New Cincinnati Chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Launches in advance of National Conference Convening in Cincinnati Oct. 2010

Cincinnati Chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Advances Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

CINCINNATI – August 28, 2010 – A Cincinnati chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has been established to provide a community for Hispanic professionals and students to thrive, and enhance the potential of Hispanics in science, technology, engineering and math.

SHPE promotes professional and personal growth among Hispanics, increases educational opportunities, and encourages involvement in education, business and government issues. The new Cincinnati chapter will provide career development and leadership training, networking opportunities and scholarship opportunities for students. The Cincinnati chapter was founded in part to help support and prepare for the SHPE national conference, which will take place in Cincinnati in October 2010.

SHPE was founded in 1974 and has more than 10,000 members in 55 professional chapters and 231 student chapters across the United States.

The local chapter will celebrate its founding with a reception at the Procter & Gamble headquarters at 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 27 to honor its corporate sponsors and highlight opportunities offered at the October annual conference.

"Cincinnati is a vibrant and diverse community with a growing Hispanic population, and we are pleased to bring the benefits of SHPE’s outstanding programs, educational opportunities and networking to the Cincinnati region through our National Conference,” said Pilar Montoya, SHPE chief executive officer. “We are also extremely proud of our new SHPE Cincinnati Chapter which will ensure SHPE’s mission to be the source for Hispanic engineers and technical talent for the greater Cincinnati area long after the Conference.”

Miguel Alemañy, Global Director, Research & Development, Procter & Gamble, said, “At P&G, diversity is a business strategy, and therefore key to our company’s success. It brings innovation and enriches everything we do, from the quality of our business decisions to the personal interaction between people, cultures and regions."

“Understanding, serving and reflecting the Hispanic community is important to P&G,” Alemañy added. “We hire top Hispanic talent and maintain successful partnerships with organizations such as SHPE that are devoted to supporting the Hispanic community.”

SHPE and P&G are working hand in hand to prepare for SHPE’s national conference, the largest technical conference for Hispanics in the nation. It will bring more than 5,000 Hispanic engineers and students and representatives from more than 300 companies, and 80 academic institutions to downtown Cincinnati in Oct. 27-31, 2010. Booked by the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2006, SHPE’s national conference is expected to bring $2.9 million in economic impact to the region.

Local corporate sponsors for the conference include lead sponsor Procter & Gamble, as well as GE Aviation, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Toyota, Honda and Duke Energy, amongst others.

Dan Lincoln, president and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau, noted, “SHPE is a respected national organization and we are honored it selected Cincinnati as the host city for its annual conference. We are also pleased to see the formation of a local SHPE chapter to promote leadership, professional development and community outreach here in the Cincinnati USA region.”

The Cincinnati SHPE chapter has elected its new Executive Board, comprised of President Jorge Seda, Vice-President of Professional Development and Corporate Affairs Maria Esquibel-King, Vice-President of Community Affairs and Student Relations Amaranta Ramirez, Treasurer Elias Garcia, and Administrative Officer Edmond Irizarry.

About the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. It is the leading Hispanic social-technical organization in the U.S. whose primary function is to enhance and achieve the potential of Hispanics in science, technology, engineering and math. For more information, visit www.shpe.org. For more information on the Cincinnati chapter, visit www.shpecincinnati.org.