Conde guest of honor at the 2010 ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation.

Univision Networks President Cesar Conde was the guest of honor at the 2010 “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHAD) Spring Gala which took place Thursday, June 3rd at 583 Park Avenue in Manhattan.  Conde was selected as this year’s honoree because of his role in the creation of “Es El Momento” (“The Moment is Now”), Univision’s comprehensive, multi-year education initiative launched earlier this year.  The celebration was hosted by national CNN correspondent Alina Cho. 
 
Some of the nation’s most influential education advocates were on hand to pay homage to Conde, including IHAD Founder Eugene Lang; Lang’s son and acclaimed stage and screen actor Stephen Lang, who most recently starred as the ruthless “Colonel Miles Quatrich” in Avatar;  event chairs and philanthropists Cheryl and Haim Saban; Sofia Vergara  who began her career in the U.S. on Univision and now stars in ABC’s Modern Family; multi award-winning salsa performer Victor Manuelle; NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein; the legendary Univision television personality Don Francisco; and Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, the President of Miami Dade College, who presented the award to Conde.
 
”I am humbled to receive this recognition and inspired to continue in our efforts at Univision to help close the achievement gap in our communities,” said Conde. “I celebrate and salute the ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation for helping ensure our youth has access to something no one will ever be able to take away from them, an education.”
 
“Conde’s leadership and dedication to improving the educational lives of Hispanic children exemplifies the mission of the ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation, and it is our honor to recognize him for his vision and achievement,” said Iris Chen, IHAD’s President and CEO.
 
Additional honorees at the Gala were IHAD alumna and actress Stephanie Andujar (“Rita” in the Oscar-nominated film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), who was recognized with the prestigious 2010 Spirit of the Dream Award; The New York City Housing Authority, which received a Special Recognition; and United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Special Assistant to the Secretary on College Access, Greg Darnieder, accepted the award on Duncan’s behalf.
 
The “I Have a Dream” Foundation Spring Gala kicked off at 6:30 PM with an hour of cocktails followed by the Awards Presentation and a sit-down dinner at 7:30 PM.  The evening concluded with a special musical performance by salsa superstar Victor Manuelle.  With 16 studio albums to his credit, all of them hits and Billboard chart-toppers, Manuelle is one of the top-selling salsa artists of this generation.  He has earned countless awards during his career, including recognition at the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, ASCAP Latin Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards and even a Proclamation from the City of New York.  The performance also featured the New York City Dreamers. 
 
Honorary Chairs for the IHAD Spring Gala were Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Phillippe Cousteau, Matthew Goldstein, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Arthur Levine, Congressman Jared Polis and Harris Wofford.  Warren Eisenberg, Peter Fishbein, Jeffrey R. Gural, J. Ronald Terwilliger served as Co-Chairs.