HARRISBURG (PRNewswire) - Commonwealth Secretary Pedro A. Cortes was elected 2006 treasurer for the National Association of Secretaries
of State this week at the association's summer conference.
"It is a great honor to be named NASS treasurer," said Cortes. "The experience will be invaluable in providing access to a wealth of knowledge
useful in my daily service to Pennsylvania."
NASS addresses topics common to secretaries of state from across the United States, ranging from administering elections, registering corporations, trademarks and trade names, publishing state administrative codes and registers, handling business and occupational licensing, and administering the uniform commercial code. In addition, the association has launched initiatives addressing election issues, e-government and
business services, securities and international trade.
Cortes' appointment as NASS treasurer places him in line to be NASS president in 2008.
NASS is the oldest professional, nonpartisan organization of public officials in the United States. The association was founded in 1904 so that respective secretaries of state could exchange information, suggestions, methods of operation and proposals for improvement. The aim of the association is to assist secretaries of state in more effectively fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, which benefits not only their home state,
but also the nation as a whole. Its membership includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Cortes has been an active member of NASS since becoming Pennsylvania's secretary in 2003, holding the post of eastern region vice president in 2004 and 2005. As NASS treasurer, he will monitor and report on the association's finances.