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Monthly Meeting Minutes
April 23, 2008

I – OPENING
The NCHEPM meeting was held on Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at the Department of
Commerce, Washington, DC. Mr. Milton Belardo, Chair of the NCHEPM called the
meeting to order at 1:43 pm. He welcomed all participants to include new members and
guests, and delivered the Opening Remarks. The meeting was led by Mr. Cyrus Salazar,
First Vice-Chair of the NCHEPM.

II – ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Newly Elected NCHEPM Assistant Secretary is Yasmin Rosa from the Department of Homeland Security. Ms. Erika Duran and Ms. Rosa Castillo from the Hispanic Youth Symposium (HYS) provided information about the Hispanic College Fund and on HYS’ upcoming events. Volunteers are needed to assist with this summer’s Hispanic Youth Symposium. Several symposiums will be held across the Country; volunteers can make a difference in tomorrow’s Leaders and our Hispanic Youth Community. For more information or registration, please visit HYS website at http://www.hispanicyouth.org. Mr. Belardo appealed to all the members and acknowledged the founders, Dr. Harry Salinas, Jeffrey Vargas and Sean Clayton, all NCHEPM former Chairs. EEOC's Hispanic Work Group is soliciting volunteers from the Hispanic community to serve on the Hispanic Work Group. This interagency working group will address the issue of Hispanics underrepresentation in the Federal Government. Ms. Veronica Villalobos, Senior Attorney, EEOC stated this initiative will be a part of the Excel Conference on August 19, 2008. Press release may be out by next week. If you are interested please email Veronica Villalobos at: veronica.villalobos@eeoc.gov. III – AGENDA TOPICS

This week’s NCHEPM invited guests were Mr. Francisco Carrillo, President,
Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA) and Ms. Cynthia Gurne, President,
Career Central OnLine. Mr. Salazar introduced the guests and their respective topics.

Presentations:
Francisco Carrillo, President, Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA) CHSA is an official congressional staff organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and advancing Latino staff in the United States Congress. Mr. Carrillo introduced Mr. David Martinez, Vice-President of CHSA and together they explained that CHSA’s Diversity Initiative focus is to increase the participation of Latino’s, especially youth, on Capitol Hill. CHSA’s mission is accomplished by hosting career development forums and associations with professional and educational institutions; providing Fellows and Scholarship programs; networking, planning social activities, and developing partnerships with Hispanic Associations like NCHEPM. Mr. Martinez added that CHSA’s Community Service Subcommittee has developed a program with Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA to tutor and mentor students during their Saturday school program, which assists Latino students with language skills and academic achievement. Hispanic underrepresentation in the Federal sector and the need for more legislation to address this and other diversity issues was discussed. A follow-up mechanism and working with Congress is needed to monitor progress of legislation affecting Hispanic employment. Mr. Belardo suggested a link to CHSA on NCHEPM website. Mr. Carrillo and Mr. Martinez thanked the NCHEPM members for their attention and feedback and invited everyone to visit their website at www.congressionalhispanicstaff.org. Cynthia (Cindy) Gurne, President, Career Central OnLine Ms. Gurne provided a brief introduction of Career Central OnLine, a company dedicated to supporting workforce readiness and the talent needs of employers through its Employment, Training, Career Development and Business Solutions. It offers individual and organizational clients a toolbox of resources to help align individual talent with organizational needs. Each product and service is customized via a consulting team with expert knowledge of the industry, the skill, and the technology. The website is a virtual career fair or a “one stop” shop for job seekers. Ms. Gurne stressed that Career OnLine wants to prepare job seekers (prior military, and minorities, especially Hispanics) early on to enter the Federal work force. There are many services offered to achieve this: Individual Resources
Job Search Training and Technical Assistance Organizational Resources
Employment and Training Design and Delivery The cost of the “basic/virtual booth” is $3,500 for a 3 month period that includes training on how to use Career OnLine to carry out recruitment and hiring of qualified individuals; it also tracks the activity for reporting purposes. Ms. Gurne thanked every one for inviting her and for their interest in her company. She added that if any one needed more information to email her at Cbgurne@careercentralonline.com. Mr. Lariosa presented an Army video showing the life of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq. Mr. Belardo inquired about a copy to post it in NCHEPM website however the DVD has not been released yet. IV – OTHER BUSINESS
Ms. Laura McMullen, Second Vice-Chair of NCHEPM acknowledged Ms. Tina Galvez,
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Intern who worked diligently as
a Program Analyst with DOL and assisted in the promotion of the Hispanic Youth
Symposium and Hispanic College Fund. Ms. Galvez is returning to Hunter College in New
York to complete her education. Mr. Salazar joined Mr. Belardo in acknowledging Ms.
McMullen for mentoring and empowering Ms. Galvez stressing the positive impact her
work had on Ms. Galvez. Ms. Galvez thanked NCHEPM member and especially Ms.
McMullen and DOL for giving her the opportunity to work and grow as a professional. Ms.
Galvez contact information is
tgalve@hunter.cuny.edu.
Mr. Jorge Ponce inquired about the First Annual Hispanic Career Advancement Summit. OPM’s Interagency Working Group Planning Committee to address Hispanic employment is hosting a Summit in October for all Federal Agencies. More information is forthcoming.
Voting for Hispanic Heritage Month Theme


All NCHEPM members in good standing had the opportunity to vote for the Hispanic
Heritage Month Theme. The themes were:
- Hispanic
- Honoring Hispanic Heritage – Tradition and Culture - Hispanic Americans: United in America’s Cultural Fabric - Hispanic Americans: Embracing America’s Past, Present and Future - Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation Winning 2008 Hispanic Heritage Month Theme: Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation by Amy Shalom, Environmental Service, USDA, APHIS PPD in Riverdale, MD. V – NEXT MEETING
Mr. Belardo announced that NCHEPM is taking a very active role with OPM’s Interagency
Working Group Planning Committee and stated that next month’s meeting may be
combined with the Committee’s meeting. The date has not been set up yet but it will be
either on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 in the afternoon or Thursday, May 22, 2008, in the
morning. Check NCHEPM’s website for updates.

Source: http://www.nationalcouncilhepm.net/documents/aprilminutes08.pdf