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  • August 02, 2023 6:49 AM | Board President (Administrator)


    #FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE#

    Latino Professionals Association (LPA) of Greater Madison

    Contact: Rogelio Carranza

    Email: lpamembership@lpamadison.org

    The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) of Greater Madison is Proud to Host its Second Annual LPA Golf Outing, “The Invitational”

    MADISON, WI (August 2, 2023) The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) of Greater Madison is proud to announce the 2023 LPA Invitational: 2nd Annual Golf Outing. The 2023 LPA Invitational will take place on Sunday, August 13, 2023, at Yahara Hills Golf Course, located at 6701 US Highway 12 and 18.

    The LPA Board is excited to continue its relationship with Yahara Hills Golf Course, an instrumental partner in LPA’s fundraising efforts. For LPA’s Inaugural Golf Outing, Yahara Hills generously hosted over 70 LPA members and provided a friendly space that allowed LPA to garner new memberships and build relationships among members, old and new. The LPA was elated with the overwhelming community support, as it raised almost $11,000 to invest in the Madison Latinx community.

    "With the success of the Inaugural LPA Invitational, we were compelled to embark on this journey once again,” said LPA Treasurer and Invitational event lead, Rogelio Carranza. “The 2023 LPA Invitational is focused on making space for both Latinx and non-Latinx to come together and enjoy a round of golf, all while focusing on creating a platform for education and a forum for networking."

    This year, the LPA secured the talents of the Founder of Madison's Change Golf Instruction, Sue Shapcott, Ph.D., PGA GB&I, who will instruct newer players from 7:45 am-9:00 am the morning of the event. The LPA also partnered with Midwest Mujeres Collective to encourage the attendance of BIPOC women. Lorissa R. Bañuelos, LPA Board Member shares, “The LPA recognizes that Latina and BIPOC women are under-represented in the game and our engagement efforts need to be intentional in order to build a pipeline of BIPOC women in golf.”

    The LPA encourages professionals of all backgrounds to participate and is offering participation in the golf outing to both individuals and companies. If you or your company is interested in sponsoring the 2023 LPA Invitational, a number of sponsorship opportunities remain available. All contributions will be applied to LPA’s professional development fund. To sponsor, please visit the LPA’s event website or email Rogelio Carranza at LPAMembership@lpamadison.org. A list of sponsorship opportunities is also listed below:

    Sponsorship Tiers (perks dependent on sponsorship tier)

    • Legado ($5,000), Presidente ($2,500), Ejecutivo ($1,000), Socio ($500)
    • Company logo sign (12x17) at the hole of your choice (first come, first serve)
    • Company logo in all golf-fundraising related marketing and communications, including speeches and photos
    • Complimentary foursome(s) with custom event golf balls
    • Access to a golf cart, green fee, and appetizers

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    About The Latino Professionals Association

    The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) recognizes that Latinos are excelling in many industries and career sectors – reflecting the growing diversity of our state population that contributes to overall socioeconomic growth. Our vision is to cultivate a community that inspires, develops, and empowers Latinx professionals to pursue their success while recognizing, elevating, and connecting our collective talent across the board.


    Thank you to our Partners and Sponsors!


  • July 26, 2022 10:19 PM | Mathias Lemos Castillo (Administrator)

    LATINO PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION HOSTS INAUGURAL GOLF INVITATIONAL 

     

    #FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE#


    Latino Professionals Association (LPA) of Greater Madison

    Contact: Norma Gallegos Valles

    Email: information@lpamadison.org

     

    LATINO PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION HOSTS INAUGURAL GOLF INVITATIONAL 

    The LPA Inaugural Golf Outing Hopes to Raise $10k to Invest in the Development of Latinx Professionals in Dane County

     

    MADISON, WI (July, 15 2022) The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) is proud to present its first Inaugural Golf Invitational. It is our mission to ensure that every Latinx professional has the network, tools and resources needed to elevate their professional and leadership journey. Our golf outing aims to fundraise $10k to invest in the development of Latinx professionals in Dane County. 

    This year, we're excited to bring back meaningful leadership, professional development and engagement activities that will expand and uplift us all in Madison and beyond. Among the variety of events we have hosted so far such as Conexiones Luncheons, Conexiones After Hours and Leadership Forums, one of our milestones was creating the its first Latinx group to run CrazyLegs. Now, we're proud to present our first LPA Invitational, a Golf Outing with the goal to raise 10K to continue supporting the professional development of Latinx professionals in Dane County. “As the Latinx population continues to grow, LPA is firm in its work to continue creating safe spaces where we can explore personal enrichment activities to learn and lean on each other while enhancing our leadership and professional development. Civically, we take it to heart that if spaces are not “designed” for us, we will create those spaces, and ensure that we feel genuinely supported.” says Norma Gallegos Valles, Board President of the Latino Professionals Association (LPA).

    This is a historical event in which this will be the first of many LPA Golf Outing events. With these events we will bring back meaningful leadership, professional development and engagement activities that will expand and uplift member’s networks in the greater Madison Area. “We’re excited for the Inaugural LPA Golf Outing; we’ve seen an amazing amount of interest, significantly more than we anticipated.” Said Daniel G. Guerra Jr., LPA Board Member. Guerra went on to say, “This is a great opportunity for Latinx and Non-Latinx professionals to interact in a social environment and for Latinx to occupy spaces that have historically been exclusive.”

    Whether you are an amateur or beginner, this would be the perfect space for you to learn, invest and make meaningful connections in a safe space. To register, please visit our website

    We have 4 different sponsorship packages available: 

    1. Sponsorship by the hole at $350

    2. Sponsorship by the hole plus golferup to $580

    3. Individual Sponsorship as a Visionario (paid) member at $60

    4. Individual Sponsorship as a Colega (non-paid) member at $80

    If you are interested in this sponsorship opportunity and would like to explore more in depth partnerships opportunities, let’s connect over coffee or lunch and talk about transformational impact. For questions, don't hesitate to contact us at information@lpamadison.org. We’d love to connect with you! 

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    About The Latino Professionals Association 

    The Latino Professionals Association (LPA) recognizes that Latinos are excelling in many industries and career sectors – reflecting the growing diversity of our state population that contributes to overall socioeconomic growth. Our vision is to cultivate a community that inspires, develops and empowers Latinx professionals to pursue their success while recognizing, elevating and connecting our collective talent across the board. 

     

    Thank you to our Partners and Sponsors

     

     



  • September 16, 2019 11:28 AM | Deleted user

    Building Our Legacy Changes Location Due to High Demand 

    On September 30 – October 1, 2019 the conference will now be held at the Radisson Hotel in Madison, Wis.


    Madison, Wis.Building Our Legacy, a professional conference focused on leadership development and career advancement, September 30 – October 1, will now be held at the Radisson Hotel Madison. High attendance demand has created reason for the Latino Professionals Association (LPA) leadership to move the full two-day conference to a venue that can accommodate the anticipated number of Wisconsin-area professionals. “We’re seeing tremendous interest in the educational value of learning for Latinx professionals by Latinx professionals,” remarked LPA President Nicole Sandoval. “Changing locations signals a very exciting time — one that will raise the potential of our current and future diverse Wisconsin workforce.”

    Now in its second year, the conference will continue its focus on professional growth, leadership development, civic & public engagement as well as personal enrichment through keynote sessions, concurrent breakouts, panel discussions and one-on-one coaching. This year it will feature three-award winning authors — Keynote speaker Andrea-Teresa Arenas, Aaron Bobrow-Strain, and Armando Ibarra — along with various breakout session tracks, providing attendees with a unique, customizable learning experience.

    Registration continues to build on a daily basis with the conference/dinner packages already sold out. Full-conference seats are still available but with high risk of selling out. Interested professionals looking to elevate their careers should register soon at lpamadison.org/BOLC

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    The Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison recognizes and enhances the lives of Latino professionals through leadership development, professional growth, civic and public engagement and personal enrichment. Learn more at lpamadison.org




  • August 27, 2019 8:00 AM | Deleted user

    Keynote speaker Andrea-Teresa Arenas, Aaron Bobrow-Strain, and Armando Ibarra will headline the two-day conference, September 30 – October 1, at Madison College.


    Madison, Wis. Building Our Legacy, a professional conference focused on leadership development and career advancement, will feature three award-winning authors who will delve into their work and Latinx culture, providing attendees with a unique experience across the two-day event, September 30 – October 1 at Madison College.

    The Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison (LPA), an organization that inspires, develops and empowers individuals to pursue success, hosts and organizes this annual conference, now in its second year. “We are committed to providing both experienced and budding professionals alike with the educational opportunities they need to reach the next levels of their careers,” said LPA President Nicole Sandoval, “and the Building Our Legacy conference is a key component to our mission.” 

    Focused on providing attendees with an incomparable education, the LPA has added these award-winning authors to enrich the learning experience:

    • Keynote speaker Andrea-Teresa Arenas, Author, Somos Latinas: Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists, will share her work of bringing 25 powerful narratives to light, as part of the Somos Latinas Digital History Project, and provide insight on the inspirational lives and works of Latinas who have changed their world and history.

    • Aaron Bobrow-Strain, Author, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez, will give a timely look into detention centers and immigration courts infringing on the book’s characters and a revealing view into “the human consequences of militarizing what was once a more forgiving border.”

    • Armando Ibarra, Author, The Latino Question: Politics, Laboring Classes, and the Next Left, will give an introduction to his book — a compelling critique of the political economy and explain how Latinos in pursuit of the American Dream get trapped in a cycle of debt and labor. 

    “Attendees will be emboldened by the profound stories of Latinx struggle and achievement,” said LPA Conference Chair Faustina Bohling. “Combined with the professional growth, leadership development and personal enrichment sessions at the conference, they will leave fully prepared to take the next advancement steps in their careers.”

    For a limited time, professionals can become an LPA member, attend the Building Our Legacy conference, and enjoy the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce dinner for $299. To take advantage of the offer and for more information on this highly anticipated even visit lpamadison.org/BOLC


    Arenas  Bobrow Strain  Ibarra


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    The Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison recognizes and enhances the lives of Latino professionals through leadership development, professional growth, civic and public engagement and personal enrichment. Learn more at lpamadison.org



  • March 22, 2019 3:53 PM | Finance Chair (Administrator)

    PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

    SANDRA KEIL, QA PROJECT LEADER – GE HEALTHCARE

    BY JONATHAN GRAMLING 


    When Sandra Keil was laid off from her banking job in her native Colombia, she received some practical advice. While she had a degree in industrial engineering, she only knew Spanish.

    “When I started looking for another job, the interviewers asked, ‘Do you speak another language,’” Keil said. “I said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘We suggest that you do because you are going to have more opportunities to find another job.’ I started looking for opportunities outside of Colombia.”

    As luck would have it, a friend of her sister who was involved in a U.S.-Colombia student exchange put her in touch with a family that lived in Madison. And so Keil moved to Madison to study English at the WESLI on the Capitol Square.

    “It was January 20th when I came,” Keil said. “They said that it was cold, but I never imagined how cold it was. They said it was colder than you can even explain. It was 20 degrees below zero. I wasn’t dressed properly for that. I dressed for Bogotá, which is where I am from. Bogotá is up in the mountains, so it gets cool. It gets maybe 50 degrees at night, but never 20 degrees below. That was the first shocking experience for me.”

    While WESLI was a great introduction to English, the training there left Keil feeling somewhat unprepared to go back to Colombia.

    “I went there for about six months,” Keil said. “My English was really basic. Even though I took English in college in Colombia, it was really basic. And when I was in high school, I took Spanish, so my English was very basic. I went to WESLI and I learned a lot. But it was very difficult for me to know that although I was learning in the classroom, I couldn’t translate in the real world. I was able to understand the teacher, read and everything. But when I came out and went to McDonald’s, I only picked from the menu using the numbers. I would say number two or number three. If they asked whether it was for here or to go, I didn’t know what they were saying. So I only went to the places that had numbers for the menu because it was safe for me.”

    Keil was determined to learn English and be able to use it, so she enrolled at Lakeland College in a regular course.

    “I picked the class that would have more conversation and would seem more real to me,” Keil said. “And I took a marketing class just to practice more English. And it really worked for me because the marketing class was more conversation, more real life scenarios. It was a really, really good experience. That was another semester. And then at the end of that year, I decided to go to graduate school and get an MBA from Edgewood College.”

    Keil attended Edgewood College because as an international student, it was cheaper for her to attend there than at UW-Madison. Edgewood College had the same tuition price for all students. She also liked the smaller classes. She earned her MBA in 1996 and then earned a certificate in quality improvement.

    “I didn’t know it was going to take this long,” Keil said. “But I thought when I was here, it really became a challenge to succeed, to be able to bring something back. And I didn’t want to go back and say, ‘Well, I just learned English and that was it.’ I needed something else. It’s really difficult, but it is a self-challenge that you put on yourself to say, ‘I need something else. I am determined to get something more. And it is an opportunity for me to do that.’”

    Keil returned to Colombia to visit, but then opportunity appeared once more in Madison. Keil was offered a job at Great Lakes Higher Education because foreign students earning American degrees get work visas when they graduate. Keil thought she would get 2-3 years of experience under her belt and then return home to Colombia.

    “It was a great experience because I felt it gave me the opportunity to work,” Keil said. “At the same time, it was difficult because this is someone with an industrial engineering degree and a master’s in business who was on the phone collecting on student loans. But I didn’t see it as that at the time. I saw it as an opportunity. So I started working collecting on student loans. I did really well and became a team leader. I always had a goal. I am here, but there is something else. This is a bridge that is going to take me somewhere else. And I need to find the way to get there. I was a bilingual collector. Half of the time, I was calling the American households and the other half of the time, I was calling people in Puerto Rico and other Latin cultures. That was the reason I found the job, because it was a bilingual opportunity. It definitely helped with my English. If I was on the phone and someone was on the other line, I had to learn. I had to get it done. It was the best way to learn.”

    Keil kept intending to leave Great Lakes, but they kept giving her offers that she couldn’t refuse.

    “I thought I would be there for a year,” Keil said. “But then, I did really well on the job. I was a team leader. And then I moved to another department when I was working in quality and process improvement. This is what I went to school for. I had a lot to give. Great Lakes could take advantage of that. It was both ways. They were giving me an opportunity and I was really giving them a lot of what I had learned. What empowered me was people. I love working with people and they were really good people to work with. After the year, they decided to sponsor me to get a green card. My degree in industrial engineering helped as well as the quality improvement and the MBA helped. I think being bicultural also helped. Coming from another country and going through all of these challenges made me become more resourceful. You learn that there is nothing that is going to be impossible. You went through all opf these challenges. You got it done. You went through it. You got past all of these obstacles. So at the workplace, it is the same scenario. If you have a conflict, if you have an obstacle, there is something that you can do to get it done. And that is what I was doing at work.”

    And then Keil hit a roadblock to her career at Great Lakes.

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