Hank Lacayo to be honored with CLU’s Exemplar Medallion

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – April 2005 –– California Lutheran University will present Hank Lacayo, a dedicated community servant, with the Exemplar Medallion during undergraduate Commencement Services on May 14. The Exemplar Medallion is given to citizens whose lives reflect the mission of CLU to “educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.”

Mr. Lacayo served for more than 50 years as a labor leader with the United Auto Workers (UAW), Vice President of the California Federation of Labor, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. He is a recognized national labor leader on the national political scene, serving as a labor adviser to several U.S. presidents. Since his retirement from the labor movement, Mr. Lacayo has become a legendary activist for a variety of communities, in and beyond Ventura County.

Mr. Lacayo, a resident of Newbury Park, is president of the Congress of California Seniors and serves his community as adviser to the National Association for the Hispanic Elderly and as a coordinator for the Southern California UAW Retiree Council. He is a member of the board of directors for the Ventura County Community Foundation, the Ventura County American Red Cross, El Concilio del Condado de Ventura and El Centrito de La Colonia in Oxnard. He also serves as an adviser to several local higher education boards. Born in East Los Angeles and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Mr. Lacayo is a champion of Hispanic community leaders: He is a founder and National President Emeritus for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and founder and past chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute.

Undergraduate commencement services will be held at 10:30 a.m. in CLU’s Mt. Clef Stadium. Serving approximately 2,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students, CLU offers 36 majors and 28 minors along with professional preparation programs in specified fields of study. Graduate programs are offered in education, psychology, computer science, business administration, and public policy and administration. For more information, please visit http://www.clunet.edu or call (805) 493–3151.