We thank and wish all our brothers and sisters who have served, and who continue to serve, a happy Veterans Day 2021.
Happy 246th Birthday United States Marine Corps
Happy 246th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps and to all our ANSO Marines!
Since 10 Nov 1775, you have fought in every clime and place and consistently demonstrated to be one of the finest fighting forces in history!
And as President Reagan stated “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in this world. The Marines don’t have that problem.”
Semper Fi Marines and Happy Birthday!
New Professional Development Opportunity
ANSO members have been offered the opportunity to obtain the BlueDragon Hyper-Integrated Causal Analysis (HCA) Analyst Certification training, a value of over $1k, for FREE. Participants must be ANSO members in good standing for the duration of the course, and must commit to completing the training within the required time.
Course details and registration instructions can be found in the Professional Development section of our Resources page. Note that you must be logged in to our website to access the page. If you need help logging in to the site, please send an email to membership@ansomil.org.
Adelante con ANSO!
Norfolk, VA Chapter Monthly Meeting
Mark your calendar!!
The Norfolk Chapter will be holding a meeting on every 3rd Wednesday of each Month at 1800EST.
For more details visit our events calendar. Hope you can all join!
ANSO President’s Monthly Message
ANSO Familia,
Saludos a todos! I hope everyone is well, and that you continue to be blessed. We are still in the midst of this Pandemic, and many have been affected by this and other things. These are tough times. If you need anything, please know that we are here for you. All you need to do is reach out and let us know how we can support you.
As I wrap up my second month as your President, I wanted to update you all on the wonderful things ANSO has done in the last two months, especially through Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) celebrations.
Some of the highlights:
1. ANSO New England held a wonderful HHM event on the 5th of October. I was able to fly to Boston and spend some time with Berto Perez and his chapter, eat some great food, drink some amazing Coquito, and say a few words about ANSO to all the CG personnel present. Over 200 people attended that event! See more details on the chapter page. A very well executed event.
2. On the 6th of October, we hosted the ANSO HHM and 40th Anniversary event online. The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, The Commandant of the CG, Admiral Dennis Velez, and many others took part in our event. Overall we had about 60 participants online. Although most of the participants were not ANSO members, I think it was a great event. You can find the videos of the speakers on our new YouTube channel. We also ran a series called ANSO Members in the highlight. We have uploaded all those videos on our YT channel now. These are excellent interviews with some of our members. Please make some time to watch these 15-20 minute videos.
3. This month, we worked with Mr. Rob De La Espriella, owner of BlueDragon HCA. Mr. De La Espriella has offered ANSO access to an online course on critical thinking. This course, normally over $1000, is available to all ANSO members free of charge! This is in line with our Line of Effort (LOE) to increase benefits to all of our members, and helps us provide greater opportunities through learning courses. We will open registrations very soon, so keep an eye out on the Resources section of our website for the link to sign up! Courses like this help you while on active duty, but also will provide certification (through a post course process) for post military life. And its free right now!
4. Our efforts in supporting the Sea Services continue to bear fruits. In the last few weeks I have been working with the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASN (M&RA)) Director for Diversity and Inclusion on several initiatives in support of Equity and Inclusion in the Navy. More to follow on this! Progress is being made!
5. On 4 October, I was invited to the US Naval Academy for a Diversity and Inclusion conference. It was great to see Admiral Velez, CAPT Then, LCDR Machado, and many others at the conference (see picture below). I also participated in one of the Panels and was able to talk about ANSO and the work we are doing. We are being invited to the table and asked to speak more and more. This is how we advance our LOE to bring greater visibility to our organization on behalf of all our members.
6. On 13 October, CDR Tico Valenzuela and I attended the Naval History and Heritage Command Navy birthday celebration with SECNAV. A great event highlighting Admiral Farragut and his legacy.
7. Two days ago I was the guest speaker for an OPNAV N17 DE&I HHM series. It was another great opportunity to talk about ANSO.
8. Yesterday we had session two of two Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement (HISPA) ANSO role model training events. We had four members sign up to mentor our youth as part of HISPA’s efforts to show young Hispanics and Latinos that we can do anything! We need more volunteers for this effort. It is inline with our recruiting LOE. HISPA is giving ANSO about 14 sessions starting in Dec-Feb to connect with different classrooms around the country. We need to take full advantage of this. Please contact me or Rolando Machado to find out how you can participate. Thanks to Karen Gonzalez, Diego Londoño, and Javy Medina for leading ANSO as our first volunteers for this. Would love to see some CG and Marines join this effort.
9. Today I am on my way to San Diego for the NAVAIRFOR DEI summit. I hope to see some of our ANSO West Coast members there! More to follow on the conference.
We are doing great things, but we can do more. Your participation is critical to our success. We need to resume in person meetings as soon as possible. Our online events are all being posted for all to see, but few attend and fewer go back and watch them after they are posted. Please get involved. Take advantage of the things we are offering, and help us make ANSO better. There is strength in unity, and we need everyone to help us succeed.
Feel free to contact me anytime.
Un abrazo,
Roy
CAPT Roy Love, USN (Ret)
Presidente, ANSO
president@ansomil.org
Hispanic Heritage Month Block Party- Boston
On October 5th, our ANSO New England Chapter members held their first Hispanic Heritage Month Block Party at Base Boston. Over 200 people showed up and shared in fellowship, games, food, music, and coquito. There was music, piñatas, competitions, and food sampling stations. This event was a fun way to share a little bit of the Hispanic culture with coworkers and friends from the surrounding area. A Venezuelan food truck and a Puerto Rican caterer ensured that no attendee left hungry.
The spotlight event for the day was the Coquito Competition. In total, 10 competitors prepared their special recipes and put together short descriptions about their coquitos- many of these competitors got creative with their write-ups. Event attendees sampled the different recipes and voted on their favorite. The creator of the winning recipe, Navidades Caribe (Caribbean Christmas), was dubbed the 2021 Boston Coquito Champion.
USO New England helped with set up, and provided some of the beverages and outdoor games. A huge thank you to USO New England for their support.
New England is one of our newest ANSO Chapters – if you’re interested in learning more about the New England Chapter, reach out at NewEngland@ansomil.org.
Read the creative “Stories of the Bottle” from the Coquito Competition.
ANSO YouTube Channel is Live!
We have launched a brand new YouTube Channel where we will share content from around the organization. Subscribe, share, and stay tuned.
Incoming President’s Message
Dear ANSO Familia,
I want to thank Ms. Blanca Rosas for everything she and all of the other ANSO leaders who served our organization for the last several years have done for all of us. Their hard work and dedication have paved the way for significant progress for Latinos and Hispanics in the Sea Services. Those of us who are blessed to follow them have a much easier task because of all they have already done. Thank you Blanca, Jose, and the Board of Directors (BOD) members who preceded us. We are in your debt.
It is an honor for me to have been selected as your new President. Having just retired, I was hoping I would find a great hobby to keep me from being bored everyday! I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to continue to give back to our Service members. Thank you for putting your confidence in me. I am fully committed to making ANSO the premier Hispanic and Latino Resource Group in any Service. It is an honor to have Rolando Machado as our Vice President. Together with the other members of the BOD, we will make ANSO even greater than it has been.
As your President, I intend to focus on four lines of effort, all tied to ANSO’s Five Pillars (Resources, Membership, Recruitment, Professional Development, and Community Outreach).
- LOE 1: Increase the Resources we provide our members. (Resources and Professional Development) – We will provide our members better Leadership Training, Mentoring, and career management opportunities, as well as help identify and provide learning opportunities through partnerships and sponsorships.
- LOE 2: Grow our Community ( Membership and Recruitment) – We will increase our internal membership, and support the Service’s outreach and recruiting programs to increase the number of Latinos/Hispanics in service, especially in retaining our top talent to see them reach the highest ranks possible.
- LOE 3: Increase external Community Outreach and partnerships. (Community Outreach, Professional Development) – We will work with outside organizations, like HISPA, Hispanic Star, HACR, and other ERGs to increase our external engagement, to offer our members increased visibility, and give them opportunities to engage outside in support of underrepresented Latino/Hispanic communities.
- LOE 4: Increase ANSO Brand Recognition – Too few service members know what ANSO is and does. We will aim to increase awareness of our name and brand, while working to become a premier Hispanic and Latino Resource group in the United States Sea Services. We will ensure we are fully engaged with our members and all the Sea Services Leadership, and to provide the highest value to our members, and the highest levels of support to our Services.
I need your support to do all of this. ANSO was established by the Honorable Secretary of the Navy Eduardo Hidalgo in 1981 to reach out to Hispanic/Latino communities and attract qualified Hispanics/Latinos to apply to the Sea Service’s Officer programs. This mission is still applicable today. While the enlisted community has grown significantly, our Officer Corps have not. We need to continue the mission. Today, Secretary Hidalgo would be exceedingly glad to see Secretary Del Toro in his seat. We have come a long way, but there is still much to do. Let’s do this, together.
My first request to all of our members:
In two weeks, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations and activities will begin across the US. ANSO should be part of as many events as possible. We have posted several of these on our webpage calendar. I encourage everyone to visit ansomil.org, follow us on LinkedIn, and if you have it, Facebook, and try to participate in as many Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) events as you can. Whenever the opportunity arises, please talk about ANSO. We will have our own HHM event in Late September/Early October. As you all may know, the new Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, is a lifetime ANSO member. He will be at our HHM event. We are waiting to confirm his availability before we set a date. All ANSO members should be present, if able.
There are a few other events taking place that we should attend if at all possible.
- HISPA Virtual Recruiting Event Oct 7 1700-1900 – This is a great opportunity to give back to our community and for outreach
- Hispanic Star HHM Opening Ceremony Sep 15th 1530 – Virtual – Hispanic Star has been a strong supporter of ANSO in the past year.
- NHHC Panel “Latinx: A question of Indentity” Sep 15th 1200-1300 Washington Navy Yard.
Details on these are/will be posted on the ANSO events page and our social media.
I am at your service, always. Please do not hesitate to reach out directly to me with any questions, concerns, or recommendations. Please feel free to connect with me on LINKEDIN.
With the utmost respect,
Roy Love, CAPT USN, (Ret)
President, Association of Naval Services Officers
President’s Farewell Message
Dear ANSO Familia,
It has been an honor and a tremendous pleasure to have served this amazing professional organization!
I am proud of ANSO’s achievements, particularly in our ability to provide meaningful professional development and outreach opportunities. With that in mind, I would like to highlight some of our accomplishments over the last two years:
- Increased ANSO’s membership by 200%.
- Completion of ANSO Strategic Plan.
- Improved ANSO’s website and effectively increased social media communications.
- As a member of the Department of Defense’s Diversity and Inclusion working group, provided input to create awareness on how to better maintain a diversified workforce in the military.
- Contributed to Task Force One Navy (TF1N) initiative to improve Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in the U. S. Navy.
- Participated in the Coast Guard Affinity Group Council sharing best practices and ideas on how to improve diversity and inclusion in the U. S. Coast Guard.
- Contributed to the Coast Guard Underrepresented Minorities (URM) study by providing feedback about challenges in the U. S. Coast Guard.
- Contributed to Services’ Recruiting efforts. ANSO identified speakers and participated in a myriad of recruiting, educational, and community outreach events promoting the Sea Services as employers of choice.
- Coordinated numerous professional development events such as two annual symposiums and 20+ virtual leadership and mentoring events.
- Partnered with other Affinity Groups and professional organizations to mentor cadets, officers and enlisted members, and civilian personnel.
- Nominated 10 members for ANSO and Latina Style awards.
- Directly contributed to future Hispanic officer selections/acceptances to programs within the Sea Services.
- Celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and created awareness about the Hispanic’s culture.
All these accomplishments were possible thanks to the support of our volunteers! I want to thank our members, Board of Advisors, Chapters, Lifetime supporters, partners, and sponsors for your support and guidance. I would also like to give a special shout-out of appreciation to CDR Jose Rosario, National Vice President, and members of the Board of Directors (2019-21), for their tireless work, guidance, and support. I want to also extend a special thank you to my predecessor, Rear Admiral (Ret.) William Rodriguez, for his leadership and mentoring. Our organization continues to grow in exciting ways, and I am humble for the opportunity to be a part of it. Thank you all!
As I come to the end of my term as National President, I am excited to welcome our new cadre. They are eager to continue our mission and I am certain they will successfully fulfill their predecessors’ shoes! Over the next couple of weeks, CDR Rosario and I will do a complete turnover to ensure a smooth transition. Please join me in welcoming:
National President: CAPT (Ret.) Roy Love, U. S. Navy
National Vice President: LCDR Rolando Jesus Machado, Jr., U. S. Navy
National Treasurer: LCDR Edwin Ortiz, U. S. Coast Guard
USMC Enlisted Representative: Alfonso Ramos Jr., Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps
Master-At-Arms: CAPT James Kirby, U. S. Navy
U. S. Coast Guard Executive Champion: Dr. Gladys Brignoni
Again, I cannot thank you all enough for your support and dedication to me and ANSO. I hope that you will give Roy and Rolando the same support and dedication! I wish them the best in their future journey as part of our growing familia!
As a Lifetime member, I will continue to support ANSO and will be available to assist and mentor anyone that desires it. Do not hesitate to reach out to me via email or social media.
Ahora es, ANSO! Adelante con ANSO!
CDR (Ret.) Blanca Rosas, USCG
La Presidenta de ANSO, 2019-21