LOS ANGELES - (Business Wire) Today, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund announced that BP America is a Presidential Sponsor of the organization’s 26th Annual Conference to be held in Los Angeles, California, from June 25-27, 2009. BP America is the title sponsor for a special reception and dinner tribute honoring California’s Latino legislative leaders. The NALEO Annual Conference is the largest gathering of Latino elected and appointed officials. More than 800 Latino public officials and their supporters working at all levels of government and in communities across the nation will convene in Los Angeles for three days of professional development seminars, public policy discussions, and exploration of the key concerns that most affect the Latino community and the country.
“BP America is pleased to be a sponsor of NALEO’s 26th Annual Conference,” said Matt Rezvani, General Manager, West Coast External Affairs, BP America. “We are looking forward to partnering with NALEO, honoring the Latino members of California’s Legislature for their contributions to the State.”
Recognized as the “Latino Political Convention,” several key officials from the Obama Administration will be addressing the nation’s Latino elected and appointed leadership at this year’s Conference in Los Angeles, including Cecilia Muñoz, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality; Rebecca Blank, Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs; and Adolfo Carrión, Jr., Director, White House Office of Urban Affairs.
Conference participants will be joined by U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard; California Latino Caucus Chair and State Senator Gil Cedillo; California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass; Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina; San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo; and His Excellency Arturo Sarukhan, Mexican Ambassador to the United States.
“Companies like BP America understand that supporting NALEO is an effective way to support the Latino community,” said Rafael Anchia, Texas State Representative and Chairman of the NALEO Educational Fund. “In these difficult economic times for the nation it is imperative that we promote the policymaking success of our nation’s Latino elected leadership and their efforts to attain a good quality of life for their constituents and communities.”
About NALEO Educational Fund
The NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.
About BP
BP is of one of the world's largest energy companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items. It is the largest oil and gas producer in the U.S. and one of the largest refiners. BP also has a global network of around 22,000 service stations.
BP is a leading player in the global biofuels market. In the United States, BP blended and distributed more than 1 billion U.S. gallons of ethanol around 1.6 million U.S. gallons of biodiesel in 2008. Since 2006, BP has announced investments of more than $1.5 billion in biofuels research, development and operations.
NALEO Educational Fund
Eric Wagner, 213-747-7606, ext. 4427
ewagner@naleo.org
