Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee
Griselda Aldrete, executive director of the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, recently graduated from the National Hispana Leadership Institute’s Executive Leadership Program. The program, which caters to a select group of participants, focuses on skill development, mentorship and training.
The program also emphasizes social responsibility, particularly in regard to the needs of the Hispanic community. Aldrete completed the program over 10 months, during which she attended sessions in cities across the country. HPGM is a nonprofit membership organization that supports Hispanic professionals and businesses through leadership opportunities as well as mentoring, education, networking and other initiatives.
Waukesha County Technical College
Barbara Suyama, career connections director at Waukesha County Technical College, has been honored with the Outstanding Career Practitioner Award by the National Career Development Association. The nonprofit membership association, comprised of professionals in the career development field, offers professional development, connections and other resources to members so they can help their clients make smart career choices. The association salutes career counselors, consultants and teachers for excellence in performance. Suyama, who has been an NCDA member for eight years, was recognized for her leadership of WCTC’s Career Connections Department and for her efforts in the resurgence of the Wisconsin Career Development Association.
The Milwaukee Bar Association
The Milwaukee Bar Association’s 2014 Pro Bono Publico Awards honored attorney David Bartel of Quarles & Brady LLP; law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; and law student Brittney LaFond of Marquette University Law School. The annual awards recognize legal professionals and firms for exceptional pro bono work. Award recipients were selected by a committee from a pool of nominations. The committee evaluated nominees based on their innovative efforts to provide volunteer legal services or improve access to justice, their involvement in providing legal services to clients living in poverty, and their contributions to legislation that promotes access to justice. Honorees were saluted during the bar association’s 11th annual State of the Court Luncheon on Oct. 22 at the Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee
La Casa de Esperanza
Anselmo Villarreal, Ph.D., president and CEO of La Casa de Esperanza, Inc. in Waukesha, has been recognized with the 2014 Peter B. Goldberg Aramark Building Community Executive Leadership Award. The award, in its fourth year, is given by Aramark’s philanthropic and volunteer program, Aramark Building Community. It highlights excellence in community center leadership and is named for the late Peter Goldberg, former president and CEO of the Alliance for Children and Families (now the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities) and former CEO of United Neighborhood Centers of America. Villarreal was selected by an external panel of judges from more than 24 award applications. He has served La Casa de Esperanza for 24 years and has guided the organization through growth of budget, programs and services. The nonprofit, which focuses largely on serving the Hispanic individuals and families, is an $18 million organization that aids more than 200,000 people each year. As part of the award, Villarreal received a $40,000 grant, which he said will contribute to the opening of La Casa de Esperanza’s new charter school next year.
