Although soft-spoken in personal conversation , Ortega became known for her rhetorical speaking skills in public . " Her low-key authenticity works magic with an audience , " one Treasury Department official is quoted as saying . In 1984 , she was chosen to be the keynote speaker at that year 's Republican National Convention - the first Hispanic woman to deliver the lead speech at a national convention . This was done in part to counter the selection of prominent New York governor Mario Cuomo at the Democratic National Convention
Republican National Convention
1984 Republican National Convention
Katherine D. Ortega