Washington, DC, December 6, 2011 – On November 29th ambassadors from Latin America gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the third annual Embassy Celebration Dinner Series where Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) was honored with the GWHCC Public Service Award.

The audience included representatives from ten Latin American countries, local business and political leaders, congressmen and distinguished guests such as Jose Miguel Insulza, General Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS); Anibal De Castro, Ambassador of Dominican Republic; Efrain Baus, Ambassador of Ecuador; Julio Armando Martini, Ambassador of Guatemala; and Rigoberto Gauto-Vielman, Ambassador of Paraguay. The District of Columbia government was represented by Kwame Brown, Chairman of the Council.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the US House of Representatives was awarded for her work and influence in international trade and commercial affairs with the Western Hemisphere. In her enthusiastic and encouraging remarks she committed to continue working on initiatives that bring prosperity to Hispanic communities across the Hemisphere. "I'm always pleased to attend events that honor our small businesses, like those of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. These businesses are the motors of our nation's economic engine. Hispanic businesses have grown rapidly and it's important to give them flexibility, less bureaucracy and lower taxes."

Michael Camuñez, Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance at Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration was the keynote speaker for the evening. Mr. Camuñez highlighted that Latin America is an economic engine that is crucial for the US long-term economic recovery. “Despite the attention that other regions get, the US exports more than three times as much to Latin America as we do to China, and our exports to the region will soon support more than two million jobs here in the US,” Mr. Camuñez affirmed. His speech also shared highlights from the current administration’s efforts to improve the economy and put Americans back to work.

Angela Franco, GWHCC President & CEO and Dinner Chair Jane Lee Garcia, President of Garcia & Associates, reaffirmed their commitment to continue providing opportunities to promote commercial and cultural exchanges between Latin American countries and Hispanic businesses in the metropolitan region; most notably, the Expo of the Americas, an international business event to take place in 2013 in Washington, DC. The Chamber thanks co-host Events DC and sponsor Ogilvy Washington for their support.