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Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal/Sunday News

Bristol Colon To Lead Pa. Agency For Latino Issues

Ed Klimuska

May 1, 2003
Copyright © 2003
Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. 

Lancastrian Norman Bristol Colon is the new executive director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.

Gov. Ed Rendell has appointed Bristol Colon to head the main advocacy agency for the state's nearly 400,000 Latino residents.

"As a community, we face many challenges and opportunities," Bristol Colon said. "As Pennsylvanians, we must face our challenges unified in the belief that the future will indeed be radiant.

"I am confident that working hand in hand for the good of our communities, Pennsylvania's and its Latino community best days lie ahead."

Bristol Colon is a native of Puerto Rico and a Lancaster resident for the past decade.

He is a graduate of McCaskey High School and Penn State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and economics.

After PSU, he returned to Lancaster and immersed himself in Hispanic causes. Lancaster County has 27,000 Hispanic residents, according to the last federal census. However, most live in Lancaster City where one-third (18,000) of its 55,000 residents are Latinos.

Bristol Colon founded the Congress of Puerto Rican Leaders, a local organization that has worked to improve conditions for Hispanic people. Its agenda includes educational advancement, leadership enhancement and cultural awareness.

Bristol Colon started his career in the migrant education program at Millersville University, where he became an assistant director of admissions and coordinator of minority student enrollment.

His next job was the director of the Future Planning Center for the Office of Secondary Education in the School District of Lancaster.

In addition, he has been a consultant on educational and Latino issues and a motivational speaker.

The advisory commission, which was formed in 1989 by then-Gov. Robert Casey, makes recommendations on policies, procedures and legislation to improve the status of Latinos.

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