The Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM) is expecting a record crowd and record funds raised at its annual Five Star Gala to be held Saturday, May 9, at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
The Gala is sold out, with about 680 people registered to attend. The organization already has surpassed its fundraising goal with more than $300,000 raised before the event is even held, according to Griselda Aldrete, president and chief executive officer of the HPGM.
The co-chairs of the Gala are Rolando Rodriguez, president and CEO of Marcus Theaters and executive vice president of The Marcus Corp., and Brian Masterson, vice president of the Global Supply Chain at GE Healthcare.
The keynote speaker at the Gala will be Cristina Saralegui, president of Cristina Saralegui Enterprises Inc. and host of the Emmy Award-winning “The Cristina Show” on the Univision Network. The Cuban-born media mogul is the first Spanish-language television personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Gala offers networking and supports HPGM’s programming and operations, including the organization’s post-graduate scholarship program. A dinner and a silent auction will start the night, and it will end with dancing to live music.
The HPGM was formed in 2001 with the vision to showcase Hispanic talent in the Milwaukee area and provide professionals with the support they need to reach increasing levels of success in their careers. The current chairman of the HPGM board of directors is Jamie Delgadillo, financial representative at Northwestern Mutual Insurance Corp. Inc. The immediate past board chair is Nancy Hernandez, owner of Abrazo Multicultural Marketing & Communication.
BizTimes Media LLC is a media sponsor for the HPGM Five Star Gala. Aldrete’s efforts to grow the impact of the HPGM will be saluted when she receives the 2015 BizTimes Regional Spirit Award at the BizExpo on Wednesday, May 20. For additional information or to register attend the awards luncheon, visit www.biztimes.com/bravo.
