Welcome back to NHCOA’s Latino Empowerment series! As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, this week we’re shining a light on another trailblazing leader who has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
Stephanie Valencia is a leader and an advocate, whose incredible expertise and perspective has made waves through every step of her career. She has served in leadership roles under a number of politicians, lent her valuable advisement to many organizations, and founded nearly as many, all of which are geared towards creating opportunity and shifting paradigms. She currently holds such positions as Co-Founder, Owner, and Executive Chair of the Board of the Latino Network, and Co-Founder of Equis Research, but these barely scratch the surface of what Stephanie has accomplished and the impact she continues to foster for Hispanic and Latino Americans.
In High School, Stephanie participated in the U.S. Senate Page Program, where students from across the country learn from direct experience on Capitol Hill. Following her graduation from Boston University, Stephanie came back to Capitol Hill to start her career, and from 2004 to 2008, she held a variety of impressive leadership roles including Press Secretary to three United States Senators. It was in 2008 that she would join future President Barack Obama’s campaign, serving as an advisor, and Deputy Latino Vote Director. Throughout both of President Obama’s terms, Stephanie served in several roles: an aide to the White House of Office of Public Engagement, and Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
Following her time at the White House, Stephanie ran Google’s Strategic Partnerships and Outreach work, while she continued to offer her expertise to such activist and civic-minded organizations as the Latino Victory Project, and Civic Nation. Before returning to Capitol Hill as the Director of Outreach and Co-Director of the Nominations and Confirmations War Room for the Biden-Harris administration, Stephanie founded Equis Research in 2019. Equis is actually a network of organizations united under a mission to improve engagement with Latinos, and facilitate greater participation and leadership within the Latino American community through research.
In 2022, Stephanie founded another organization, the Latino Media Network, for which she continues to serve as Executive Chair. An audio-focused multimedia network, the Latino Media Network is an organization putting the Latino community center-stage, as they endeavor to make media content that is informative, inspiring, celebratory, and designed specifically by and for Latinos. Throughout her career, Stephanie has embodied a dedication to her community that many can only dream to deliver, operating from an eclectic array of leadership roles where she has held the betterment of the Latino community within her priorities. Stephanie Valencia has truly embodied Latino Empowerment.
Congratulations on your many achievements, and on your continued empowerment of Latinos across the country, Stephanie!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
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