Called by The New York Times, “The Voice of Hispanic America”, Emmy-award winning anchor Maria Elena Salinas is the most recognized Hispanic female journalist in the United States. For the past 25 years Salinas has informed millions of Hispanics in the United States and 18 countries in Latin America. As co-anchor for the highly rated “Noticiero Univision”, she has handled some of the most challenging assignments in modern day journalism.

Salinas began her journalistic career as a reporter for KMEX-34 television in Los Angeles in 1981. Her insightful reporting on the impact of daily news to the increasingly growing Hispanic community of Southern California quickly earned her the credibility that would lead to her assuming the anchor chair of Noticiero Univisión in 1987.

Throughout the years, Salinas has interviewed more world leaders, dictators and political figures than any other female journalist. She has interviewed nearly every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter and followed Pope John Paul II on a dozen foreign trips, including his historic visit to Cuba in 1998 and ultimately his funeral at the Vatican. Her list of groundbreaking reports include exclusive interviews with Mexican Presidents Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox; Carlos Ménem of Argentina, Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, Violeta Chamorro and Enrique Bolaños; Colombia’s Cesar Gaviria, Andres Pastrana and Alvaro Uribe; Peru’s Alberto Fujimori and Alejandro Toledo, as well as other prominent political figures of the past two decades, such as the enigmatic Mexican rebel leader Sub-Comandante Marcos.

Salinas has reported from the White House to the Kremlin, from the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles to the funeral of Princess Diana in London, and from earthquake-ravaged El Salvador to the war torn streets of Baghdad.

Salinas’ work has earned her several journalistic awards. Her coverage of Hurricane Mitch helped win Univisión two national Emmy Awards in 2000, the first time a Spanish-language network has received that coveted prize. She also earned an Emmy Award for a network broadcast town hall meeting she moderated with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Los Angeles and was part of the Univisión news team that received the Edward R. Murrow Award for the network’s coverage of the Atlanta Olympic Park bombings in 1996.

In addition to her position as network anchor, Salinas co-hosts the prime-time television news magazine "Aqui y Ahora." She is one of the few Hispanic syndicated columnists in the United States. Her weekly column on U.S. Hispanic issues and Latin America is distributed by King Features Syndicates in both English and Spanish to more than 55 daily newspapers in the country. Salinas also writes a weekly column on Hispanic issues for www.univision.com and is a regular analyst of “Latino USA” hosted by Maria Hinojosa on NPR.

Salinas is also a tireless advocate for Hispanics in the United States. Her in-depth coverage of immigration reform has drawn accolades from government leaders and immigration advocates. She recently worked with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) on extensive voter registration and outreach efforts and became part of the Digital Heroes a web-based youth mentoring program. On radio, she spearheaded a national campaign to motivate Hispanic students to stay in school. She has worked with the U.S. Departments of Health and Education on issues ranging from the importance of immunization for young children, to the risks of heart disease and parental involvement in education. Her commitment to education led her to establish the "Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship for Excellence in Spanish-language News" which is administered by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and which awards three $5,000 scholarships to promising journalism students.

For her influential work in the field of journalism on both a national and international level, Salinas was Named "Journalist of the Year" by Hispanic Media 100 and was recently awarded the first International Scholar award from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School which also named her a distinguished Dean’s Speaker. Other recognition has come in the form the "Striving for Excellence Award" and a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Broadcasting Training Program; the "Superior Achievement Award" from the National Association of Hispanic Publications, a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the California Chicano News Media Association, and "The Gift of Hope Award" from the Women’s Hope Fund.

Salinas has also been featured on the cover of Hispanic Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in the United States, and was named one of the top 15 Most Influential Hispanics among Latino voters in a poll conducted by Hispanic Voter Trends. Her work has also been recognized by the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Salinas is a former vice president and founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and has been a featured speaker at media and women’s conferences throughout the country.