August 14, 2009

Tessa Benavides

Flores speaks about closing achievement gap

during new education initiative launch

HACU President and CEO Antonio Flores served as an invited speaker on a panel at the launching of the joint education initiative of the New America Alliance and The Executive Leadership Council. The “Encuentro on Education” event was held in Santa Barbara, CA, on August 13-15.

The theme of the weekend’s event was “A Permanent Recession: The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap.” Flores spoke on the panel addressing "Defining Issues and Connecting the Business Community."

Flores’ presentation focused on the importance of  higher education to the world’s prosperity and the benefits of corporate involvement in helping to address the disparity of educational access for minority and other underrepresented communities, especially in light of the growing importance of Hispanics in the American workforce.

Flores was joined on the panel by Byron G. Auguste, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co; Bryan Hancock, Partner, McKinsey & Co.; and Kris Gutierrez, Ph.D., President, American Educational Research Association, Obama Transition Team Member, and Professor of Social Research Methodology, University of California Los Angeles.