Antonia
Hernández, President of California Community Foundation, Addresses
CSULA Undergraduates at 58th Commencement,
Sat., June 11,
8 a.m.
Los Angeles, CAÂ This yearÂs Undergraduate Commencement
ceremony address at California State University, Los Angeles
will be delivered by Antonia Hernández, president and
CEO of the California Community FoundationÂone of the largest and
most active philanthropic organizations in Southern CaliforniaÂand
former president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal
Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national nonprofit
litigation and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the
civil rights of the nationÂs 35 million Latinos through the legal
system, community education, research and policy initiatives.
More than 3,600 baccalaureate degrees will be conferred at
CSULAÂs 58th Commencement on Saturday, June 11, at 8 a.m., in the
University Athletic Stadium. In addition, Raul Yzaguirre,
recent past president and co-founder of the National Council of La
Raza, will receive a CSU Honorary Doctorate.
Antonia Hernández
Nationally recognized for her commitment toward the betterment
of underserved communities in Los Angeles and beyond, Antonia
Hernández joined the California Community Foundation as President
and CEO in February 2004.
Established in 1915, the California Community Foundation is one
of the largest and most active philanthropic organizations in
Southern California, with assets of more than $750 million. In
partnership with its more than 1,200 individual, family and
corporate donors, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations
and public institutions with funds for health and human services,
affordable housing, early childhood education, community arts and
culture and other areas of need.
Previously, Hernández was president and general counsel of the
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a
national nonprofit litigation and advocacy organization dedicated
to protecting the civil rights of the nationÂs 35 million Latinos
through the legal system, community education, research and policy
initiatives.
An expert in civil rights and immigration issues, Hernández
began her legal career as a staff attorney with the Los Angeles
Center for Law and Justice and worked as counsel to the United
States Senate Committee on the Judiciary before joining MALDEF in
1981 as regional counsel in Washington, D.C.
Hernández is a trustee for the Rockefeller Foundation and a
member of the Board of Directors for the Automobile Club of
Southern California and Golden West Financial Corporation. She
serves on various commissions, advisory boards, committees and
panels, including the Pacific Council for International Policy.
Hernández is a member of the State Bar of California and the
District of Columbia Bar. She also is a member of the American Bar
Association, the Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles
and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Hernández earned her B.A. in History at UCLA in 1970 and J.D.
at the UCLA School of Law in 1974.
* CALENDAR LISTING * CALENDAR LISTING *
WHAT: The Commencement of Cal State L.A.Âs 58th
graduating class will be a festive celebration. More than 15,000
people are expected at this yearÂs Undergraduate Commencement to
witness the conferral of more than 3,600 bachelorÂs degrees on
SATURDAY June 11. At the MasterÂs Hooding Ceremony,
June 10, more than 1,500 degrees will be conferred. On June 11,
Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California
Community Foundation, will address the undergraduate class of
2005, and Raul Yzaguirre, recent past president and
co-founder of the National Council of La Raza, will receive a CSU
Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. On June 10, Harold
Goldwhite, former CSU Trustee and CSULA emeritus professor of
chemistry, will address the masterÂs candidates.
WHEN: Undergraduates: Sat., June 11, 2005,
8:00 a.m. MasterÂs: Fri., June 10, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cal State L.A.Âs University Athletic Stadium, at
the southeast corner of the campus. The University is located at
the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway, at the
interchange of the 10 and 710 Freeways.
INFO: For photos or interviews, call the Cal State L.A.
Public Affairs Office at (323) 343-3050.
# # #
Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 170,000 alumniÂwith a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds--reflect the cityÂs dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Among programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include a noted alternative energy technology initiative; an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, to be housed in the Los Angeles Regional Crime Lab now under construction. www.calstatela.edu
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