About Us

Our History & Mission
The Hispanic Public Relations Association’s (HPRA) mission is to help Hispanic professional communicators enter and advance within the public relations and marketing communications fields by: 1) creating an exchange of information and ideas that empower public relations practitioners to be experts in their fields; 2) promoting professional development through educational programs; 3) providing financial and internship assistance to students entering the field; and 4) advocating responsible coverage of issues and images affecting the Hispanic community.

Established in 1984, The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is the largest network of public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, nonprofit and corporate companies in the US.

With 250 members, today, HPRA is the largest network of Hispanic public relations and marketing professionals representing agencies, government, nonprofit and corporate companies in the nation.

HPRA is a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking insights into the Hispanic market by providing educational seminars and workshops focusing on the latest, up-to-date trends, issues and best practices in the field. HPRA also provides networking opportunities throughout the year.

As a way to foster Hispanic talent, HPRA provides scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing a career in Public Relations and related communications fields attending accredited four-year universities. In the last 20 years, HPRA-LA has awarded more than $220,000 in scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing a career in communications. Internship opportunities are also made available to scholarship recipients.

The organization also honors notable individuals in the communications field and recognizes the best in Hispanic-targeted campaigns with the coveted annual PRemio Awards(link this), the industry’s only Hispanic-specific award program.

More on Our History
Like many other Hispanic professional organizations that came of age in the 1980's, the Hispanic Public Relations Association was established in 1984 by a group of Latino practitioners who believed that the creation of an organization dedicated to serving their specific needs and interests was the most effective way to promote professional advancement in the field.

The first spark for the organization came from David Garcia, then with Fleishman-Hillard Public Relations, Garcia believed that other PR organizations' well-intentioned efforts to embrace multiculturalism were more geared to serving the needs of the organization than they were to Hispanic practitioners. Garcia initially discussed the idea with Myrna Gutierrez (El Centro Community Health Services) and John Echeveste (Southern California Association of Governments), who agreed and began working with him on plans to establish the organization.

HPRA was formed at a time when Hispanics were beginning to fill many corporate, non-profit and government PR positions in the Los Angeles area. The first official meeting, held at a long-forgotten restaurant, brought together a group that included, among others, Esther Renteria, Rose Soto, Emma Carrasco, and Mari Bellas, who became the founding members. The first order of business was to establish a name, and after several brainstorm sessions, the group settled on HPRA. The organization was loosely modeled on its journalistic counterpart, the California Chicano News Media Association.
The organization's stated objectives were to: promote professional development through educational programs; provide assistance to students; and to advocate responsible coverage of issues and images affecting the Hispanic community.
The organization established bylaws, incorporated as a non-profit, and conducted meetings on a regular monthly basis. Meetings were held at several locations in the Los Angeles area and featured a guest speaker. When Tamayo restaurant opened in 1988, HPRA adopted it as its official home. The organization kept busy by conducting a number of professional seminars, and holding an annual "Day at the Races" fundraiser at Santa Anita Racetrack.

A major turning point came in 1989 when HPRA was approached by the California Association of Latinos in Broadcasting, an organization of television community relations representatives led by Ray Gonzales and Fernando del Rio. With a dwindling membership, CALIB decided to disband and asked HPRA to assume its successful scholarship program. The CALIB Latino Athlete of the Year Scholarship Program honored local outstanding professional and amateur athletes at a luncheon held at USC. HPRA continued the format of the program until 1993 when it was changed to the HPRA PRemio Awards.
In its 25-year history, HPRA can be proud of its many accomplishments -- it has maintained its original objectives of promoting professionalism and assisting students. Many of its members have moved on to assume successful careers in the field. The HPRA Scholarship Program is one of the largest in the country and has helped many leading Hispanic professionals in the field achieve top positions in the corporate, agency, government, and non-profit world of communications.

With a solid record of achievement and a committed membership, HPRA is well positioned to serve the needs of Hispanic public relations professionals and students for another 20 years.