WASHINGTON -- Puerto Rico Governor Sila Maria Calderon will be the keynote speaker at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) 12th Annual Scholarship Banquet on February 22.

Calderon, the former mayor of San Juan, was elected to her new post last November. She is the first female governor of Puerto Rico.

"It is exciting to have Governor Calderon, a newsmaker, as our keynote speaker," said NAHJ President Cecilia Alvear. "As journalists we look forward to hearing her remarks on the goals of her administration, particularly in the areas of her approach to relations between San Juan and Washington and to the island's relationship with Puerto Ricans living on the mainland."

The banquet will be held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Soledad O'Brien, co-anchor of NBC's "Weekend Today" will be the mistress of ceremonies. The night will also feature a special performance by the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance student ensemble.

The event benefits the NAHJ's Ruben Salazar Scholarship Fund. The proceeds provide financial assistance to Hispanic students pursuing careers in journalism. The NAHJ has awarded $470,000 to 348 students since the inception of the scholarship program in 1986.

The scholarship fund is named in honor of Mexican-American journalist Ruben Salazar, who was killed by a tear-gas projectile fired by a deputy sheriff in 1970 while covering the Chicano Anti-Vietnam War Moratorium in East Los Angeles. Salazar was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the news director for the Spanish-language television station KMEX.

The mission of the NAHJ, founded in 1984, is to increase the number of Hispanics working in the nation's newsrooms and to improve the media's coverage of the Hispanic community.

For more information about covering the banquet, call Joseph Torres at 202-662-7143. For more information on purchasing tickets for the banquet, call
Nancy Tita at 202-662-7144.