Dec 4, 2023

The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators Installs Rep. Angela Romero (UT) as President

Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) held its 21st Annual Summit in Philadelphia over the weekend and elected new leadership to serve alongside Rep. Angela Romero for the 2024-2025 period.

Rep. Angela Romero (UT) will serve as the Caucus’ President, alongside a newly elected leadership that includes Rep. Juan Candelaria (CT) as President-Elect, Rep. Victoria Neave (TX) as Vice President for Membership, Sen. Cristina Castro (IL) as Vice President for Public Policy, Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (WA) as Secretary, and Rep. Angel Matos (PR), as Treasurer.

Additionally, Asw. Jessica González-Rojas (NY) will serve as East Region Chair, Sen. Jason Esteves (GA) as South Region Chair, Sen. Celina Villanueva (IL) as Midwest Region Chair, and Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez (AZ) as West Region Chair.

Per NHCSL’s bylaws, the incoming presidents serve for a two-year period after being elected as President-Elect before assuming full duties.

During the Summit’s gala, Rep. Romero, in her first remarks as President, stated: “I am profoundly honored to start my tenure as President of NHCSL. Since I was elected to Utah’s House of Representatives in 2012, I have been involved with our organization, and I accept this position with gratitude and humbleness leading it into the future. I look forward to a tenure based on collaboration and mutual respect, while always centering our communities’ needs.”

The Caucus’s outgoing President, Sen. Nellie Pou (NJ), added: “It is our sacred mandate as elected officials to keep doing our best work possible to make sure that we keep our country moving forward, not backwards, and that we protect our values as a Nation and keep Hispanic communities as a priority and not an afterthought.”

Rep. Angela Romero grew up in Tooele, Utah, and was elected to the Utah State Legislature in 2012. In 2016, she was elected by her colleagues to be the House Democratic Assistant Whip, and in 2023, assumed the role of House Minority Leader. Currently, she represents H.D. 25, encompassing Salt Lake City and West Valley City. Throughout her tenure in the House of Representatives, Rep. Romero has spearheaded legislation to protect sexual assault survivors and successfully eliminated the state’s backlog on rape kit testing; sponsored legislation to improve relations between the police force and BIPOC communities; and passed legislation creating the state’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force to combat violence against the indigenous community. Rep. Romero holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah.

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The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 450 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.