Latinas United for Political Empowerment Political Action Committee (LUPE PAC) held their annual reorganization meeting to develop their action plan for 2019-2020 and to elect new officers and executive board members.

Laura Matos, general manager of Kivvit, was elected as the new LUPE PAC president for the 2019-2020 term. Other officers elected include Carol Cuadrado (Passaic County) as vice-president and Aida Figueroa Epifanio (Camden County) as recording secretary. Arlene Q. Perez (Hunterdon County) continues to serve as treasurer, along with Lucia Gomez (Hudson County) as vice-president and Cristina Pinzon (Ocean County) as public relations secretary.

Additionally, two new board members were elected: Noemi G. Soria Perez of Camden County and Monica de Los Rios of Union County.

Laura Matos brings extensive experience to her new position as president of LUPE PAC. She has served on the staff of three New Jersey governors and has played critical roles in many statewide electoral campaigns, including serving as New Jersey’s political director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential primary campaign.

As Matos prepares for her new role as president of LUPE PAC, she states, “I am exceptionally proud of the work being done within our organization and I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of the smart and talented leaders in LUPE PAC at this critical time. Under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina, we have taken tremendous strides and it will continue to be our mission to amplify the voices of Latinas throughout the state with both our support and our skills. This board, these officers and this entire group of strong women that comprise LUPE

PAC are more than up to the challenge of taking the important next steps in continuing to grow our organization and making sure Latina voices continue to be heard at all levels of government.”

Laura Matos steps up to the role of president previously held by Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina, who is term-limited after serving three consecutive terms as the leader of LUPE PAC. Dr. Campos-Medina will remain on the board of directors and will lead other key initiatives for the organization.

During her tenure as president, Campos-Medina led a number of aggressive campaigns including efforts to defend Latina incumbents locally and at the New Jersey legislative level. She spearheaded a historic partnership with UNIDOS Action Fund to kick-off the first ever GOTV campaign targeting Latina voters under the banner of #LatinasVoteNJ, which became a critical grassroots voter mobilization effort in the 2018 senatorial race that re-elected Senator Robert Menendez. LUPE PAC was a fierce advocate for key Latina appointments in Governor’s Murphy’s administration and elevated the concerns of Latinas in key policy battles such as investment in reproductive healthcare choices for women, paid sick leave, $15 minimum wage, equitable education access for Latino children and drivers’ licenses for immigrant families. Under her leadership, the PAC also expanded its board to included leaders from Camden and Atlantic County and kicked off activities across the state with the purpose of growing the PAC’s financial reserves along the way.

“I am proud of all the accomplishments our organization has achieved in the last three years. We defended incumbents and supported more than 60 Latinas to run for office at the local level increasing our bench of qualified Latinas ready to run statewide in the near future. Our organization is growing, and I truly believe Laura Matos is the right leader to build upon our accomplishments and move the PAC forward. Today more women are willing to take risk and engage in the political process, and I know Laura strategic mindset will be critical in helping them build campaign network to run and win,” said Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina. “I have worked hand in hand with her for the last three years and I know she is committed to build power for women and for our community. I look forward to working with her to expand our advocacy efforts for Latinas in New Jersey,” concludes Campos-Medina.

LUPE PAC’s general board members for the 2019-2020 also include: Grissele Camacho, Patricia Campos Medina, Milagros Camacho, Flora Castillo, Sonia Delgado, Lizette Delgado-Polanco, Margarita Echeverria, Shawn Laurenti, Kay LiCausi, Analilia Mejia, Carmen Mendiola, and Noemi Velazquez. Zulima Farber, co-founder of LUPE, continues to serve as president emeritus.

About LUPE PAC

LUPE PAC is a non-partisan political action committee whose mission is to increase the number of Latinas in elected and appointed office in the state of New Jersey. The volunteer organization promotes and supports progressive Latinas running for local, state and federal office. LUPE PAC advocates for the rights of Latinas to have a seat at the table in government and politics, and for the issues and policies that impact Latino community in New Jersey. For more information, email info@lupepac.org or follow us on social media @LUPEPAC.