Washington, DC–(HISPANIC PR WIRE – PR Newswire)–January 7, 2008–The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and the USHCC Foundation (Foundation) today announced their Boards have voted to approve governance changes to unify the two Boards. Board Members of both organizations approved the governance changes at the October and November 2007 meetings.

As a result of this change, all of the USHCC Board Members will now serve on the Foundation Board, which will continue to have three additional corporate or philanthropic directors. Peter Granillo, elected as Foundation Chair in June 2007, will continue to serve in this capacity through August 2008. Thereafter, the USHCC Chair will serve as Chair of both the USHCC and the Foundation pursuant to the bylaw changes.

David C. Lizárraga, USHCC Board Chair, expressed excitement about this groundbreaking development. “We chose to unify the Boards in order to further capitalize on the vital synergy that exists between the USHCC and the Foundation in fulfilling our respective visions and missions,” said Lizárraga. “The unified governance will empower both organizations to more effectively meet the needs of our growing Hispanic businesses, and I thank all of the Board Members for their leadership in achieving this goal.”

“As the current Foundation Board Chair, I look forward to working with the entire USHCC and the Foundation Board Members in implementing the unified governance,” said Peter A. Granillo. “This change strengthens our mutual ability to carry out our missions for the betterment of the Hispanic business community. I, too, thank everyone for their vision and leadership in adopting these changes to help our organizations grow.”

About the USHCC Foundation

The USHCC Foundation is committed to providing Latino youth with alternatives for life preparation and lifelong learning by developing and implementing initiatives and educational campaigns to awaken and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit. The Foundation will leverage corporate and public support to ensure that Latino youth gain access and achieve success in the world of business. More information about the USHCC Foundation and the USHCC is available at http://www.ushccfoundation.org.

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and represents the interests of more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that generate more than $388 billion annually. It also serves as the umbrella organization for 200 local Hispanic chambers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information about the USHCC, please visit the USHCC Web page at http://www.ushcc.com/about on USHCC’s information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of release, but may have since changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact USHCC’s Communications Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.ushcc.com/contact.html.