Welcome to the Program
Dear Participants,
As the Director of the Center for Latino Leadership, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Latino Pastoral Development Program.
As we are the largest and youngest minority group in the United States, this can be considered a landmark series. This year's conferences and workshops have been especially customized to meet the needs of the growing Hispanic ministers and churches in the Tidewater area. We will be presenting speakers on immigration law, church planting, leadership development, family counseling and ministerial care.
These conferences are an excellent occasions for pastors and ministers to get to know one another better and create an opportunity for networking, collaboration and sharing of practical information - all while building a sense of closeness, trust and strong interdenominational relationships.
We have a great line-up of keynote speakers, including:
- Dr. Hugo Valverde, attorney at the Valverde & Rowell Lawyers Firm
- Prof. Jose Gonzalez, founder and president of Semilla Inc.
- Dr. Joseph Umidi, founder and president of Lifeforming Leadership Coaching
- Rev. Benito Fonseca, Pastor Eben-Ezer Church of God
This series also provides opportunities for ministers, church leaders, managers, academicians, government officials and policy makers to exchange ideas on ministerial training trends, non formal education tendencies and best practices for education oriented towards the Hispanic population.
As always, I extend a warm welcome to all our colleagues who share our interest in improving empowerment and education for the Latino community.
May God bless you,
Marcela Chavan-Matviuk, Ph.D.
Center for Latino Leadership