NCHC Conference

Please mark your calendars now for another exciting NCHC Conference: October 22-26, 2008. 

Click here to register for the 2008 NCHC Conference.

 

 

Hotel Information 

 

The NCHC Conference hotel is the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, 101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/satrc-san-antonio-marriott-rivercenter/).  Please be aware that another Marriott hotel is close to our conference hotel; so when you make your reservations, please be sure to ask for the NCHC Conference rate.  Reservations can be made by phone 1-888-236-2427 (toll-free).  The hotel direct phone numbers are 210-223-1000 or 800-648-4462.  Please note: the hotel has a smoke-free policy.

 

Special conference rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes in effect at the time of check-in.

 

Single or Double:                   $199

Triple or Quad:                      $209

Additional Person:                 $20

 

                

Reservations for the conference rates must be received on or before Saturday, September 27, 2008. 

 

Hotel Amenities:  In-room coffee maker, iron and ironing board, cable TV, hair dryer, indoor/outdoor pool.  In-room high-speed internet access is $9.95 plus tax from noon to noon (no proration).  NCHC will provide complimentary wireless access 24 hours per day at the Internet Café located on the 3^rd floor.   

 

On-site parking is $21 per day; valet parking is $27 per day.

For information on the fabulous city of San Antonio, please click here:  San Antonio 

Keynote Speaker

 John Phillip Santos joined the Ford Foundation in 1997 as a Program Officer in the Media, Arts, and Culture Program, where he managed the Foundation’s Media Projects Fund and international initiatives involving new media technologies. Originally from San Antonio, Mr. Santos is a filmmaker, producer, journalist, and writer whose work examines the intersecting issues of media, culture, and identity.  He is the recent producer of From the Airwaves to the Internet, a short history of broadcast news, and he was the executive producer and director of new program development for Thirteen/WNET and the producer of over forty documentaries on culture, religion, politics, and spirituality for CBS News.

Plenary Speakers:

 Mayor Raul G. Salinas based his campaign for mayor of Laredo on his 35 years of public service in law enforcement and his message of inter-governmental cooperation.  His campaign resonated with a community frustrated with the image of Laredo that was being portrayed by national and regional media.

A retired FBI agent, who served the Bureau for 27 years and, most recently, as an assistant legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Salinas knows well and understands the unique problems that Mexico faces and that also indirectly affect the entire U.S./Mexico border.  He intends to focus on helping the United States understand the importance of our neighbor and friend to the south, all while maintaining the safety and security of the U.S./Mexico border.  While with the FBI, Salinas developed and maintained contacts with Mexican law enforcement and was assigned to many foreign counterintelligence cases.

Prior to arriving in Laredo in 1988 to sprearhead the FBI bureau, Salinas started his career in Washington, D.C., serving as a police officer at the United States Capitol and specializing in protection for the president and vice president, congressional leaders, and visiting foreign dignitaries. While working his way through college at the University of Maryland and earning a bachelor of arts degree in law enforcement studies and criminology, Salinas also was an aide for the Honorable Eligio (Kika) De La Garza (D-Texas), a former U.S. Representative.

Michael N. Searles

Cowboy Mike is the persona created by Michael Searles, Professor of History at Augusta State University, to help audiences understand the western experience of the black cowboy. More than a lecturer, Cowboy Mike truly brings the West to life as he dispels many of the myths surrounding the Wild West.  He dresses in authentic cowboy costume and displays his collection of western artifacts, including a branding iron, chaps, spurs, and lariat, to his audience.  His performance is unique.

Angela Belcher