HL | Milestone Series – Honors Rhina Valentin

HL | Milestone Series – Honors Rhina Valentin

May 7, 2026 | Milestone

HL | Milestone Series – Honors Rhina Valentin

Elevating Culture, Community, and Creative Expression in New York

Rhina Valentin is a powerful creative force whose work continues to shape New York’s cultural and media landscape.

A native New Yorker of Afro-Boricua heritage, she has built a career defined by authenticity, advocacy, and artistic expression using media, entertainment, and storytelling to elevate multicultural communities and amplify the voices of working-class women of color.

Rhina Valentin will be recognized during the HL | Milestone Series — New York, taking place on May 20, 2026. This invitation-only reception brings together a curated audience of executives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders for an evening of connection, conversation, and recognition.

👉 Event details & RSVP: https://bit.ly/4bApDkE

As founder of La Reina Del Barrio, Inc., she continues supporting independent creators and cultural institutions through production, marketing, and storytelling initiatives rooted in community engagement.

Her original programming reflects both her creative vision and commitment to advocacy. Through projects including Colors Of Rhina and Rhina Gets Lean, she explores multicultural identity, wellness, transformation, and healing. She is currently developing five episodes of Park Buzz’N w/ Rhina, further expanding her role as a producer and cultural storyteller.

Her television and film work includes HBO’s Betty la Flaca, nationally syndicated commercials, and the 2024 Afro-Latino pilot The Amigo Family, featured during the Essence Festival alongside actress Tatyana Ali.

In 2024, Rhina was honored as a special guest at the White House’s inaugural Afro-Latino Heritage Celebration recognizing her growing impact as both a creative professional and community advocate.

Her work has earned numerous honors including the 2024 NYC Celebrates Women Award, the 2024 Mujer Legendaria Award presented by Ford Motor Company, the 2022 Latin Impact Award, and recognition as the inaugural Latina “Creative New Yorker for New York.”

Beyond media and entertainment, Rhina continues to invest in community and personal wellness. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Bronx Council on the Arts and Boundless Theater, while also serving as a production consultant for Casita Maria’s South Bronx Culture Festival.

She is also pursuing certification in Transcendental and Primordial Sound Meditation, believing in the transformative power of meditation and healing-centered practices.

Milestone Statement

Her milestone is defined by elevating culture, amplifying community voices, and creating meaningful representation through storytelling, advocacy, and creative leadership.

The HL | Milestone Series is a national platform designed to celebrate leadership across business, community, education, and innovation.

The 2026 HL | Milestone Series is made possible through the support of Wells Fargo, the series’ funding partner, whose commitment to community engagement and financial empowerment helps bring these important conversations and recognitions to life.

HL | Milestone Series – Honors Michelle Herrera Mulligan

HL | Milestone Series – Honors Michelle Herrera Mulligan

May 6, 2026 | Milestone

HL | Milestone Series – Honors Michelle Herrera Mulligan

Shaping the Future of Storytelling and Expanding the Marketplace of Ideas

Michelle Herrera Mulligan is helping redefine how stories are told—and who gets to tell them.

As Associate Publisher and Vice President of Primero Sueño Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster and Atria Books, she is building a platform that brings new voices into the global marketplace of ideas.

Michelle Herrera Mulligan will be recognized during the HL | Milestone Series — New York, taking place on May 20, 2026. This invitation-only reception brings together a curated audience of executives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders for an evening of connection, conversation, and recognition.

👉 Event details & RSVP: https://bit.ly/4bApDkE

Her milestone is defined by transforming how stories are published, distributed, and experienced creating access for voices that have long been underrepresented.

In 2024, she launched Primero Sueño Press, a new imprint dedicated to publishing commercial and literary works by Latine authors in both English and Spanish. That same year, she played a key role in developing a first-of-its-kind partnership with UranoWorld expanding distribution directly into Spain and throughout Latin America.

Her editorial work continues to shape national conversations. Among the titles she has helped bring to market are Trejo, The Marathon Don’t Stop, and Free Cyntoia, along with more recent works exploring identity, trauma, and triumph.

Before her current role, Michelle helped build influential media platforms as a founding editor of Cosmo for Latinas and Latina magazine reaching millions of readers and helping define a generation of cultural storytelling.

An accomplished author and journalist, her work has appeared in The New York Times and Elle, reaching audiences across both print and digital platforms.

Recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Latinas in the United States, she continues to mentor writers, guide emerging voices, and push for a broader, more inclusive marketplace of ideas.

Milestone Statement

Her milestone is defined by elevating voices, expanding access, and reshaping the cultural narrative through the power of the written word.

The HL | Milestone Series is a national platform designed to celebrate leadership across business, community, education, and innovation.

The 2026 HL | Milestone Series is made possible through the support of Wells Fargo, the series’ funding partner, whose commitment to community engagement and financial empowerment helps bring these important conversations and recognitions to life.