Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers announces their 2014Region 2 Leadership Development Conference

SHPE collaborates with Manos Accelerator to fuel innovation and entrepreneurship

San Diego, Calif., March 12, 2014 -- The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers(SHPE) opened registration for their Region 2 Leadership Conference in San Diego onApril 17 –20, 2014. With this year’s theme of, “Come ride the WAVE to your future”, theconference is expanding its program to focus on innovation and entrepreneurship bypartnering with Manos Accelerator. Manos Accelerator will deliver a unique track thatwill provide insight to the startup ecosystem.

The conference is expected to draw more than 400 Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM) students, professionals, and corporations to the Universityof California, San Diego.

"Today’s corporations are looking for innovators, risk takers and creative thinkers to jointheir organizations. Our SHPE members are talented Latinos with impressive skillsneeded in today’s workforce.”said Heidy Arriola, Region 2 Vice President of SHPE. “Ourconference is truly aimed at ensuring Latinos are prepared and aware of the STEMopportunities available to them. This year is especially exciting for us as our UCSDStudent Chapter Conference Committee (lead by Faviola Loera) and their advisor, Dr.Olivia Graeve (Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering), have worked extremely hardto bring together a unique program that will inspire Hispanic high school students inSTEM programs, college students in STEM majors, and professionals in STEM careers& entrepreneurship.”

At the annual SHPE Region 2 Leadership Development Conference, students andprofessionals from STEM fields will come together to discuss and share industry bestpractices and acquire skills to propel their leadership skills will better position them forcareers in top corporations or a career in entrepreneurship.

“We are excited to be partnering with such a great organization like SHPE to provideresources to increase the number of Latino entrepreneurs in the hi-tech sector.”saidEdward Avila, CEO of Manos Accelerator. “Our mission at Manos is to foster the spirit ofentrepreneurship among Latinos and cultivate a more vibrant technology ecosystem ofentrepreneurial leaders among our Latino communities,"

The 2014 SHPE Region 2 Leadership Conference promises to deliver a robust program,which will include workshops, featured guests speakers, panelists, and awardceremonies. More than 400 attendees and top corporations including Fortune 500companies will participate at this event.  

The registration period is from March 13th to April 15th. For more information, visit http://www.shpe.org/rldc2 (Registration with lodging ends sooner).  To stay on top of thelatest updates and discussions, follow our social media networks at Facebook andTwitter.

About SHPEThe Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers offers a network of 341 student andprofessional chapters nationally. SHPE's mission is to change lives by empowering theHispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEMawareness, access, support and development. SHPE provides a variety of programmingand resources including hosting the largest annual technical conference it the nation. Formore information, visit www.shpe.org.

About Manos Accelerator, LLCManos Accelerator is a mentorship-driven accelerator program that provides education,resources and guidance for promising startup companies led by Latinos from across theUS and Latin America countries. Manos Accelerator worksside-by-side with Latinoentrepreneurs to enable them to build, launch and scale their exceptional businessesand turn their innovative ideas into reality.