The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) is the 501(c)(4) non-partisan leadership organization of the nation's more than 7,000 Latino elected and appointed Latino

public officials An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. NALEO is governed by a 35-member Board of Directors composed of the nation’s Latino elected and appointed leadership with ex-officio representatives from Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) of the National League of Cities, the National School Board Association’s National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. NALEO Educational Fund, founded in 1981, is the organization's 501(c)(3) arm, with a mission of facilitating full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. This organization achieves its mission through integrated strategies that include increasing the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, mobilizing the Latino community to engage in civic life, and promoting policies that advance Latino political engagement.

History

Established in 1976 by

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Edward R. Roybal, Harry Pachon, Robert Garcia, and others recognizing the need for a national network of Latino office-holders aimed at bringing together

Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spaniards, Spanish or Latin Americans, Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino (demonym), ...

of all

national origin National origin is the nation where a person was born, or where that person's ancestors came from. It also includes the diaspora of multi-ethnic states and societies that have a shared sense of common identity identical to that of a nation whil ...

groups, political affiliations, and levels of government. On September 29, 1976, the "National Association of Latino Democratic Officials" was incorporated. The group adopted its current name on May 11, 1978, to reflect the

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

nature of the organization. Congressman Edward R. Roybal served as NALEO president from 1976 to 1991, when the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

named him president

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

. NALEO develops and implements programs promoting the integration of Latino

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

into American society, developing future leaders among Latino youth, providing assistance and training to Latino elected and appointed officials and by conducting research on issues important to the Latino population. The organization is a leading advocate for full Latino participation in the decennial

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

through their ''Hagase Contar'' campaign, providing resources and conducting national outreach, marketing, and media campaigns leading up to and during census operations. Additionally, NALEO Educational Fund advocates for free and fair access to voting for Latino communities, and is a key member of the New Americans Campaign, a nonpartisan national network of nonprofit organizations committed to connecting lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to trusted legal assistance and critical information that simplifies the

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

process in the United States. The organization maintains a headquarters in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, with primary satellite offices in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Professional associations based in the United States Hispanic and Latino American organizations Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Organizations established in 1976 1976 establishments in the United States 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations

History

See also

References

External links