Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez, Senior Vice President at Southern California Edison, will be honored at the Latino Leaders Recognition Luncheon.  Ambassador Vasquez will receive the Mickey Ibarra Medallion for Excellence in Government Relations at the 33rd USHLI National Conference, which will be held February 12-15, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Over 6,000 present and future leaders representing 40 states are expected to attend various events during the 3-day conference.

Amb. Vasquez will be honored at 12:00pm on Saturday, February 14.  The award was established in 2012 in recognition of Mickey Ibarra's commitment to excellence in building effective relationships with leading members of Congress, with federal government agencies, and with key national organizations serving the Latino community. Mickey Ibarra received the inaugural medallion in 2012.  Ivan Zapien received the honor in 2013, and Maria Cardona was our honoree in 2014.

Born in Carrizo Springs, TX to a migrant farm worker family, Amb. Vasquez achieved excellence in city, county, state and federal government relations in his capacity as Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and at the international level in his capacities as Director of the United States Peace Corps and later as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Organizations in Rome, Italy.  As Peace Corps Director he led the opening of the first Peace Corps in Mexico and directed the entry or re-entry into 21 Peace Corps countries.  In his capacity as Ambassador to the U.N. Organizations he worked with representatives from over 100 countries and was honored as a Champion Against World Hunger. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Edison International and the Southern California Edison Company, responsible for the company's federal, state and local government relations.  

Click here to register for the National Conference and click here to see a 90-second video featuring highlights from past conferences.