Resident named chair of Latino endowment fund at Hartford Foundation

Germán Bermúdez of West Hartford has been named chair of the steering committee for the Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation serving the 29-town Greater Hartford region.

Bermúdez, a graduate of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá and of Brandeis University with a doctoral degree in science, is the associate executive officer for academic affairs at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. He is currently serving at Central Connecticut State University to help maximize the levels of retention, graduation and academic learning of students.  In this executive capacity, and for over a decade at the system level, he has also provided expertise in the conceptualization and implementation of academic policies and initiatives in public higher education. 

Prior to joining public higher education in Connecticut, Bermúdez was an education consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education, where he was in charge of science and educational technology initiatives, and leading a wide range of state and federally funded programs.  He came to Connecticut as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at Yale University.

Bermúdez has served on numerous boards and committees including the Meriden Board of Education, the Center for Latino Progress, the MidState Medical Center, and various educational advisory groups at the state and federal levels. He has been a member of the Latino Endowment Fund steering committee since 2005. 

The Hartford Foundation has also appointed Walter Diaz of Cromwell to the Latino Endowment Fund steering committee. Diaz is dean of students at Eastern Connecticut State University, and has more than 19 years of experience in higher education and student services. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Central Connecticut State University, and master's and doctorate degrees in higher education administration from the University of Connecticut and Johnson and Wales University, respectively.

 

Diaz, who joined the Latino Endowment Fund in 2007, is also a social entrepreneur. In 2006, he launched Hispanic Recruitment Services, Inc., which operates two national internet sites: LatinosinHigherEd.com and LatinoGraduate.com.

The Latino Endowment Fund was founded in 2003 by Latino leaders in Greater Hartford to increase philanthropy in their community and to strengthen nonprofits working to improve the quality of life for Latino residents. Members examine issues affecting the Latino community and recommend grants from the fund to address these issues. For more information, contact Betty Ann Grady at 860-548-1888 or bagrady@hfpg.org or go to www@hfpg.org/latino.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, dedicated to improving the quality of life for Greater Hartford residents, receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families and in 2011 awarded grants of almost $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

Bermúdez photographer: Riley D. Johnson, Jr.

Diaz photographer: Nick Lacy (ECSU)