Name: Clara Padilla Andrews
Title/Occupation: Former Publisher/ Former Secretary of State / Founder
Organization: El Hispanic News/ New Mexico / Susana Maria Gurule Foundation
What Makes The Person A Game Changer:
Clara Padilla Andrews served as the Secretary of State for New Mexico from 1983 to 1986 and was the highest ranking Latina elected official at that time. When Ms. Andrews lost her granddaughter, Susana Gurule, to cancer, she founded the Susana Maria Gurule Foundation which focuses its efforts on increasing the number of minority volunteers for the national marrow donor program registry. As a result of her work, she has also been named to the national marrow donor program board. Ms. Andrews is a 1986 recipient of a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Distinguished Service Award, the 1994 Doernbecker Hospital Hero’s Award, Executive Women in State Government Distinguished Award and several others. She has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics four times.
Padilla-Andrews was also publisher of El Hispano News (EHN), the oldest Hispanic publication in the Pacific Northwest from 1996 until 2010. Clara brought her political and business background to EHN, further solidifying relationships with government agencies, businesses, activists, and the Hispanic community. Under Clara’s guidance, EHN reached award-winning levels in communication, community service, volunteerism, publication layout, editorial and news coverage. In 2007, she was elected president of the National Association of Hispanic Publications.
Previously, Ms. Andrews served as a Community and Family Services Integration of Services Supervisor and the Hispanic Services Coordinator for Multnomah County in Portland. Through her tenure with the county, she demonstrated her strong will, dedication, and commitment to sharing her talents and knowledge to promote networking partnerships. Her ability as a community organizer and strong encouragement of project collaboration were essential ingredients in the work she did and continues to do in creating a better society for all.
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