December 2009
Jose L. Perez, a leader in business and government affairs, received the 2009 MESA Champion Award for his outstanding efforts to help the program serve educationally disadvantaged students.
Perez is the chairman and founder of the California Utilities Diversity Council (CUDC), whose members include the largest utility companies in the state. The council is a committee of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Under Perez's leadership, the CUDC contributed $1.4 million to help MESA provide K-12 academic preparation and increase college matriculation. The gift also funded paid internships that exposed MESA students to energy, telecommunications and water management careers.
Perez was honored in October at the sixth annual MESA Student Leadership Conference, where he also served as keynote speaker.
The conference, led by industry professionals and sponsored by PG&E, provided workshops, networking and mock interviews to better prepare students for the workforce. Students also obtained information about research and graduate studies, transfer options and student organizations.
In addition to his CUDC responsibilities, Perez is founder and owner of the Latino Journal, a publishing, events and consulting business focused on public policy and government from a non-partisan Latino perspective.
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