Henry Cisneros, an ever-active advocate in the Latino community and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during Bill Clinton’s administration, will deliver the keynote address at AL DÍA News’ third annual Hispanic Heritage Awards Luncheon on Oct.10.

Cisneros, a Mexican American, was the second Latino to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city, leading the city of San Antonio, Texas for eight consecutive years. As HUD Secretary, Cisneros worked for fair, affordable housing and against mortgage discrimination, inspired to pursue a political career dedicated to urban development in large U.S. cities.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in public service,” Cisneros told Reuters. “There were moments when I wanted to be a military officer like my father… but I was in college in 1968, the year Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, when cities were burning all across America. I concluded I wanted to help the country domestically.”

After leaving the White House, Cisneros was President and Chief Operating Officer of Univision from 1997 to 2000. He also founded CityView and Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., two housing investment companies based in Los Angeles and New York City, respectively. The companies provide financing for city, county and state projects across the U.S. to improve infrastructure. Cisneros continues to sit on the boards of numerous Latino advocacy organizations.

In October, Cisneros will visit the Union League of Philadelphia to be the keynote speaker at the 2018 Hispanic Heritage Awards Luncheon, where AL DÍA News will honor Hispanic leaders in government, healthcare, education, corporate management and nonprofit sectors. The event coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in celebration of the past, present and future influence of Latinos in America.

This year’s honorees, selected by an advisory committee of local leaders and past recipients, include Judge L. Felipe Restrepo, of the U.S. Court of Appeals Third Circuit; Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, founder and board chair of the LEAP Academy and a member of the Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy at Rutgers University-Camden; Alba Martinez, Principal and Head of Retail Services at Vanguard; Peter Gonzales, President and CEO of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians; and Dr. Jose Russo, Director of Fox Chase Breast Cancer Research Lab.