Posted by Elena del Valle on August 28, 2015
Dreaming Forward
Photos: Martha Casazza
Martha Casazza, author and education scholar, wanted to know about the dreams of America’s Hispanics. In Dreaming Forward Latino Voices Enhance the Mosaic (iUniverse, $19.95), a softcover 242-page book published this year, she showcases the stories of 19 Hispanics in an effort to provide a platform “for people who have faced disappointment and fear in their earnest desire to dream forward in the U.S. and are committed to effecting change in their community.”
The project, originally supported by the university where she worked, required several years to be completed. The author funded it herself.
“When I was a university dean, I was fortunate enough to get involved with the Pilsen community on the south side of Chicago,” she said when asked why it was that she chose the group that she did for the stories. “Pilsen is primarily a Mexican-American community. I was never a sit-behind-the- desk administrator, and I worked closely with a few community organizers to organize the first Tardes en el Zocalo weekend event in Pilsen to bring neighbors together. I was really impressed at how important the idea of community was in Pilsen. From this experience, I came to know students and organizers from this area and worked closely to create more opportunities for them to attend college and succeed.”
In the book, she shares the stories of Mexican American individuals captured via in person interviews in their place of choice by the author and her colleagues. They originally collected 48 stories. Save for one all the ones in the book were told in English over a four year period. Each story ends with a Reflections section designed to elicit big picture thinking about the overall community.
Martha Casazza, author and education, scholar
“We desperately need to engage in a national dialogue about how to best foster and sustain healthy urban communities, especially as our cities become home to a more diverse array of people than ever before,” Casazza said in a press release. “By working inside the community and listening to their voices, I can see the roots of a healthy, sustainable Latino community here in the U.S. and in my own city of Chicago.”
When asked about the results, the author said, “The greatest reward was being trusted by individuals to tell their stories. The book reflects authentic voices and hopefully helps to personalize the struggles of a vibrant and passionate community in urban American where there is a strong commitment to dream forward through purposeful action.”
Casazza has a Doctorate in Education and is a founding partner of TRPP Associates, LLC, an educational consulting business that focuses on maximizing learning environments. She is also a member of the Fulbright Association as well as the Board of Directors of Heartland Alliance.
Click to buy Dreaming Forward
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 27, 2015
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Tenure-track/Tenured faculty – Public Relations
The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University invites applications for a tenure-track/tenured faculty position in Public Relations Department to begin in the Fall of 2016. The position will provide leadership in our public diplomacy specialization, click to read the entire Syracuse University Tenure-track/Tenured faculty Public Relations
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 19, 2015
Chef Giovanna Huyke, host, La Cocina Viva
Photo, video: La Cocina Viva
Spanish speaking cooking show fans in central Florida will have a new alternative beginning September 7, 2015. That is when La Cocina Viva will air weekly from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. featuring healthy Latino dishes from Latin America and the Caribbean. The brainchild of Ruben Gonzalez the 30-minute program was produced for under $100,000 by Sima Communications and co-directed by Gonzalez and Giovanna Huyke, a chef.
Huyke will also host the 12 episodes of the program which will be filmed in Tampa, Florida. The target audience for the show is Hispanic Millennials and second generation Hispanics, and eventually “audiences that have an appreciation for Latino food/dishes.” The show producers hope to add English content later. Scroll down to watch a two-minute promotional video in Spanish.
“La Cocina Viva is about cooking traditional Latino dishes from the Caribbean and Latin America but in a healthy manner,” said Gonzalez by email about the program.
Huyke, chief executive office, Grupo Gio, LLC, a in Washington, DC. Based company, began her career in theater. She worked in Paul Prudehomme’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, and as an assistant to Lee Barnes, before moving to New York City to work with Chef Felipe Rojas Lombardi.
On her return to Puerto Rico she worked at the Caribe Hilton for one year. Later she founded Amadeus in San Juan, where she focused on working with native ingredients and recipes with classic techniques. She was chef at Ali-Oli, founded Don Juan in the El San Juan Hotel and Giovanna’s Café. Most recently, Huyke was the executive chef at Mio Restaurant in Washington, DC.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 14, 2015
The Rise of the Platform Marketer
The Rise of the Platform Marketer
Photo: Wiley
Craig Dempster, and John Lee, both executive vice presidents at Merkle, a marketing agency, believe success in marketing today depends on technology and scale. In The Rise of the Platform Marketer: Performance Marketing with Google, Facebook, and Twitter, Plus the Latest High-Growth Digital Advertising Platforms (Wiley, $30), a 228-page hardcover book published this year, they discuss their strategies and the reasoning behind it.
“The opportunity of addressability at scale makes it an incredibly exciting time to be a marketer,” Dempster said in press materials. “These audience platforms enable us to connect with customers in more targeted, customizable, intelligent, and measurable ways, so that every customer receives an ideal experience, perfectly suited to their needs, devices, preferred channels, and more.”
In the book, meant as a foundation for their company’s 12 annual Performance Marketing Executive Summit, they propose nine competencies meant to span across data, execution, and the enabling technology. They believe mastering them will allow marketers to create, deliver, measure, and optimize customer-centric experiences across digital platforms. The authors did not reply to questions submitted via their publisher.
“The Platform Marketer isn’t an individual per se, but more a collection of skills that encompass many different disciplines,” Lee said in press materials. “When an organization can learn how to apply these skillsets, their ability to connect with customers and drive revenue grows enormously.”
The authors believe success driving digital performance requires expertise in data, analytics, and audience experience as well as an understanding of the new audience platforms. The nine competencies they point out as necessary are: audience management, identity management, consumer privacy and compliance, technology, platform utilization, measurement and attribution, media optimization, channel optimization, and experience design and creation.
Click to buy The Rise of the Platform Marketer
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 5, 2015
Mexico Culture & Pride
Photo: Mexico Culture & Pride
Adriana Pavon, a Mexican entrepreneur and fashion consultant, plans to catch the attention of people who support fair trade and are socially conscious and intelligent consumers with Mexico Culture & Pride, an initiative to help preserve Mexican culture by showcasing quality accessories designed in collaboration with indigenous groups. She hopes it will be funded by a Kickstarter campaign.
It is scheduled to kick off in 2016 with an Oaxacan region exhibit titled “Through Frida’s Eyes” to showcase the importance of Mexican history and the work of traditional and contemporary artists through a variety of forms. Organizers plan to offer attendees the opportunity to experience Mexican culture through photography, video, dance, gastronomy and mixology.
“The idea of the project is to work in collaboration with various indigenous cultures,” Pavon said by email. “We started in Mexico because that’s my place of origin and I selected Oaxaca Mexico because it’s where Frida Kahlo was from. The next exhibit will visit other regions of Mexico eventually reaching out to other countries.”
The campaign should launch in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, New York City and Mexico City on dates to be determined based on the support received from public donations. In exchange for contributions, the campaign will offer a reward of its selection. The money raised is meant to cover the cost of the logistics and a small stipend for the volunteers. The exhibit will be a compilation of one hundred items, including traditional wardrobe, video clips, 10 of a contemporary collaboration, and fifty images of the traditions and customs of the region.
All reward items are made with Mexican labor and materials, Pavon explained. The exhibit pieces will be mostly made in Mexico with the exception of the contemporary collection that may contain some French laces and United States materials.
The team behind the project is composed of individuals “who are passionate about their work and have extensive experience in their field.” They have clients such as Project Runway Latin America, Mexico’s Next Top Model, and Chrysler, and vast experience in manufacturing top brands, according to promotional materials. As part of the project, they will produce ten high end garments to be showcased in the traveling exhibit along with a collection of accessories in collaboration with regional artists.
