Dominican Republic First Lady Coming to Providence

Dominican Republic First Lady Coming to Providence

With the weekend shooting of Haitian musician, social activist, and Brown University Fellow Wyclef Jean reminding of pressing political issues in the region, there is no more apt time to host the neighboring Dominican Republic's First Lady, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, than this week.

Fernández will be honored in Providence this Friday, March 25, at the Extraordinary Woman Awards, sponsored by the Woman Development Institute. She will receive the Institute's award and deliver a keynote address.

Advocate for change

Fernández is the wife of President Leonel Fernández. As First Lady, she and her staff coordinate social policies for her husband's administration, generating programs of health and education for children, young people, single mothers and the family, in general, as a key element in society.

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She has a background in law, having served in in law firms in the Dominican Republic. From 1996-2000, she assisted as legal counselor to the President nominated as Sub-secretary of State. Besides being ad honorem counselor and director of the Legal and Investment Environment Management of the Office for the Promotion of Foreign Investment of the Dominican Republic.

She has a Doctorate in Law from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and a Masters in Economic Legislation from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.  In 2009, Fernández was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In 2007 she received the  UN's World Information Society Day Award in 2007.

Rhode Island honorees

The Extraordinary Woman Ceremony will also honor Rhode Women Latina women who've worked on behalf of community development. Honorees include: Carmen Diaz-Jusino, Business Development; Lourdes Pichardo, Health; Henrietta White-Holder, Education; Cheryl Burrell, Community Involvement; Dr. Carmen Sanchez, Professional Development; Marta Morrogh-Bernard, Exceptional Caregiver; Maribel Patiño, PublicServant; Thérèse "Tsetse" Lavallee, Cultural Enrichment; Ida Nogueras, Community Involvement; and "Extraordinary woman For the Future" (youth honoree) Kassandra Vega.

The celebration is inspired, say organizers, by International Woman’s Day in early March. The Woman Development Institute, a local non-profit organization, is dedicated to the ongoing education and advancement of women relative to current issues and concerns.

11th Annual Extraordinary Woman Award Ceremony, Friday, March 25, 6pm, The Westin Hotel, Providence. Tickets $55 and may be purchased by calling 383- 9253 prior to March 22 or by emailing [email protected]. Proceeds from the event to benefit the Institute for Practice and Study of Nonviolence.