President Michele Salcedo (biography) Editor The Associated Press E-mail: masalcedo@yahoo.com

Michele Salcedo has been a member of NAHJ since 1988. She is the program co-chair for the 2010 convention, and was the convention co-chair for the 2006 convention in Fort Lauderdale, which is hailed as one of the most successful NAHJ has held. She served five years on the board of directors, as General At-Large Officer, Secretary and Region Four Director.

While on the board, Salcedo wrote the policy and guidelines for chapter formation, pushed to diversify NAHJ’s funding, expand membership and provide more programming and training for midcareer journalists.

Salcedo works at the Washington Bureau of the Associated Press, where she is an editor on the national general news desk and also edits on the broadcast wire desk.

She is a veteran newspaper reporter and editor who has held a wide range of assignments and beats for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Newsday and the San Antonio Light.

At the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Salcedo twice led the Race and Demographics team of senior reporters, including the only full-time newspaper reporter in Havana, Cuba, in coverage of South Florida’s communities of color and immigration. She also produced Sun-Sentinel.com’s Cuba and Americas page. As the paper’s National-International Editor Salcedo headed a department of 11 reporters and editors. She led the planning of the paper’s Cuba transition coverage and oversaw the 10th anniversary coverage of 9/11, and the Organization of American States General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale.

Salcedo has reported from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. An award winning journalist, she is the author of Quinceañera! The Essential Guide to Planning the Perfect Sweet 15 Celebration.

Salcedo is an alumna of the Poynter Leadership Institute, class of 2008, which she attended on a Newspaper Association of America fellowship. She holds a master of science degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she was selected into the International Fellows Program, and a bachelor of science degree from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., where her concentration was arts and media.

Outside the office, Salcedo, a Chicago native, can be found on the tennis courts and has recently taken up tango. She enjoys cooking and taking in all the culture that Washington has to offer. Her Mii stays in shape boxing and playing tennis.

General At-Large Officer Rebecca Aguilar Freelancer (Dallas) E-mail: aguilar.thereporter@yahoo.com

I’m the daughter of Rebecca and Alfredo Aguilar, immigrants from Mexico. They came to this country with nothing and eventually became civil rights, migrant rights and union rights activists in Ohio. From my parents, I learned it was important to help give a voice to those afraid to speak up and who felt they had been wronged by someone in society.

My parents settle in Napoleon, Ohio outside Toledo in the late 1950′s. I spent several summers picking tomatoes in the Ohio fields with my mom and dozens of migrant workers from Texas. When my parents weren’t fighting for better pay and working conditions for migrant workers, they were doing so for members of the autoworkers union.

I knew I wanted to become a reporter when I was about 10-years-old. My father had the first Spanish-language radio program in northwest Ohio. He showed me that the media is a powerful tool that can inform, educate and create change.

Since becoming a reporter in 1981, I have worked hard to help people find justice and their voice in life. I have worked in Toledo, Chicago, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Dallas. In each of those cities I have made it a priority to cover the Latino community, because it’s so often ignored.

Though I have covered many major stories, my biggest satisfaction is when my work got major results. Some of my reports have put scammers in prison, shutdown corrupt businesses, flushed out fake non-profits, put child molesters behind bars, and forced the U.S. Postal Service to create a national policy for workers who are registered sex offenders.

Though times are changing in the world of journalism; what hasn’t changed is my passion for reporting. I love being a reporter, a mother and wife.

Spanish Language At-Large Officer Ada M. Alvarez Conde Reporter Pan American Health Organization E-mail: alvarez.ada@gmail.com

Ada M. Alvarez Conde has a Masters in Science in Mass Communications from Florida International University (Spanish track) and B.A. in Information and Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico . Writing since she was 14 in a community and educational newspaper. Puerto Rico youngest novelist with Lo que no dije, also a campaign to end domestic violence by prevention with the use of language www.loquenodije.com Worked in Capitol Hill as a Córdova and Fernós Intern with Nancy Pelosi’s office back in 2006 and in the Dept. of Veterans Affairs in the development of a Multicultural Program for Veterans and as a translator prior to graduating from her BA. In Miami she worked in the development of telemundo.com and was a web designer and content manager for America Teve (channel 41).

Has been a part of NAHJ for four years and have been Student Chapter founder (in PR) and President, as well as Board Member as student representative for the last year. Within the Board she has developed a portfolio for students, participated of Board meetings, helped develop ideas for membership and conferences and recently organized the NAHJ region 4 mixer in Miami. She is currently a bilingual freelancer. She has been focusing in health and environmental reporting and it’s the investigative reporter from the magazine Revista Latitudes, where she also has a column Pensándolo Bien about mental health. She is a runner up for the FNPI award for her investigative report of water issues in Argentina and for was granted the Voluntary of the Year award in 2006 in PR.

She is a dedicated individual that uses all her free time to write and use communication as a tool for communities in need. She has recently moved to DC with her black cat, halloweenie. Her dream is to pursue a career as a journalist and journalism professor while she keeps writing and publishing books. She is applying for her PhD next year and plans to keep working closely with NAHJ (as she says) forever.