NALEO Board Member Mary Rose Wilcox Honored by Mexican Government

ORLANDO, Fla., June 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) announced today that the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, an agency within the Secretariat of External Relations of Mexico that fosters ties between Mexico and Mexican communities in this country, presented the Honorable Mary Rose Wilcox of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors with the prestigious Premio Ohtli.  The award was presented to Supervisor Wilcox during a luncheon ceremony at the organization's 29th Annual Conference at the Disney Contemporary Resort in Orlando, FL.

The Mexican government, acting through the Instituto, created the award to recognize persons who have promoted the prosperity of Mexican communities abroad.  Ohtli means path, or road, in nahuatl.  In granting the Ohtli, the Government of Mexico recognizes distinguished individuals who have blazed a path for and improved the lives of members of the Mexican community beyond Mexico's political borders. 

"It is a tremendous honor to receive recognition from the Mexican Government in our fight against human and civil rights violations in Arizona," said Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.

Supervisor Wilcox served five years as the Chair of the NALEO Educational Fund and is currently serving her fifth four-year term representing, District 5 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. She has played a major role in Maricopa County Government, embracing its diversity as an organization. Born in Superior, deep in the mining country of Arizona and a fourth generation native from a pioneer Mexican-American family, Wilcox is the first Latino to serve on both the Phoenix City County and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Mary Rose has devoted her career to public service, championing the first Civil Rights Day in Maricopa County. She has been in the forefront in the push for comprehensive immigration reform. She serves on the National Association of Counties Immigration Task Force, the Arizona Mexico Commission and is chairman of the Sports Youth Exchange Subcommittee. She has created numerous programs to strengthen families and communities, including leading the County's efforts to create a homeless campus to centralize services for the homeless in downtown Phoenix.

About NALEO 
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials is the leadership organization of the nation's more than 6,000 Latino elected and appointed officials.

SOURCE National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)