Symposium draws A-list speakers: Leadership Brownsville holds inaugural IGNITE!
Oct. 4—Leadership Brownsville's inaugural IGNITE! Leadership Symposium was delayed for a couple of years thanks to the pandemic, but now it's back with an A-list roster of speakers and scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center.
The event is the brainchild of Brownsville developer Roberto Valencia, who graduated with Leadership Brownsville's 30th class in 2015, was asked to join the nonprofit's board and has served on it for eight years. He said the organizing the symposium was a way for him to "give back" to the community that has given him a safe place to raise his family and presented him with so many opportunities.
After graduating from Leadership Brownsville, Valencia, founder and president of Design Group 692, opted to further his education and enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It was there that he met Carmine Gallo, Harvard instructor, leadership advisor, communication coach and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and asked Gallo if he would speak for the symposium Valencia was planning.
Gallo said yes, then the pandemic happened, but he's still on board and will be among the symposium's four speakers on Oct. 10. Through his network of professional contacts Valencia was also able to secure as a speaker Agustin Pizá, an award-winning, California-based golf course architect.
In a statement, Pizá described Leadership Brownsville as a "dynamic program that helps to cultivate, educate and inspire the youth of Brownsville" and said as an IGNITE! Symposium speaker his goal is to motivate those present with his own "personal and professional journey." Valencia also landed as a speaker business and community leader Javier Prieto, a leadership consultant who is founder and president of Selider, a national organization in Mexico that promotes youth leadership and supports the development and civic participation of young people.
For the symposium's keynote speaker, Valencia was able to get onboard Juliet V. Garcia, former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville-Texas Southmost College and the first Mexican-American woman to serve as a college or university president in the United States. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July at the White House.
"I know she's particular, but thank God, she said yes," Valencia said.
While the Gallo's presentation at Harvard taught Valencia the importance of communication, Valencia said, the experience of going through Leadership Brownsville "opened my eyes about Brownsville, about the amount of work that we can do here and the potential of our community."
"We have a great community," he said. "We're going to have a greater community."
Valencia said a $10,000 grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation plus about $40,000 raised through various Leadership Brownsville fundraisers raised is helping make IGNITE! a reality. Everyone is welcome, though the event is especially targeted at students and young professionals. Tickets are $25 for students and $50 for non-students.
Advance tickets and registration are available in advance online. On the day of the event, registration starts at 8 a.m. and the first speaker goes on at 9 a.m. Lunch will be provided. A mixer will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. after the final talk.
Valencia said a person can watch high-caliber motivational speakers all day long on YouTube or TikTok but that it doesn't have the same impact as being in the same space together.
"You're going to be more focused if you're there," he said. "It's a very unique opportunity. And ask the questions. That's the most important thing. That's the only way to learn."
