"To those of us who are deeply concerned with issues of equal opportunity and empowerment, improving Hispanic representation in the federal work force remains a critical goal," said Director Lachance. "When President Clinton and Vice President Gore asked me to build a federal government that represents all of America, they were not stating a wish, they were voicing an imperative."

Lachance also discussed the latest OPM publication that helps Federal agencies recruit and retain a diverse work force Building and Maintaining A Diverse High-Quality Workforce: A Guide For Federal Agencies.

Because of OPMs outreach efforts and the efforts of Federal agencies, the representation of Hispanics in the federal work force has increased from 5.6 percent in 1993 to 6.4 percent in 1999. The representation of Hispanics in the top levels of government, the Senior Executive Service, has almost doubled.

In addition to delivering her speech, Lachance was presented with an award that recognizes OPMs "achievements in creating and promoting partnership opportunities between the Hispanic community and the LULAC in employment, education, economic development and/or other related areas."

"It is because of organizations like LULAC that OPM has been so successful in hiring a diverse work force one that includes the best of the Hispanic community," said Lachance.

This is the fourth award that Lachance has received from a national Hispanic organization for her organizations efforts to improve the representation of Hispanics in the federal work force.

Last year, OPM signed an historic agreement with LULAC, the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the nation, that strengthened their commitment to support and improve employment opportunities for Hispanics.

OPM also has placed federal job information/touch-screen computer kiosks in 20 percent of all Hispanic serving institutions and in 45 institutions with a high Hispanic enrollment. The computer kiosks, which are linked to USAJOBS, allow students access to 15,000 federal jobs daily, and reach over 500,000 students across the country.

For more information on OPM Hispanic initiatives, you may go to www.opm.gov.