[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO ALBA PEREZ

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize 
Alba Perez for being named a 2013 Women of Influence honoree by the 
award-winning central Iowa publication, Business Record.
   Each year, Business Record undertakes an exhaustive review to 
identify a standout group of women in the Greater Des Moines area who, 
as the publication notes, ``have made a difference.'' An impressive 
group of inspiring female leaders are selected annually for this 
prestigious distinction, which is based on combined criteria of 
community involvement, career success, and being a role model for other 
women to emulate. The 2013 Women of Influence honorees join an 
impressive roster of more than 130 women who have changed and are 
continuing to change our communities for the better.
   In her work, Alba Perez, presently the Executive Officer of the 
Office of Latino Affairs at the Iowa Department of Human Rights, has 
been inspired by advice she received as a child from her mother: 
``Leave things better than how you found them.'' Ms. Perez has spent 
much of her career trying to help Latinos and other underrepresented 
communities, advocating for what she calls meaningful inclusion or 
helping Latina women who struggle with English. In her 12 years at the 
Greater Des Moines Partnership, she managed the diversity committee 
tasked with helping make Des Moines a more inclusive community. She 
also has helped launch Alianza: Latino Business Association , and the 
dance instruction organization now known as Salsa Des Moines. Ms. Perez 
has been heavily involved in the League of United Latin American 
Citizens of Iowa, and the Latina Leadership Initiative of Greater Des 
Moines.
   Mr. Speaker, it is a profound honor to represent leaders like Alba 
Perez in the United States Congress, and I am pleased to recognize her 
for working to better both her community and the great state of Iowa. I 
invite my colleagues in the House to join me in congratulating her on 
receiving this esteemed designation, thanking those at Business Record 
for their great work, and wishing each member of the 2013 Women of 
Influence class continued success.

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