She is also a Fellow in the National Hispana Leadership Institute’s 2011 Executive Leadership Program and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

A first generation Cuban American, Midy named her communications firm after her mami andabuelita.

Her grandmother, Manuela ¨Nenita¨ Sánchez was born in Havana Cuba. Midy says that her abuelita´s political and cultural views helped her establish her own values in life. Her mother, Miriam Ricardo, was also born in Cuba. On her website, Midy says of her mother: “She is the definition of fight, grit, work and perseverance.”

Midy explains her mother and grandmother are very different from each other and yet are joined at the hip, which has always made for interesting exchanges between them.

Click here for full article.

The Collaborative Partnership of Eleven (11) National Organizations Marks the First of its Kind as it Seeks to Support the Founder of “

WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 24, 2011) – Under the leadership of New Latina, a bicultural lifestyle and online destination centered on personal growth for today’s Latina, members of social media’s most prominent Latino online influencers – bloggers, business owners and networks – have partnered to educate audiences on Spina Bifida and raise funds for continued research.

The group is backing the “Walk-N-Roll Spina Bifida Blog Carnival Fundraiser,” in support of one of social media’s leading Latina activists, Laura Tellado, Founder of HoldinOutForAHero.org.  Ms. Tellado was also born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth.

“According to the Spina Bifida Association of America, Spina Bifida has been found to occur more frequently in Hispanic populations. Therefore, the Latino blogger network provides an excellent forum to increase awareness on important issues like this one affecting our community,” says Publisher and CEO of New Latina, Angélica Pérez-Litwin, PhD. “Our hope is to use this effort as a model for working together, across network interests, and to promote and advocate on issues affecting the Latino community.”

“I am incredibly grateful to the all the partners involved in making this dream a reality,” says Ms. Tellado, who has dedicated her life to raising awareness on the issue. “I’m encouraged by the partnership and believe it reinforces my motto that it really does ‘take a village.’  I hope next week’s Blog Carnival will educate families about Spina Bifida and gain support for Spina Bifida Association (SBA) chapter in central Florida.”

The Walk-N-Roll Spina Bifida Blog Carnival encourages bloggers and online media to publish a “call to action” using existing content created by Ms. Tellado on Wednesday, October 25, 2011. Concurrently, participants are encouraged to spread the word on Facebook and Twitter asking others to donate to the cause via Ms. Tellado’s Chipin Page.  Further instructions, as well as blog carnival badge and grab codes, can be found on New Latina and other partnering sites.

The following partners, listed in alphabetical order, represent the eleven (11) national online entities supporting the Blog Carnival:

• Being Latino: A communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum.
• Blogs by Latinas: Online destination of more than 1,800 Latina bloggers.
• Hispanicize: A leading Latino social media news content and digital services platform delivering the latest trends, thoughts, programs, features, issues and questions surrounding social media and technological initiatives impacting online Latinos.
• Holdin’ Out for a Hero: A site designed to generate public awareness of Spina Bifida, and its secondary conditions, while providing moral support and a forum for all who are affected.
• Latina Bloggers Connect: A place for the community of Latina Bloggers to keep learning and growing as professionals and reap the rewards.
• Latina Mom Bloggers:  A sister company of Hispanicize and go-to place for Hispanic online moms to learn and discover new ways to leverage their voice and social media presence.
• Latinos in Social Media: The largest organization of Hispanic Social Media users composed of bloggers, microbloggers, social network group leaders, e-commerce owners, marketers and more.
• Multicultural Familia: An online magazine that is dedicated to addressing issues that affect modern families.
• New Latina: A personal growth and empowerment online destination for Latina women, by Latina women.
• The Sánchez Ricardo Agency: A digital media and Hispanic communications firm representing business groups, nonprofits and corporations seeking strategic counsel in reaching diverse populations online and off.
• SoLatina: An online community for single Latina mothers…where all Latinas Are Welcome.

For more information on Spina Bifida and Ms. Tellado’s story, please visit HoldinOutForAHero.org.  For additional information related to this effort, please contact its public relations partner Midy Aponte of The Sánchez Ricardo Agency at 202.244.4415 or via email at Midy@SanchezRicardo.com.

About Holdin’ Out for a Hero

Laura Tellado Calderón, 24, is the publisher and blogger behind Holdin’ Out for a Hero — a site designed to generate public awareness of Spina Bifida, and its secondary conditions, while providing moral support and a forum for all who are affected. The blog also chronicles Ms. Tellado’s own experiences and challenges as an individual with Spina Bifida. Ms. Tellado never lets her condition get in the way of her dreams. In fact, she harnesses her reality and uses it to do great and wonderful things! In addition to publishing her blog,  She is currently raising awareness (and funds) for a team she is convening at the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida’s Inaugural Walk-N-Roll, scheduled for October 29 in Orlando, Fl.

About New Latina™

New Latina is a personal growth and empowerment online destination for Latina women, by Latina women.  Our mission is to celebrate Latina women, redefine what it means to be Latina, and promote personal and professional success. We are a growing community of ambitious Latinas supporting each other to live happy and successful lives. Visit us at NewLatina.net.

– David Ogilvy

Recently, the multicultural practice of a very large public relations agency, posted this tweet:  “As a marketer the worst way to think about your customers is as your neighbors, friends and family. The market is MUCH more complex.”

In public relations, advertising and marketing we refer to groups of people in masses — “target demographics,” “regional markets,” “Spanish-language dominant Hispanics,” “biculturals,” etc. Of course, it’s absolutely necessary to identify the values, lifestyles, cultural and psychographic preferences that collective groups of individuals share. This is what makes our particular marketplace so uniquely layered. And undeniably, understanding this allows marketers to delve deeply into the complexities of different groups. A necessary component of any successful marketing and public relations effort.

However, one critical component is too often overlooked. The human connection.

Read More

Specifically, BCMPros^® will focus on a wide-range of Portfolio Management support, including third-party assessments, planning and project management, as well as training and testing related to:

• Disaster Preparedness & Recovery: Equipping organizations to continue to manage business operations under adverse conditions, by introducing appropriate resilience strategies, recovery objectives, business continuity, operational risk management considerations, and crisis management plans.
• Security: Readying organizations to detect, counter, and neutralize potential physical and Cyber security threats. BCMPros^® has proven worldwide experience in cyber crime, anti-terrorism and nuclear energy.
• Cloud Computing: Supporting large enterprises’ strategic and phased approach toward migrating to the Cloud by implementing BCMPros^® defined “Readiness Assessment” process to assure the transition is one of low risk with maximum value.

“Business Continuity is straightforward. We work with businesses in the private and public sector and assist them in identifying potential risks to their operations in the case of a physical, technological, economic or catastrophic event,” says Molinari. “We help businesses identify those risks before they become a realization, and then equip them with what needs to be done to reduce the time of impact of an emergency and minimize the possibility of a business shutting down and going away.”

BCMPros^® REPRESENTATION

Headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida with representation in Miami, Orlando, Houston, Puerto Rico and Antigua, BCMPros^® also has established reach throughout Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its team members consist of some of the nation’s most qualified and well-respected authorities in the business continuity space, including:

• Shane Molinari, MSc, CISSP, PMP, SSMBB, Founder and Principal: A CISSP-certified and Six Sigma Master Black Belt professional with in-depth expertise in integrated enterprise processes, disaster preparedness and recovery solutions, IT governance and dynamic strategic planning.
• Eduardo Gonzalez Loumiet, MBA, PMP, Principal: An award-winning information technology expert with more than 10 years of experience managing multi-million dollar enterprise technology projects in the private and public sector.
• Linda Nelson, MEd, BA Ed, DVIX (UNIX): A nationally recognized authority in program management, policy and infrastructure development, information technology and statewide and national safety.
• Jason Knowles, BSc: A former U.S. Marine Corps Primary Marksmanship Instructor and security expert specializing in special operations, team tactics, firearms tactical training, dignitary protection, maritime security solutions and self defense.
• Miguel Pacheco, MSc: A banking industry leader with more than 20 years of experience administering business continuity plans throughout the Western Hemisphere and designing compliance infrastructures within Federal/local banking laws and regulations.
• Andrea Marie Agha, MBA: A private and public sector leader in policy, procedure and budget development to support strategic and continuity planning including NIMS/ICS assessment, implementation, design and training.

“I am proud of the team we have brought together,” says Molinari. “Each one brings with them subject matter expertise that reaches far beyond what can be realistically documented on paper. Their specialized knowledge and experience in our three key practice areas provide an unequivocal level of service to our clients that cannot be matched.”

“It is no coincidence we are launching our company in tandem with National Preparedness Month and on the anniversary of Hurricane Andrew in Miami,” says Gonzalez Loumiet, Principal. “We believe it is critical that businesses invest in assessing their continuity plans in the event of a crisis and take proactive measures to ensure all facets of their business is ready to withstand and recover from a significant event.”

ABOUT BCMPros^®

Business Continuity Management Professionals, LLC, (d.b.a. BCM Professionals^®) is a verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) composed of an elite group of Business Continuity Management experts ready to be deployed to assist private and public sector entities in creating and maintaining cutting edge Business Continuity Plans. BCMPros^® provides a wide-range of Portfolio Management support, including third-party assessments, planning and project management, as well as training and testing related to Disaster Preparedness and Recovery, Security and Cloud Computing. For more information, please visit: www.BCMProfessionals.com.

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“We want to expose the great work of Latina bloggers to as wide an audience as possible while shedding a powerful spotlight light on issues of concern to them,” said Miguel Ferrer, Managing Editor at AOL Latino. “The Bloguera Spotlight initiative is focused on amplifying the voices of socially active bloggers in order to start conversations that are important to the community – one we are not only seeking to engage but empower.”

AOL Latino users will be invited to nominate their favorite blogueras on Tu Voz en Tu Vida and other web channels. Selected bloggers will be highlighted with a specially designed badge and will also get exposure on other AOL Latino Web channels.

The initiative was inspired in part by studies that showed that while Latinas were especially active on social networks, they are frustrated by the lack of content on social networks that speaks to their interests. An Adweek study in 2010 found that Latinas as a whole (US and Latin America) represent 85 percent of social network users.  A 2010 study by research firm Sophia Mind reported that 38 percent of US Hispanic women feel social networks lack original content addressing their unique interests.

About AOL Latino

AOL Latino captures the authentic voices and views of the contemporary US Hispanic community. A leading online destination for U.S. Hispanics, the site provides comprehensive bilingual content including U.S. and Latin American news, the latest in music, entertainment, personal finance, sports, fashion and beauty, as well as access to all the existing content available across the AOL network of sites.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

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NEW YORK, MAY 4, 2011 – For a third consecutive year, AOL Latino and Ford Motor Company have joined forces to empower U.S. Hispanic women via Tu Voz(www.tuvozentuvida.com), AOL’s leading online lifestyle destination created by Latinas for Latinas. The site, which now has a refreshed design and enhanced content platform, seeks to continue empowering U.S. Hispanic women with resources and actionable advice to help them better manage and live in a bicultural world.

The revitalized direction and editorial tone for the Ford-sponsored web channel, Tu Voz, establishes the site as the reflection and voice of contemporary U.S. Hispanic women.. With editorial and resources strongly driven and inspired by user-generated content, Tu Voz is centered on the real life challenges, goals, obstacles and opportunities experienced by today’s digitally savvy Latina. Visitors to the site will be encouraged to share their stories of inspiration, perseverance, and hardship to empower other users to shape the online conversation to reflect their day-to-day lives.

“Latinas are strong, expressive women that have a deep, cultural need to connect with their peers. It’s a way for them to assess where they are and what they need in life to move ahead,” said Marcela Sarmiento, assistant programming manager for AOL Latino and editorial director for Tu Voz. “We want to lift and celebrate their aspirations and accomplishments by letting them drive the conversation to inspire others. Tu Voz is the destination where they can do that.”

One of the focal points of the site will be the Mujeres Como Yo section, which will feature blogs of real women excelling in one of the five key content areas of Tu Voz: finance, career and education, health, lifestyle and automotive. Also featured in Mujeres Como Yo will be real life celebrity stories of triumph and courage and a series of video ‘makeover’ stories where the Tu Voz coaches advise readers via personal interactions on how to take actionable next steps to overcome the day-to-day challenges or struggles they are facing in achieving their goals. Mujeres Como Yo  uses the collective experiences of the site’s  users as shared sources of empowerment.

Tu Voz site enhancements now feature more prominent presence of its lifestyle consejeras (coaches) with twice weekly blogs from each on specific areas of expertise. Leading favorites in the lineup will continue to include: Dr. Aliza Lifshitz, doctor, author, health reporter and editor-in-chief ofVidaySalud.com directing Tu Voz’ Bienestar content (health and well being); Mariela Dabbah, author and accomplished speaker, coaching on Exito (success); and Maria Ines Ferre, radio and television personality coaching on Dinero (money and finance).

The Tu Voz team of coaches welcomes two new additions to the lineup.  Serving as the new Vive Más(lifestyle) coach is Barbara Palacios, former Miss Universe, motivational coach and author of La Belleza de Saber Vivir. Palacios provides lifestyle coaching tips and tools on living life to the fullest.  And in the area of automotive, Tu Voz is also pleased to welcome blogger Johanna Torres, creator ofwww.miblogazine.com, and former editor-in-chief of Siempre Mujer Magazine as the leading voice ofAl Volante (Behind the Steering Wheel).

“There’s a gap in the marketplace in reaching Latinas in a meaningful way, and we’re happy to be filling that gap,” said David Rodriguez, Multicultural Marketing, Ford Motor Company. “Tu Vozprovides an empowering platform for Latinas in the U.S. and it also allows us to tell our brand story in a relatable way. And this year, with the addition of Johanna Torres, we’re glad to be putting a face to the Al Volante section. Johanna will help bring a real perspective on how autos fit into the lives of Latinas.”

To complement the insights of the lifestyles coaches, Tu Voz will extend its network of Latina blogger communities to create a featured presence of bloguera spotlights and themed Twitter parties to impart tips, trends and motivational support to women. Facebook efforts will be integrated into the Tu Voz’Instant Win Contest which invites users to submit their tips to be featured in real-time on www.tuvozentuvida.com for an opportunity to win a variety of prizes.

These changes will ensure Tu Voz will stay true to the mission of reflecting the authentic voice of the U.S. Hispanic woman.

About AOL Latino

AOL Latino captures the authentic voices and views of the contemporary US Hispanic community. A leading online destination for U.S. Hispanics, the site provides comprehensive bilingual content including U.S. and Latin American news, the latest in music, entertainment, personal finance, sports, fashion and beauty, as well as access to all the existing content available across the AOL network of sites.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

To close the opportunity gap among Latinas and address their underrepresentation in top leadership roles, NHLI’s programs are designed to develop Hispanic women as ethical leaders for positions of national, international influence, and public policy impact and as contributors to the advancement of the Latino community.

Going on its 24th year, the Executive Leadership Program is held in conjunction with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Center for Creative Leadership. The program is set to begin February 22 in San Juan Bautista, CA and consists of a four-week training curriculum that spans nine months. The intensive and transforming learning experience addresses skills development and cultural application through a female and a Hispanic cultural lens. ELP includes training in cross-cultural communication, strategic management, public policy, and leadership skills building. In addition, with mentoring and the implementation of a leadership project as key components, the impact of the program transcends well beyond the training. Upon graduation, each participant mentors two young Latinas and completes a project in her community that impacts at least 25 Hispanics.

Every year, a national recruitment effort solicits applications from mid-career Latina leaders to the competitive program. Participants are selected based on their community service record, professional and personal accomplishments, and dedication to serving their community.

The 2011 ELP Class is a diverse and talented group of women, coming together from 14 different states. More than 80% of the women hold at least one graduate degree in fields such as business, social work, public administration and law. Nine of the 22 fellows lead nonprofit organizations, five are corporate executives, five come from the government sector and the remainders are entrepreneurs who have launched their own businesses.

“The fellows represent Latina leadership at the core. They are high achievers, passionate about the issues they work on, and committed to improving opportunities for all Latinos,” said Cristina Lopez, NHLI’s President. “The Executive Leadership Program will build on the strengths of each leader and promote social responsibility and stronger attention to the needs of the broader Hispanic community,” added Lopez.

This year’s fellows are:

Alma Lorena Anguiano, Walnut Creek, CA
HR Director, McDonald’s USA LLC, Walnut Creek, CA

Midy Aponte, Washington, DC
President/CEO, The Sanchez Ricardo Agency, Washington, DC

America Baez, Chicago, IL
Talent Acquisition and Diversity Consultant, Chicago, IL

Bella A. Castillo, Villa Park, CA
President and CEO, American Leadership Academy Inc., La Mirada, CA

Ruth Noemí Colón, White Plains, NY
Acting Secretary of State, New York, NY

Judy Davidds-Wright, Anaheim, CA
Director of Community Partnerships, GreenDot Public Schools, Los Angeles, CA

Georgina Fabian, Chicago, IL
President, The International Business Law Group, LLC, Chicago, IL

Claudia P. Granados, Newark, NJ
Senior Advisor to Mayor Cory A. Booker, Newark, NJ

Lucia Moraes Jennings, Atlanta, GA
Demand Planning Manager, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, GA

Denise Jovanovich, Lincoln, NE
Assistant Zone Marketing Manager, State Farm, Lincoln, NE

Patricia Lally, Seattle, WA
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Dept. of Justice, Seattle, WA

Madeline LaSalle, Arlington, VA
Minority Achievement Coordinator, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington, VA

Nidia (Fernandez) Malone, Collegeville, PA
Product Source Management Manager, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA

Christine Marquez-Hudson, Denver, CO
CEO, Mi Casa Resource Center, Denver, CO

Roymi V. Membiela, Coral Gables, FL
Corporate VP Marketing & Public Relations, Baptist Health South Florida, Coral Gables, FL

Olivia Mendoza, Lakewood, CO
Executive Director, Colorado Latino Forum, Denver, CO

Esmeralda T. Mora, Pasadena, CA
LA Urban Teacher Residency Field Director, Center For Collaborative Education, Los Angeles, CA

Maria Luisa Ramos, Phoenix, AZ
Director, American Dream Academy, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ

Lissette Resto, Staten Island, NY
Director of Professional Development and Training, Episcopal Social Services, New York, NY

Aida H. Schaefer, Inver Grove Heights, MN
Senior Finance Manager, Best Buy Co Inc, Richfield, MN

Lourdes Tinajero, Washington, DC
Program Manager and Analyst, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

Ana M. Valdez, Arlington, VA
Executive Director, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, Washington, DC

The 2011 Fellows join a network of over 500 distinguished Hispanic women who have graduated from the Executive Leadership Program.

Some of NHLI’s alumnae include Ambassador Carmen Lomellin, U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States (Class of 1989); former New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, now Executive Vice-president of Multicultural Markets and Engagement at AARP (Class of 2001); Elizabeth Montoya, Chief of Staff of the White House Office of Personnel Management (Class of 1992); Lillian Rodriguez Lopez, President of the Hispanic Federation (Class of 2003); Esmeralda Santiago, author (Class of 1990); Maria Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino’s Executive Director, (Class of 2004); and Nely Galan, Media Mogul & President of Galan Entertainment (ELP Class of 1989).

As the only executive program for Latinas, NHLI has been recognized with the Independent Sector award, by the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute and named among the 20 top leadership programs by Latino Leaders magazine, among other acknowledgments.

According to NHLI’s Impact Study: Transforming Latina Leaders and Communities – a comprehensive assessment of NHLI leadership programs over the last twenty years – NHLI has had a significant impact on communities across the country through more than 500 alumnae leadership projects, some of which have spun into national organizations such as the National Latino Children’s Institute, directly reaching more than 35,000 Latinas and touching hundreds of thousands of lives. Furthermore, over the last two decades, alumnae have directly provided one-on-one mentorship to more than 5,000 Latinas.

In addition to the Executive Leadership Program, NHLI offers the Latinas Learning to Lead program for young Latinas (17-22 years) enrolled in college, regional Latina Empowerment Conferences in various cities, an annual Executive Leadership Training Conference and Mujer Awards (Los Angeles, CA November 2-4), and online training seminars.

Applications for the 2012 Executive Leadership Program and other trainings will in the spring at available at www.nhli.org.

The National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) is a leadership development organization focused on Latina leaders. Founded in 1987, NHLI has trained and empowered more than 10,000 Latina leaders from the public and private sectors who have been appointed to leadership positions in government, corporate America, nonprofits, foundations or have started their own businesses. NHLI’s mission is to develop Hispanas as ethical leaders through training, professional development, relationship building, and community activism. www.nhli.org.

CONTACT:
Yasmin Mazloomdoost or Cheryl Aguilar at 703-527-6007; Yasmin@nhli.org; Cheryl@nhli.org

by Allena Tapia, Hispanic Executive Magazine

Midy Aponte built the foundation of her communications firm with a business plan in her hand and a Blackberry under her pillow.

Aponte’s account of starting The Sánchez Ricardo Agency demonstrates the methodical and purposeful planning required. It is easy to imagine a vibrant, young worker building a foundational wall one brick at a time when she describes the delicacy and deliberation with which she created contacts and networks while carefully respecting her role as vice president at a public-affairs firm on K Street in Washington, DC. Fellow start-ups can relate to the idea of serving an employer around the clock – while constantly concocting individual projects.

The fruit of Aponte’s labor is Sánchez Ricardo, a Washington, DC, communications agency that prides itself on being a woman-owned, nonpartisan agency that strategically counsels its clientele in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, social marketing, and multicultural communications. Aponte directs these services mainly through the use of social media, coalition building, niche media relations, and program development. “Our business model has been to reach outside of the DC are and link nonprofits, small businesses, and people into this area. I’m serving as a bridge for them to come into DC and be a part of the region’s decision-making,” Aponte explains.

WHE THE NAME SÁNCHEZ RICARDO?

“The agency is named after my grandmother and my mom. My granmother’s name is Manuela “Nenita” Sánchez. She’s really influenced my perspectives on life, relationships, and business. My mom, Miriam Ricardo, works as a seamstress in a factory in Miami, and ever since I can remember, I still hear the sounds of the sewing machine in my head – of her sewing in the morning, the afternoon, at night, and on the weekends. That kind of determination, that kind of persistence, is something she imbedded in me. I love, love working. I couldn’t think of anything better to honor them than to name my agency after them.”

We have to harness where we come from and respect it, and then allow ourselves to move to the next level and not get in our own way.

Hailing originally from Miami, where she began her career climbing the ranks in a boutique communications agency, Aponte also worked on the American Legacy Foundation’s ubiquitous “truth” campaign, leaving her fingerprint on something that’s become a part of modern American culture. Her position also bolstered her work in social media, a major component of Sánchez Ricardo’s offerings today. That’s not to say that her rich history with other firms made her transition to entrepreneur effortless.

“There have been some hard times,” Aponte says.” Part of being an entrepreneur is that the journey is filled with many peaks and valleys. You have high moments where you win one and you’re celebrating, and then you have lows, like when that small business can’t pay you. You have to have a very strong mind and very tough stomach because you will be tested – your mind, your spirit, your pocketbook.”

When it comes to the entrepreneur’s pocketbook, Aponte’s strategy comes across in the same methodical manner. “I really focused on developing a strategy for what I wanted to do and finding the size and capital to be able to do it, because I knew it was going to be risky,” she says. “I set aside as much as I possibly could, and living in DC means you can’t set aside a lot. But I did, and I focused on my company. I had a lump sum when I left the old firm, and I was prepared to live with that for a while. You have to prepare yourself mentally for that leap.”

Aponte stresses that the leap into entrepreneurship is not only about finances – you must be in the right mindset. “It’s about making sure that you are emotionally prepared to take that risk,” she notes. “Something that I prepared for psychologically was going out on my own and not having that big-name agency behind me – on being completely independent.”

Despite her preparedness, Aponte says that her main stumbling block in those early days was herself. “I come from a very humble background, so when I found myself in Washington, DC, in a conference room of multinational corporations, I started to feel like I didn’t belong, like somehow I shouldn’t be at that table,” she recalls. “We have to harness where we come from and respect it, and then allow ourselves to move to the next level and not get in our own way. I started to believe that I did have a stake at the table and I did have a voice that I wanted to contribute.”

Judging by the outcome, Aponte’s stake at the table has grown. Sánchez Ricardo received a Women’s Information Network (WIN) nomination for the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” Award during the network’s 2010 Young Women of Achievement Awards. “To be nominated within eight months felt pretty spectacular,” she says. “It came at the right time, and I look forward to many more.”

Sánchez Ricardo serves as the roadmap for boutique public relations agencies through its innovative approach that blends traditional and new media capabilities. The firm’s success stems from its ability to provide clients with strategic counsel on bridging high-level communications with bottom-up social media involvement in order to generate national awareness, create digital influence and sustain audience engagement.

“Effective communications strategies that build reputation and influence are central to any organization seeking to elevate its presence on the national platform,” says Midy Aponte, President and Founder of The Sánchez Ricardo Agency. “Our approach with CHL is to blend grasstops strategies with grassroots action to target the right individuals, in the right places who will benefit the most from the organization’s mission. Our goal with CHL is to push their forward-thinking Hispanic Leadership agenda.”

“The Sánchez Ricardo Agency understands the importance of developing Hispanic Leadership. Their expertise in corporate diversity, government and the non-profit segments showcases their breadth, depth and pulse on what is required to push our Hispanic Leadership agenda,” says Glenn Llopis, Founder and CEO of CHL. “Ms. Aponte has been highly strategic and tactical in creating the reach and frequency that is necessary to propel a Hispanic Leadership movement that the Hispanic Community at-large needs for its advancement across business and society.”

Sánchez Ricardo’s expertise includes supporting CHL in securing strategic media partnerships for the summit while building coalitions with like-minded Hispanic organizations. Those efforts are complemented with an aggressive social media strategy designed to reach and engage bilcultural Hispanic professionals on social media with CHL’s mission: to build Hispanic leadership impact and influence.

Aponte, who is a member of CHL’s Summit Committee alongside corporate representatives from Toyota and IBM, will also serve on the panel, The Hispanic Entrepreneurial Spirit: Why Being Entrepreneurial is Critical to Propel New Types of Innovations in Business & Society.

About The Sanchez Ricardo Agency
The Sánchez Ricardo Agency is a woman-owned, communications firm, based in Washington, D.C., that conceptualizes and implements communications and digital media strategies in the areas of corporate communications, social marketing and public affairs for businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit www.SanchezRicardo.com.

About The Center for Hispanic Leadership
The Center for Hispanic Leadership is a Southern California-based organization that provides talent development programs to corporations for the advancement of their Hispanic professionals. The Center was founded by Mr. Glenn Llopis, a former corporate executive and author of Earning Serendipity: 4 Skills for Creating and Sustaining Good Fortune in Your Work. Earning Serendipity addresses how to best see and seize opportunities and organic talent growth in today’s brave new workplace.

# # #

Midy Aponte is the owner of The Sánchez Ricardo Agency, a bipartisan consulting firm in Washington, D.C. that provides strategic counsel to businesses, non-profits and government agencies in the areas of corporate communications, public affairs, social marketing and multicultural communications.

She founded Sánchez Ricardo in 2009 with the belief that we have entered an era where aggressive, high-level communications must be married with bottom-up social involvement in order to raise awareness, spark genuine interest and generate action from target audiences. As a bicultural communications strategist with 11 years in the industry, Midy is a sought after expert in conceptualizing and executing multi-faceted campaigns, coalition-building efforts and program development.

A first generation Cuban American, Midy graduated from Florida International University’s School of Journalism. She is a member of the Hispanic Lobbyists Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She also serves on the Board for the YWCA National Capital Area.