A Conversation with The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

In this month’s episode of The Purple Line, Keith Fernandez sits down with former Congresswoman, The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, to discuss her political career representing South Florida.The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served for almost three decades as a member of Congress representing a congressional district in South Florida and was the first Hispanic and Cuban-American woman to serve in Congress.As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, she became a leader in crafting U.S. foreign policy. She served as the Committee’s Chairwoman, and Chair or Co-Chair of multiple subcommittees.Ileana has been a consistent voice for democratic movements in all corners of the globe. Starting with her native island of Cuba, in opposition to the Cuban regime, she has been and remains an outspoken advocate for freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights.Former Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen now serves as a Senior Advisor at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Washington, D.C. and serves as a Corporate Board Member at CHLI. She also serves as Chairman of the CHLI “We Belong” Scholarship Campaign. A strong proponent of education, Ileana holds multiple education degrees, including an Ed.D. from the University of Miami, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Florida International University. She began her career as a Florida certified teacher, and then founded, and served as the principal of, a private bilingual elementary school.