Special to the Record
Chelsea City Councilor Kelly Garcia joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and more than 60 other newly elected Latino officials from 18 states. for the NALEO 15th Biennial National Institute for Newly Elected Officials — a three-day convening held Nov. 19–21, in Dallas, Texas at the Dallas Marriott Downtown hotel.
City Councilor Kelly Garcia
at NALEO event for newly
elected Latino officials in
Dallas earlier this month.
The convening provided Garcia and other newly elected Latino policymakers with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of managing differences in today’s political environment and augment their understanding of the policymaking process.
Additional topics addressed during the convening included: Integrity and Ethics in Public Office; Budgeting, Finance, and Fiscal Responsibility; Effective Community Engagement Strategies and Communication Plans.
“Attending the NALEO conference was an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with Latino elected officials from across the nation,” said Garcia. “The knowledge I gained and the relationships I built will undoubtedly enhance my ability to serve our community and address the challenges we face with innovative and collaborative solutions.”
Select speakers at this year’s Newly Elected Institute included Ms. Katherine Aguilar Perez, Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, and
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Los Angeles Tomorrow; Mr. Naseem Khuri, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Negotiations at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy; and representatives from Opportunity Insights, Results for America, and Urban Institute.
Hosted every two years, the National Institute for Newly Elected Officials is the preeminent professional development program for new Latino policymakers and is currently in its fifteenth iteration. In addition to equipping newly elected officials with the necessary governance and leadership skills for effective policymaking, participants also connected with a national network of other new Latino state legislators, municipal and county officials, and school board members and community college trustees.