US Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Honoured MP Pavilionis with International Leadership Award

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) hosted its virtual 17^th Annual Gala & Leadership Awards: Cultivating Diversity of Thought on Wednesday, May 12, where Mr Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Lithuanian Seimas, was honoured with international leadership award, according to a press release from the Seimas.

Each spring, CHLI’s Annual Gala brings together an influential and diverse audience of elected and appointed officials, civic, corporate, and diplomatic leaders to honour those who have made a profound beneficial impact on the U.S. Hispanic Community.

“I am sincerely grateful for this award. Hispanic leaders in Congress has great informal influence in the most powerful democratic parliament on the planet. During my ambassadorship in Washington, the CHLI with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressmen Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Mario Díaz-Balart, Bob Menendez, Senator and current Chair of the Senate FAC, supported Lithuania on all essential foreign affairs and security, as well as energy security. Therefore, I hope that this award will help us to establish even stronger ties between the new Seimas and the US House and Senate, which we will establish by appointing the first representative of the Seimas to work with the US Congress this year,” thanked Žygimantas Pavilionis.

This year’s CHLI Gala also awarded The Honorable Rob Portman and The Honorable Adriano Espaillat with the Leadership in Public Service Awards. Senator Portman represents the State of Ohio, a position he has held since 2010. Representative Espaillat represents New York’s 13th Congressional District and is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“CHLI is honoured to present its 17^th Annual Gala & Leadership Awards. We are deeply grateful to our guests and honorees for their participation in our virtual Gala and look forward to highlighting their impact as we continue to cultivate diversity of thought,” said CHLI Chairman Honorable Lincoln Diaz-Balart. The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) is the premier organization founded by Members of Congress and corporate leaders to advance the Hispanic community’s economic progress with a focus on social responsibility and global competitiveness. Founded in 2003, CHLI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and non-partisan organization. CHLI is dedicated to fostering a broad awareness of the diversity of thought, heritage, interests, and views of Americans of Hispanic and Portuguese descent.