Henry Lozano (born August 24, 1948) is a non-profit executive and grassroots organizer. His years of public service culminated in his post at the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of USA Freedom Corps. On August 10, 2011, he was appointed to serve as the Director of Los Angeles County Teen Challenge and Urban Ministries Initiatives.
On September 11, 2007, President George W. Bush asked Lozano to step into the job of Deputy Assistant to the President and director of USA Freedom Corps. In this role, he advanced the "Call to Service" initiative launched by President George W. Bush in his 2002 "State of the Union" address. President George W. Bush created USA Freedom Corps to build on the countless acts of service, sacrifice and generosity that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
As director, Lozano coordinated service and volunteering efforts with organizations ranging from the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps to the Senior Corps and the Points of Light Foundation. He oversaw creation of the volunteer.gov website (which recently evolved into www.serve.gov, the "central hub" for service and volunteer coordination under President Obama). Lozano is a graduate of Teen Challenge, a spiritually-based recovery program. Throughout his career, he has championed many causes, especially those related to substance abuse prevention and recovery programs.
In 2003, George W. Bush invited Lozano to the First Lady's box during his State of the Union address. In his speech, the president said: "Let us bring to all Americans who struggle with drug addiction this message of hope: The miracle of recovery is possible, and it could be you."
In 2005, Lozano was awarded the Presidential Call to Service Award in recognition of a lifetime of service.
Early life and career Henry Lozano was born in Artesia, California, on August 24, 1948. His father was Henry C. "Hank" Lozano, Sr. (born in Tyrone, New Mexico, his family came from Chihuahua, Mexico). His mother is Liduvina Quintana Lozano. She was born in Silver City, New Mexico, and is of Apache ancestry. Hank Lozano, Sr. was a golden gloves boxer in California and an exhibition boxer during the Second World War. He became a successful rancher and farmer in the Imperial Valley region of California. He died on Easter Sunday in 2009.
Henry grew up in Calexico, California and graduated from Calexico High School in 1966. There, he became friends with Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who later became a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He initially attended college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to get his agribusiness degree, with the idea of taking a leadership role in the family farm, but it was the era of the '60s and, like many of his friends, Henry developed a problem with drug addiction.
Teen Challenge
In 1974, Henry Lozano joined Teen Challenge, a faith-based, global ministry program for substance abuse treatment. It was an appointment with fate that would change the direction of his life toward service and volunteering. In a speech in the Rose Garden at the White House, President George W. Bush noted that Lozano is a graduate of Teen Challenge. From 1974 to 1985, Lozano served as the director of Teen Challenge in California.
The impressive results of Teen Challenge have been applauded by Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. George W. Bush, who credits his Christian faith for his own victory over alcohol abuse, has praised Teen Challenge ever since he was Governor of Texas, saying it works "to change people's lives by changing their hearts."
Prior to his White House appointment, Lozano was the CEO of Californians for Drug Free Youth, Inc., a grass-roots organization he founded.
Native American ancestry Henry Lozano is of Native American and Hispanic ancestry. In an interview with the Rockefeller Institute, he spoke about Teen Challenge and how this experience was colored by his parents' traditional values: "I walked in the Teen Challenge doors in 1974 as a student. My parents were in shock that their first-born son was so far out on a limb with drug use because I was the intended elder in my family." Because of this early experience, Lozano has championed causes at the local, national, and international level, especially those related to substance abuse prevention and recovery programs.
In 2000, he was asked to speak at "Mobilizing Parents for Prevention," a plenary session sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Lozano spoke about his family heritage and the importance of the traditional values in guiding and encouraging young people to pursue a life of service and volunteerism. "My father’s side came from Chihuahua, Mexico. My mother’s side are Apache from southwestern New Mexico," he said. "These two people defined for me what I understand today to be an Honorable Son: a son of integrity, a son who responds to the honor of his father’s name, a son who treats his mother with respect. I had a father who worked seven days a week, and a mother who carried a broom seven days a week – not to sweep the floor but to crack it on our backs if we didn’t respond the way we should have while Daddy wasn’t there."
"In addition to discipline and guidance from my mother, I also got the praise and the recognition in our community," he noted. "Every time mother got up and introduced me, she would tell everybody 50% non-truth by telling them how wonderful I was. And she would tell 50% of the truth… all of those good things that I did in fact do. Why did my mother continue to promote her children in this way? Because she understood that the man she married, Enrique Lozano, was a man of integrity, a man of honor, a man of value. And to inspire that in me, she had to continue to reinforce in the public eye, in our community, that I was also a man of integrity. And what did that mean in our family? What impression did that give in our community? It gave other people the impression that her firstborn was a man who was going to carry out his father's ways, to carry on our family's honor. I understood this at an early age. t is the one thing inside of me that has held me true to course, the one thing that advanced me forward."
USA Freedom Corps In his 2002 State of the Union Address President Bush asked all Americans to dedicate two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lives to serving others. USA Freedom Corps, as part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was described as a "Coordinating Council... working to strengthen our culture of service and help find opportunities for every American to start volunteering." President George W. Bush created USA Freedom Corps to build on the countless acts of service, sacrifice and generosity that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
As Director of USA Freedom Corps, Henry Lozano worked cooperatively to orchestrate and coordinate agencies such as the Peace Corps, Citizen Corps, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to recruit, mobilize, and encourage all Americans to engage in public service. He was charged with implementing President Bush's vision for volunteerism and creating a "culture of service" in America. Echoing the President's Call to Service which he made in his 2002 "State of the Union" address, Lozano worked to promote and expand opportunities for Americans looking to serve causes greater than themselves.
In 2003, Bush appointed Lozano as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. He was recognized by the White House as "a leader for his service to our nation." He has worked over the course of his career to ensure Americans understand the value of volunteerism. On September 11, 2007, the date of Lozano's appointment, Stephen Goldsmith, Chairman of the Board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, said "Henry Lozano has devoted his life to grassroots action and citizen problem-solving."
Red Ribbon Week In 1985, Henry Lozano, along with the Californian's for Drug Free Youth Board of Directors, created the first Statewide Red Ribbon Campaign in memory of his high school friend, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent. While serving in the line of duty, Camarena was tragically murdered by drug traffickers. With the support of Congressman Duncan Hunter and City Councilman David Dhillon, Lozano helped to create and promote "Camarena Clubs" in Imperial Valley, California, Camarena's home. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others on behalf of all Americans. From these clubs emerged the Red Ribbon Week campaign, and during the administration of President Bill Clinton it grew into a nationwide service effort that touched the lives of millions of school-aged children.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's website says that: "Red Ribbon Week is nationally recognized and celebrated, helping to preserve Special Agent Camarena’s memory and further the cause for which he gave his life. The Red Ribbon Campaign also became a symbol of support for the DEA's efforts to reduce demand for drugs through prevention and education programs. By wearing a red ribbon during the last week in October, Americans demonstrate their ardent opposition to drugs. They pay homage not only to Special Agent Camarena, but to all men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of our nation’s struggle against drug trafficking and abuse."
According to the DEA, approximately 80 million people participate in Red Ribbon events every year.
Youth To Youth
Henry Lozano was president and CEO of Californians for Drug-free Youth (CAFDY), a non-profit organization working to bring parents, youth, schools and communities together to create and support safe and healthy communities (from 1996 to 2007).
At CADFY, Lozano actively supported the "Youth to Youth" movement. Youth to Youth originated in Columbus, Ohio as a high school program in 1982. Its goal is to support and encourage teens to be drug-free. Since 1987, CADFY has sponsored over 300 Youth to Youth conferences in 35 communities throughout California.
Youth to Youth is intended to impower young people to become leaders, focusing its programs on issues that teens are most likely to face while growing up today, such as drugs, alcohol and smoking, negative peer pressure, depression, bullying, relationships, body image, self-concept, and community responsibility. By learning how to spread the message of positive lifestyle choices, teens involved in Youth to Youth are supposed to be able to find their own paths which is what the Youth to Youth foundation sees as something that is needed for a more peaceful and harmonious world.
National Volunteer Week
On April 29, 2008, Henry Lozano joined President George W. Bush at the White House for a celebration of "National Volunteer Week" and an event honoring Americans who give of their time to help the less fortunate and create impact in communities at home and around the globe. "I believe strongly in the admonition, 'To whom much is given, much is required'," President Bush said. "Those of you here today are living up to that noble calling. And you carry on the best traditions of American citizenship." During an East Room ceremony, President Bush recognized 33 Peace Corps trainees preparing to leave for Guatemala and thanked them for dedicating their lives to serving others. This tradition of hosting Peace Corps volunteers for a formal White House send-off before the trainees leave for their service has been continued by every sitting President since Richard Nixon.
In conjunction with the White House event, Lozano was interviewed on "Ask the White House," an online interactive forum that allowed the public to interact with Cabinet Secretaries, Senior White House Officials, behind-the-scenes professionals at the White House, and others.