Cox Recognizes Outstanding Latino Leaders
During Hispanic Heritage Month

Media campaign shines a spotlight on Arizona Latino leaders this Fall

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PHOENIX For the fourth year in a row, Cox Communications Arizona is honoring local Hispanic community leaders and Cox employees for their contributions to helping shape Arizona’s character and strengthen its local communities.

The Hispanic Heritage Month media campaign includes a series of television PSA spots highlighting outstanding Hispanics in Phoenix and Tucson, as well as two Cox employees. The campaign will be launched this month with television segments airing on Cox channels in Phoenix and Southern Arizona until October 15.

"We are pleased to honor a group of individuals whose character, hard work and dedication to their communities have helped pave a road for others to follow," said Steve Rizley, vice president and region manager, Cox Communications. "We hope that these individuals will serve as an inspiration for future generations of leaders in our state. We are excited to be part of this initiative in what has become a yearly tradition for Cox Communications Arizona.”

The individuals featured in the campaign include:

Outstanding Latino in Phoenix
Former public information officer and journalist for Spanish-language station Telemundo, Gerardo Higginson is one of the rising stars of the immigrant community in Phoenix. Mayor Phil Gordon appointed Higginson as his senior assistant responsible for Spanish and minority media relations and also serves as liaison between the Mayor's Office and the city's immigrant community. This position is a good fit for Higginson, who was born in Lima, Peru, and raised in San Francisco, California. He brings experience and credibility as a respected journalist, possesses excellent people skills and a high ethical standard, and has a special focus on the well-being of the community residents.

Outstanding Latina in Phoenix Luz Sarmina-Gutierrez is president and CEO of Valle del Sol, Inc., one of Arizona’s largest non-profit, community-based organizations helping men, women, children, families, and the elderly each year through counseling, substance abuse treatment, support services, and leadership development programs. She has led Valle del Sol since 1995, and during the last decade the agency has increased annual revenues from $3 million to $10 million and gone from 56 employees to more than 170. Sarmina-Gutierrez holds a Master of Science degree in social work from Arizona State University.

Outstanding Latino in Tucson<
Arthur Martinez serves as the Medical Director of El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson, which has been a catalyst for improving access to care for many special population groups, including women at risk, children, individuals with HIV/AIDS and the uninsured. He is a member of the Arizona Association of Community Health Center’s Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Association’s Clinical Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Bureau of Primary Health Care Region IX Western Clinician’s Network. In 2008, Dr. Martinez received the Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Association of Community Health Centers and the Healthcare Excellence Crystal Award from A.T.

Outstanding Latino Siblings in Tucson
Lea Marquez-Peterson and Edmund Marquez come from a long line of business owners and entrepreneurs. In December 2006, Mr. Marquez was awarded a Suzuki auto franchise from American Suzuki Motor Company, which became the first-ever Mexican American owned new car store in the history of Tucson. He has been involved in the Tucson community by serving on the Board of Directors of the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters and The Blake Foundation, and he currently serves as the Chair of the Board of the Mulcahy/City YMCA and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

His sister Lea Marquez-Peterson is a business broker and the owner of TucsonBizForSale.com. She is also the Executive Director of the Greater Tucson Leadership – an organization which strives to inspire community leaders to take action on issues in our community. Ms. Marquez-Peterson is the Founder and Past Chairperson of the Pima County Small Business Commission and a Past Chairperson of the City of Tucson’s Small Business Commission. She has been appointed by Governor Napolitano to the Governor’s Small Business Council, and is a Past President of the local chapter of NAWBO (the National Association of Women Business Owners). Ms. Marquez-Peterson is also the Secretary of the board for the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She was recently recognized with the 2007 Entrepreneurial Fellowship Award by the McGuire Entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona, and the 2007 Woman of Influence award presented by Inside Tucson Business.

Cox Outstanding Latino Employee in Phoenix
Julio Herrera has been instrumental to Cox’s diversity. As a visionary leader who continues to grow, not only has he developed programs to better serve the Hispanic customers, he has helped create jobs and empowered his Hispanic team to further their careers and move up the corporate ladder. The programs that have been developed under Herrera’s leadership have truly set the standard for the organization and have been emulated by other Cox systems across the country. His expertise, integrity and dedication to the betterment and empowerment of our community embody the future of Hispanic leadership. Herrera currently serves in Valle del Sol’s Board of Directors and he was admitted into the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) class of 2008.

Cox Outstanding Latina Employee in Tucson
Belinda Federico is a Customer Service Representative for Cox Communications in Southern Arizona. In this role, she responsible for making sure customers are satisfied with Cox as their trusted telecommunications provider. Federico began her career with Cox in 1990 in Customer Care supporting Sales, Technical Retention and Billing. She assisted Cox in launching high speed internet, phone and retention services. Outside of Cox, Federico’s interests include volunteering at the Arizona Jazz Academy and supporting non-profit organizations through Cox Charities, such as the Ward 4 Back to School Bash and the Cox Holiday Cheer Event. She lives in Tucson with her husband of three years, her daughter and three stepsons.

Cox Communications Arizona
Cox Communications is the third largest cable provider and a multi-service broadband communications company serving nearly 3 million residential and business product subscribers in Arizona (a product subscriber represents an individual service purchased by a customer). In the metro Phoenix, Cox serves approximately 2.5 million product subscribers. In Southern Arizona, Cox serves approximately 400,000 product subscribers. Cox’s 18,000-mile hybrid fiber coaxial cable network throughout Phoenix and Southern Arizona provides homes and businesses with digital television, high speed Internet, home networking, high-definition television and digital telephone service over its own nationwide IP network, as well as integrated wireless services in partnership with Sprint (NYSE: S). During the past four years, Cox has topped 10 J.D. Power and Associates’ studies of customer satisfaction. Cox Media is responsible for the sale of cable advertising throughout Arizona. Cox Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc and serves approximately 6 million customers nationwide and wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. Additional information about Cox in Arizona is available at www.cox.com/arizona.