Trauma expert headlines Hispanic chamber’s Spring Celebration

Marisol Solarte-Erlacher will keynote the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Celebration on Friday, April 14, at Rhythm City Casino, Davenport. 

The Moline-based chamber will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a presentation by Ms. Solarte-Erlacher entitled “When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned: Drawing Strength from Our Herencia.”

The award-winning trauma expert, keynote speaker and corporate consultant facilitates programming that strengthens employee resilience and enhances team performance, working with nonprofit organizations, mid-sized corporations and public service entities. Ms. Solarte-Erlacher also is the creator and host of the podcast Resilience and Resistance, which features successful Black, indigenous, and women of color who have overcome trauma and become resilient. It was a finalist for the Colorado Podcast Awards for Best New Podcast. 

She was a 2019 graduate of Leadership Denver. In 2022, she was a finalist for the Denver Metro Chamber Business of the Year Awards in the BIPOC or Women Owned Category. She is currently a member of the Latino Leadership Institute’s inaugural cohort of business owners of the Latino Entrepreneur Access Program (LEAP), the first Latino-led business accelerator based out of Colorado.

A leader in her field, Ms. Solarte-Erlacher was a therapist in private practice, clinical supervisor for Master of Counseling students at the University of Colorado at Denver, and is currently president of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) International Association. She has spearheaded research on ethnic and ego identity among Latinx adolescents, and presented on the topic nationally. 

She and her family live in Denver, Colorado.

In addition to her appearance, the chamber event will recognize outstanding Quad Cities businesses that are making a positive difference in the Hispanic and multicultural communities. Recipients of this year’s awards are:

  • Small Business of the Year – Jazmin Newton, Newton Law.
  • Nonprofit of the Year – Project NOW.
  • Advocate of the Year – Araceli Vazquez.
  • Corporate Member of the Year – Group O.

The Spring Celebration will be at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 pm. 

Tickets are $60 and registration is online through Thursday, April 6.  

Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information on chamber, visit www.gqchcc.com or call (563) 214-5160.  

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