Tonight's Program
Cocktail Hour
Opening of Banquet Events 6:00 pm
Mistress of Ceremony: Salina Madrid
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Invocation by Very Rev. Alejandro Reyes Cardenas
Presentation of Colors:
Marine Corps League El Perro Diablo Detachment #478
Pledge of Allegiance: Leslie Martinez
National Anthem: Leslie Martinez
Welcome from
Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Past Chair
Richard Aguilar
Welcome from
Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chair
Sonia White
Sonia White and Richard Aguilar acknowledgment Past Chair:
Belia Alvarez
Janel Carnero from SkyFiesta
introduces new major event coming to Las Cruces
Keynote Address:
Stephanie M. Rodriguez
Cabinet Secretary | New Mexico Higher Education Department
Introduction of the Board of Directors
Presentation of Awards
Stephanie Rodriguez
Stephanie Rodriguez, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department since 2020, has overseen the creation and expansion of the most inclusive free college tuition program in the United States. Fighting for groundbreaking investments in college accessibility, Secretary Rodriguez has helped enact a significant rebound in college enrollment in New Mexico, and she has overseen major investments in supporting adult education programs, students’ basic needs, making higher education a reality for tens of thousands more New Mexicans at every age and different stages of life. A daughter and granddaughter of Mexican migrants, Secretary Rodriguez was the first of her four siblings to graduate from college, and at the time of her appointment as secretary, she was the youngest state higher education executive in the country.