Six Members of Congress to Participate in CHLI Future Leaders Annual Conference

WASHINGTON, DC-Tomorrow the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) will host its 3rd annual Future Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. with the participation of six distinguished Members of Congress, including CHLI Chairman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21), CHLI Vice-Chair Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18), Congressman Mike Pence (IN-6th) Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), and Congressman Albio Sires will each participate in the event and offer remarks.

“It is a pleasure to once again take part in this event, which each year gathers young professionals and an impressive list of panelists to discuss issues of importance in our hemisphere like democracy, trade and foreign policy,” said Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart. “I commend CHLI for its dedication and commitment to the Hispanic community and look forward to continuing to work towards strengthening its role in policy-making, advocacy and outreach.”

A diverse panel of experts from Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and the U.S. will speak on two informative and thought-provoking panels: The Emerging Role of the Millennial Generation in the Economic Integration of the Americas; and Democracy in the Americas: New Directions in the 21^st Century. The half-day conference will be followed by a networking lunch beginning at 12:30pm in the Capitol Visitor Center cafeteria.

“The CHLI Future Leaders Conference does a wonderful job of bringing together student leaders and policymakers to tackle the grave problems facing the United States and in this instance, Latin America,” said Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. “From the challenges to democracies and the rule of law in the Western Hemisphere to narco-terrorism, this Conference provides the perfect setting to engage our youth and share ideas on resolving serious international issues. I am honored to be speaking before such an industrious and capable group.”

The CHLI Conference will take place on Friday, July 17, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Congressional Auditorium of the Capitol Visitor’s Center in the U.S. Capitol. The theme of the Conference is “Democracy in the Americas: Challenges and Opportunities for the Leaders of Tomorrow.”

The event is free and open to summer interns, congressional staffers, and young professionals. For more information or to RSVP, please visit www.chli.org/events.