Soviet Studies.

Arcos’ honors and awards include the State Department Superior Honor Award, the Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. Information Agency, and the Honduran Government’s highest award, the Order of Morazan.

Marisa Rivera-Albert is the president of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and leadership development of Hispanic women. Prior to joining the NHLI, she served as CEO and president of the nonprofit Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. Rivera-Albert’s experience includes positions with the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Embassy in Panama and Honduras.

Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rivera-Albert has a bachelor’s degree in communications from American University and a master’s degree in education administration from Western Illinois University. She is also a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Program, the Center for Creative Leadership, the Gallup Leadership Institute and the Mexican American Solidarity Foundation. Rivera-Albert is the recipient of numerous awards and has been featured in Hispanic Magazine; the television show “Hispanics Today”; LatinaStyle Magazine; Monster.com; and the “Soy Latina, Soy Unica” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Web site.

For more information about these Hispanic Heritage Month events, contact Carlos Olave, (202) 707-3702.

For information about the collections and activities of the Library's Hispanic Division, visit its Web site at www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic.

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PR 04-162
2004-08-30
ISSN 0731-3527