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
National Convention
1984 Democratic National Convention
Katherine D. Ortega