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The recipient of the
Distinguished Alumna
Award from the
College of Business
and Economics is
Noelia Rodriguez.
Noelia earned a
Bachelor of Science
degree in Business
Administration from
California State
University, Los
Angeles in 1986; and
completed studies
towards a Master of
Arts degree in
Communications at
the University of La
Verne.
Noelia is an
accomplished
executive with
extensive experience
in strategic and
crisis
communications,
media and public
relations, public
affairs, and
management in the
private and public
sectors including
measurable success
in the world’s most
visible arena, The
White House.
Noelia is the
Director of the John
F. Kennedy Jr. Forum
at Harvard
University’s
Institute of
Politics in the
Kennedy School of
Government. The
Forum is Harvard’s
premier venue for
political speech and
debate and regularly
features major
addresses by world
leaders, heads of
state and elected
officials.
Immediately prior to
Harvard, Rodriguez
was Director of
Communications for
the City of Irvine,
and Vice President
of Corporate
Communications for
Univision
Communications, Inc.
In January 2001,
Noelia was recruited
by Laura Bush to be
her Press Secretary
and Director of
Communications at
The White House, a
post she held for
the first 1,000 days
of President George
W. Bush’s
Administration.
Ultimately, Noelia
was Mrs. Bush’s
longest serving
White House press
secretary. As the
first lady’s senior
communications
advisor, Noelia
traveled around the
world with the
President and Mrs.
Bush, spanning 30
countries and 5
continents.
In February of 2000,
Noelia was named
President and CEO of
LA Convention 2000,
the host committee
for the first
Democratic National
Convention of the
21st Century.
Noelia served as
Deputy Mayor in the
administration of
Los Angeles Mayor
Richard J. Riordan.
Her first mayoral
appointment was as
his Press Secretary
in March of 1994. As
Riordan’s
communications
executive, she
oversaw media events
on such topics as
Los Angeles’
recovery from the
1994 Northridge
earthquake; Federal
Crime Bill and
public safety
initiatives; the
1999 Charter Reform
Campaign; Riordan’s
annual State of the
City addresses; six
of the Mayor’s
fiscal year budget
proposals and the
reopening of the
landmark restaurant,
The Pantry.
Prior to public
service, Rodriguez
worked at Southern
California Edison.
Noelia was
responsible for the
utility’s corporate
advertising
campaigns and
managed a
multi-million-dollar
general market and
Spanish ad budget.
She initiated,
developed and
managed the
utility’s first-ever
Spanish advertising
campaign. For her
accomplishments and
community service,
Noelia was named one
of Edison’s top ten
women leaders.
She has appeared on
numerous television
news shows,
including ABC’s
Good Morning America,
CBS This Morning,
KNBC’s News
Conference, CNN
with Paula Zahn,
The Early Show,
just to name a few.
Noelia has been
profiled on KABC’s
Vista LA,
Univision LA and Fox
11 News, and The
Learning Channel’s
A Slice of Life,
as well as in the
Los Angeles Times,
New York Times, La
Opinion, Los Angeles
Business Journal,
Sacramento Bee, Los
Angeles’ Downtown
News, National
Journal, Latino
Leaders, Vanidades,
Glamour, Christina,
Ladies Home Journal,
and Latina.
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