SR1281 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1281 LRB103 43210 ECR 76480 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Sylvia Puente on the occasion of her retirement as president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente was the first person in her family to graduate from college; she received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, completed graduate studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and earned her master's degree from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has dedicated her life's work to public policy on Latino issues while highlighting the vital role Latinos play in society; she has served as president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, a state-wide, non-profit advocacy organization in Illinois, for the past 16 years; prior to that, she served as director at the Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives for the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies from 2001 to 2008; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente's strategic leadership at the Latino Policy Forum has shaped public policy to improve educational outcomes for children, to make housing more accessible and affordable, to promote just immigration reform, and to build on the influence and leadership of Latinos in Illinois; under her guidance, the organization has promoted increased access to early education and advocated for more than $25 million to build early childhood education centers, the nation's first ever capitol grant program of its kind; and

WHEREAS, Through the Latino Policy Forum, Sylvia Puente has empowered thousands of parents and communities to advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities through the organization's Know Your Rights trainings to access information regarding bilingual education, fair housing, and immigrant rights; she has also overseen the evolution of the Multicultural Leadership Academy, a leadership development program that has created a vast, powerful, and inspiring network of nearly 300 Black and Latino leaders, uniting them to further promote diversity in the region and empower communities in working collaboratively; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has continually served her community and the State, being selected by Governor JB Pritzker to serve on his transition team as part of the Educational Success Committee, which was tasked with tackling the State's educational issues, and through her stewardship, all Illinois children, regardless of immigration status, have access to early childhood education through the State's new Department of Early Childhood; she also received appointments from two previous governors to serve on the Illinois Education Funding Advisory Board and the Illinois Early Learning Council; more recently, she was instrumental in the passage of the Work Permits for All resolution in Illinois, calling for more than 40,000 undocumented immigrants in Illinois to receive legal work authorization and lawful permanent status without separation from their families, and its victorious passage in the 103rd General Assembly served as a catalyst for generating the most significant action on immigration policy in the United States since DACA; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente also serves as co-chair of the Illinois Latino Agenda, a partnering organization that provides opportunities for Latino leaders to work and advocate as a collective body and through which she played a pivotal role in establishing the Welcome to Illinois Coalition, an organization where government, philanthropic organizations, service providers, everyday people, and volunteers come together to address the humanitarian crisis in Illinois; she is also considered a valuable resource for Chicagoland media outlets for her respected insights on Latino issues and political trends; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has rightfully earned a national reputation as a bridge builder and a trailblazer, having been recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Sylvia Puente on her retirement as president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, and we recognize her impact on Latino empowerment across the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sylvia Puente as an expression of our esteem and respect.