ECU hosts second Latino Leadership Summit June 5

GREENVILLE, N.C.   —   East Carolina University and the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN) will host the second annual Latino Leadership Summit June 5. Events will take place in the Murphy Center on the ECU campus, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

State and national leaders will gather with members of the local community, ECU students, faculty and staff to discuss best practices concerning the critical issues of health, business development, immigration, community participation and civic engagement as they relate to the Latino community. 

Juana Watson, an internationally recognized expert and speaker on Latino issues, will open the summit with a keynote presentation, “Transforming Latino Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities.” Watson serves as the senior advisor to the governor of Indiana for Latino and Immigrant Affairs, and her life story is recounted in the book, “Twelve Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things” by Elaine Voice.

David Griffith, professor of anthropology at ECU, will present the luncheon talk, “Latino Entrepreneurship in North Carolina and Beyond.” Griffith is an economic anthropologist specializing in migration, labor and fisheries research. His current research examines Latino settlement and entrepreneurship in North Carolina and local and international migration in Veracruz, Mexico and Olancho, Honduras.

Expert panelists from around the state and nation will lead four breakout sessions, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Concurrent morning sessions will focus on Leadership and Civic Engagement and Leadership and Latino Health. Participants in the concurrent afternoon sessions will discuss Leadership and Business Development and Leadership and Immigration.

Summit attendance is free of charge and open to the public. To register, contact Juvencio Rocha Peralta at 252-258-9967 or 919-394-8218 or e-mail amexcan@gmail.com. Donations will be welcomed and applied to the Latino Education Leadership Scholarship Program.