KQED and Union Bank Honor Four Bay Area Heroes During Latino Heritage Month

KQED, as part of its month-long celebration of Latino Heritage Month, has partnered with Union Bank to honor four inspirational Bay Area Latinos as local heroes. The 2013 Latino Heritage Month honorees are: public policy expert Orson Aguilar, career training leader Rose Amador-Le Beau, student mentoring innovator Stephanie Bravo, and labor advocate María Marroquin. This year’s Latino Local Heroes will be honored at a private awards ceremony hosted by Amelia Morán Ceja of Ceja Vineyards on Tuesday, September 10 in San Francisco.

For a full listing of Latino Heritage Month programming available on KQED Public Television and KQED Public Radio, please check out the KQED Latino Heritage Program and Event Guide.

The Local Heroes program recognizes and pays tribute to exemplary leaders who are making a difference and enriching the lives of others by improving their workplace, community, region and world. The 2013 Latino Heritage Month honorees share a passion for providing their communities with the tools to thrive in today’s changing world.

Orson Aguilar is the executive director of the Greenlining Institute, one of the nation’s largest multi-ethnic, public policy non-profit organizations. Greenlining conducts research, advocates for better public policies and trains young leaders in the community.

Rose Amador-Le Beau is president and CEO of Center for Training and Careers (CTC), where she has served for more than thirty years. CTC provides employment and education programs to residents of Santa Clara County. Through Ms. Amador-LeBeau’s leadership, CTC has been recognized nationally and internationally for its unique and innovative programming.

A fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, Stephanie Bravo is founder and president of StudentMentor.org, a non-profit focused on improving college completion and preparing students for the workforce. In 2012, StudentMentor.org and the White House launched a partnership to bring more attention to the critical issues of student mentoring and college completion.

María Marroquin serves as executive director for the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, where she oversees daily operations and serves as liaison with local employers and the community. Through the center, she and her team strive to connect workers and employers in a safe and supportive environment and empower them to pursue fair employment, education and job skills training.

“KQED is privileged to join our long-term partner Union Bank as we celebrate the 2013 local heroes,” said KQED President John Boland.  “These individuals are doing outstanding work to benefit the local Latino community, and the Bay Area community at large. We are also pleased to introduce these heroes to our viewers through the video profiles airing on KQED throughout Latino Heritage Month, as we also celebrate with programming that spotlights the historical and modern-day experiences of Latinos.”

“From mentoring students to empowering workers through training and education, each one of our Local Heroes has a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of the members of their communities,” said Union Bank Senior Executive Vice President Pierre P. Habis, head of Community Banking.  “They each embody Union Bank’s values of giving back, and we applaud them for their life-changing work.”

To view video profiles of each honoree and to get more information on the wide range of Latino Heritage programming KQED offers in September, or to nominate a future local hero, visit http://www.kqed.org/community/heritage/latino/.

To learn more about the Local Heroes program, please visit unionbank.com/heroes.

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest rated public television services and a leader in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.  Visit kqed.org for more information.

About UnionBanCal Corporation & Union Bank, N.A.
Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of $102.3 billion at June 30, 2013. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A., provides an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. The bank operated 422 branches in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, and New York as well as two international offices, on June 30, 2013. UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations. In July 2013, American Banker Magazine and the Reputation Institute ranked Union Bank #1 for reputation among its customers. Visit unionbank.com for more information.