Message from the President and CEO of the National Society for Hispanic Professionals (NSHP)

Dear NSHP Friends and Colleagues:

It is my pleasure to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you as the newly appointed President and CEO of the National Society for Hispanic Professionals (NSHP). I am extremely excited to take on this new challenge in this new year and I am looking forward to making NSHP the premier connection point for Hispanic professionals in the United States and the Americas. If you would like to learn more about me please click to see my bio here.

NSHP recently re-launched www.nshp.org as an online resource center to empower Hispanic professionals with networking & leadership opportunities and to provide information on education, careers and entrepreneurship. We have now reached over 2,000 members and are continuously growing. Most of our members are Hispanic professionals located throughout the United States and the Americas.

I would like to invite you all to visit our website regularly because we are constantly updating it with new information. I also encourage you to register as a member through the website since we are currently providing complementary membership to NSHP. This opportunity will not be available much longer so please take advantage of it while you can. Once you register you can participate actively not only in the forums but also by posting information that you think could be of interest to the Hispanic professional community. Just click here to register. Registration is currently free so don’t miss this opportunity to participate. The website now has a Help section that you can go to and get information on how to participate in the forums and post information to the website.

We are also in the process of planning our first two annual NSHP events. They will be our inaugural events marking our availability as the only organization specifically for the Hispanic professional community.

The first event will be NSHP’s 1st Annual Tropical Fiesta Cocktail on April 24, 2004. NSHP will come together with other professionals from across the nation for its cocktail fundraiser in the Spring. This mixer will provide an opportunity for Hispanic professionals to network with other professionals in a social environment while also raising funds to support the NSHP mission. The evening will consist of a show, musical entertainment and dancing, cocktails, dinner and other great surprises. This event will be held at Miami’s most fantastic showplace, Club Tropigala in the Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Towers in Miami Beach, FL. (www.clubtropigala.com). Tropigala is the premier showplace in Miami Beach featuring lavish musical productions, a breathtaking two-story waterfall, top name entertainers, and an orchestra for dancing and listening pleasure. We will continue to provide more detailed information to you on the website as well as in emails as we move forward in the planning of this event.

The second event will be the 1st Annual NSHP Ball of the Americas on September 18, 2004. Over 2,000 members and other guests will be invited to attend the Ball. They will come together in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in the Fall. This black-tie event will be in Miami, FL at Bongos Cuban Café & Nightclub (www.bongoscubancafe.com). International superstars Gloria and Emilio Estefan introduced Bongos Cuban Café and Nightclub as a unique blend of authentic cuisine and the nostalgia of Havana during the 1950’s glory days. Presented in a setting of tropical deco architectural design and located at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL, this will be one of the most prestigious events commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month. NSHP’s Ball will be the most prominent fundraiser to support NSHP’s networking and leadership opportunities for Hispanic professionals. The evening’s program will include an award ceremony, dinner, open bar, and Miami style entertainment. NSHP will present its first Star of the Americas Award to Hispanics that have excelled in their professions. Guests will include renowned and prominent Hispanic professionals in every field in the private and public sectors. The Ball will be one of the largest events held in the Capital of the Americas during Hispanic Heritage Month. It will also be one of the key large-scale and high profile events that will provide intimate networking opportunities with successful Hispanic professionals who represent all regions of the United States and the Americas. It will be an excellent venue for the corporate sector to enhance their outreach efforts to Hispanic professionals through the high visibility that the Ball will provide.

Please save the dates for these great events and I look forward to meeting you all there personally.

NSHP welcomes feedback from its members. Please feel free to provide us with your comments, recommendations or any other feedback.

On behalf of NSHP I wish you all a happy new year.

Salud!

Xiomara A. Sosa
President & CEO
National Society for Hispanic Professionals