2023 Latina Summit: ElevateHER

Join us for the 17th ALPFA Boston Latina Summit: ElevateHER, a dynamic two-day event designed to empower, inspire, and connect Latina professionals on their journey to success. This transformative experience will take place virtually on May 31, 2023, and in person on June 1, 2023, bringing together a diverse community of trailblazing Latinas, supportive allies, and industry leaders from various sectors.

The 2023 Latina Summit: ElevateHER is focused on sparking change, promoting personal and professional growth, and providing a supportive network that empowers Latinas to achieve their full potential. By attending this event, you'll gain access to engaging panel discussions, interactive workshops, inspirational keynotes, and invaluable networking opportunities.

✨ Empowering Content: Learn from successful Latina leaders who will share their stories of resilience and triumph, providing insights and inspiration for overcoming challenges and embracing opportunities.

✨ Skill-Building Workshops: Participate in interactive workshops focused on personal and professional development, helping you elevate your career and achieve your goals.

✨ Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals and build relationships with a community of inspiring Latina leaders, mentors, and allies.

✨ Celebration and Recognition: Join us in honoring the achievements of exceptional Latina professionals who have made significant strides in their respective fields and are dedicated to uplifting others.

Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative experience that celebrates the power, resilience, and accomplishments of Latina professionals. Register now for the 2023 Latina Summit: ElevateHER and elevate your career, connections, and personal growth.

Together, we will uplift the Latina community, foster a sense of belonging, and create a brighter future for all. Join us in this journey and make a positive impact in the lives of Latinas around the world.

We can't wait to see you at the 2023 Latina Summit: ElevateHER!

• Virtual Day: May 31, 2023
• In-Person Day: June 1, 2023

We invite you to nominate outstanding Latinas candidates for one of our 2023 Latina Summit Awards. We are looking for women who have demonstrated significant achievements in their careers and who can inspire others to excel. By showcasing their stories and accomplishments, we hope to create a strong platform for positive change within the Latina community. See the nomination categories below!

The Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes a female who has demonstrably assisted and helped other Latina women advance in their careers.

The DEI Champion Award recognizes a Latina who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community with clear positive impacts in areas as a result of these efforts.

The Impactful Allyship Award is presented to any individual (man or woman), who actively advocates and champions to advance a culture of inclusion for Latinas through purposeful, positive, and intentional efforts.

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a Latina who has already made significant contributions to the community and has demonstrated the potential for leadership and continuing service.

Jacqueline Ruiz is a visionary social entrepreneur that has created an enterprise of inspiration. With more of 20 years of experience in the marketing and Public Relations industry, she has created two successful award-winning companies, established two nonprofit organizations, published 32 books, the largest collection of Latina stories in a book anthology series in the world, and held events in four continents. She has received over 30 awards for her contributions and business acumen.

She represents the 1.6% of women entrepreneurs with over seven figures in the United States. Jacqueline is one of the few Latina sports airplane pilots in the United States and recently collaborated with College Park Aviation Museum to create the historic first-ever exhibit in the world to honor Latinas in Aviation.

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Serial Entrepreneur, Purpose Driven latina and Personal Finance Educator. Founder of  super fresh design and branding agency  Muuaaa Design Agency. With over fifteen  years of experience conceptualizing and implementing efficient brand growth and recognition strategies for new or existing brands or companies for over 400 brands. 

Celina has a kick ass reputation as a goal-getter that can visualize a project or a business and create a strategy to  make it happen or to take it to the next level.

In 2019 she launched  Jefas y Jevas, a financial independence and business empowerment platform to help Latinas scale their businesses and personal finances.  In 2021 she launched with great success Jefas y Jevas  Membership Program in order to fulfill her promise to help 1 Million women to achieve financial Independence.

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Sandy Martinez is the Founder and CEO of Strive Studio Career Coaching & Consulting to support women of color to thrive in their careers and assist organizations on diversity, equity and inclusion, culture, staff success initiatives, and Web3 services to support organizations transition from Web2 to Web3.

As an education advocate and experienced higher education leader, she believes in education as a powerful tool to empower others. She is a community builder, Hispanic & Latino advocate, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. Her “why” is connecting others with opportunities and making a difference in people's lives, especially first-generation students, Sun Devils, and immigrants like herself. Sandy is the proud Jarritos Web3 Education and Community Advisor, radio show host of Webtr3s al Aire to educate the Spanish speaking community about Web3 & NFTs, and an engaged Board Member of Young & Empowered Women’s Association and United Latinas elevating women across the nation and beyond.

Sandy’s trajectory includes being the 50th president for the Arizona State University (ASU) Chicano Latino Faculty and Staff Association, serving as Chair for the ASU Tempe Campus Commission on the Status of Women contributing over a decade, and serving as Vice President and Treasurer for the Association of Human Communication during her undergraduate years.

Her recognition includes being named a 2019 Badass Woman of ASU, recognized with the 2021 ASU College of Health Solutions Ambassador Award, 2016 Higher Education Student Organization Outstanding Graduate Award, being featured in Shoutout Arizona Magazine, and this year featured in Times Square for NFT NYC.

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Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham is the founder and CEO of Promoting Good and the visionary and co-founder of Casita Cultura Latina. Valerie is a trilingual and multiracial immigrant from Mexico. A trained lawyer, she is a social good entrepreneur, an impactful diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and inclusive leadership coach, and equity advocate/policy leader. At Promoting Good, she leads a growing firm that partners with organizations and leaders committed to creating transformation equity change across Massachusetts and nationally.

At Casita Cultura Latina, she is elevating Latino culture and excellence while bridging and elevating deep societal issues affecting our Latino/a/e/x community in inclusive, intergenerational community spaces.  Prior to her entrepreneurship journey, Valerie worked in the private sector in both Mexico and California, and then practiced law in Massachusetts for fifteen years.

Valerie is an active community leader. Valerie is immediate former chair and current vice chair of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, a member of the board of UMass Memorial Health Medical Group, and Mental Health Legal Advisors.

Valerie is also an advisor to STEM ENRG, an organization that helps women of color transition into technology-driven roles. Valerie is also a corroborator at Greater Worcester Community Foundation and Webster Five Bank. Valerie is a former board member at the Worcester Art Museum, Main IDEA, and Worcester County Food Bank. 

After graduating from high school in Mexico, Valerie obtained a B.A from Boston College in Political Science and French Literature and a J.D from Boston University School of Law, where she received the Faculty Award for Community Service. 

Valerie has been recognized as a Worcester Power 50 Leader the last two years in a row, received the Outstanding Women in Business Award from the Worcester Business Journal, the Hero from the Field Rx for Excellence Award from the Massachusetts Medical Law Report, and the Innovations in Legal Services Award.

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A nationally recognized social impact leader, Adriana Dawson has been driving results at the intersection of Purpose and Profit for over 20 years.

Her multi-sector career led her to the telecommunications industry in 2019 when she joined Verizon as Community Engagement Director, where she currently oversees the Verizon Foundation and social impact programming efforts for her markets across the East Coast. In this role she leads and expands Verizon’s partnership network, strategic investments, and collaborates up and across the business supporting regional and national initiatives. In addition, she serves as a Global Lead for SOMOS, an enterprise-wide Employee Resource Group (ERG) giving voice to Verizon’s 5K+ Hispanic/Latinx employees.

Adriana is a highly regarded entrepreneur with a keen ability to launch and scale new efforts while accelerating results and generating new revenue streams. Prior to joining Verizon, Adriana was the Vice President of Community Development at Bank Newport. Adriana has also held leadership roles at Roger Williams University and was appointed the first woman State Director for the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center where she was recognized nationally for the innovative approach she spearheaded to support minority and women-owned businesses.

She has received numerous professional honors and recognitions including Rhode Island PBN 40 Under 40, America’s SBDC National State Star, YWCA Woman of Achievement, Verizon Latinx Champion, 2022 Latin@s to follow on LinkedIn; and most recently, Girl Scouts of South eastern New England-Leading Women of Distinction.

Adriana, a first generation professional, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Northeastern University and holds a Master of Arts in Management Communication from Emerson College.

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Dolores Hirschmann, ACC, CPCC is an internationally recognized strategist, coach, speaker, TEDx organizer, and author.

She has over 20 years experience in helping clients clarify their core messaging, vision, and market positioning to design the strategies and roadmaps needed to succeed. Utilizing her extensive background in strategic planning, pitch and message design, marketing and communications, executive coaching, event planning, and speaker coaching, Dolores founded Masters in Clarity, a strategy and coaching company where she and her team work with CEOs, founders, thought leaders, speakers, and entrepreneurs by guiding them through the clarity of vision, message, and market strategy to develop and implement the blueprint needed for the next level of growth.

Dolores is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and has earned her CPCC credentials from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). She holds a Business Degree from the Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina and has been a remote employee and virtual business owner for over 20 years.

Dolores leads mastermind groups, workshops, and speaks internationally about effective communication and audience engagement. As a former TEDx organizer, Dolores understands how to help experts, authors, consultants, coaches, and doctors position themselves as thought leaders in their field. By infusing a bigger vision into sales presentations, keynotes, and retail marketing communication strategies, clients achieve a higher level of engagement and resonance with their audiences.

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Who am I? I am a Latina, an Immigrant, a veteran, a mother, an entrepreneur, a survivor of childhood trauma, sexual abuse, and an advocate of healing cultural and generational trauma. 

I made the choice to dive deep within myself through alternative body-based and mindset coaching therapies. I chose to allow my heart to break for a time in order to allow it to create a new perspective and break free from the chains of my past.

My healing required trying on new things, stepping outside of my comfort zone, and sharing space with others who are in the pursuit of becoming whole. I explored numerous body-based therapies and landed on Yoga as the key that would unlock the chains that my emotional suffering was bound by. Taking ownership of my healing allowed me to destroy an old belief system, recreate myself, and live in my greatness.  I also learned that while spaces may be equal, my healing required inclusive equitable spaces. 

My own radical healing led me to opening up Jax Natural Healing/Vive Yoga Studio and the creation of Vive Wellness Fest, a space and festival that welcomed women who looked, moved, and spoke like me.

What I wish that I had in my healing journey did not exist, so I created it! 

As an immigrant and survivor of sexual abuse and childhood trauma, I founded a company that is a fervent proponent of cultural and trauma healing through the employment of wellness offerings, mindfulness practices, and body-based therapies, including Nutrition, Chiropractic Care, Holistic offerings, Breathwork, Yoga, and Somatic movement.

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Born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Lexus R. S. Fernadez serves as an American Motivational Speaker, a co-founder of an award-winning skincare company Soulita, and a survivor of a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Lexus’s raw and enthusiastic speaking style offers a delightful composite of experience, research, and practical application that promotes resilience, higher consciousness, and the importance of self-care wellness. She has spoken her story and the lessons from it at East Coast institutions like Bryant College, and Rhode Island College, and was featured in a docu-series “Women of Providence”. From pain to power, Lexus uses her evocative narratives to create a transformative experience for listeners across the nation.

Soulita’s mission is to empower individuals to look and feel their best through natural and vegan skincare products, providing access to holistic healing practices and cultivating a community of self-care. Soulita’s team strives to provide an accessible platform that encourages self-love letting individuals from all walks of life feel empowered and connected to their true beauty. Founders, Lexus R. S. Fernandez, and Evan Delpeche are committed to bringing quality products to the wellness industry.

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