About the Gala Event

Last updated: 04/26/2010

• Time, date and schedule information
• Introductory Address and Peruvian Champagne Toast
• 2010 Award Recipients
  • Bridge Builder Award – Michael Barrera
  • Bridge Builder Award – Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D.
  • Bridge Builder Award for Public Service – Nancy Rodrigues
  • Bridge Builder Award for Education – Spanish Immersion Program
  • Bridge Builder Award for Entrepreneur of the Year – Edgar Rios
• About our Title Sponsor Dominion
• Previous Award Winners

THE Hispanic Gala – Friday, April 23, 2010

Science Museum of Virginia
2500 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220

→ See directions to the event

• Time Pre-Gala Reception: Science Museum Rotunda 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• Silent Auction: Science Museum Rotunda 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• Gala Dinner and Awards Program: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Dancing: 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm

For more information, please give us a call at (804) 378 · 4099 or email us at rita.willis@vahcc.com

Introductory Address and Peruvian Champagne Toast by His Excellency Luis M. Valdivieso, Ambassador to Peru

Mr. Valdivieso became the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Peru in the United States on February 17, 2009, after being Minister of Economy and Finance of Peru from mid – 2008 until January 2009. In this capacity, he was also Governor for Peru in the Board of Governors of the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Andean Finance Corporation (CAF), the National Fund for the Financing of the Public Sector Entrepreneurial Activity (FONAFE), and member of the Board of the the Peruvian National Retirement Investment Fund (ONP), the Private Investment Promotion Agency (PROINVERSION), and the Inter-ministerial Committee of Social Affairs (CIAS).

Most of Mr. Valdivieso’s professional career was at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he worked for 28 years starting in 1980. He held senior management positions in various departments, including Advisor and Division Chief, positions in the Asia and Pacific Department (1999-2008) as well as the European Department (1991-1999), which covered all the countries of the former Soviet Union. Moreover, he held Senior Economist positions in the Policy Development and Review Department (1997-1999), and the Western Hemisphere Department (1980-1987). During his career at the IMF, he played key roles in the negotiations of several major IMF-supported programs, as well as policy consultations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Cambodia, Lao, East Timor, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mexico, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador and Somalia. In addition to his country policy experience, Mr. Valdivieso worked extensively on international capital market issues and developing countries’ external debt issues, and contributed directly to the design of IMF’s policies on post-conflict assistance, bank restructuring and supervision, monitoring issues related to financial sector reform, anti-money laundering issues and terrorism, custom unions, fiscal issues, and data management and dissemination. Mr. Valdivieso also was a Special Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru in 1991.

2010 Award Recipients

Bridge Builder Award – Michael L. Barrera

As President of The National Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC), Mr. Barrera coordinates minority business outreach, secures business partnerships and oversees the growth of a Hispanic and Black entrepreneurial website. BIC provides free bilingual resources dedicated to the success of minority owned businesses.

Previously, Mr. Barrera served as President & ceo of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC). During his tenure, the ushcc had its two most profitable years in its history. Mr. Barrera and the ushcc also took a leading role in the passage of CAFTA, and the Peru Trade Agreement. Prior to the USHCC, Mr. Barrera served as the National Ombudsman for the United States Small Business Administration.

He also has extensive volunteer, experience, serving on the boards of the Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, the Denver Boy Scouts of America, and The Latino Coalition’s Advisory Board the Dallas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Bridge Builder Award – Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerald L. Gordon is President and CEO of the Economic Development Authority in Fairfax County, Virginia. He has been with the FCEDA since late 1983. In that time, office space in the county grew from 32 million square feet to more than 110 million square feet and jobs in the county grew from 243,000 to more than 600,000, resulting in lower real estate taxes. Dr. Gordon has also worked for Arlington County, Virginia, and the United States Department of Labor. In 2007, Time magazine called Fairfax County "one of the great economic success stories of our time.”

Dr. Gordon has taught at several Universities, and consulted with numerous city, state and national governments throughout the world. He has also served as a consultant to various US government agencies and the United Nations.

Dr. Gordon holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The Citadel, a Master’s Degree from George Washington University, and a Doctorate in International Economics from the Catholic University of America. He is a Fulbright Senior Scholar and has authored many books and articles on strategic planning, economic development, leadership styles, and other management topics. His most recent book, "The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America,” was published by CRC Press in August 2009.

Dr. Gordon is the 2003 recipient of the prestigious Israel Freedom Award and in 2007, he was named a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council.

http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/

Bridge Builder Award for Public Service – Nancy Rodrigues

Governor Kaine appointed Nancy Rodrigues Virginia’s Chief Officer of Elections in August 2007. With strong bi-partisan support, she was confirmed by the General Assembly in February 2008.

Prior to her appointment she owned a government relations firm. From 1996 to 2005, she served as executive director of DRIVE SMART Virginia, a private/public partnership that works to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries.

Ms. Rodrigues is a recipient of public service awards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Virginia Safe Kids, Virginia Association of Driver Education and Traffic Safety, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and Virginia State Police. A dynamic communicator, Ms. Rodrigues earned the Gold Quill Award, the highest recognition from the International Association of Business Communicators.

She received a bachelor of arts with honors from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and attended graduate school at the College of William & Mary.

Married to Michael Abley, she's the daughter of Elvira and Daniel Rodrigues immigrants from Brazil and Portugal.

http://www.sbe.virginia.gov

Bridge Builder Award for Education – Spanish Immersion Program
Richmond City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools

The VAHCC has chosen Richmond City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools as the recipients of the Education Awards presented at the 2010 Hispanic Gala. The VAHCC gives these awards to recognize the individuals and organizations that do commendable work in education to build bridges among the diverse, racial, ethnic, religious and cultural groups in Virginia.

We have selected Richmond City and Fairfax County Public Schools to receive these awards for the success of their Partial and Two-Way Immersion Programs, which allow elementary school students to acquire a world language and a global perspective. In these programs, the foreign language is used as the language of instruction for regular grade-level classes, including science and mathematics, for half the day. Through these unique and innovative programs, students are able to develop both communicative and academic proficiency in a world language and in English. The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor these schools’ commitments to preparing students for successful futures in the increasing diversity of both Virginia and the United States.

Richmond City Public Schools
http://richmond.k12.va.us/ http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/indexnew/sub/Departments/doi/foreignl/Spanishimm.cfm

Recipient: Fairfax County Public Schools
http://www.fcps.edu http://www.fcps.edu/dis/OHSICS/forlang/partial.htm

Bridge Builder Award for Entrepreneur of the Year – Edgar Rios

Edgar Rios is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Wenzi Capital Partners, a Private Equity Firm in McLean Virginia. Prior to Wenzi Capital, Mr. Rios co-founded AmeriChoice in 1989. AmeriChoice Corporation is a provider of healthcare services to beneficiaries of public-sector healthcare programs, including Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The Company's mission is to improve the health and the lives of the people it serves by providing high-quality healthcare and healthcare management services efficiently and cost-effectively.. Today, AmeriChoice offers health care for those who don't have much choice. AmeriChoice specializes in the federal health care market. The company operates managed health care plans for Medicaid, Medicare, and state Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients. AmeriChoice also provides managed care information technology services such as medical and dental claims processing and member databases, as well as clinical care and consulting services, to government agencies and medical practices. After successfully growing AmeriChoice to be a recognized leader in the healthcare industry, Mr. Rios and his partners successfully negotiate the sale of the company to United HealthCare Corporation a national leader in health care management programs.

Before co-founding AmeriChoice, he was a staff attorney at the Lost Angeles District Counsel’s Office of the Internal Revenue Service, where he represented the IRS before the U.S. Tax Court and U.S. District Court, and an interim bankruptcy trustee in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He was also a founding partner in the law firm of Snyder, Rios and Quevedo.

He is a member of the Bars of New York, California, Virginia and the District of Columbia. As part of his commitment to furthering opportunities in Hispanic and other minority communities, Mr. Rios operates a family foundation that provides scholarships to economically challenged Latino youth. He also serves as a Trustee of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN., and The Brookings Institution in Washington (DC). Mr. Rios serves on the Board of Visitors for Columbia Law School in New York, NY and is a member of the Board of Directors of the An-Bryce Foundation in Vienna, VA.

A native of New York City who was raised in the South Bronx, Mr. Rios holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a JD from Columbia University. He and his wife, Lillian, live in McLean, Virginia.

About our Title Sponsor Dominion

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,500 megawatts of generation, 1.2 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas and oil reserves, 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,000 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage facility with 975 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. Corporate headquarters are in Richmond, Va.

Dominion's strategy is to be a leading provider of electricity, natural gas and related services to customers in the energy-intensive Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S., a potential market of 50 million homes and businesses where 40 percent of the nation's energy is consumed.

Dimensions

We invite you to view our 2008/2009 edition of Dimensions, our second annual corporate responsibility report. We plan to update it regularly as a means of establishing a baseline against which future progress can be measured. For the most complete and comprehensive perspective on Dominion, read our annual report and other materials available on our Web site www.dom.com. The reporting period covered in this report is calendar year 2008, unless otherwise noted. In our report, you will find an overview of the multifaceted network of values, policies and programs that shape the Dominion enterprise and influence our social, economic and environmental performance.

We have organized the report to address topics of material interest to our key stakeholder groups: customers, employees, shareholders and the communities we serve. Our environmental performance potentially affects all stakeholder groups. Reporting in this area has been expanded to reflect new or enhanced initiatives in environmental stewardship.

Regardless of your specific interests, a minimum expectation as you read this report is transparency, candor and clarity – not only in how we convey our strengths but also our shortcomings. We view this reporting process as a valuable tool for communication, organizational learning and improvement over time.

We invite you to send us your comments, questions and suggestions on this and future reports at dimensions@dom.com.

Previous Award Winners

Bridge Builder Award

Hispanic Business Entrepreneur Award

Humanitarian Award

Education Award