Monica Lozano, CEO of impreMedia and publisher of the highly respected Spanish-language La Opinion and El Diario La Prensa newspapers, will keynote the opening lecture for the 2011-2012 Hearst Distinguished Lecture Series at Florida International University’s (FIU) School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) on Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

“Ms. Lozano has had a long-standing commitment to education and throughout her career has remained a champion for Hispanic rights and issues. Her ability to speak about changes in the media landscape and the role Hispanics play in the media and social and political process will be invaluable lessons for our students,” said Kate MacMillin, assistant professor and Hearst Lecture committee chair, SJMC. “It is a great privilege to welcome Ms. Lozano to campus,” added MacMillin.

Lozano’s lecture, titled, “Leading Transformation in the Hispanic Media Landscape,” will address key issues surrounding the Hispanic population and the influence of Hispanic media in the 21st century. Following the lecture, Lozano will join an exclusive roster of panelists that features such prominent communication and academic figures as Alex Stepick, Ph.D. (http://gss.fiu.edu/index.php?name=profile:_alex_stepick), director, Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, FIU; Ramon Escobar, executive vice president, Telemundo Communications Group; Raul Cisneros, chief of digital media, U.S. Census Bureau; and Rosanna Fiske, APR, associate professor, SJMC and CEO/chair, Public Relations Society of America. Moses Shumow, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting at the SJMC, will moderate the panel discussion and post lecture Q&A.

"Given that the SJMC student body is 69% Hispanic and is consistently ranked in the top three nationally for awarding undergraduate degrees to Hispanics makes Monica Lozano a perfect fit for our school,” said Allan Richards, the school’s associate dean and associate professor, Department of Journalism and Broadcasting. “We are training the future leaders in Hispanic communications and who better to address them during this pivotal time in our cultural and political landscape than the leader in Hispanic communications herself.”

Lozano, one of the most influential Latinas in the country, serves on the boards of corporate and non-profit boards, including Bank of America, the Walt Disney Company, the University of California and the University of Southern California. In 2011, she was...