Latina Civic Foundation to honor Latina public service leaders at New Jersey Hispanic Heritage Month event

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — As New Jersey honors Hispanic Heritage Month and recognizes the contributions of its Latino community, the Latina Civic Foundation will celebrate a milestone of its own with the inaugural Latina Excellence Breakfast on Oct. 9 at The Rutgers Club.

About Latina Excellence Breakfast

The event marks five years of the foundation’s work and a decade of advancing Latina leadership, civic engagement and public service.

The breakfast will feature a leadership conversation with:

• Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D‑09)
• Congresswoman Analilia Mejia (D‑11), New Jersey’s first and second Latina members of Congress.

Their journeys represent a defining moment in the state’s political history and highlight the growing civic leadership of Latinas statewide.

Honoring Trailblazers and “Las Primeras”

The foundation will also honor Zulima Farber, Esq., New Jersey’s first Latina Attorney General, the first female partner at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, and a co‑founder of the Latina Civic Foundation. Her groundbreaking career helped pave the way for future Latina leaders across New Jersey and beyond.

Additionally, the event will recognize “Las Primeras,” Latina public servants who broke barriers and created new possibilities for future generations. Honorees include:

• M. Teresa Ruiz, Senate Majority Leader, District 29
• Annette Quijano, Speaker Pro‑Tempore, District 20
• Wilda Diaz, former Mayor of Perth Amboy
• Yolanda Garcia‑Balicki, Cumberland County Commissioner
• Silvia Catalan‑Culnan, Deputy Mayor of Mount Laurel Township

Their trailblazing legacies embody the spirit of Latina Excellence.

Leaders Highlight Representation and Access

“During Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate not only where we come from, but also the extraordinary contributions Latinas are making today and the future we are building together,” said María Del Cid‑Kosso, Chair of the Latina Civic Foundation. She said the breakfast honors women who “broke barriers, created pathways for others, and demonstrated that our voices belong in every room where decisions are made.”

Vice Chair Erika J. Nava emphasized the impact of Latina leadership in policymaking.

“I spend my days in the rooms where policy is written. I know what changes when a Latina is at that table. And what gets missed when she isn’t,” she said.

“Las Primeras opened those doors. Our job now is to make sure the women coming behind them never have to open them alone.”

Foundation Expands Latina Leadership Pipeline

Although New Jersey’s Latino community continues to grow, Latina representation remains at 5% across state and local government, according to CAWP. The foundation works with women’s organizations to expand leadership opportunities and increase representation.

For more information on the breakfast, sponsorships and tickets, please visit latinacivicfoundation.org