On October 8th the Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis (HLG) will present the 2021 Anthony B. Ramirez Premio Esperanza (Hope) Award to Sal Valadez.

Sal Valadez is a Mexican immigrant, a U.S. Army Veteran, and a graduate of The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he was awarded an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science.

He is also a 2019 Fellow of the Washington University in St Louis Community Research Fellows Training Program.

Valadez is a dynamic leader, participating in the board of directors for several organizations in the region, including the Hispanic Leaders Group board.  He is also the recipient of multiple awards, most recently including the 2020 St. Louis Business Journal, Diverse Business Leaders Award, and the 2019 St. Louis County Diversity Champion Award.

He is employed by LiUNA — Missouri & Kansas Laborers’ District Council — as representative for Diversity, Outreach & Marketing for their Diversity Initiative.  From 2020 to 2021, Valadez also acted as Assistant Research Investigator for a Washington University funded project: “The Opioids Crisis and the St Louis Region, An Immigrant and Ethnic Community Survey”.

Throughout his career, Valadez has been an advocate on issues related to language access, diversity, inclusion, and equity.

The Anthony B. Ramirez Premio Esperanza was established by The Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis (HLG) in 2003. The award’s inscription reads: “To you, for giving Hope… To those seeking change”.