Board of Directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade determined to reclaim new image and agenda for event

A newly formed Board of Directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc., has launched an aggressive plan that will usher a new era of cultural pride, inclusion, accountability and transparency, for the iconic cultural event to be held on Sunday, June 8th, 2014.

In a meeting held Saturday, February 22nd, at the Parade’s headquarters in the Bronx, the new Board of Directors crafted a new agenda that will re-focus the Parade and its related events on highlighting the rich vibrant Puerto Rican cultural heritage, and advancing positive imagery and empowerment for the community both in Puerto Rico and the United States. Their goal is to make the 2014 Parade for all people by embracing the great diversity of the Puerto Rican diaspora from across the country, as well as individuals of all cultural backgrounds.

Also on Saturday, the new Board selected Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Executive Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement at AARP, and former Secretary of State of New York, as Chairperson. Other selected leaders include Ululy Martínez, Attorney, and Melissa Quesada, Special Associate at the NYC Law Department’s Commercial and Real Estate Litigation Division, as Co-Vice Chairs. Carmen A. Pacheco, Esq., Partner at Pacheco & Lugo, PLLC (the first women owned Hispanic law firm in New York, established at One World Trade Center in 1992), and Rosa Gutiérrez, Vice President of Finance at a major insurance company, will serve as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

“We have a serious mandate ahead of us”, Cortés-Vázquez said. “I look forward to a glorious Parade on June 8th, and implementing the positive changes, inclusion and collaborations that will not only make the Parade stronger, but will also represent all of the assets and contributions of the Puerto Rican community”.

As part of the meeting, the Board also created three special committees that will focus on cultural arts and education, audits and finance, and development. Committee chairpersons are Sandra García- Betancourt, President and CEO of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance – NOMAA (Cultural Arts and Education), Rosa Gutiérrez (Audits and Finance) and María Elena Girone, President & CEO of the Puerto Rican Family Institute (Development). All Board Officers and Committee Chairpersons are part of an overall Executive Committee.

“I am confident that the diversity of skill and talent on this new Board will translate into a parade that all Boricuas will be proud of”, says Ululy Martinez. “We have made it our personal mission to reestablish the standards of excellence that the Puerto Rican community expects from our Parade”.

In addition, also on Saturday, the Board extended an invitation to representatives from Boricuas For A Positive Image, who recently submitted a letter to express concerns about the Parade and specific requests for the new Board to address. The meeting with the community leaders was amicable and collaborative, with the Board expressing alignment with their concerns about the need to refocus the parade.

“With this new and reinvigorated board, I believe that we will underscore to parade goers and viewers the distinctive cultural traditions and vitality, education, and professionalism that exist within the landscape of the Puerto Rican community”, Carmen A. Pacheco, Esq., said.

Honorees, related events and logistics for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade 2014, will be announced at a press conference this Spring.