Ana G. Mendez University to Host Latino Parent Leadership Conference

This Saturday, Wheaton will host Montgomery County's first Latino Civic Leadership Conference.

More than 100 Latino parents of Montgomery County Public Schools students will gather on Jan. 28 at Ana G. Mendez University, a dual-language university t at 11006 Veirs Mill Road at

The 100 parents for this invitation-only event were selected by the office of County Council Vice President Nancy Navarro (Distr. 4), who organized the conference in collaboration with MCPS and the County’s Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families.

The conference, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., features the following workshops in English and in Spanish, according to a county press release:

• Navigating Montgomery County Public Schools—presented by the Montgomery County Public Schools’ Department of Family and Community Partnerships
• Higher Education Options in the Region—presented by representatives from area universities and colleges
• Civic Organizing and Leadership Workshop—presented by Dr. David Chavis, principal associate and CEO of Community Science, and Greg Baker, community planning manager at Montgomery Housing Partnerships

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Distr. 8) will deliver the conference’s opening remarks. Scheduled keynote speakers will be Dr. Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, and Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, director of Head Start under the Administration of Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Latino Parent Leadership Conference is a public-private partnership, funded primarily by corporate sponsors, including Westfield Wheaton, Comcast, the Ana G. Mendez University System, Adventist Health Care, Suburban Hospital and Percontee. The Montgomery County Collaboration Council is a conference sponsor and the fiscal agent for the event.