Hispanic Leaders Group Honors Sal Valadez
Date Posted: September 3, 2021
Posted In: Organizations, People,
The Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis (HLG) has announced that the winner of the 2021 Anthony B. Ramirez Premio Esperanza (Hope) Award is Sal Valadez.
Sal Valadez is a Mexican immigrant, a U.S. Army Veteran, and a graduate of The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he was awarded an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science.
He is also a 2019 Fellow of the Washington University in St Louis Community Research Fellows Training Program.
Valadez is a dynamic leader, participating in the board of directors for several organizations in the region, including the Hispanic Leaders Group board. He is also the recipient of multiple awards, most recently including the 2020 St. Louis Business Journal, Diverse Business Leaders Award, and the 2019 St. Louis County Diversity Champion Award.
He is employed by LiUNA — Missouri & Kansas Laborers’ District Council — as representative for Diversity, Outreach & Marketing for their Diversity Initiative. From 2020 to 2021, Valadez also acted as Assistant Research Investigator for a Washington University funded project: “The Opioids Crisis and the St Louis Region, An Immigrant and Ethic Community Survey”.
Throughout his career, Valadez has been an advocate on issues related to language access, diversity, inclusion, and equity.
The Anthony B. Ramirez Premio Esperanza was established by The Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis (HLG) in 2003 under the initiative of Anthony B. Ramirez. Initially named Premio Esperanza, the award name was changed in 2010, in posthumous honor of Anthony B. Ramirez, founder of HLG and creator of the award. The award’s inscriptions read as follows: “To you, for giving Hope… To those, seeking change”.
The purpose of the award ceremony is to recognize exceptional individuals having a record of commitment to the betterment of the Hispanic community over the years through noteworthy contributions. This is the HLG’s signature event, taking place during the national observance of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The event will be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, on Friday, Oct. 8. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for networking. The main program will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., followed by live music and dancing from 9:00-11:00 p.m.
For tickets and additional information, visit at https://www.stlhlg.org. Please note that for the safety of all Esperanza Award attendees, the Hispanic Leaders Group is requiring that everyone should be vaccinated against Covid-19 and should wear a mask. A portion of the net proceeds of the event will be assigned to support the Scholarship Program of the HLG.