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UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, honored five leaders and trailblazers tonight for creating meaningful change for the Latino community. UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía presented the awards during the gala marking the conclusion of the organization’s 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago.

“These honorees personify the tenacity and fortitude it takes to make meaningful and enduring strides toward equity,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “These are the people who reflect the true fabric of our country. The leaders committed to ensuring the Latino perspective is woven into all parts of our society, whether it’s the media, community development, or activism.” READ MORE AT UNIDOSUS

Veteran Energy Industry Leader to Continue Utility's Successful Track Record of Delivering Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy to More Than Four Million Illinois Customers.

CHICAGO (October 14, 2021) — ComEd today announced Gil C. Quiniones will become CEO of ComEd, effective Nov. 15, 2021. Quiniones, who has served as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) for the past 10 years, will report to Calvin Butler, CEO of Exelon Utilities, who also has been serving as interim CEO of ComEd since Oct. 1, 2021. 

Quiniones is a proven industry executive with more than 30 years of relevant leadership and operational experience extending across regulated utility markets, the public and private sectors, and state and local governments. For the past decade, he has been the CEO of the nation's largest state-owned public power organization. He is an internationally recognized leader in modernizing power grids, and delivering clean, safe and affordable energy for customers, leading to economic and environmental benefits for diverse communities.

"Gil is an experienced electric utility leader, with a proven ability to deliver world-class performance for customers and strengthen and uplift communities, including in urban areas, making him ideally suited to be the CEO of ComEd," said Butler. "In addition, Gil is a high-integrity leader who is focused on ethics, equity and doing what is best for our diverse customers, communities and employees. We are confident that, under his leadership, ComEd will continue to be recognized as one of the cleanest, most reliable and most affordable utilities in America."

"It's an honor to be named CEO of ComEd, and I look forward to working closely with Calvin and the entire utility management team to lead this nationally recognized energy company," Quiniones said. "I share ComEd's vision for a clean and resilient energy future that benefits customers and communities across northern Illinois and commit to continuing ComEd's legacy of local partnership with and investment in the communities it is privileged to serve."

John R. Koelmel, chair, NYPA Board of Trustees, said, "Gil is an outstanding person as well as a tremendous leader. Over his tenure at NYPA, the combination of his passion, vision, industry knowledge and business acumen has positioned us as an industry leader. He has fostered a strong internal culture based on excellence, integrity and safety and has created positive relationships with the many customers and communities we serve. We wish Gil every success as he assumes his new leadership role with ComEd."

About Gil C. Quiniones:
Quiniones has served as president and CEO of NYPA, the nation's largest state-owned public power organization, since 2011. Prior to this role, he served as COO and executive vice president, Energy Marketing and Corporate Affairs. Before joining NYPA in 2007, Quiniones spent four years at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he served as senior vice president and the principal energy adviser to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Prior to this, Quiniones worked for 13 years at the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, a regulated electric and gas utility, and ConEdison Solutions, the utility's unregulated energy services subsidiary. He was a co-founder and managing director of Energy Services at the subsidiary, where he led profitable revenue growth.

Quiniones has served as chair of GridWise Alliance; a board member of Emera Inc.; chair and board member of the Electric Power Research Institute, where he rejoined the board in April 2021; chair and chair emeritus of the Alliance to Save Energy; chair-elect of the Smart Electric Power Alliance and vice chair of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; a board member of the Large Public Power Council; and a member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council and the International Energy Agency's Global Commission for Urgent Action on Energy Efficiency. Quiniones plans to resign from all current board memberships in order to devote his full attention to his ComEd duties. He holds a B.S. from De La Salle University in Manila. In 2020, he earned a Corporate Director Certificate at Harvard Business School.

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Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About half of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and key to that figure is a surge in Latinos in the U.S. getting a vaccine. That group had been trailing the vaccination rate for white people in the U.S. by 9%. And now, that gap has been cut in half. But the gains are spotty. READ MORE AT NPR

With positive coronavirus cases rising in the city even as vaccine doses become more readily available, some residents have questions.

On Wednesday, a virtual event designed for the Latino community will be held to address questions regarding the novel coronavirus and the vaccines for it. The Illinois Department of Public Health has partnered with community entities such as Rock Valley College to create a safe space for people to ask their questions.

The hourlong event will include panelists Juana Ballesteros, manager of community public health outreach for the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Dr. Mellisa Simon of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. READ MORE AT ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Contact: Tiarra Earls
Email: tjayee@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 916-533-2874

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2017

Noted Author Elsie Guerrero Releases New Children’s Books to Promote Disability Awareness & Inclusion

Washington, D.C. – Children’s author and disability rights advocate Elsie Guerrero has released various books aimed at promoting disability awareness and inclusion. Her two newest titles, “Dancing Luna” and “I Am Unique,” takes on disability issues and translates them into easy-to-understand concepts to which children can relate. Elsie’s Hispanic heritage and background working with children with physical and mental disabilities (specifically children with autism) while witnessing the social difficulties these children often experience on the playground, have inspired her to promote inclusion by writing books specifically for children.

“My ultimate goal with writing children’s books is to spread awareness and promote inclusion,” she said. “I also believe that there are not enough books related to children with special needs or Latino issues. I thinks education in awareness at this level will greatly contribute to a culture of appreciation for those who are unique.”

Most of Elsie’s books focus on removing the negative stigma associated with having a disability while promoting the positive elements instead. In “I Am Unique,” a girl born with cerebral palsy is routinely ostracized and teased at school. She then learns to embrace her disability, thanks to a wonderful family support system.

Elsie says she never intended to be an author, and instead fell into the role.

“It was not a career goal or something I saw myself doing in my future, but after resigning my job working with autistic children to work at a law firm, I began to miss them,” she said.  “I would think about the children I used to work with and how much they made me laugh. There was never a dull moment working with autistic children.”

Elsie’s first published book, “How Emily & Eli Became Friends” is about the characteristics of a child who has autism.

You can find and purchase these titles online at Goodreads.com.

About Elsie Guerrero

Elsie Guerrero currently works as a Bilingual ABA Therapist with The Sparks Group, LLC where she routinely serves and represents Latino children with special needs. She holds a Bachelor's in Government from California State University, Sacramento, an Executive Master of Public Administration from Golden Gate University and Master of Public Affairs and Practical Politics from the University of San Francisco. She is also the founder of Advancing Latinas into Leadership (ALL), a mentorship program designed to help young Latinas with college preparedness, self-empowerment and professional development.