WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/20/08) - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will address nearly a thousand elected and appointed Latino officials at a national leadership luncheon on Thursday, June 26, at 1:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. This will be her first major public appearance since suspending her presidential campaign. Presidential Candidates Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are set to be at the same event two days later.

The addresses will take place during the 25th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the nation's leading Latino political organization, from June 25-28.

Senator Clinton will join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid and other national leaders who will also speak to conference attendees on Thursday.

"Senator Clinton's been a real champion for our community," said Adolfo Carrion, Jr., NALEO President and Bronx Borough President. "We're excited to continue the conversation about how we move the country forward on the issues we all care about."

NALEO announced earlier this week that Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, will participate in separate forums with Latino elected officials on Saturday, June 28.

The appearances will take place during a four-day convention of Latino public officials working at all levels of government in communities across the nation.

Conference participants will join political and policy leaders for panel discussions on education, mental health, affordable energy, the growing economic crisis, community investment and the emerging clout of Latino voters on American politics.

The group will also honor New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson with its Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service on the evening of June 28.

NALEO, the nation's membership organization of Latino elected officials, and NALEO Educational Fund, the leading organization that empowers Latinos to participate in the American political process, will host nearly 1,000 elected and appointed officials and their supporters at the nation's Latino political convention.

The Thursday National Leadership Luncheon on June 26 at 12:00 p.m. in Grand Ballroom, Ballroom Level will feature Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Robert Menendez, Senator Ken Salazar and Rep. Xavier Becerra. Senator Clinton is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

The two presidential candidates who remain standing from the Republican and Democratic Primary season, Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain are scheduled to appear one hour apart at the Saturday, June 28th events. McCain (R-Arizona) will speak at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern), followed by Obama (D-Illinois) at 12:00 noon (Eastern).

The Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala honoring Governor Bill Richardson will be on Thursday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C.