Lambda Theta Phi Hosts Successful 2013 Conference in New Orleans

President José Grajales addresses the Brotherhood at the State of Lambda Address.
President José Grajales addresses the Brotherhood at the State of Lambda Address.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: W. Patrick Bryan, Director of Communications
Email:

July 18, 2013

PARSIPPANY, NJ – Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. celebrated its 2013 National Brotherhood Conference in style this past weekend (July 11 – 14, 2013) in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted jointly with Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.’s 2013 National Convention.  The Fraternity enjoyed a number of milestones throughout the weekend, including:

FIRST JOINT CONFERENCE
New Orleans was Lambda Theta Phi’s first conference in partnership with another organization, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.

LARGEST ATTENDANCE
New Orleans enjoyed the attendance of just fewer than 300 brothers, with a few hundred more in attendance for the festivities.

ADDRESS FROM SENATOR MENENDEZ
Senator Robert Menendez addressed both Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda Theta Alpha at the National Awards Gala, encouraging both organizations to continue building the Latino community as he and the Gang of Eight work to push for comprehensive immigration reform.

FIRST APP
New Orleans was the focal point for the LambdaCon app (available in the Apple AppStore), used to provide updates and agenda information to brothers during the conference.  The app was developed internally by Director of Information Technology, Steve Hernandez, and usage statistics indicate the app was tremendously successful.

MOST SESSION OFFERINGS
New Orleans was not just the most attended, but also the most informative conference to date with 24 sessions throughout 4 days of the conference.  The quality of sessions was also enhanced with a number of well-known speakers including Victor Antonio and David Stollman.

NATIONAL SALUTE COMPETITION
New Orleans also pushed the bar higher for saluting, one of the Fraternity’s most well-known traditions.  Over 700 people attended the National Salute Competition at the House of Blues – New Orleans, creating a high energy atmostphere for the seven teams from each organization.  While New Jersey Sector One was crowned the 2013 champions, each team laid down everything they had for one of the best competitions to date.

HERO BOX SERVICE AND PHILANTHROPY
New Orleans was also the site of the Hero Box Philanthropy undertaken by both Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda Theta Alpha.  Both organizations raised funds to ship a total of 250 Hero Boxes filled with snacks, hygiene products and other comforts from home to troops stationed overseas.

AWARDS GALA
Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda Theta Alpha concluded the weekend with the 2013 Awards Gala, held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel where 11 awards were given to individual brothers and entities from within the Fraternity.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Miguel Acero, Jr.
Gamma Beta, Spring 2009
Undergraduate Excellence Award

Bryan Cortes
Alpha Omega, Spring 2012
Campus Leadership Excellence Award

Edgar Soltero-Flores
Alpha Omega, Fall 2011
Philanthropist of the Year Award

Lorenzo Chavez
Gamma Beta, Spring 2007
Organizational Leadership Excellence Award

Steve R. Pereira
Gamma Theta, Fall 2007
Rising Professional Award

Mariano Pellegrino
Gamma, Spring 2002
Professional of the Year Award

ENTITY AWARDS

California Sector 2
Sector of the Year Award

Alpha Delta Chapter 
California State Polytechnic University – Pomona (CAS1)
Chapter of the Year Award

Lambda Eta
Washington, D.C. Metro Area
Alumni Chapter of the Year Award

Iowa State University Colony
Gamma Chi Chapter (ILS1)
Colony of the Year Award

Gamma Beta Chapter
The University of Arizona (AZNMS1)
Philanthropic Chapter of the Year Award

Lambda Theta Phi was pleased to host its 2013 conference in conjunction with Lambda Theta Alpha, as both organizations have worked tirelessly to promote Latino unity and respect for more than 37 years.  The 2013 National Brotherhood Conference in New Orleans was one of the most successful conferences Lambda Theta Phi has held to date, and will serve to energize the Fraternity for another year until the 2014 National Brotherhood Convention in San Diego, California.

More information, photos and videos from the weekend can be found using Lambda Theta Phi’s social media channels (FacebookTwitter & Instagram).

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Founded December 1, 1975 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. is the first nationally recognized Greek-letter organization founded as a Latin Fraternity, and the leader of the Latino Greek movement. The membership of Lambda Theta Phi is open to all college men who support its values of scholarship, respect for all cultures, community service, and the advancement and fair treatment of Latinos. Lambda Theta Phi was the first Latin Fraternity to be recognized by the North-American Inter-Fraternity Conference (NIC), a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO), and has over 130 Chapters and Colonies across the United States. More information about Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. can be found at www.Lambda1975.org.