NORTH TUSTIN, Calif., May 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Executive Director of The Prentice School, a private, nonprofit, nonpublic (NPS) academic school, which offers unparalleled learning experiences to bright students with learning differences, Alicia Maciel knows the importance of the role education plays in the communities and businesses. As a respected Harvard business graduate, she believes that people are a business’s strongest asset, which is one of the reasons she has been chosen to be honored by the National Hispanic Business Women Association with The NHBWA Woman of the Year Award for her commitment to community service and education.
NHBWA says the luncheon serves as a platform to recognize outstanding individuals for their professional achievements and their contributions to the community.
Maciel will receive this prestigious award at the association’s 17th Annual Women of the Year Awards and Scholarship Luncheon on May 25th.
"I feel so strongly about NHBWA’s mission to help support and promote Hispanic women-owned businesses and am honored to be a recipient of this award," Maciel said. "Hispanic women-owned businesses have a very large impact to the overall economy. In fact, they are the fastest growing subset of women-owned businesses in the U.S. employing 550,400 US workers in 2016. Before becoming executive director, I had my own business and as a Hispanic businesswoman myself I know the challenges of starting your own business. Mentorship, education and community support are an important aspect of helping people succeed."
The 2016 State of Women-Owned Business Report reports that Hispanic women-owned businesses lead the way among ethnic businesswomen by starting over 1.9 million businesses that generated over $97 billion in revenue for 2016.
Maciel was nominated for this honor by The Prentice School board member and Wells Fargo SVP of National Diverse Segments Director Patty Juarez because of "the leadership she has shown as The Prentice School’s executive director and the numerous positive changes she has made at the school."
"I am so happy to see Alicia honored," Juarez added. "She is a committed, effective leader with incredible leadership abilities. I’m amazed at the work she does every day."
"For the future of business to succeed, you need the right people to do the job which is why education and community are so important together. If you don’t have the right people, you can’t have a successful business. Education shapes and creates the path for people’s future, making sure our community and business communities are strong," Maciel added. "Hispanic women in business can give you 97 billion reasons why that matters."
To that point, the NHBWA awards educational scholarships to students pursuing a college education in an effort to develop the next generation of leaders. The awards ceremony is attended by over 200 community leaders, corporate representatives, business owners and students.
As the executive director of The Prentice School, which has transformed the lives of thousands of students with learning differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, anxiety, and visual processing and executive function disorders, Maciel has dedicated herself to leading and challenging new ways for an educated and prosperous future for all of her students, despite any challenges. She is completely aligned with NHBWA’s mission to encourage women to develop their business and professional goals through education and mutual support.
Parents and donors, as well as educational and healthcare professionals, interested in learning more about Alicia Maciel and The Prentice School should visit www.prentice.org for additional information.
ABOUT THE PRENTICE SCHOOL
Founded in 1986, The Prentice School is a private, nonprofit academic school located in North Tustin, California and is a certified nonpublic school (NPS) through the California Department of Education and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The Prentice approach is designed to engage students on three learning pathways, including auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Using evidence-based curriculum and instructional methodologies, a structured literacy approach, multi-sensory instructional strategies, and ongoing progress monitoring, The Prentice School offers an unparalleled learning experience to students with learning differences who possess average-to-high intelligence, whose needs have not been met in a more traditional classroom setting.
You can learn more about The Prentice School at www.prentice.org or call (714) 244.4600