Elisa Maria Sanchez

She was elected to the post in 1994 and will serve through 1999. MANA is a national membership organization dedicated to developing the leadership talents and skills of Latinas, building Latino communities through focused community service and challenging barriers to and advancing opportunity for Latinas.

Sanchez is leading MANA's transition from a loose knit volunteer organization to a fully staffed pro-activist Latina organization. During her tenure, MANA has announced several national initiative; (1) Latina Vote '96, a partnership with the National Council of Women's Organization's Women's Vote Project, (2) Hermanitas, a mentoring stay-in-school project focused on middle school girls; (3) Avanzamos, a national leadership and organizational development project for community leaders; (4) Dia de los libros/dia de los ninos, (Day of books/Day of Children) a celebration of bilingual literacy beginning in infancy; and (5) Dia de Madrinas Activistas (Day of our Activist Godmothers) honoring the accomplishments of Latina pioneers and honors Lucille Beserra Roybal. All programs and activities are carried out under the broad theme of Rebuilding Latino Communities for the 21st Century.

Sanchez currently sits on the boards of The National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy, National Committee on Pay Equity, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the Women's Intercultural Network, where she served as the first President and co-founder. She is an active member of the National Council of Women's Organizations, a historic coalition of 130 women's organizations. She has recently been named to the National Business Women's Council by Aida Alvarez, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

Over the years Sanchez has also served on a variety of national boards including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Alan Guttmacher Institute both in New York City, the Women's Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C., ETR Associates in Santa Cruz, CA, and the Latino Issues Forum in San Francisco. Prior to coming to MANA, Sanchez was the Coordinator of border Economic Development and International Trade at the Department of Transborder Affairs with the County of San Diego. While there she wrote and produced a video documenting the economic linkages between San Diego County and the Municipio of Tijuana, "Common Border- Shared Solutions?"

Sanchez has a B.A. and an M.A. from Western new Mexico University. In addition, she has an M.P.A. from Baruch College, City University of New York, which she earned through the National Urban Fellows program. She has also participated in the Gallup Leadership Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska, LEAD San Diego and the Texaco Management Institute. In 1996, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by "Hispanic Business Magazine." In 1997, at the 20th Anniversary Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala, she was awarded the Medallion of Excellence for advancing the status of Latinas in our society. Sanchez has been a life-long activist beginning at her Mother's side at the age of eight, in the now famous Empire Zinc Strike in Hanover, New Mexico. The strike is documented in the movie, "Salt of the Earth." Her mother was a union leader of the Ladies Auxiliary of Mine Mill and Smelter Workers Local 890.