DOWNEY — Downey Mayor Claudia M. Frometa joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and a cohort of more than 40 Latino policymakers in New York City recently for an economic mobility institute focusing on how to best prepare and equip the current and future Latino workforce to generate long-lasting economic effects in communities throughout the nation. 

The NALEO Policy Institute on Economic Mobility: Building the Infrastructure of Opportunity for Latinos took place recently, at the Westin New York Grand Central.

The convening provided Frometa and other Latino policymakers with the understanding of how the Latino workforce can contribute to repairing and rebuilding our nation’s roads and bridges and how it can improve transportation options for millions of Latinos in rural and urban communities. 

In addition, the Institute provided insight into the importance of local Latino policymakers being at the forefront of advancing effective policies and programs to help put the Latino workforce on the pathway toward economic opportunity.

“The NALEO Policy Institute on Economic Mobility was an excellent opportunity to discuss innovative strategies to help and improve our communities in the areas of workforce development, broadband and economic development,” said Frometa, also a NALEO Executive Board Member.

During the Institute, Frometa reviewed strategies for strengthening local capacity to drive program strategy and how to leverage infrastructure funding opportunities to help constituents.

 Topics addressed during the convening included:

• How We Rise: Economic Mobility Data

• Investing in Yourself as Latino Leaders

• Supporting the Latino Workforce: Turning Training into Infrastructure Careers

• What Works: Workforce Development

• Critical Sector Strategies:

• Construction

• Broadband

• Electrification

Select speakers at this year’s Institute included NALEO’s President, Lubby Navarro; Fabian Núñez, founder and managing partner, ACTUM, and former California Assembly Speaker; Ross Tilchin, director, Economic Mobility Catalog, Results for America; Paige Shevlin, strategic advisor for Infrastructure Workforce Development, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation; Teresa Acuña, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor; Mary Vogel, Executive Director, Building Pathways, Boston; Carol Burnett, Executive Director, Moore Community House, Mississippi; and Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director of the Center for Technology Innovations, The Brookings Institution.

Since 2012, more than 400 Latino elected officials have participated in these professional development institutes dedicated to enhancing leaders’ understanding of workforce development funding and strategies to empower local and national Latino leaders across the country to help provide constituents with greater economic opportunities.