Latino Leaders Summit draws civic and business leaders to Modesto Junior College

MODESTO -- Elected officials, educators and business leaders from across Stanislaus and Merced counties gathered at Modesto Junior College on Friday, March 6, for the Modesto Latino Leaders Summit, a day-long conference on education and career pathways for the region's Latino working families.

The free event was hosted by the Latino Working Class Project, a nonpartisan initiative that produces polling and research on the economic conditions facing California's Latino community and brings that work into community forums around the state. The summit was held in the Science Community Center on the college's West Campus and included a resource fair and lunch.

Mike Madrid, president of the Latino Working Class Project, opened the conference and moderated its three learning sessions. Madrid is a nationally recognized political consultant with an expertise in Latino voting trends and voter behavior, and has worked on state, local and national campaigns for 30 years on both…