THE NAMES OF THE WINNERS WERE REVEALED AT THE MARIA MANGUAL LATINA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Verizon Wireless was one of the official sponsors of the fourth Maria Mangual Latina Leadership Conference in aims of showcasing the important role Latina professional women play in society. The conference took place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago where the four winners of the annual “Nueva Latina Estrella Award” (NLEA) program were announced, of which received more than 400 nominations in 2014.

At this successful event organized by Mujeres Latinas en Acción, Verizon recognized professional women who have demonstrated success in the areas of technology, business, education and community service.

The committee that selected the semifinalists and winners of each category was comprised of women leaders from Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Cleveland who work in diverse industries which include companies, education, community service, healthcare, government services and media.

The contest prized each winner with $1,000 and a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone.

The winners from each category were:

In the BUSINESS category the winner was Jessica Priego, president of JPriego Communications, from Illinois.

From the COMMUNITY SERVICE category: Neli Vazquez Rowland, co–founder and president of A Safe Haven Foundation, from Illinois.

In EDUCATION the winner was: María Teresa DePaoli, professor from the Modern Languages department from Kansas State University in Kansas.

In the area of TECHNOLOGY the “NLEA” winner was: Maria Elena Tototzintle, from Tequila Digital Media, who resides in Minnesota.

From left to right: Elva Pulido, (Verizon) Maria Pesqueira, (Mujeres Latinas en Acción); 2014 NLEA winners: Neli Vazquez, Jessica Priego, Maria Elena Tototzintle and Miguel Bassail, Marketing and Multicultural Strategies manager in the Midwest area.

 With this initiative Verizon not only awards the work of today’s Latina, but also highlights that she is bilingual, bicultural and a college graduate. They are women who envelop their culture and heritage, and at the same advance in their distinct industries, acquiring experience and serving their communities.