Hispanic Executive #65

THE VISIBILITY ISSUE Spotlighting leaders within the inmigrantes and LGBTQ+ communities, including Jesus Mantas of IBM and Monica Trasandes of GLAAD

His Own Self

Marty Chavez has been labeled many things in his life: a gay man, tech genius, trailblazer. But above all else, he is simply—wonderfully—Marty. P82

OUR MISSION is BEAUTY INNOVATIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD

In an ever-changing global environment, we must keep our fingers on the pulse to perceive and respond to people’s profound need for betterment. We strive to create a better world through beauty innovations. A world where people live in happiness, and beauty is limitless, loving and alive. corp.shiseido.com/en

This issue shines a spotlight on two communities whose visibility is now more important than ever: LGBTQ+ and inmigrantes . We celebrate the journeys of Hispanic executives from these communities, and we explore how those journeys have informed and inspired their personal missions today.

INMIGRANTES P52 // LGBTQ+ P78

FEATURING

54 JESUS MANTAS of IBM

60 ARELI QUIRARTE of Paramount Pictures

64 OLGA LOZADA of Charter Communications

69 CAMILA FERNANDES of Ceridian

74 ANNA OLIVEIRA of Kraft Heinz

82 R. MARTIN CHAVEZ of Grupo Santander

90 MONICA TRASANDES of GLAAD

94 CARMEN CARRERA of CC 3 Entertainment

98 ANDRES PALENCIA of LATV

102 MOISÉS ZAMORA of Selena: The Series , Netflix

106 DIANA FELIZ OLIVA of Gilead Sciences

111 INGRID DURAN AND CATHERINE PINO of D&P Creative Strategies

116 ARMANDO IBAÑEZ of Undocumented Tales

120 QUEEN VICTORIA ORTEGA of FLUX AND BAMBY SALCEDO of The TransLatin@ Coalition

CONVERSATIONS AT THE TOP: MARTY CHAVEZ

A legend at Harvard, on Wall Street, and in Silicon Valley, Marty Chavez explores his journey to success in an interview with Ruben Navarrette.

Contents

BUILDING FOR SUCCESS

Miami has seen exponential growth over the past twenty years. Carlos Rosso explains how the Related Group has contributed to that triumph.

POSITIONED TO LEAD

After a temporary stint in an HR role more than twenty years ago, Alex LaBrie has embraced the profession and transformed the HR function at Entravision

BUYING INTO BEAUTY

At Shiseido Company, Senior Vice President Carla Ruiz balances brand acquisitions with a focus on mentorship and community service

“WHAT'S NEXT?”

Sofia Hernandez’s drive to do more has taken her from the South Side of Chicago to a senior position as head of North American business marketing at TikTok

DESTINED FOR THE DODGERS

Ralph Esquibel is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, he finds himself leading IT operations for his favorite team.

THE BEAUTY OF BUSINESS

Carlos Barreto spent the last twenty-five years helping to build, market, and transform consumer brands. Today, he innovates on his own at Cleverman.

A Letter from the Publisher

SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN WITH A DEEP sense of self-trust, a certainty that comes with knowing deep down inside who they are. Others are born into families that provide them the security that comes with unconditional love, a foundation that allows them to act boldly and become who they were destined to be. Sometimes, it’s both.

That is exactly what I see in Marty Chavez (p.82), our cover star, and Moises Salazar, the artist featured in our inaugural arts section (p.9). These two individuals do not have much in common other than the fact that they are both Latino and both members of the LGBTQ+ community: one is a rising star in the arts world, the other a legend in corporate America. Their disciplines are diametrically opposed to one another and, as a result, Marty and Moises’s respective successes have been measured in completely different ways.

Regardless, I find something both comforting and riveting in their stories. Marty and Moises have each found the courage to pursue their purpose in life.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” But their families just as clearly helped forge their sense of self. Their families’ unconditional support—matched with high expectations—instilled in them a self-confidence that helped propel them to success.

They have trusted in themselves and where they came from.

For Marty, it was his trust in his mother (along with his uncanny mathematical abilities) that paved his future. Spanish, his mother told him, would come back to help him. She knew that the language was both the future of this country and the soil from which the Chavez family grew its roots.

For Moises, it was the materials and techniques passed down from his family— like “crochet, ceramics, paper-mache, and sewing”—that eventually came back to anchor his art practice in a language familiar, haunting, and beautiful.

Both Marty and Moises have been invited into the upper echelons of their fields.

Pedro A. Guerrero

CEO of Guerrero Media Publisher of Hispanic Executive

Both feel compelled to give back to younger generations because, as Moises notes in his interview with Edra Soto, it is his “duty to hold the door open to let my community inside.” And both see intersectionality as a canvas. As Marty emphasizes, “[I] never wanted to pigeonhole myself as a banker or computer scientist . . . [there are] so many blank canvases and so many possibilities at the intersections.”

Though one comes from the world of high finance and the other works in high art, both of these leaders embody the spirit of what we are trying to do here at Hispanic Executive, where our focus is to provide a platform for distinguished leaders like Marty and Moises and treat their stories with the care and attention they deserve.

And when I say distinguished leaders, I mean leaders in all fields. For me, as a former artist, this includes the most refined, exclusive of industries: the arts. As we speak, Latino artists are out there making works of art that should be showcased in the Whitney Biennial—not as the

token Latino artwork in the exhibition but rather as a reflection of the art being created by the new majority.

The talent is out there, in plain sight, and we need more real estate to showcase it—be it in the pages of a busines magazine or on the walls of a blue chip gallery.

That is why, in this Visibility Issue, we are using our platform to recognize, promote, and celebrate individuals from within our family who are often overshadowed. We celebrate artists like Moises. We honor the courage of those who—much like an entrepreneur—leave behind the comforts of what they know to pursue a new life and new opportunities. And we recognize the strength of individuals who have decided to share their stories despite the backlash they know they might receive.

We celebrate them for owning their whole selves, for not hiding any element of themselves that, if left in the dark, would paint an incomplete picture and limit all that they could be. We celebrate them for trusting themselves, and for trusting us to tell their stories.

“We celebrate them for trusting themselves, and for trusting us to tell their stories.”

Masthead

Featured Contributors

Edra Soto is an interdisciplinary artist and codirector of the outdoor project space, the Franklin. Her work has been presented at the Smart Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Chicago Cultural Center, Albright-Knox Northland, and more.

Roman Navarrette is a Fox Broadcasting Company veteran and an advocate for initiatives and projects focused on LGBTQ+ and Latino inclusion. He is currently a producer for NGL Collective's Hispanicize virtual summits and vodcasts and leads the Latin Division for Gaybors, an LGBTQ+ influencer agency. Navarrette also comanages actor and popular gay Latino influencer Tony Directs. Find him on Instagram: @RomanRandallNavarrette.

Ruben Navarrette—a contributing writer at Hispanic Executive—is a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group, author of A Darker Shade of Crimson: Odyssey of a Harvard Chicano, and founder/CEO of The Navarrette Sonic Podcast Network: What America Sounds Like.

Creative

Director, Creative Production

Kevin Warwick

Managing Editor

Sara Deeter

Senior Editor

Frannie Sprouls

Editors

Melaina K. de la Cruz

KC Esper

Hana Yoo

Staff Writer

Billy Yost

Journalism Resident

Lindsey Lubowitz

Contributors

Zach Baliva

Dan Caffrey

Lucy Cavanagh

Will Grant

Steve Heisler

Frederick Jerant

Corporate

CEO & Publisher

Pedro A. Guerrero

Chief of Staff

Jaclyn Gaughan

President, Group Publisher

Kyle Evangelista

VP, Hispanic Division

Head of Audience & Engagement

Vianni Lubus

VP, Finance

David Martinez

Director, Client Services

Cheyenne Eiswald

Senior Client Services Manager

Rebekah Pappas

Client Services Manager

Brooke Rigert

Director, Talent Acquisition

Elyse Schultz

Hispanic Executive® is a registered trademark of Guerrero, LLC

©2021 Guerrero, LLC. guerreromedia.com

770 N. Halsted, Unit 307 Chicago, IL 60642

Facebook: @hispanicexecutive

LinkedIn: @hispanic-executive

Twitter: @HispanicExecMag

Instagram: @hispanicexecmag

Reprints

Reprinting of articles is prohibited without permission of Guerrero, LLC. Printed in China. For reprint information, contact Reprints & Circulation Director Stacy Kraft at stacy@guerreromedia.com.

Natalie Kochanov

Mark Lawton

Cristina Merrill

Andrew Tamarkin

Marie Vaughn

Sara Verdi

Zayvelle Williamson

Clint Worthington Designer

Elena Bragg

Photo Editors & Staff Photographers

Cass Davis

Gillian Fry

Talent Acquisition Managers

Jacqui Bergman

Haylee Himel

Director, Strategic Partnerships & Accounts

Krista Horbenko

Director, Events

Jill Ortiz

Digital Events & Marketing Coordinator

Ashley Parish

Senior Director, Sales

Ben Julia

Director, Sales Training & Development

Alexa Johnson

Content & Advertising Managers

James Ainscough

Allyssa Bujdoso

Justin Davidson

Nicole Haas

Roman Magallanes

Angela Reeves

Industry Partners

Hispanic Executive is published quarterly by Guerrero, LLC. To subscribe, visit www.hispanicexecutive.com/subscribe. For editorial consideration, please email info@hispanicexecutive.com. By submitting a letter, you agree to let us use it, as well as your full name, city, and state, in our magazine and/or on our website. We may edit for clarity. Hispanic Executive, 770 N. Halsted Unit 307, Chicago, IL 60642, (312) 447-2370.

Politics of the Body

WORDS AND INTERVIEW BY EDRA SOTO

CHICAGO-BASED INTERDISCIPLINARY

artist Moises Salazar addresses queer and immigrant bodies as a vehicle to celebrate cultural heritage and reflect on histories of trauma. Raised by immigrant parents, Salazar has learned firsthand about the instability of living in the United States and how one’s identity can both challenge their rights as a citizen and constantly jeopardize their safety.

Deceptively festive and packed with passive pastel colors, his collages and sculptural installations are layered with a profoundly personal approach to the representations of the immigrant bodies he conveys.

As a nonbinary queer artist, Salazar draws parallels between the immigrant identity and that of race, gender, queerness ethnicity, intersectionality, and notions of nationalism.

An admirer of Salazar's work, I sat down with him to discuss the meaning that his work holds both on a personal level and for the Hispanic community at large.

What made you decide to be an artist?

I finally trust myself. I have always known that I naturally have inclinations to create, but making art and becoming a working artist are two slightly different things. About three years ago, after some success, I finally trusted that this is something that I have to do—not just make art but become a working artist. With the support of my family, I have been able to dedicate myself to my practice.

Maintaining my practice is so important to me because it’s the way I can connect with people within the groups I am a part of and build relationships with other working artists and creatives. I also believe that I represent a very specific experience and that it’s my responsibility to create work that speaks on those experiences for the sake of representation and to spark change.

Your relationship with your family seems to be very influential on your practice. How does this relationship filter into your work?

I consider myself lucky. I had the privilege of living with my family all my life. They formed an integral part of my upbringing, so it feels very natural to be influenced by my relationship with them. I like to think I

Moises Salazar

make work about my family because I am still processing certain parts of my life. I reflect on the best moments and the worst. I also use materials and techniques that have been passed down from my family to me. Crochet, ceramics, paper-mache, and sewing are some of the things that I have been taught by family members, and these techniques have become the main focus of my practice.

Can you talk about your relationship to activism?

My parents taught me that everyone does their part to better our society. They explained that there are those who educate, those who provide resources, those who take up space, and those who organize with the aim of creating positive change in our community. I understood that it’s my responsibility to figure out what I can provide and share it with those who are in need.

At this moment in my life, I have chosen to use my platform to create representation and become an art educator. By making work about queer and immigrant issues, I wish to educate people outside of those communities about the harsh reality these groups face. At the same time, I am a part of a couple of art educational institutions that I morally iden-

tify with. I try to always share my resources with young artists to continue the stream of mentorship. I have the privilege to have been accepted by the art world, and I now stand in the threshold of the entrance. It is my duty to hold the door open to let my community inside.

The body plays a primary role in your work. How would you describe some of the meanings contained in your extraordinarily moving figures?

The truth is, the majority of my glitter paintings in Brillo Putx are self-portraits and have become influenced by my experience. That could range from making a painting reflecting on a bad breakup to creating a painting because I bought a new eye-shadow palette. My paintings have become a type of diary where I can document parts of my life and create a space where I can mourn or express my relationships with sadness, loneliness, and disappointment. I allow my figures to process emotions and events in my life that I still haven’t even addressed.

In Cuerpo Desechables, the bodies I represent are immigrant bodies in detention centers. They are installed in a way that is representative of the poor living conditions people face when they are detained. I chose to represent children because of the surge of unaccompanied minors found at the border. Universally, we accept that children are innocent and that we have a moral obligation to protect them, yet they are treated as criminals and left to suffer in our detention centers.

There’s a coexisting relationship between queerness and immigration in your work. How does that relationship manifest, metaphorically and/or physically?

I often find similarities between queer and immigrant communities. I participate in both by being queer and by having immigrant lineage. I have seen how both communities are able to shape-shift and create resources with the aim of not only surviving but thriving. I see the parallels between the way that

Chamacos , 2019, paper-mache, tissue paper, clay, dimensions variable.

First Generation , 2019, glitter on canvas, yarn, 28 x 24 inches.

my mom calls my tía to see if she knows someone trustworthy that can change her car oil for cheap and the way that I myself ask for and give advice on what organizations to go to for HIV testing, no questions asked. Trust and word of mouth is a powerful currency that both of these communities rely on.

I am fascinated by those relationships, and I just become obsessed with them. These relationships manifest physically in my work through representations of the extravagance and glamour that is integral to the celebration rituals of both communities. I use glitter, satin, faux fur, crochet, clay, and papermache because these materials are accessible to both groups.

Who or what is currently inspiring and influencing your practice?

I have been reflecting on how to activate my practice with performance. I have been watching everything from performances by chinelos to video content made by drag queens. Chinelos are dancers dressed in a traditional custom that originally came from Morelos, but the performance style has spread around many parts of Mexico including Puebla, which is where my parents are from. I often saw them at festivals here in Chicago, and recently have been interested in responding to the perfor-

mance’s history and my relationship to seeing them as a child. I also have been seeing a lot of content made by established drag queens, such as Bob the Drag Queen, Peppermint, and Monét X Change: it has helped bring humor and glamour into my life during the quarantine. It also inspires me to find ways to introduce drag into my practice. In general, performing has been on my mind.

Puerto Rican born, Edra Soto is an interdisciplinary artist and codirector of the outdoor project space, the Franklin.

Recent venues presenting Soto’s work include Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art's satellite, the Momentary (Arkansas); Albright-Knox Northland (New York); Chicago Cultural Center (Illinois); Smart Museum (Illinois); and the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Illinois).

Recently, Soto completed the public art commission titled Screenhouse, which is currently at Millennium Park. Soto has attended residency programs at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Beta-Local, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency, the Headlands Center for the Arts, Project Row Houses, and Art Omi, among others. Soto was awarded the Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, the Illinois Arts Council Agency Fellowship, the inaugural Foundwork Artist Prize, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, among others. Between 2019-2020, Soto exhibited and traveled to Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Cuba as part of the MacArthur Foundation’s International Connections Fund.

Soto holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño de Puerto Rico.

I'm not upset , 2020, glitter on board, faux fur, 48 x 24 inches.

Cuerpos Desechables: La Ruta (Puebla) , 2020, paper-mache, tissue paper, clay, dimensions variable.

Recommended Inspiration

Recommended Inspiration

We asked the guest editor of our LGBTQ+ section, Roman Navarrette, for a list of his favorite podcasts, shows, influencers, and books. Here's what he recommends.

Watch Love, Victor

Read Chicano

Listen BYLATINMEN

Hulu’s Love, Victor will give you the coming out story you wish you could have watched growing up. You will root for this young Latino teen from the very first episode and will champion his choices as he deals with coming to terms with his sexuality and falling in love at the same time.

Chef Esteban Castillo will take you back in time to when your childhood was full of your favorite Mexican dishes—but he puts a unique twist on them, as with his choco flan or his famous michelada ribs.

Angel, Anthony, and Kevin—the hosts of BYLATINMEN—provide the kind of conversation that podcast lovers everywhere are looking for. From political views to sexuality to their love for JLo, nothing is off limits.

For more than five years, Dominican American transgender actor, singer, model, and influencer

Laith Ashley De La Cruz has been helping to advocate for trans youth, through partnerships with platforms like HBO Max as well as through LGBTQ+ equality campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch. Follow him on Instagram: @laith_ashley.

Watch 9-1-1 Lonestar

Fox’s 9-1-1 Lonestar made a bold move when they coupled up a Texas policeman named Carlos Reyes (played by Rafael Silva) and a fireman, Tyler Kennedy “TK” Strand (played by Ronen Rubinstein), as prime time's newest gay couple. Social media continues to go crazy for these two imperfectly matched men in uniform, who have quickly become a hashtag (#Tarlos).

Eats

Follow

Laith Ashley De La Cruz

(LAITH ASHLEY DE LA CRUZ), KEVIN ESTRADA/FOX (9-1-1: LONE STAR)

MIS SION Mission

Building for Success

BY LUCY CAVANAGH

Miami has seen exponential growth over the past twenty years. Carlos Rosso explains how his company has contributed to that triumph.

Carlos Rosso President of Condominium Division The Related Group

Hispanic Executive

BACK IN THE EARLY 2000S, MIAMI was hardly considered a cultural hub. But thanks to major developing efforts, including those of Carlos Rosso and his team at the Related Group, Miami is now one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and attracts new residents from all over the world.

“Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve seen tremendous evolution,” Rosso reflects. “When I first moved there, my friends all said, ‘Why, after finishing your master’s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are you moving to Miami? It’s not a major city.’ But the changes have been phenomenal—Miami has really sophisticated itself.”

The sophistication is due, in large part, to the major urban development that the city has seen in the last twenty years. The Related Group is the largest private developer in the south of Florida, and one of the largest in the world when one factors in the joint projects the company has worked on with Related New York. The Related Group handles every type of residential asset class, from affordable housing to luxury condominiums—the latter managed by Rosso, who serves as president of the company’s Condominium Division.

An Argentina native, Rosso moved to Florida in 2001 as he was finishing up his master’s in real estate at MIT. He soon met Jorge Perez, who asked him to join him at the Related Group once he graduated. Rosso started as a project manager in 2002 and, in less than a decade, worked his way up to his current position.

Rosso’s work with the Related extends to various ventures in Latin America, including Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, as well as Miami. But the two areas of his work are more closely related than one might think.

Most people think of Miami as having a strong Latino identity, Rosso says, but especially in recent years, the growing city has attracted people from all over the globe. “In the beginning, it was mainly Latin America,” he explains. “Then eventually, around 2010 or 2012, we started seeing a lot of Europeans, mainly Italian and French, coming to Miami as well as more diversified nationalities such as Chinese, Turkish, and Russians.”

Rosso has also noticed an influx of Chinese citizens buying property in Miami. “We have a lot of Chinese students at the University of Miami. The parents bring their kids, and they fall in love with Miami and buy condos here,” Rosso says. The city also has an expanding Turkish population, he points out.

According to Rosso, this variety of new residents enriches the city, creating a fresh new mix of cultures. “Miami has become a real melting pot,” he remarks. “It attracts people from all over the place, like a modern Constantinople.”

Rosso attributes people’s attraction to the city first and foremost to the natural beauties that Miami offers. “You fly over Miami, and you see all those little islands with beautiful palm trees,” he describes. “And everybody has a swimming pool. It’s a very sexy image that people find very desirable.”

Miami’s beauties are further enhanced by companies like LUSHlife, a landscaping company that has worked closely with Rosso to amplify the impact of the Related Group’s various projects. “Though landscaping is a small percent of the budget, it makes the highest impact as well as the first and most lasting impression,” says Oren Kattan, CEO. “LUSHlife excels in making that a premier experience, creating the ambience before a person even enters the building.

“Carlos was instrumental in creating a dialogue among ownership, the general contractor, and the architect,” Kattan continues. “He allowed us to apply and make the necessary changes to turn ownership’s vision into a reality on the ground while meeting all the architectural/GC requirements and completing installation on time. Our success lies in understanding owners’ expectations, never delaying TCO, staying within budget, and exceeding expectations.”

Rosso also finds it noteworthy that Miami is located in the United States, which means that it is able to offer many perks to business owners. “That is very powerful, particularly for people that come from countries that don’t have the level of security of the US business environment,” he says.

Florida also boasts tax benefits that are attractive to US citizens from other states like New York, Rosso says. In Miami, there is no tax on income. “A person who makes a million dollars in Miami could buy a house with the difference of what they would pay

“Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve seen tremendous evolution. . . .

Miami has really sophisticated itself.”

in city and state taxes if they made the same amount of money in New York,” Rosso notes.

Miami’s attractiveness has led to a wealth of business for the Related Group, particularly in neighborhoods like the Paraiso District and the Brickell neighborhood. In the Brickell neighborhood alone, one out of every four residents lives in a building constructed by Related. The company’s work also extends significantly across other regions of Florida. “We are everywhere in the state,” Rosso says. “That gives us an incredible breadth to see what is happening in different sectors, which lets us move from one sector to another.”

The fast-paced nature of the business is complemented by its entrepreneurial culture. “Every project manager operates as the owner of that physical asset in a job,” the president explains. “We try to leverage our knowledge and connections in our feeder market. When the markets in Miami slow down, we’re doing projects in Latin America.”

In fact, Rosso says, the Related Group’s foothold in Latin America is the crucial element that allowed the company to navigate the housing market during the 2008 recession. They had learned to accommodate higher risks, which drove them to put strict conditions on themselves. For example, the company did not allow contracts with deposits of less than 50 percent and did not allow buyers to flip units before they closed.

Overall, Rosso believes that the key to success in his line of work is being willing to be aggressive and push boundaries—and to not fall into the pitfalls of over-connectedness. “The beauty of all this mobile communication is that we can stay connected while doing other things, but at the same time,”

he emphasizes, “we have to be on one point. This is a very competitive industry, and only the people that are really aggressive are going to survive.

“We reinvented ourselves after the crisis of 2008,” Rosso continues. “We started selling with bigger deposits and not allowing speculation on the units by not allowing resales until the buildings were delivered. Now, we are being challenged again in the era of COVID and a very strong dollar against our feeder market currencies. Once again, we are coming up with creative ideas and focusing on different submarkets and product types: Related will once again show why they are the leaders in real estate in South Florida.”

“Miami has become a real melting pot. It attracts people from all over the place, like a modern Constantinople.”

Here to Serve

BY ZACH BALIVA

DENNIS MACHADO LISTENED POLITELY TO THE recruiter on the other end of the phone. The young lawyer had spent the last five years forming nonprofits and providing other typical services as an associate at global law firm Fried Frank. Although Machado was intrigued by the recruiter’s pitch, he wasn’t looking to make a move, and he had never heard of the annuity and insurance provider she represented.

But Machado was interested enough to do some due diligence, which started with a simple Google search of the company then known as the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF). He discovered that Andrew Carnegie had started the network of pensions for educators in 1918. He learned that it had gained credibility by navigating the stock market crash and Great Depression. He found out Albert Einstein was once a participant and that the brand was respected by experts, educators, and clients alike. Lastly, he uncovered one important fact—TIAA-CREF is required by its charter to operate as a nonprofit organization.

Dennis Machado learned the values of hard work and service from his parents. At TIAA, he carries forth those values by helping the nonprofit share returns with its participants.

Dennis Machado Managing Director, Associate General Counsel, and Global Head of Compensation, Benefits & Ex-US Employment Law TIAA

That last bit of information tipped the scales, and Machado left New York to go in-house at TIAA-CREF in 2007. Today, he is managing director, associate general counsel, and global head of compensation, benefits, and ex-US employment for the company, which rebranded as TIAA in 2016.

Things have changed a lot in the past fourteen years. The “sleepy little firm” that Machado first stepped into is hardly recognizable as the Fortune 100 company and leading financial services powerhouse that TIAA is today. “I came here because I was drawn to our nonprofit mandate and because I saw the potential for something really big to happen,” Machado recalls. “I saw the wave coming, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

TIAA’s transformation started in the late 1990s as the company stepped into the mutual funds space. In 2002, TIAA hired Herbert Allison, its first external CEO. Allison, an esteemed Merrill Lynch veteran, doubled TIAA’s assets and product lines while introducing a new focus on customer service.

CEO Roger Ferguson joined in 2011, and his arrival and focus on diversification set the stage for a series of investments and acquisitions. In 2012, TIAA purchased a shopping center in England and created a joint venture to buy retail property in Las Vegas the following year. In 2014, its leaders announced something that would change the trajectory of the company as well as Machado’s career—a $6.25 billion deal to acquire Nuveen Investments.

The move took TIAA to a new level by dramatically increasing its size and services. When the deal closed, TIAA began managing almost $850 billion in client assets while serving five million clients and sixteen thousand institutions. Its product portfolio expanded to include mutual funds, closed-end funds, and commodity-exchange traded funds in every asset class. Seemingly overnight, TIAA had become a true global player.

Before the deal, Machado spent most of his time advising on standard executive compensation and benefits packages. While he continued to provide those important services, the Nuveen deal required him to use his soft skills and partner with his counterparts in HR and other areas to help complete a complex integration covering operations in twenty-four

countries. TIAA’s workforce grew by 30 percent. Machado increased head count in his legal department accordingly.

Even now, seven years after the Nuveen acquisition, TIAA continues to see changes all across the organization. In 2017, TIAA spent $2.5 billion to buy EverBank Financial Corp. It grouped its investment companies under one umbrella, formed Nuveen Advisory Services, and doubled down on international growth buoyed by the Nuveen brand. And after leading the organization through the 2008 financial crisis and moving seventeen thousand employees to a work-from-home model during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson retired as CEO in the first quarter of 2021. “We’ve been through a lot in our history, and we’re poised for more great things in the future,” Machado says.

TIAA has delivered on its commitment to make payments to retirees and provide strong financial wellness resources. Over the last three years, TIAA shared $10 billion in profits with two million participants. Indeed, TIAA has paid out more than its guaranteed minimum amount every year since 1949 and has not reduced payments to a single participant for more than twenty years.

The nonprofit heritage of the mission-based organization still resonates with Machado, who grew up in Queens, New York, and remembers watching his Brazilian family work long hours: his father worked weekends, his mom worked events, and his aunts and cousins toiled in restaurants. Service, Machado says, is in his blood.

winston.com

winston.com

“I came here because I was drawn to our nonprofit mandate and because I saw the potential for something really big to happen.”

Winston & Strawn applauds Dennis Machado for his vision, leadership, and commitment to TIAA.

After a temporary stint in an HR role more than twenty years ago, Alex LaBrie has embraced the profession and transformed the HR function at Entravision

Positioned to Lead

BY STEVE HEISLER

YEARS AGO, ALEX LABRIE WAS summoned to his supervisor’s office at the commercial bank where he worked to discuss a job opportunity that had recently become available. The bank’s local human resources representative was no longer with the company and needed to be temporarily replaced. LaBrie’s boss thought he was the perfect person for the role, given his passion for educating, inspiring, and leading others.

There was only one problem: LaBrie had not previously worked in human resources (HR), and so he had limited knowledge of the role’s place within a corporation.

“My view of HR at the time was more from a recruiting than an educational standpoint,” LaBrie recalls.

Despite his trepidation, LaBrie decided to give the gig a shot, and he soon discovered a passion for the role. He began correcting many of the HR deficits the bank was facing, including standardizing employee communications and benefits, implementing

performance reviews, establishing a formal recruiting process, and ensuring the proper HR platforms were in place, all while familiarizing himself with conflict resolution tactics. Before too long, LaBrie was spending the majority of his workday focused on HR matters.

Then the bank where LaBrie worked was acquired by a larger financial institution, so the young executive decided it was time to search for a new opportunity. Entravision, a diversified global marketing, technology, and media company that caters to the Hispanic community, was looking for a passionate candidate to lead its newly developed HR function. This role caught his eye.

At the time, LaBrie explains, Entravision was constructing its HR department from the ground up and was seeking someone to oversee this process. LaBrie decided to apply, and within a short time, he was offered the job.

Essentially, Entravision Chairman and CEO Walter F. Ulloa explained to LaBrie,

Alex LaBrie EVP of Global HR & Risk Management Entravision

Superior Risk Management

USI has become a premier insurance brokerage firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage®. Our interactive platform integrates proprietary analytics, networked resources and enterprise planning to deliver customized risk management and benefit solutions with positive, bottom line impact.

Experience the USI ONE Advantage today!

he would be running Entravision’s HR department. “[That’s] why I appreciate Walter so much—the trust factor he has for his employees,” LaBrie says. “Walter said, ‘I’m hiring you. I trust you to go ahead with this role and run with it.’”

Over the past twenty-plus years, LaBrie has embraced that entrepreneurial spirit and transformed Entravision’s HR department into a well-oiled machine. In addition to completing all of the traditional functions of an HR role, LaBrie has condensed Entravision’s payroll accounts into a single global payroll system, created a centralized hiring process for all of the company’s global markets, standardized the insurance plan for employees, and overseen the company’s property and casualty lines of insurance, including Entravision’s Directors and Officers insurance. LaBrie serves as a true partner to the business.

Today, as executive vice president of global HR and risk management, LaBrie is focused on integrating Entravision’s new acquisition—digital advertising company Cisneros Interactive—and advancing the Women of Entravision initiative that he has been actively spearheading since February 2020.

Risk Management Employee Benefits Personal Risk Programs Retirement

“Traditional broadcasting—both television and radio—like many industries, was male-driven, but at Entravision, we believe talent comes from all genders, races, and ethnicities. I am very pleased to report that we have many women in leadership positions,” LaBrie says of the Women of Entravision initiative. “I started thinking, we need to bring awareness within a traditionally male environment.” LaBrie met with department heads from across the company and discussed strategies

Source: Entravision Communications Corporation

USI is Proud to Honor Alex LaBrie

Entravision Communications

for supporting women leaders at Entravision and promoting the importance of female leadership beyond the company itself. Thus far, the EVP has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from senior leadership.

LaBrie’s job as EVP is also notable in that it positions him as a business leader within the Latino community—a role he does not take lightly. “It’s fantastic,” he says. “My job has given me the chance to provide an opportunity to Latinos here in the US, as well as globally, who never knew what Entravision was doing for the Latino community worldwide.

“And what’s even better,” the EVP adds, “it’s not that they were able to just go get a job, they were able to find a job within their own culture. I can’t tell you how valuable that really is to one’s career.”

To LaBrie, it is that sense of cultural belonging that makes working in what can at times be a high-pressure, high-stress industry worthwhile. Entravision employs Latinos from all over the world, from Mexico and Spain to the United States. Consequently, LaBrie points out, new employees come to the company and find themselves surrounded by other native Spanish speakers.

“They meet somebody and through that conversation, they realize, ‘My cousin or my grandparents are from the same town you are.’ Outside their daily responsibilities, they’ve made a connection,” he says. “As the head of Entravision’s HR, I try to instill a sense of passion into my job, which I hope transcends to all company employees. People in turn come into the office feeling like they work not just with colleagues, but with family. I’m proud to help lead that cultural direction for our company and hope that others within the Latino community here domestically and abroad pick up on the importance of cultural belonging at their own companies.”

What makes Lockton stand apart is also what makes us better: independence. Lockton’s private ownership empowers its 8,000 Associates doing business in over 125 countries to focus solely on clients’ risk and insurance needs. With expertise that reaches around the globe, Lockton delivers the deep understanding needed to accomplish remarkable results.

“As the head of Entravision’s HR, I try to instill a sense of passion into my job, which I hope transcends to all company employees.”

More Than a Salary

EVERYONE WANTS A POSITION WITH A good salary and benefits, a wise and understanding boss, friendly coworkers, and the potential for advancement. But Luis Avila wanted something more.

“I wanted to have my personal beliefs, purpose, and mission aligned with my employer’s personal beliefs, purpose, and mission,” Avila says. That’s why he decided to join Cox Enterprises in August 2018.

LAW, LEADERSHIP, AND ATLANTA

Avila grew up on the South Side of Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and a law degree from the Columbia University School of Law.

After graduating from law school, Avila returned to Chicago, where he began his career at law firm Lord Bissell & Brook (now known as Locke Lord). There, he focused on securities and corporate law. After seven years in private practice, he took a position as assistant general counsel at Heidrick & Struggles, a leadership advisory firm that specializes in executive search, leadership development, and organizational culture.

This in-house role, Avila says, was critical to expanding his skill set. “[Heidrick & Struggles] had a smaller legal department,” he explains. “I got to wear many hats— litigation management, employment law, etc. It allowed me to become more of a general practice attorney.”

Five years later, Avila made the switch to US Foods in Rosemont, Illinois. He started as assistant general counsel and provided business advice and legal support to three regions and twenty-four distribution centers representing $5 billion in annual sales.

BY MARK LAWTON

He next became interim general counsel, a role in which he worked with the leadership team and led the legal department through both a proposed merger with global food and

Beyond any salary or benefits package, Luis Avila seeks an alignment between his values and his employer’s. He’s found the perfect fit at purpose-driven business giant Cox Enterprises.

wholesale giant Sysco and an organizational restructuring. This was an intense learning period for Avila, but he was up for the challenge. As he remarks, that kind of experience “doesn’t come around often.”

Based on that foundation, Avila soon made the jump to associate general counsel. As AGC, he not only helped US Foods go public but also served as lead counsel on all regulatory matters and supported other departments within the company.

Avila relished every opportunity that came his way. “[US Foods] yielded a lot of great soft skills that, at that point in my career, I needed to start focusing on,” he explains.

After leaving US Foods, Avila worked in consulting for several months. In less than a year, however, he got a call from his former supervisor at US Foods, who had become general counsel at Cox Enterprises, a nearly $20 billion conglomerate with close to fifty thousand employees. His former boss knew that Avila’s skills and leadership would be a perfect fit for the company, and soon Avila was on his way to Cox headquarters in Atlanta.

CULTURE AT COX

As Avila explains, Cox Enterprises comprises two businesses: Cox Communications, a broadband communications and entertainment company that runs the third-largest cable service in the United States, and Cox Automotive, which encompasses twentyfive leading brands such as Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.

While the opportunity to work with the executive team, advise on compliance issues, standardize policies and codes of conduct, and learn his way around a huge company all appealed to Avila, Cox Enterprises offered that “something more” that he had been looking for. “What really sealed the deal was the

Avila VP of Governance & Compliance and Assistant Secretary Cox Enterprises

culture of the company,” says the attorney, who now serves as assistant secretary and vice president of governance and compliance.

Cox Enterprises was founded in 1898 by James Cox, who later became a congressman, the governor of Ohio, and a Democratic presidential nominee. Cox and his descendants, who still own the company, are fierce proponents of the need to make the world a better place.

In 2007, for example, the company started an environmental initiative intended to conserve natural resources in the workplace and encourage both employees and their families to adopt eco-friendly practices at home. Cox Enterprises also offers employees six hours during the workday to vote during elections and also encourages employees to become involved in their communities by providing sixteen paid hours per year to use volunteering.

Luis

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

Great things never came from comfort zones. We are Cox and our people are proudly working to build a brighter future. We’re powering smart cities with powerhouse broadband communications, pioneering greener modes of transportation, and hatching new technologies to slash the glut of global waste. And after 125 years, we’re just getting started!

To learn more about Cox, visit coxenterprises.com

But the company has gone beyond just providing opportunities for employees to become involved, impactful citizens—Cox provides clear incentives as well. “Part of our bonus is tied to volunteer activities,” Avila reveals.

This culture strongly appeals to Avila, who volunteered with several organizations even before his transition to Cox. “[Cox] is a for-profit business, but that’s not all we’re here to do,” he emphasizes. “We want to ‘Build a better future for the next generation,’ as our CEO Alex Taylor says.”

Avila has taken that message to heart. Currently, he serves as a board member for Park Pride, a nonprofit that partners with different communities in Atlanta to develop parks that address the needs of those specific communities.

He also is a board member of the Latino Community Fund (LCF) of Georgia, which supports twenty local organizations that serve the Latino community. The LCF, Avila says, helps those organizations raise funds, improve their advocacy efforts, and develop critical community programs.

Cox employees are encouraged to be involved—and Avila is certainly that.

“I wanted to have my personal beliefs, purpose, and mission aligned with my employer’s personal beliefs, purpose, and mission.”

Ligaya Figueras, Cox Enterprises

President of Central Indiana Juan Gonzalez is proud to work for KeyBank, where he sees his values reflected every day

A Perfect Match

BY CRISTINA MERRILL

KEYBANK PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL

Indiana Juan Gonzalez had a clear vision of what success meant to him early on in his career, and it involved getting an advanced degree from a university in the United States. Fortunately, the Colombia native was able to attend Butler University’s MBA program in Indianapolis, home to the Indianapolis 500 (he’s a huge fan). From there, Gonzalez grew his career in the city and became involved in the community through local events and board memberships.

Eventually, he joined a board and became acquainted with a fellow board member who worked as an executive at KeyBank, one of the nation’s leading regional banks and the only major bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. That executive recruited Gonzalez, who joined the bank in February 2010.

To say KeyBank’s values align with Gonzalez’s would be an understatement. The bank’s boots-on-the-ground efforts to engage with the community and its robust diversity and inclusion initiatives strongly appeal to Gonzalez, whose own desire to be involved in the community goes back to his childhood experiences in Colombia, where he witnessed his parents leading by example.

“A lot of people say KeyBank is just a bank, but it’s not just a bank,” Gonzalez says. “From

the day I joined this organization, one of our core values has always been diversity and inclusion. I’m very honored to be the first Latino market president for this company. We have twenty-seven markets in the United States, from Alaska to Maine, so it’s a great honor to represent our community at that level.”

Today, Gonzalez leads a team of business bankers throughout Indiana and is the senior executive for KeyBank in central Indiana, which is composed of more than two hundred employees. His responsibilities include making sure KeyBank is growing its market share, partnering with the right local organizations, and getting employees engaged in the community.

“I want to make sure the CEO in Cleveland knows who my team members are, not just because they are producing but because they are involved in the community efforts we are working on in central Indiana,” Gonzalez says. “That servant leadership concept is still there for me, and I don’t think it’ll ever go away.”

Gonzalez is also heavily involved in the bank’s development and oversaw a major digital banking pilot program in 2019. Banking has been transformed because of technology, he points out, and people are using online banking more than ever. According

Juan Gonzalez President of Central Indiana KeyBank

to Gonzalez, KeyBank used central Indiana as a testing ground to consolidate a number of branches where foot traffic was lower— the test resulted in zero layoffs, and the money the bank saved was reinvested in the locations that stayed open, as well as digital banking technology.

As a part of that effort, Gonzalez and one of the bank’s corporate responsibility officers spoke with a wide range of community leaders, businesspeople, nonprofit heads, and even politicians about the change. A byproduct of these conversations was a $250,000 investment in ten community organizations to support the development and delivery of digital banking and financial wellness education programming to low- to moderateincome residents across central Indiana. The

grants are a part of the bank’s commitment to ensure all people, especially those in low- to moderate-income communities, can benefit from the changes happening across the banking industry.

“The pilot program has proven to be extremely successful. We have grown market shares with fewer locations,” Gonzalez offers. “We have taken a bigger number of clients into KeyBank, and they’re not just opening an account. They are making us their primary bank, for mortgages, car loans, credit cards, business, wealth management, and more.”

KeyBank has also stepped up to help the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Paycheck Protection Program loans, KeyBank was able to fund 100 percent of its clients and helped facilitate more than

forty-three thousand loans across the country for a total of about $8.1 billion.

“It was a lot of work, but it was so worth it to see our clients survive and succeed,” Gonzalez says. “We’re also one of the largest companies in the country that does affordable housing lending nationwide. The bank is committed 100 percent from the top down, and I can tell you that the passion is there. It’s truly in our DNA to be community minded.”

Gonzalez credits strong mentors with his professional advancement. Today, he pays that forward as a mentor to a younger colleague based out of Denver.

“Moving up the ladder isn’t just something we talk about. It’s something we help our teammates do through various programs and mentorships,” Gonzalez says.

He is also very proud of the bank’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. He references an in-house training system, through which employees and managers can access a wide range of data-driven information to learn about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employees can also participate in roundtable discussions, in which Gonzalez is a frequent participant.

“If management is not 100 percent committed to diversity and inclusion, nothing really changes. I’m proud to say we are committed,” he says. “There’s still a lot of work to do—this is a long journey. But people like me are volunteering and participating and making sure we have the difficult conversations about how we can be there for our community and how we can do more as a bank through hiring, recruiting, and development.”

ready for tomorrow

Since 1825, we’ve built our business on knowing the communities we serve inside and out. We’re not surprised to see you pulling together to help our neighbors, but we are inspired by it. And as neighbors ourselves, we’re right here with you.

$18 M illio n

Key’s philanthropic commitment for C OV ID -19 response in our most vulnerable communities

$550

$1.9 M illio n

Donated to more than 1,20 0 area nonpro fi t s through our 2:1

C OV ID -19 Response Employee Matching Gif t program

Thousa n d + $8.1 B illio n +

Given back to our communities through # KeyB ank A ssist s, surprising 2,6 4 0 families with gif t cards to local rest aurant s and thanking more than 5 0 essential worker and fir st responder teams with gif t cards, suppor ting 12 charities and 6 0 small businesses

In loans secured for more than 39,00 0 small businesses that employ 3 2 million people nationwide through the Paycheck Protection Program

As of 10/1/2020.

“From the day I joined this organization, one of our core values has been diversity and inclusion. I’m very honored to be the first Latino market president for this company.”

Buying into Beauty, Inside and Out

BY NATALIE KOCHANOV

At Shiseido, SVP Carla Ruiz balances brand acquisitions with a focus on mentorship and community service

Carla Ruiz

SVP of Global M&A Shiseido Company Ltd

YEARS BEFORE SHE JOINED JAPANESE BEAUTY

corporation Shiseido Company Ltd as senior vice president of global mergers and acquisitions in New York City, Carla Ruiz was reading beauty magazines, finding interesting brands, and testing beauty products in her spare time. Naturally, when a chance arose to experience the beauty industry from within, Ruiz couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look.

“Getting to explore beauty through my job is such a privilege,” Ruiz says. “I’m humbled to work for an organization like Shiseido, one of the most trusted beauty companies in the world and one that is laser focused on helping people find happiness through self-expression.”

Ruiz brings her own laser focus to the table at Shiseido, where she uses her industry’s rapid pace to her advantage identifying new avenues for adding value to the company. At the same time, she maintains a strong emphasis on supporting the community, both in society at large and within Shiseido itself.

Ruiz began her career as an auditor in Lima, Peru, before moving to the United States in 2004 to pursue an MBA at Columbia University. Upon completing her degree, she immersed herself in the world of investment banking. After almost a decade in banking, however, she decided to act on her growing interest in beauty.

Leaving behind a position where she could interact with beauty and personal care products only from the outside, Ruiz made the jump to an in-house role at Johnson & Johnson. At J&J, Ruiz oversaw global business development across the company’s beauty, baby, and feminine care divisions.

“Moving from an advisory to a corporate role was a great learning experience,” Ruiz explains. “It allowed me to build valuable insights on how different functional areas operate and what the links are between them.”

That understanding allowed Ruiz to acquire multiple value-add businesses during her time at J&J, with her in-depth knowledge facilitating efforts to evaluate potential partners. She has carried this expertise into her current role, which she secured in 2019 after the interim CEO of Shiseido Americas, Ron Gee, sought her out based on her impressive reputation.

“We had a series of exciting conversations about building a global M&A team for Shiseido as the company looked to strategically complement organic with inorganic growth,” Ruiz says of her early interactions with Shiseido executives.

In the short period since she came on board as SVP, Ruiz has worked with her all-female M&A team to research and execute two major deals for

“I’m humbled to work for an organization like Shiseido, one of the most trusted beauty companies in the world and one that is laser focused on helping people find happiness through self-expression.”

A SHARED MISSION

Giving back matters as much to Shiseido as a company as it does to Carla Ruiz personally. That’s why the company posts giving and volunteering opportunities, including virtual options amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on an online employee platform. The company also encourages employees to get involved in their communities by offering paid days for volunteering.

Shiseido: the acquisition of high-performing, clean-compatible skincare line Drunk Elephant and a partnership to manage the beauty license of fashion label Tory Burch.

Prior to finalizing those deals, she worked closely with key team members across divisions to thoroughly assess each brand to ensure they were a good fit for the Shiseido family. “We’re very careful about who we choose to partner with. It requires a lot of internal coordination to make sure that we’re all rowing the boat in the same direction,” she says, adding that she obtains crossdepartmental input to strengthen Shiseido’s internal alignment as well as to support the deals themselves.

Beyond pursuing partnerships or acquisitions, Ruiz’s role requires her to remain on top of industry trends. Given the dynamic nature of the beauty industry, especially in the age of social media, staying up-to-date can be a challenge. But Ruiz has a different perspective.

“The fact that the space is constantly changing presents us with opportunities,” she points out. “There are so many smart, ambitious, and driven founders who want to take their businesses—their babies—to the next level. My goal is to show them that Shiseido can help accelerate that pace in a way that’s respectful of them and their businesses.”

Ruiz’s willingness to establish relationships with the founders of up-andcoming brands and to foster connections with Shiseido’s industry peers has positioned

her to continue increasing the company’s investments in the future. “We’re currently in the process of evaluating multiple opportunities with the aim of creating further value for Shiseido,” Ruiz shares.

These opportunities will tie into the formalized inorganic growth strategy that Ruiz has helped solidify at the company. She periodically reviews and updates this strategy as Shiseido and the industry evolve, so as to better preserve the level of discipline necessary for filtering through possible acquisitions.

On top of her multifaceted SVP role, Ruiz actively participates in a mentorship program for women at Shiseido. “To be part of that program has been incredibly rewarding,” she enthuses. “I’ve been able to make new internal connections that have led to friendships and hopefully helped others connect the dots for career opportunities along the way.”

Ruiz also serves on the board of America Needs You (ANY), a nonprofit organization that champions first-generation college students. In fact, Ruiz introduced ANY to Shiseido Americas in the context of the company’s social responsibility program, The Beauty of Helping Others.

“I’m very proud of the fact that Shiseido has partnered with ANY,” says the SVP. “It means so much to me to be part of an institution that actively supports the community.”

With equal dedication to giving back and finding promising opportunities for investment, Ruiz is adding value to Shiseido in more ways than one.

“I’m very proud of the fact that Shiseido has partnered with America Needs You (ANY). It means so much to me to be part of an institution that actively supports the community.”

Companies Are Communities

Decades of leadership have taught Ric Alvarez that a company’s power lies in its people

BY ANDREW TAMARKIN

RIC ALVAREZ HAS ALWAYS FOUND TIME to reflect in the air.

Whenever he flies, Alvarez leans back in his seat, puts his headphones in, and thinks. For Richelieu Foods Inc.’s CEO and president, these hours provide a quiet space to ask himself questions, mull over unresolved discussions, and plan for unforeseen difficulties. His people-centric approach to leadership requires a constant focus on inter- and intra-departmental relationships, so these rare moments of solitary meditation have become sacred over the years.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Alvarez’s flights were cancelled at the same time that his business demanded new ways of thinking. But Alvarez found new ways to reflect and ideate. (Additional exercise helped.) Grounded in his certainty that company means community, Alvarez has guided both his

business and his people through the turbulence of the pandemic.

Alvarez was born in Santiago, Chile, and attended high school in Puerto Rico. From there, he traveled to the United States to complete a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, a master’s and PhD in food sciences and human nutrition, and later an MBA. “I learned how to think differently, more analytically,” Alvarez says of his studies. “It gave me a scientific perspective to use in business.”

His professional career began with a technical role heading Quality Assurance for Pizza Hut, which was under the PepsiCo umbrella. Before long, Alvarez’s multi-lingual abilities opened up opportunities supporting the company’s world trade group, and eventually, he stepped into a position as overseer of all technical functions for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC outside the United States.

To Alvarez, this was the perfect position. “I like the relationships that are developed in international business,” he says. “I had people based all over the world.”

When Alvarez left PepsiCo for Chiquita Brand International, he changed his focus from technical work to managerial efforts. He refined his leadership skills at Chiquita, working with new acquisitions and collaborating one-on-one with new owners, both domestic and international. From there, he went on to lead three private equity companies, three family-owned companies, and large divisions of publicly traded companies like Richelieu Foods, a food manufacturing company based in Massachusetts and owned by Freiberger in Germany.

At his current level, Alvarez blends internal and external responsibilities like never before. “It’s different thinking,” he explains.

Ricardo (Ric) Alvarez, PhD President and CEO Richelieu Foods Inc.

“You look at adjacencies, you project what’s coming around the corner that would impact the business and the team—in a way, one of my biggest responsibilities as a CEO is making people’s lives better.”

For Alvarez, forging the relationships that are key to his success as CEO is second nature. Whether he’s offering guidance on a colleague’s board of directors or listening to an employee on the manufacturing floor, he is determined to help build community.

“A company is more than shareholders or owners; it is a community of team members and stakeholders,” Alvarez emphasizes. “We’re only going to be as good as our team.”

Driven by this team-first approach, Alvarez ensures his people are taken care of and understood on a human level. Since more than 35 percent of his labor force is Hispanic, Alvarez switches between English and Spanish during town halls and large presentations. The company provides a multitude of enriching courses, including English courses for native Spanish speakers and vice versa.

“We reach out at a much more personal level when we do it in someone’s language,” Alvarez says. “By using their language, we get closer to that team member and learn about them as a human being. That helps us as leaders to train them, develop them, or just get to know them.”

Alvarez believes that empowering individuals from the ground up and developing teams from within drives

company growth and the achievement of results. And, in the face of challenge, a well-connected team has greater odds of navigating through a storm unscathed.

So, when COVID-19 uprooted businesses across the country, Richelieu Foods did not shut down. The company adapted, innovated, asked questions, and kept everyone informed. Barriers were installed on the manufacturing floor, additional PPE was distributed, separation measures were put in place in breakrooms, and temperature checks were made mandatory upon arrival to all of the company’s five manufacturing facilities. As CEO, Alvarez was fiercely concentrated on his team members’ well-being.

“We wanted to make sure that when our team members came to work, these four walls were a safe environment for them,” he says.

Still, the CEO is always on the lookout for new ways to improve conditions for his workforce. As a sitting board member, Alvarez is part of discussions about innovative leadership practices: he often returns to his office with new ideas for his senior management teams.

“We excel because of great people— that’s the reality,” he says simply.

Though it’s hard to say how the future will unfold, Alvarez has no plans for retirement. His own father, he points out, still works part-time at ninety-six years old. “My goal is to impart some knowledge to the next generation of leaders,” he says, “to help them succeed and become better individuals.”

“A company is more than shareholders or owners; it is a community of team members and stakeholders.”

Designed for Success

BY DAN CAFFREY

At the Howard Hughes Corporation, Carlos Olea’s humanistic approach to accounting draws on his passion for both architecture and data

Carlos Olea Chief Accounting Officer The Howard Hughes Corporation

Anyone wanting to debunk the myths surrounding the profession could spend a few hours reading these texts.

Or, they could just have a conversation with Carlos Olea.

As chief accounting officer of the Howard Hughes Corporation, Olea’s path to success has been anything but typical. Raised in the border town of Tecate, Mexico, he once thought he would seek out a career in architecture.

“There were no tall buildings,” he says of his hometown. “The tallest building was three stories back then. So, when reading books and watching television, I was always fascinated by these big cities that had impressive skylines with beautiful buildings. In a way, practicing architecture almost felt like building your own mountains, with design that can intentionally change the landscape.”

But Olea found another trajectory when he had to choose a vocational course in high school.

“I picked accounting,” he remembers. “That was a lot more practical because of the Mexican economy back then. It was a lot easier to find a job as an accountant than as an architect.”

What started off as a logistical pivot eventually evolved into a passion as Olea learned more and more about his chosen craft. While studying for his bachelor of science at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Olea learned that accounting isn’t just about numbers and math but rather touches on a wide breadth of economic, legal, and tax matters. Olea’s more

holistic outlook on his trade continued to expand as he earned his master’s in real estate from Georgetown University.

“I wanted to be around real estate professionals who looked at things differently and thought about things differently,” he says. “I didn’t just want to be doing debits and credits and filings. Having that exposure at Georgetown allowed me to consider bigger issues, such as the question, ‘How does one achieve goals without increasing risk?’ Typical accountants are not thinking about that.”

Olea put his newfound viewpoint to good use once he made his way to Ernst & Young as senior manager of financial accounting advisory services.

“It was through those consulting projects that I discovered the more human aspect of accounting, which often gets overlooked,” he explains. “By that, I mean, how you get people to do what they’re supposed to do, when they’re supposed to do it, on a consistent basis? Much of the time, the most challenging part of accounting is helping people to get rid of bad habits and be consistent about best practices.”

Today, at the Howard Hughes Corporation, Olea is immersed in perfecting the real estate development giant’s system implementations. This work, he explains, involves constant experimentation with automation.

“It’s not just about having robots,” he says. “I’ve automated steps one and two in a process, for example, and left step three manual, then automated four and five. I thought,

Accountants are often unfairly characterized as withdrawn and clinical, so much so that a quick Google search of “accountant stereotypes” generates a litany of supportive articles.

‘Great! I’ve automated four out of five steps.’ But what I ended up realizing is that when the human responsible for step three heard that the rest of the process had been automated, they felt like they had lost their place and had nothing to do here anymore. They no longer felt connected to the process, and so the results were worse than before. I had forgotten to think about how a human is going to react to having the beginning and the end of a process automated while their role is in the middle. I’m never going to forget that again.”

The lesson connects closely with the work conducted by the Howard Hughes Corporation across the country. After all, both real estate and architecture are, by and large, human-driven operations, whether one looks at apartment complexes and office towers or concert venues and baseball stadiums.

As an example of the important role humans play in such projects, Olea points to the revitalization of New York City’s Seaport District in Lower Manhattan.

“When I interviewed for my role at the Howard Hughes Corporation, they gave me a tour of the Seaport District. It was still under construction at the time,” he recalls. “I stood in what is now the concert venue on The Rooftop at Pier 17,

Our cutting-edge culture and streamlined business model allow us to deliver world-class talent at an unbeatable value. Our clients like working with us because we are di erent. We combine the industry-proven methodologies used by large firms with the speed and innovation only a startup can provide. The result: a uniquely valuable experience for our clients, colleagues, and communities.

and I looked around and could see the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge. I said to myself, ‘I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the city where you can see the view that I have right now.’ I thought that it was just the most amazing real estate development I’d ever seen.

“But it didn’t just happen,” Olea adds. “Somebody had to think of it—and make it a reality.”

“I had forgotten to think about how a human is going to react to having the beginning and the end of a process automated while their role is in the middle. I’m never going to forget that again.”

Every day, Clearsulting helps our clients implement practical solutions to their most complex business problems, from strategy through execution.

In

Flexibility First

BY FREDERICK JERANT

BY 2019, ALEJANDRO “ALEX” CESTERO had already spent over twenty years as a lawyer. He had cultivated an expertise in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, international business contracts, and other specialty areas during his time in private practice as well as in-house roles at major oil and gas service and manufacturing corporations.

But Cestero was intrigued by the opportunity to try a business-side role and become CEO of AccuFleet International, a Houston-based national provider of specialty maintenance and ground handling services for the commercial aviation industry and airports.

Despite his lack of background in the aviation industry, Cestero’s learning curve was smoother than one might imagine. He was able to transfer much of his existing toolbox—including his corporate transformation, M&A, and industrial services experience—to his new position. On the other hand, he’s now the company’s ultimate decision-maker, and has had to evolve into that role.

That’s why Cestero relies on input from his teams. “I was very comfortable with various general corporate areas, like finance, HR, strategy, systems, and general management, but initially had to depend heavily on opera-

tional folks to get me up to speed on the finite areas of their domain, industry standards, and daily operational issues,” he says. “It’s important to recognize the limits of your own knowledge, and let others help fill your gaps.”

Under his leadership, AccuFleet’s profits jumped by 20 percent the first year and were trending at 40 percent a YOY increase in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

That 40 percent goal may seem ambitious, but as Cestero explains, it was actually quite realistic based on new contracts and the pipeline of opportunities that had been developed. AccuFleet contracts primarily with individual airlines operating at airports. This industry structure enables continued growth within that geography, meaning that the company does not solely rely on seeking out additional markets, though that is also part of the growth strategy.

“We have worked with some customers for decades,” the CEO says, “and we’re a premium, high-quality brand to them. But as the service provider side of the industry has consolidated in recent years, we constantly need to compete with larger and larger players, as well as the challenges and opportunities offered by their scale and scope.”

just a year, Alex Cestero has transitioned from a legal career to a role as CEO—and helped AccuFleet International successfully adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic

This changing service space has triggered some transformative activities at AccuFleet, including an intensive examination of every element of the business, which resulted in a new set of financial, customer, operational, and business goals called Vision 2021. “We’ve begun marching toward those goals and have also morphed into a more data- and analysisdriven company,” Cestero offers.

Meeting or anticipating the needs of AccuFleet customers has been a key driver of the business’s growth. And maintaining a high level of flexibility—in thought as well as in action—is essential to that.

“During the COVID-19 and aviation downturn, our managers have helped out in additional functions as necessary, and all of our crews have been extensively cross-trained, so they can adapt to changing conditions at each carrier,” Cestero says of the company’s response to the pandemic.

AccuFleet also assembled an expert team to develop spraying and fogging treatments and procedures. These treatments and procedures were necessary for assisting airline customers in combating COVID-19, but also brought peace of mind to travelers. That team then established supply chains for the

Alejandro “Alex” Cestero CEO AccuFleet International

“You should be conversant with the needs of your business, [but] you don’t need to be an expert in everything.”

necessary equipment and chemical preparations and trained employees to use them safely. “We were at the forefront of these efforts,” Cestero points out.

Cestero’s own legal background has been useful during the pandemic, allowing him to keep the company up-to-date on new regulations for employee safety, cabin cleaning, passenger safety, and more. The aviation services industry typically has a high turnover rate, but Cestero’s leadership has helped instill a level of confidence in employees and customers alike—and kept the company’s workforce stable throughout the pandemic.

Cestero is also determined to ensure that his employees feel confident in their own ability to grow and advance within the company. “We want our employees to understand that there is plenty of room to grow. People are often unaware of career paths they might take, until we show them,” he notes. “And then we provide scholarship opportunities, additional training, and opportunities to improve their soft skills.”

According to Cestero, AccuFleet even takes the time to tailor its educational programs to match the needs of the specific

airline where an employee is working. Improved employee retention helps maintain profitability, the CEO explains, but it also pays off in greater safety and consistency among the company’s crews.

Despite all of his achievements at AccuFleet, Cestero is determined to remain open to learning opportunities—and recommends that all business leaders, particularly in these times, do the same.

“Be curious and learn to manage across multiple disciplines—being able to solve problems in a constructive way is a huge asset,” he advises. “Expect to manage a lot of different egos and personalities, along with conflicting agendas. And while you should be conversant with the needs of your business, you don’t need to be an expert in everything. Be collaborative, keep an open mind, and analyze data and diverging viewpoints as long as is necessary.”

“It’s important to recognize the limits of your own knowledge, and let others help fill your gaps.”

Haynes and Boone LLP joins in this special recognition of Alex Cestero by Hispanic Executive. Alex has demonstrated a unique ability to lead under challenging circumstances, combining the skills learned as a private lawyer and then general counsel for several international companies as he charts the course as the top executive for AccuFleet International. Congratulations, Alex!

Calm Amid Change

William Sevilla has led his team through the challenges of a major merger as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to transparent communication and an open-door policy

BY LUCY CAVANAGH

DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A merger between two of the largest studios in Hollywood is challenging enough, but add in a pandemic, and you are looking at the most tumultuous few years that any department head could face. Luckily, William Sevilla’s leadership, particularly his focus on open communication, was enough to guide his team through one such period of transition.

Sevilla discovered his passion for the film and television industry after taking an introductory course in the subject at California State University, Fullerton. The class inspired him to switch majors from economics to radio/TV/film, and after graduating, Sevilla secured a temp position at 20th Century Fox, one of the “big six” film studios in Hollywood.

Over the course of his next twelve years with the studio, Sevilla proved his skills several times over, gaining progressive roles as manager, associate director, and now executive director of TV mastering. Today, Sevilla and his team are responsible for preparing all

new content for release in various languages and formats, from streaming platforms and broadcast networks to DVDs.

Sevilla takes the work—particularly the ongoing self-education it requires—very seriously. “It’s important for me to learn more about the technology that’s driving our supply chain,” he says. “Ever since we’ve been stuck at home dealing with COVID-19, it’s become very apparent to me that all the different ways we receive our entertainment are going to be powered by technology—and that technology is evolving rapidly.”

And it’s not just changing technology that Sevilla has had to adapt to. As early as 2017, talk of a potential acquisition began swirling around the company. Naturally, this made for an uncertain work environment, given the personnel changes that typically come with such transactions. Sevilla made it his mission to promote a highly transparent

environment and open lines of communication, determined to dispel rumors and keep his team up-to-date as soon as official information became available.

“I would hear some rumor about everyone getting fired, or rumors that such and such company was taking over, so it was very important to bring everybody into our conference room and just squash those things—they were breeding a lot of fear among the team,” Sevilla explains. “It was important to focus on what we could control, which was ourselves, our communication with others, and the responsibilities that we had to uphold as employees.”

Even when it became official in March 2019 that the Walt Disney Company had completed the purchase of 20th Century Fox, the fate of Sevilla’s department was not decided for several months. The executive director did his utmost to boost morale and communicate honestly with his

“Ever since we’ve been stuck at home dealing with COVID-19, it’s become very apparent to me that all the different ways we receive our entertainment are going to be powered by technology—and that technology is evolving rapidly.”

colleagues. “I had an open-door policy during that time,” Sevilla recalls. “If anybody felt that they needed to talk, they were free to come to my office.”

Eventually, of course, the effects of Disney’s acquisition of Fox became clear: Sevilla’s department was reorganized, with some teams transitioning to work under different leaders and others deciding to move to different companies. Sevilla praises Disney for their commitment to supporting erstwhile Fox employees during that period. “One great thing that the company did was provide resources to help people refine their résumés and give workshops for people to practice their interviewing skills,” Sevilla says.

Sevilla’s leadership skills were put to the test again during the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as the possibility of working from home entered the conversation in February 2020, Sevilla and his team began preparing for all the technical implications of that transition. “We put together a document with all the important contact information, the system links that we needed to do our jobs, and the server that we could access from home,” Sevilla explains. “The next thing we knew, we got the news that we would be working from home, so it was good that we were prepared.”

Of course, there were a number of hurdles in the beginning as Sevilla’s entire department shifted to the remote setup. But through efficient and frequent communication, Sevilla helped his team settle into their new workflow. Sevilla continues to prioritize his employees’ peace of mind and well-being as they all grapple with the inevitable challenges that come with the new work dynamic.

“It’s been important for me to make sure that everybody is taking time for their own mental health during this period,” the executive director says. “Everyone is human and has different personal challenges, so it’s crucial for me to stay open and honest and to encourage that within the team at large.”

P O S T H A S T E

Roundabout Entertainment congratulates William Sevilla for this welldeserved recognition of his leadership role during the Twentieth Century Fox and Walt Disney Company merger. We greatly value our long-standing partnership and will continue to always provide William and his team with superior postproduction services.

Post Haste Digital, one for Los Angeles’ premiere post production facilities, is proud to recognize the achievements of William Sevilla and his new role at The Walt Disney Company.

Wishing you continued success and look forward to continued collaboration!

I AM AN IMMIGRANT

AFTER LEAVING BEHIND THEIR HOMES AND EVERYTHING THEY KNEW, THESE EXECUTIVES FOUND SUCCESS. NOW, THEIR MISSIONS AS LEADERS AND INNOVATORS REFLECT THE JOURNEYS THEY ONCE TOOK.

FEATURING

54 Jesus Mantas of IBM // Spain

60 Areli Quirarte of Paramount Pictures // Mexico

64 Olga Lozada of Charter Communications // Colombia

69 Camila Fernandes of Ceridian // Brazil

74 Anna Oliveira of Kraft Heinz // Brazil

INNOVATION, INSPIRATION, AND INCLUSION

At IBM, Jesus Mantas is known for innovation—a passion rivaled only by his commitment to diversity and inclusion and inspiring the next generation of Hispanic leaders

BY ZAYVELLE WILLIAMSON / PORTRAITS BY FRANCO VOGT

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN / SPAIN

JESUS MANTAS BEGAN WORKING AS A technology consultant in the south of Spain at age thirteen. “When I went to see clients, they would ask me, ‘Where’s your dad?’” he recalls, laughing. “And I said, ‘I’m the one who will install your accounting software, train your people, and help you change your processes.’ And they would say, ‘Is this a joke?’

“But after the first visit,” Mantas continues, “if they ever needed support, they would always ask for me. ‘The kid knows this stuff,’ they would say.”

Mantas’s passion for challenging conventional views led him to win a European essay contest at age nineteen. His paper described a multidimensional world with a new dimension of time that challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity. He was invited to present it in Stockholm but struggled, as his English was not good enough. “I could have won a scholarship if I could communicate better in English,” he thought. Instead, Mantas completed his master’s with honors and become an officer in the Air Force of Spain.

By October 1994, at age twenty-five, he was working at Procter & Gamble in Europe. He received an unsolicited offer from another company to work for three years in the United States, and he jumped on it, motivated by his desire to become bilingual. After only four weeks, though, Mantas was told by a supervisor that he would not succeed in the US because of his poor English and that he was not fitting in with the American stereotype of success. He learned one of the most

important lessons of his life: “How you’re perceived shapes who you are in the minds of other people.”

A PERPETUAL QUEST TO LEARN

Mantas’s perspective as an immigrant drove him to endure and overcome challenges. He chose humility and took action. “Regardless of the intent of the person giving me that feedback, I chose not to dismiss it,” he says. “I decided to master the language as well as communication and empathy skills.”

Determined to improve his language skills, Mantas persuaded the University of California Irvine’s Graduate School of Management to accept him as an adjunct professor in the MBA program. “I was nervous in my first sessions, teaching students older than me in a language I didn’t dominate. My legs were literally shaking,” he remembers. With time and practice, however, his weakness became a strength.

Mantas joined Price Waterhouse (PwC) in 1997, persuaded by the people working there. “Everyone I met seemed smarter than me; I could learn by just being around them,” he recalls. After starting as a manager, Mantas became a partner in just four years. One of his clients was Palm Inc.—an early pioneer of handhelds. Alongside Palm Inc. colleagues, Mantas built the first enterpriseclass mobile solution in the industry—seven years before the iPhone was launched. Marina Levinson, the former CIO of Palm and NetApp, recalls, “Jesus has a great combination of tremendous leadership, business

acumen, and perseverance. He was way ahead of the mainstream.”

After IBM acquired PwC Consulting in 2002, Mantas quickly rose through the ranks and gained increasing responsibility, eventually leading global wireless solutions, North American consulting for the enterprise sector, Latin American business services, IBM’s global outsourcing, and IBM’s global business consulting, one of the largest consulting businesses in the world.

CULTURAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Out of the many achievements in his career, Mantas is most proud of his development of talent. Many of the people who have worked with him have become senior business and technical leaders at IBM and elsewhere.

Glen Rodrigues has worked with Mantas in different jobs over two decades. “I would describe Jesus’s style in five ways: empathetic,

inclusive, clear, encouraging, and deeply passionate about the idea that people can have far better potential than they believe they do,” Rodrigues says.

Mantas balances operational and empathic leadership. Rather than resorting only to authority based on command and control, Mantas exhibits persuasion and prioritizes community and empowerment. Rodrigues adds, “Jesus’s leadership style allows people to feel they are heard.”

According to Mantas, his mentors have contributed greatly to his success over the years. “Other people may see things in you that you don’t,” he remarks. “In many cases, I wouldn’t have made those choices if someone hadn’t pushed me.”

He also gives credit to IBM, “a company where diversity and inclusion is a strategy, not a consequence. Diversity goes beyond fair hiring practices and protecting employees,” he explains. “Diversity helps us drive client

Jesus Mantas Senior Managing Partner, Global Strategy, Innovation & Corporate Development IBM

value, inspires innovation, and enables the best ideas to surface and flow freely across our business.”

“Jesus is a great leader. I learned a lot from him, including how to combine strategy with execution,” says Tony Martins, IBM’s general manager of Latin America, who has worked for Mantas previously. “We always felt comfortable being ourselves and offering our opinions.”

Gregor Pillen, now the general manager of IBM Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, also had Mantas as his manager and agrees with Martins. “Jesus drives diversity—not just for Hispanics. He inspires and connects people from different cultures with his passion for inclusion and positive thinking.”

Today, Mantas is the senior managing partner of global strategy, innovation, and corporate development for IBM’s $17 billion global business services unit. He also focuses on technologies that impact society, such as artificial intelligence. He cochairs IBM’s Hispanic Diversity Council, which promotes programs around education, mentorship, and the creation of advancement opportunities for Hispanics. He is a board member at Biogen Inc, an S&P 500 biotechnology company, and serves on the World Economic Forum Global AI Council.

A CALL TO ACTION

According to Mantas, there is more work to be done when it comes to leadership development for Hispanic leaders. The fastestgrowing minority in the US, Hispanics represent 18.5 percent of the US population. Yet there is still a significant gap when it comes to Hispanics in leadership: they represent only 4 percent of the executive ranks.

According to a study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, only 35 percent of Hispanics benefit from mentorship, compared to 53 percent of white professionals

and 40 percent of the non-Hispanic population. Only 30 percent of Hispanic junior mangers say they have access to mentorship or training programs, and 60 percent feel they have to work harder because of their Hispanic identity.

That is one reason why IBM has created P-TECH schools, where students earn combined high school and associate’s degrees in technology. P-TECH includes seventy-seven US school districts that are predominantly Hispanic. Mantas is also personally increasing his commitment to advocating

for Hispanic diversity as a business imperative, mentoring and advancing Hispanics to leadership positions, and investing in Hispanic entrepreneurs.

In closing, Mantas says: “Over the next decade, we have a responsibility to close the Hispanic education, workforce, and leadership gaps, not just for the benefit of Hispanics but for the benefit of the entire US society. If we shape this generation to do well, it will lift economic opportunity for everyone, not only Hispanics. No other demographic can pick up the slack if we don’t.”

“How you’re perceived shapes who you are in the minds of other people.”

Be Outspoken

Hispanic IBMers have a passion for working on challenges that matter, for our company and for the communities we serve. We are focused on improving education with P-TECH®, mentoring and leadership progression. Everything we do includes Hispanics and allies across diverse backgrounds working together to make an impact.

Join Jesus Mantas and the Hispanic IBM Council to move from wishes to actions at ibm.biz/BeEqual_Hispanic. Nuestro momento es ahora.

/ MEXICO

Paramount Pictures’ Areli Quirarte pushes to include Spanish music in creative production so that every viewer feels connected

BY ROMAN NAVARRETTE

LYRICS THAT REACH ANY AUDIENCE

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES, CARRIES A CERTAIN VIBE.

Its charm and beauty can be felt on every corner, from which one can see panaderias and taco carts for miles. It is very Latino, and the community there provides a sense of family.

Roughly twenty minutes away, in Hollywood, lies another charming and beautiful place—Paramount Pictures. There, the world of make-believe is alive and well. But unlike Boyle Heights, Paramount is a place where high-ranking Latino executives are few and far between. While close in geography, these two spaces are worlds apart, each with very different access for people with brown skin. But that didn’t stop Areli Quirarte.

Quirarte is a natural storyteller. When she shares her personal memories, it’s easy to get lost in the vivid detail and emotion. As a listener, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

“I remember coming to the United States illegally from Guadalajara with my grandmother when I was a kid. I remember meeting the man who would help me cross the border, the coyote,” Quirarte says. “My first memory of entering the United States was ending up at a McDonald’s and enjoying a Happy Meal, and for me that is exactly what I was in that moment—happy.”

Quirarte was an accomplished student growing up and extremely dedicated, but in the fifteen years she lived in Boyle Heights, she lived in constant fear of being deported. On top of that, as the new kid and an immigrant, she had to put up with frequent teasing from her classmates.

“Kids can be cruel, but when it is coming from your own people it definitely hits you a little harder,” she says. She remembers a time during which some kids in her school found out that she was undocumented and used names such as “beaner” and “wetback” to taunt her daily.

Despite the bullying, Quirarte knew her performance in the classroom would be her ticket out. It was this motivation that led her to receive a scholarship to a college prep school, which gave her that reassurance she needed—that there would be life after high school and a world of opportunity.

After college, Quirarte got a job as an assistant in the music publishing division of Twentieth Century Fox. After twelve years at the company, she worked her way up to the top and became its director of music before she moved to Paramount Pictures. Now, she serves as Paramount’s senior vice president of music, and has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished Latinas in Hollywood. It’s clear that at thirty-six, Quirarte knows what it takes to get to where you want to go.

“Excellence requires perseverance and dedication. You must stay on your path and be open to opportunities,” she explains. Indeed, when Quirarte first entertained the idea of leaving Fox for Paramount, she knew that it wouldn’t be easy to leave the comfort of a studio that let her cut her teeth creating and pairing up music for hit films like 500 Days of Summer

It was at Fox where she learned her earliest lessons and where she eventually rose up the ranks to land in the area where she knew she could make a difference: music and film. “Music is universal. It’s an easy integration to reach a wide audience. All music can resonate with audiences,” she notes.

“I came in with passion to a production meeting. I simply told them that the content we make needs to reflect the world we live in, and it needs to be shown on screen. They gave me the benefit of the doubt.”

At Paramount, this way of thinking inspired Quirarte to consider Spanish music choices to implement into films so she could connect with a demographic that was outperforming other demos in ticket sales. Just as she began working on her next project—the soundtrack for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run —something miraculous happened.

“One day, I was walking in Boyle Heights and I came across a child’s notebook that had probably been dropped by accident. Flipping through the pages, I noticed a drawn figure of SpongeBob, which instantly clicked for me,” she explains. “This character, like so many other animated characters, is a way of life for these Latino kids.”

Quirarte quickly got to work, determined to use music to help this audience connect with the film. “We had the idea to use Spanish music to authenticate the reach to this community,” she recalls. “It had never been

done before for the SpongeBob franchise, so I wasn’t sure if it would work. But I thought it could be a huge success.

“I came in with passion to a production meeting,” Quirarte continues. “I simply told them that the content we make needs to reflect the world we live in, and it needs to be shown on the screen. They gave me the benefit of the doubt.”

Soon, Quirarte was setting up meetings with J. Balvin and reggaeton powerhouse Tainy—who is an “incubator of culture,” Quirarte says—and screening the movie for them and their teams.

The rest is history. Ultimately, the SVP spearheaded a partnership with NEON16 and Tainy to executive produce The SpongeBob Movie soundtrack. The soundtrack’s first single, “Agua,” digitally accrued more than five hundred million streams and became a viral sensation thanks to the “Agua Challenge” on platforms like Instagram, Reels, and TikTok.

Today, Quirarte remains certain of her path. “I know I got this job for a reason,” she says. For this young Latina—who still resides in Boyle Heights and brings her authentic self to the table every single day, who loves music and pop culture, and has an ability to see the big picture— putting two and two together is all the insurance she needs to know that this is exactly where she is supposed to be.

Areli Quirarte SVP of Music

Paramount Pictures

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN / COLOMBIA

BENEFITS AND BELONGING

As a VP at Charter Communications, Olga Lozada develops benefits that ensure each and every employee receives support that will help them thrive

BY WILL GRANT

Olga Lozada VP of Benefits Charter Communications

WHEN OLGA LOZADA MADE THE DECISION to immigrate to the United States from Colombia, speaking limited English, she could have made it easier on herself. She had family members in Florida who would have welcomed her, but she knew she would need to learn English as quickly as possible to succeed in the corporate world. Instead, Lozada decided to move to St. Louis, Missouri, to be immersed in the language and forced to learn it.

“I knew it was not going to be easy to climb the corporate ladder in America as an immigrant speaking accented English with no prior working experience in the US, but I was confident in my abilities,” Lozada says. Her perseverance, work ethic, and passion for what she does opened numerous doors, propelling her from being an intern in HR to a vice president at a Fortune 100 company.

When asked to share lessons learned with other immigrants, Lozada says: “You will run into challenges but don’t be discouraged. If you do not have a skill, challenge yourself until you master it—and repeat! Lifelong learning will provide new opportunities.”

Lozada has certainly never shied away from challenges. With a commitment to excellence and an inclusive leadership style— cultivated through her experiences across industries as varied as aerospace, energy, and manufacturing—Lozada has been immersed in a number of complex HR programs and restructurings. Today, she is the vice president of benefits at Charter Communications, a leading broadband connectivity company

and cable operator serving more than thirty million customers in forty-one states through its Spectrum brand.

STEPPING BACK

Lozada took on a big growth role at Energizer, where she led a global function supporting employees in thirty-eight countries. The role provided Lozada with the chance to see firsthand how people from different cultures and perspectives might interpret company strategies and directives differently. For Lozada, it was an opportunity that transformed the way she leads.

“It really instilled the idea that, no matter your role, everyone has a voice,” Lozada says. “It’s important to me that my team members are heard, encouraged, and valued, regardless of their title.”

Lozada says this practice has led to what she considers her favorite regular occurrence: proposing an idea and watching it evolve. “Whenever I offer an idea, I want to make sure that everyone on my team steps up and offers something to the discussion,” she says. “I love when we walk out of a meeting with something completely different, just by empowering everyone to share their thoughts.”

Charter Communications, Lozada says, has provided the optimal vantage point from which to make a positive impact on employees. The company is committed to investing in its people so that it can attract and retain top talent that reflects the diversity of its markets, as well as creating a culture of inclusion where all employees feel valued.

The initiatives the organization has taken on behalf of its employees are extensive, which is exactly why—after doing comprehensive research on the company to make sure her own values meshed well with the company—Lozada knew she would thrive at Charter.

PROGRAMS, PEOPLE, AND PURPOSE

In her current role, Lozada supports an incredibly diverse employee base. Nearly half of Charter’s 95,000-strong workforce are people of color, and nearly 10 percent are veterans. Lozada focuses her daily work on providing initiatives on behalf of all employees.

“It’s a joy to come to work when your job is to advocate for your colleagues and their families,” Lozada says. “I believe benefits are among the most important elements of the relationship between an employee and an employer.” She is proud that Charter invests in employees in this way. To reduce employees’ out-of-pocket costs for medical benefits, the company has absorbed cost increases for eight years in a row.

Lozada’s team partners with providers that offer the best level of service for both Charter and its employees. Her team also continually analyzes data to identify macrotrends and refinements that could improve the day-to-day lives of Charter’s diverse employees. To cultivate a work environment that supports working parents, Charter offers benefits related to family planning, breastfeeding travel solutions for mothers, paid parental leave, and parenting support. For LGBTQ+ employees, Charter offers market-leading services and benefits.

At Anthem, we have one goal: to improve lives and communities by investing in health. To achieve our mission, we are putting consumers at the center of everything we do, making sure their care is easier to navigate and more personalized. Driven by a bold new culture of innovation, we are collaborating creatively with partners, employers, and providers to transform healthcare, and improve the life of each person we touch.

We congratulate Olga Lozada for her recognition in this issue of Hispanic Executive!

“It’s a joy to come to work when your job is to advocate for your colleagues and their families. I believe benefits are among the most important elements of the relationship between an employee and an employer.”

In concert with its healthcare partners, Charter also provides diabetes management at no cost to its employees. “From a diversity and inclusion perspective, we know that our Latino employees and their families can benefit from this care because this disease is so much more prevalent [in that population],” Lozada explains. “We’re proud to provide this program, and we see great participation.”

But Charter’s commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond its benefits packages. The company has several career advancement programs focused on employees at different levels. The company also offers a tuition reimbursement program. In the past two years, more than half of the Charter employees who have taken advantage of this reimbursement program were people of color. “We aim to support our employees and help them advance in meaningful ways,” Lozada says. “We’re able to impact their lives both at work and at home.”

Charter’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has earned it both a Top Company for People of Color award from the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications and recognition as a Top Company for Women to Work from Women in Cable Telecommunications.

Lozada knows that the HR role has evolved from HR administration to building connections between employees and their employers. She also understands that HR professionals are now responsible for preparing their organizations to be agile, flexible, and responsive to employee needs while creating an environment where employees can thrive. That work, the VP says, is what makes her excited to come to work every day—no matter the challenge.

Communications on your efforts to empower Charter employees and their families with diabetes to live better, healthier lives.

We are proud to partner with Olga Lozada and the team at Charter Communications to offer our Livongo for Diabetes Management program to help the company achieve its goals.

Livongo is now part of Teladoc Health, the global leader in whole-person virtual care. teladochealth.com

Livongo is proud to partner with Olga Lozada and Charter Communications to offer their employees personalized tools, coaching, and support for chronic condition management. From connected glucose meters to unlimited strips, our program fits easily and meaningfully into their everyday lives to keep them on track with their health. For more information, visit livongo.com.

“Everyone has a voice. It’s important to me that my team members are heard, encouraged, and valued, regardless of their title.”

/ BRAZIL

Camila Fernandes could barely speak English when she moved to the US, but what she lacked in language she made up for in ambition. Ten years later, she’s helping a global software company chart its course.

BY ZACH BALIVA

A WOMAN WITH A PLAN

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

ALL CAMILA FERNANDES NEEDED TO DO was ace the math portion of the SAT. That was her goal. Fernandes moved to the United States from Brazil just a few months before her test date, and although she didn’t speak much English, she knew that a good math score, coupled with a strong personal essay, would open the door to the University of Rochester’s financial economics and mathematics program—and buy her time to improve her language skills. Fernandes was right, and soon she was on a college campus in upstate New York.

While it might seem strange for a young Brazilian to dream of studying in upstate New York, it was all part of the plan. Those around Fernandes know her to be passionate, diligent, positive, and analytical. She carefully scrutinized entrance statistics and industry classifications to find the best-ranking college that would accept a foreign student with very little English.

Fortunately, Fernandes had had a private education with strong math and physics components in Brazil. This prepared her to grasp the concepts and theories taught by her University of Rochester professors, even if the language wasn’t fully clear. “I couldn’t

always comprehend what my teachers were saying, but I knew directionally how to solve the problems,” she recalls.

Fernandes found translations of her textbooks and got to work. She did her homework in Portuguese, translated it into English, and completed assigned readings in both languages. One commitment helped her excel quickly—she barely consumed media in her native language or spoke Portuguese in social settings.

After two years, Fernandes had completely adjusted to her new environment. She created her own major to combine financial economics, Chinese, mathematics, and history and also studied abroad in Beijing.

Despite her accomplishments, one problem remained upon graduation: Fernandes was a near-perfect student during her final two years, but her overall GPA was impacted by the time when she was still learning English. Undeterred by how this reality would impact her job search, Fernandes returned to Brazil and took an internship with the Ministry of Finance.

While at the Ministry, Fernandes worked on an assignment intended to identify financial factors that drive higher productivity for

RIDE TOGETHER, STRIVE TOGETHER

What started as a way to de-stress and burn energy turned into a passion and eventually an inspiration when Camila Fernandes met competitive cyclist Erin Ayala in Minneapolis shortly after the death of George Floyd. Ayala shared her idea to start a new team with the intent of diversifying cycling and sparking social change. From there, plans quickly developed, a team was formed, and the Stamina Racing Collective was born. Fernandes is an active member today.

The female/trans/women team uses a three-tiered approach anchored by mentorship, accessibility, and community development as they participate in events throughout the Midwest. The collective’s roster currently includes nine cyclists who are looking forward to participating in rides, clinics, and other events in 2021 and beyond.

Camila Fernandes Director of Corporate Development Ceridian

GoodPeople make all the difference. Congratulations to Camila Fernandes for her many achievements as Director of Corporate Development at Ceridian.

“The story isn’t always pretty. Just keep knocking on the door, and if it never opens, there is probably a window you can jump through.”

major Brazilian companies. She also developed her skills, grew her network, and planned her next steps. After realizing that she wanted to make a different impact through her career, Fernandes moved back to the United States and accepted a six-month contract as a financial data analyst at Moody’s.

After six months, Fernandes won a full-time contract. She enrolled in a part-time program to earn a master’s degree in finance and later landed a job at Goldman Sachs. Soon, the rising star was getting more and more involved with fast-growing companies in the technology sector. As she performed due diligence for multiple types of deals, Fernandes set her eyes on a new target—a spot on the prestigious Goldman Sachs investment banking team.

As she had done in college and at every step on her journey, Fernandes committed herself to hard work. She pitched herself to multiple roles and got rejected. “The story isn’t always pretty,” she says. “Just keep knocking on the door, and if it never opens, there is probably a window you can jump through.”

Fernandes proved her value by doing her homework and making sure that she was prepared for any interview question. Soon, she was advising technology, media, and telecom companies like Dropbox, Farfetch, Pivotal, Avalara, and Ceridian on private placements and IPOs.

After Fernandes participated in the Ceridian IPO process, David Ossip and Erik Zimmer hired her to join a growing global strategy team and later asked her to lead corporate development sourcing and diligence. Since stepping in as director of corporate development in October 2019, Fernandes has sourced and led global strategic opportunities.

Today, Fernandes is cultivating industry relationships, building her team, evaluating the market, and managing Ceridian’s M&A pipeline. She talks with influential leaders, shapes the company’s strategy, and advises leadership on multimillion-dollar deals. And although she still prepares for every meeting, it’s fairly indisputable that Fernandes has come a long way from the young woman she once was.

Congratulations to Camila Fernandes on her achievements and well-deserved recognition in Hispanic Executive magazine. Cowen is proud to partner with you and the team at Ceridian. Cowen Inc. is a diversified financial services firm focused on delivering value-added capabilities to our clients in order to help them outperform.

OF ORIGIN / BRAZIL

Anna

Oliveira

achieves success through collaboration in her dream job as international counsel

BY MARIE VAUGHN

at Kraft Heinz

PERSEVERANCE. BOLD MOVES. BIG DREAMS.

COUNTRY

Anna Oliveira

Counsel, Global Corporate Compliance & Transactions

Kraft Heinz

Obstacles were never an excuse. She dreamed of being a lawyer and having an international career. What she did not expect was that in 2014 she would have the chance to pursue her dream.

At the time, Oliveira was working at Valid SA, a Brazilian manufacturing company, as senior corporate counsel. The decision to leave her job and follow her husband to the US was not easy. Oliveira knew from the beginning that it would be challenging to find a position as an attorney in America. Even with more than ten years of legal experience under her belt, including experience with complex corporate transactions, she was moving back to square one.

“It’s not easy to get your first job in a different country, even if you are an experienced lawyer, because there are a lot of boxes that you don’t check and the legal systems are different,” Oliveira explains.

Instead of becoming disheartened at the prospect of relocating to the US, she turned the move into an opportunity to advance her career and achieve her dream. Oliveira had a very clear career

plan when she arrived in America—pursue a master’s degree in law and educate herself to be an international counsel.

While she was applying for her master’s degree, Oliveira was offered the opportunity to work in Valid SA’s Chicago office and help the general counsel set up the legal department, which gave her a great perspective on legal department operations. Soon afterwards, she was accepted into Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s master of laws (LLM) program.

“Education is one of the pillars of success,” Oliveira says. “I wanted to get all the education that is required for an international counsel and be able to provide high-quality legal support.”

But Oliveira didn’t enroll in just any LLM program. She was particularly drawn to Northwestern’s program because it included a combination of law and business, something that was an interest of hers since the early days of her career in Brazil. “As a corporate lawyer, you need to understand the dynamics of the business,” Oliveira emphasizes. “An in-house corporate lawyer is responsible for supporting the company to achieve sustainable business results.”

As soon as she graduated from Northwestern, Oliveira started her job-hunting process—but she knew that she wanted to work at Kraft Heinz. There were many reasons why Oliveira chose to pursue her dream career at the iconic food company, the most important one being the value Kraft Heinz places on diversity and inclusion.

One of the company’s core values is: “We Demand Diversity.” The senior leadership at Kraft Heinz works hard to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. Oliveira says she is an example of how Kraft Heinz believes that diverse backgrounds and perspectives make the company stronger, more interesting, and more innovative.

“I was always told I was overqualified for entry-level positions and did not have enough experience for a more senior position. At Kraft Heinz, I knew I would find my place,” Oliveira recalls. “I felt extremely confident after my interviews and, fortunately, I was given a chance.

“Since my first day at Kraft Heinz, I have taken all opportunities as a chance to learn and to collaborate with the team,” she continues. “My positive attitude, my core skills as an experienced lawyer, my humility, and my perseverance all led me to the position I hold today—my dream job.”

Now, as a counsel on the global corporate compliance and transactions team, Oliveira wears multiple hats.

EVEN GROWING UP IN A SMALL CITY IN BRAZIL, THE DESIRE TO SUCCEED AND IMPROVE WAS ALWAYS PRESENT IN ANNA OLIVEIRA’S MIND.

In the US, Oliveira is responsible for leading Kraft Heinz’s financing transactions alongside the treasury team. Given the combination of her prior experience with similar transactions abroad and the knowledge she gained at Northwestern, Oliveira has become the primary point of contact for the company’s capital markets transactions. She loves to work with the treasury team and learn with them every day.

Under her global hat falls the subsidiary management of two hundred global entities affiliated with the company, and the intercompany complex restructuring projects led by the tax team.

“This role requires a lot of international experience because you need to deal with different legal systems, manage outside counsel in different jurisdictions, and understand cultural issues,” Oliveira says. As she puts it, she gained the skills to perform in this role because her colleagues were generous enough with their time to share their knowledge and teach her the intricacies of the function. “The rich mix of perspectives and experiences is amazing. At Kraft Heinz, people work collaboratively and share the same goals.”

Indeed, Oliveira says, the diversity of her team is one of its greatest strengths. “It’s a very multicultural team,” she explains. “I have calls every day with team members in Latin American and European countries.” She finds it both challenging and satisfying to find ways to unify this global team.

Oliveira also attributes the success of her team and company to their shared belief in fairness. “We gain

respect by showing our failures, by being humble and bold,” she says. “And mistakes will happen. But if you talk about the mistake, you learn from it and you won’t do it again.”

It has been a long haul for Oliveira, and she knows that this is just the beginning. But diligence always pays off, so she encourages everyone to keep working hard and dream big. She says, “We are the owners of our careers and must look at every opportunity as a chance to sparkle and grow.”

Oliveira hopes that all young professionals hoping to work on an international scale are able to find the kind of positive, supportive environment she has found at Kraft Heinz. Of course, this by itself isn’t enough— young professionals must be resilient and humble, Oliveira says, yet willing to advocate for themselves. “Keep persevering, investing in your education, and working as a team,” she says, “and success will come.”

“Keep persevering, investing in your education, and working as a team, and success will come.”

THESE EXECUTIVES ARE KNOWN AS LEADERS WITHIN THEIR FIELDS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRING THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES TO WORK AND USE THE FULL EXTENT OF THEIR EXPERIENCE TO INNOVATE FOR THE FUTURE.

WITH GUEST EDITOR

80 Roman Navarrette of NGL Collective

FEATURING

82 R. Martin Chavez of Grupo Santander

90 Monica Trasandes of GLAAD

94 Carmen Carrera of CC3 Entertainment

98 Andres Palencia of LATV

102 Moisés Zamora of Selena: The Series , Netflix

106 Diana Feliz Oliva of Gilead Sciences

111 Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino of D&P Creative Strategies

116 Armando Ibañez of Undocumented Tales

120 Queen Victoria Ortega of FLUX and Bamby Salcedo of The TransLatin@ Coalition

Taking Up Space and Speaking Out Will Always Lead to Success

SHORTLY AFTER I ACCEPTED THE ROLE of guest editor for the LGBTQ+ feature section of this Visibility Issue, Bamby Salcedo—founder of the TransLatin@ Coalition—told me, “Always remember—not everyone gets to be in the rooms you are in. Don’t waste it.”

Bamby is right. In the LGBTQ+ community, we don’t always get that face time, that platform. And if you are a Latino member of this community, most likely you feel like you are still trying to be seen, and that you are an “other” twice over.

“Representation and inclusion matter.” We hear this over and over again, enough so that I think many people not seeking this representation tend to tune it out. For LGBTQ+ person of color (POC), however, the stakes are too high: we have no choice but to fight to be heard and to help effect change wherever we are. For us, trying to remain visible is something we work at every single day.

I remember a few years back when, in several meetings, I tried to make a case for leaning into LGBTQ+/POC story lines for shows like Empire and Glee. In those meetings, I heard about shows with special themed episodes featuring heroes of our community like Ricky Martin or Mariah Carey—episodes that they did not intend to pay extra attention to when marketing to our communities. It was always an uphill battle, and many times I was either the only gay POC in the room, or one of two, out of forty-plus other executives. But how things have changed . . . somewhat People are listening. Pop culture has placed greater importance on our stories than ever, with shows like FX’s Pose and HBO Max’s Veneno shining a bright light on the trans POC community and exhibiting a layer of depth that television has never bothered to showcase before. Allies are being found, and they are being proactive. We are gaining access to the table and being listened to.

But to truly have a voice, we must ensure that we have a seat at the table in every kind of industry. While our allies are certainly important in realizing change, it simply isn’t enough unless we are there alongside them in those high-level meetings. We understand the nuances of our community and can infuse our inclusion like no other.

Inclusion for our community is no longer just the right thing to do, or the politically correct thing to do—there is now an acknowledgment that our community can bring big business as well as a return on investment (sometimes referred to as “pink money”). We are very brand-loyal, influential, and have huge spending power—just like the Hispanic community as a whole. If you are both Hispanic and LGBTQ+, well then you do the math.

For proof, one need only look at Hulu’s Love, Victor, which gave us the coming-of-age and coming-out story that we all wanted to

see as we were growing up. The series was the most-watched drama on the platform during its premiere week, and also had the mostbinged first week of any original drama series on Hulu in 2020. Our community is influential: we can make or break a show.

Organizations across America are taking note of these realities. The mere fact that this magazine—a Latino-owned, non-LGBTQ+ publication—has given the community a space is a big step forward. We see leaders in our community climbing the ranks in the nonprofit sector, helping to educate and provide support for communities all across the country. Whether you look at Los Angeles’s Latino Equality Alliance group or New York’s Harlem United, it’s clear that members of our community are looking out for both each other and their cities as a whole.

This is exactly what needs to happen in all areas of the workplace. Maybe we can do more to look out for all the people in our community who aren’t at the table, like Bamby pointed out. Maybe there’s something else we can do to honor those before us who fought just as hard to be heard. Or maybe we have the ability to improve things for everyone in our community, including the thirtynine beautiful souls we lost in the Orlando Pulse shooting (which occurred on the club’s “Latino night”).

Whatever we do, there will always be a need for us to take up space. Remaining visible is our duty. We carry that weight on our shoulders, and we know our lives depend on it. If you are an ally, then be a true ally and pull up a chair in your next meeting—virtual or otherwise—and offer someone a seat. Do it juntos, do it con, and do it with pride.

Roman Navarrette | He/Him/His Producer of Hispanicize Virtual Summit & Vodcasts NGL Collective

Thoughts from the Guest Editor: Find insights from Roman throughout our LGBTQ+ narratives.

CONVERSATIONS AT THE TOP WITH RUBEN NAVARRETTE

Marty Chavez

Marty Chavez is renowned for his leadership both on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. But he never would have made it without the support, determination, and sacrifices of his family.

PORTRAITS BY PAUL QUITORIANO

DID YOU EVER MEET SOMEONE AND GET THE feeling you already knew them?

I’ve never met R. Martin (Marty) Chavez—at least, not beyond an hour-long interview conducted via Zoom. Yet, in a sense, I’ve known the man most of my life.

That is, I’ve known of him and his family, and while we haven’t traveled similar roads, we do have similar backgrounds.

Still, before we spoke, it took me a minute to piece together that the “Marty Chavez” I was supposed to interview later that day—the fifty-seven-year-old investment banker, Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur, and former chief information officer and chief financial officer at Goldman Sachs—was the same Martin Chavez whose early claim to fame was being first in line in a family that’s likely considered Mexican American royalty at Harvard.

For Chavez—whose family roots in New Mexico date back to the founding of Santa Fe in 1610—a childhood spent in Albuquerque revolved around three entities that were both powerful and sacred: family, church, and education.

“There’s a little family legend that I think says a lot. My mom’s from the barrio —Barelas [Albuquerque]—definitely the other side of the railroad tracks. When she was ten, so the story goes, she vowed to either A, be a nun, or B, have ten children and send them all to Harvard. She chose B, and she’s a ruthless grader and has high standards,” Chavez says. “She gives herself a 50 percent score for having had five, not ten children. But she did send them all to Harvard.”

That’s right. Five Chavez kids. All Harvard graduates. Marty was the first Chavez to graduate from the prestigious university, followed by his siblings Rick, Tom, Andrea, and Elena.

I graduated with Tom in 1990. I was friends with Andrea, who was a freshman when I was a senior. Ten years later, when I returned to Cambridge to attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government, I met Elena, who was then a senior.

Owing to Camelot lore, you might assume that well-to-do families such as the Kennedys of Massachusetts would hold the record for the most Harvard graduates. But, according to Marty, a dean actually did the research and confirmed that la familia Chavez de New Mexico holds the distinction of having one of the largest groups of siblings in a single generation attend the university.

A few years ago, Marty was elected by other alumni to the Harvard Board of Overseers. How could he lose? He had four votes right out of the gate. This year, he serves as president of the board.

This version of the American Dream is brought to us—at least, in part—by a lot of sweat, scrimping, and saving by Rose and Ray Chavez. Along with Catholicism, the gospel of higher education was like a second religion to the Chavez family. Even when money was tight, the Harvard term bill got paid on time.

At Harvard, Chavez pursued—concurrently —a bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences and a master’s in computer science. Then he was off to Stanford to pursue a PhD in medicalinformation sciences.

MARTY TALKS

The Potential in Intersections: “I’ve never wanted to pigeonhole myself as a banker or computer scientist. I’ve always wanted to explore and develop the intersections: what happens when software eats finance, or when life becomes programmable? There’s so much white space—so many blank canvases and so many possibilities—at the intersections. I expect my next twenty-five years to be at least as busy as the last twenty-five . . . paying forward the coaching, mentorship, and sponsorship I’ve received along the way.”

R. Martin Chavez | He/Him/His Board Member Grupo Santander

But all the while, Chavez had yet to admit to a personal truth: that he was a gay man.

“I can tell you the exact day when I came out,” he says. “It was in 1988, and I was a PhD student at Stanford. I had told myself that the day I successfully defended my dissertation, I was going to come screaming out of the closet. So, I literally went from the defense of my dissertation to a meeting of the gay and lesbian alliance at Stanford.”

He was twenty-four years old. Of course, Chavez knew who he was long before that.

“Four years old,” he says. “I was 100 percent certain at the age of four.”

Now, I’m curious about something else. How old was he when he became Hispanic?

He chuckles, knowing immediately what I mean. I want to know at at what age he started identifying as Hispanic.

“The school I went to was mostly white, and the city I lived in was overwhelmingly Mexican. So, I wouldn’t say I had this identity of being Hispanic—I had this identity of being an oddball and knowing I didn’t quite match up,” he says. “I became Hispanic when I was sixteen. I had just gotten into Harvard, MIT, Caltech, and Stanford. One of my dad’s colleagues asked, ‘Which schools did Marty get into?’ My dad said, ‘He got into those four, and he’s going to Harvard,’ and this man said to my dad, ‘My daughter would’ve gotten into Harvard too, but she didn’t have the right last name.’”

I know this story. I’ve lived a version of it. It’s a slam on affirmative action, an implication that if Chavez hadn’t been Mexican American, he wouldn’t have gotten into such prestigious universities.

I had told myself that the day I successfully defended my dissertation, I was going to come screaming out of the closet. So, I literally went from the defense of my dissertation to a meeting of the gay and lesbian alliance at Stanford.”

But Chavez does not owe his success to his name or any other such superficial identifier. After moving to Palo Alto to attend graduate school, Chavez cofounded Quorum Software Systems in 1989. He served as the cloud technology start-up’s chief technology officer until 1993, when he went to New York to work for Goldman Sachs. There, he built a career by using data, mathematics, software, and computers to solve complex problems for clients. He served as chief information officer, chief financial officer, and eventually global cohead of the financial giant’s securities division.

I joke to Marty that, taking nothing away from all his hard work, it’s obvious that he and his siblings won the lottery at birth. From what he says, given the fierce support and determination of his parents, it would have been hard not to be successful.

“Totally,” he says. “There’s a certain group of people that you find in Silicon Valley—you find them elsewhere, too—who say, ‘I am self-made. I did it all.’ Maybe that’s true for them. But for me, that would be the most preposterous thought. I worked very hard. But thank God for my parents, because they made it all possible. They stretched and sacrificed. We were always one step ahead of the creditors, just barely, because they were always paying for schools that they absolutely had no business sending their kids to, schools that they couldn’t afford.”

Hard work. Excellence. No excuses. If you want to know the secret to success in America, that’s a good start. The best parents, I’ve learned, are not hands off.

“There’s a story I love telling,” Chavez says. “I took sophomore standing at Harvard. I applied for special permission to take five courses, and they were

mostly graduate courses. Then, the grades get sent home, and I got four As and an A-. And my mom pointed at the A- and said, ‘What happened here?’”

In Chavez’s case, he was also helped by the fact that, early in life, he found his jam: numbers.

“I was really good in math,” he says. “My parents figured out very early on from the teachers at school that I was remarkably, sort of weirdly good at math.”

Good enough to skip sixth grade entirely. Good enough to take calculus at the University of New Mexico before he reached puberty. And that math class at the university changed everything: it was there that Marty discovered what was—in the mid 1970s—a newfangled contraption: the computer.

This hot little item, Ray Chavez told his eldest son, was the future. In a scene that Marty describes as reminiscent of the scene in The Graduate where Benjamin Braddock is pulled aside at a party and given a piece of advice about where the future is headed, his father—who worked as a technical illustrator at Sandia National Laboratories—pulled him aside one day when he was just twelve years old. He told him, “Martin, the future is computers.” The year was 1976.

His mother, Rose Chavez, also had advice for her children.

“When I was a kid, she would say, ‘Your Spanish is going to be important for your business. I insist that you learn Spanish and that you study it properly,’” Chavez recalls. “And I’d say, ‘Mom, I’m a computer scientist. What does it have to do with Spanish?’

“As with most things,” he continues with a laugh, “she was right. She saw it much more than I did, this future where I could bring it all together.”

MARTY TALKS

Wall Street Hierarchy: “The most underclassed group on Wall Street was not Hispanics or gay people—it was technologists and engineers. Twenty-five years ago, they were treated as second-class citizens. I think the area where I had the most success was in inspiring everybody to see these people as every bit as important as the traders and the salespeople.”

Good Decisions:

“Good decisions and good outcomes aren’t the same thing—neither are bad decisions and bad outcomes. It’s possible to make a good decision with a bad outcome, and vice versa. But, over the very long haul, the compounding effect of good decision-making lets you know that you’re doing it right.”

MARTY TALKS

Groups at Goldman: “When I was asked, at Goldman, to be the cohead of the firm-wide Hispanic and Latin network, the first weird thought that my brain generated was, ‘Why are they asking me? Only because I’m 100 percent Hispanic?’ But it’s not like I walk around all day thinking, ‘I’m Hispanic, I’m Hispanic, of course they would ask me to do that.’”

That future that Rose Chavez envisioned was finally realized years later during what Chavez calls a “formative moment” in his nearly twenty-year career at Goldman-Sachs.

“One day, the partner who ran the commodity business walks by my desk, and he says, ‘So, Marty, someone told me you speak Spanish.’ I said, ‘Well, did you ever have a look at my last name and consider that maybe I speak Spanish?’ And he said, ‘That’s awesome. All these years, I just thought you were Jewish.’ I don’t know why he thought that. Maybe because we were at Goldman Sachs, and I’ve always hung out with the Jewish kids,” muses Chavez, whose father is descended from a long line of Spanish Jews. “Then, he said, ‘I need you to go to Buenos Aires on Monday and talk to a bunch of Latin American oil company executives.’”

Chavez’s experience in Argentina was transformative. And because of it, his employer began to see in him a new Marty.

“Suddenly, I went from being a computer scientist, doing lots of math and software on the trading desk, to [being] in the world and building relationships with clients,” he says. “My edge was that I spoke Spanish—a lot of business was coming from Latin America, and I went on to do a bunch of things at Goldman.”

Naturally, Chavez gives away all the credit for his big break.

“I really think it was my Hispanic identity and my ability to speak Spanish that made it possible, which I only had because my mother insisted on it,” he says.

By the end of his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Chavez had become the highest-ranking Hispanic and openly gay executive on Wall Street. Determined to not be the last of either, he was also a leading member of the firm’s Hispanic/Latino and LGBTQ+ networks.

As of September 2019, Chavez is retired—not in the conventional sense, of course. He continues to serve Goldman Sachs as a senior director. He has also accepted positions as a senior advisor to investment firm Sixth Street Partners and as a board member for international financial services company Grupo Santander, among a variety of other organizations. And of course, Chavez will keep dreaming, building, and investing. His expertise will always be in demand, as will his energy. Indeed, Chavez needs plenty of energy to keep up with his two children: Sebastian, six, and Penelope, four.

This son of Albuquerque is proud of who he is—a partner, brother, father, and son. A gay man. A Latino. And a financial industry insider who spent decades as a whiz on Wall Street.

But he’s also more than that—and less. The really impressive part is that, most of the time, he’s just Marty. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

MARTY TALKS

Latinidad: “Latinos, we don’t necessarily help each other out. The islanders don’t like the Mexicans, who don’t like the Argentines. I really want to avoid that kind of thing. So, I say I’m Hispanic, and interchangeably, I’ll say that I’m Latino. I know there is a distinction, but I don’t spend a lot of time on the distinction.”

Ruben Navarrette—a contributing writer at Hispanic Executive —is a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group, author of A Darker Shade of Crimson: Odyssey of a Harvard Chicano, and founder/CEO of the Navarrette Sonic Podcast Network: What America Sounds Like.

I worked very hard. But thank God for my parents, because they made it all possible. They stretched and sacrificed.”

Get It Right

GLAAD’s Monica Trasandes works to make sure that both Hollywood and the media are focused on positive, authentic representation for the Latino LGBTQ+ community

BY ROMAN NAVARRETTE

Monica Trasandes | She/Her/Hers Director of Spanish Language & Latinx Media and Representation GLAAD

IT IS THE PURPOSE OF NONPROFITS SUCH AS GLAAD TO LOOK OUT FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY—BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LATINO LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY?

Who looks out for members of that community and monitors how they are represented in the media and television or film? Those spaces already have a hard time portraying strong, positive Latino characters, much less LGBTQ+ Latinos. Enter Monica Trasandes, director of Spanish language and Latinx media representation at GLAAD.

Trasandes’s work is not only huge in scope but also highly intricate. One facet of her work requires her to work with media outlets and encourage them to include inclusive stories among their community pieces. Those stories—such as a feature on gay dads included within a media company’s Father’s Day coverage—are critical to normalizing LGBTQ+ experiences.

“In both Spanish- and English-language media, we simply are not represented enough,” Trasandes says. “This shapes everyone’s perceptions of us, including lawmakers, politicians, and community leaders.”

But as Trasandes points out, LGBTQ+ representation is also important to how the community perceives itself. “If we aren’t seeing ourselves in news pieces, then we are limited to our representation on TV. And if we are only the butt of the joke or a secondary story line, then we are made to feel less than. Most of us grew up this way,” she says.

However, Trasandes has seen a shift in both representation and in studios and networks’ desire to get it right. With the influx of streaming networks striving to increase their multicultural representation, the LGBTQ+ community is seeing many of their stories come to life in shows like Gentefied , Veneno, and Love, Victor

As more and more executives have begun reaching out to make sure they are representing the community accurately, Trasandes’s phone has been ringing off the hook. “I’m talking to more writers, reading more scripts, and pushing my way into more writers rooms to make sure they have all the tools,” she says.

Trasandes is careful to pay attention to detail in each of those projects. As she has seen many times over the past twelve years, it is common for production companies and studios to spend a large amount of money on a project only to see it fail due to the poor handling of LGBTQ+ story lines.

“If they come to us after the content is shot and edited, then there is very little we can do. We need to get the material from the beginning and effect change from the written words on the initial script,” she explains. “Bring us in early so we can avoid audiences saying that something is homophobic or transphobic.”

Trasandes, who was born in Uruguay, wants to use her expertise to make a global impact, supporting the LGBTQ+ community in countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina in addition to the United States. This mission is intensely personal, she explains, and stems from her own international experiences.

“From the age of fourteen, I always knew I liked women and was a lesbian, but I was always lying and making up boyfriends to hide who I was,” she says. At twenty-one, while she was studying in Spain, Trasandes finally worked up the courage to come out to a friend.

Trasandes credits her college years as the time when she began to meet her true friends and find her passion for writing and journalism through her work on the school newspaper. Members of the LGBTQ+ community often speak of their chosen family, and it is obvious that this time of her life was when Trasandes found hers.

In her role today, Trasandes often visits college campuses to talk to students in arts, writing, and media programs. As she explains, college is not only a key place for learning but also the place where most students shape their views on the world. “We want to get to them when they are young and studying their craft so that they can learn how to be more inclusive to LGBTQ+ story lines,” she says.

The University of Southern California and Cal State Northridge are just two of the SoCal-area schools Trasandes visits in order to build these alliances. “Allyship is hugely important. Our allies are everything,” she emphasizes. “We need them to stand up for us. They are so important to the work we do here.”

Celebrity allies are likewise a big part of GLAAD’s fabric of the community, Trasandes says. GLAAD has honored celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, and Kerry Washington

at events such as the annual GLAAD Media Awards, and celebs in turn make a point of showing up to support the organization.

But while celebrities can certainly provide support and enhance visibility, Trasandes is quick to point out that for Latinos, the most important form of allyship comes from family. “I can’t tell you how many times I hear about someone who is strong in their faith, and their religion is telling them that homosexuality is wrong, yet they love their nephew and want to be an ally to them and love them,” she remarks.

While Trasandes may not be able to influence each and every family out there, she can and does make sure that the Spanish and English media— and the global audiences they speak to—do their part to support her community.

“If we are only the butt of the joke or a secondary story line, then we are made to feel less than. Most of us grew up this way.”

BRAVE. BEAUTIFUL. BOLD.

Model, activist, and entrepreneur Carmen Carrera strives to provide a platform— and support—for members of the LGBTQ+ community

BY ROMAN NAVARRETTE

IT’S OBVIOUS WHEN TALKING TO

Carmen Carrera that since she first burst onto the scene as a contestant on season three of RuPaul’s Drag Rac e—before she transitioned—she has been through a lot, both publicly and privately. Yet Carrera has managed to persevere, and now she is dedicated to serving as a role model and advocate for the younger generation of her transgender siblings.

A mogul in the making, Carrera draws upon the hustler’s mentality when pursuing her goals. She simply can’t sit still, she admits, and while sheltering in place during the pandemic, the only way she could keep herself from going crazy was to get things done. In so doing, Carrera was able to reach out to other members of the LGBTQ+ community just as they were beginning to carve out their own media presence. She immediately recognized this as an opportunity.

“I wanted to create a talent agency through which I could help the new generation of trans talent, as well as other members of the LGBTQ+ community,” she explains, “leveraging all of my experience in the process and helping them with their careers.”

Carrera founded CC3 (Carmen Carrera Cares) Entertainment and brought on her previous business partners to help her run it. With twenty talented members of the LGBTQ+ community now on the agency’s roster, including Olympic gymnast Danell Leyva, CC3 is on its way to attracting the attention of top brands. In fact, it already has.

Beauty giant Maybelline recently approached Carrera about the potential of

hosting a virtual makeup tutorial and chat, but Carrera saw within it a larger opportunity: she reached out to up-and-coming YouTuber Samantha Lux, who is also part of the CC3 community, and brought her on board to help with the project. Sometimes, Carrera explains, a brand needs people from within the community to connect the dots as well as to help strategize and create compelling campaigns.

But to Carrera, CC3 is more than just a way to help the next generation of her community advance their careers—it’s a way to protect them, too. Carrera knows firsthand what it is like to be disrespected both within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Over the past decade, as she has built out her brand as a model and actress, she has taken on the likes of RuPaul, Cake Boss ’s Buddy Valastro, and the CEO of Victoria’s Secret—all while becoming one of the most recognizable transgender women on the planet.

While she drew criticism at times, what rarely gets mentioned is the fact Carrera has had strong and consistent values each step of the way, particularly her commitment to her trans community. Her mission is simple: to stand up for her people, no matter the cost.

“I’ve been through a lot, a whole lot, behind closed doors,” Carrera reflects. “I was outspoken and an activist, and back then this was a type of nuance that was unheard of—it was just where the media was at the time in regards to the trans community—and to be honest, I was more objectified than respected.”

There’s also the possibility that Carrera was scrutinized a little too much due to the

simple fact that she broke down barriers in the trans Latina space. Other trans women of color such as Laverne Cox are pioneers in paving a way for the community in a mediaand television-driven landscape, but the pace of that representation was initially slow going.

In the past decade, however, we have seen an influx of representation from the trans community into mainstream media, and the demand for respect and equal rights has ignited tremendously. Shows like FX’s Pose and HBO Max’s Veneno have entered the mainstream and earned critical acclaim while shining a light on the trans experience.

“We definitely are underrepresented, and underpaid, but the public interest is still the same,” Carrera says of her community. “So why is it any different than any other human story? Our stories need to be included.”

At thirty-five, Carrera is thriving. Unstoppable and fearless, the founder of CC3 Entertainment has also teamed up with her former housemate to create an authentic line of face masks, appropriately named Angel Face. The aim of this venture, Carrera says, is to empower, heal, and inspire positive change within the world—which is why each and every mask carries a name like “I Am a Hero,” “I Am a Trailblazer,” and “I Am an Ally.”

Carrera wants to continue acting and hopes that one day her own story will be told in some medium, but no matter what happens, she wants to increase visibility for her community and continue to normalize representation for her trans brothers, sisters, and nonbinary siblings.

“I want to keep blazing my own trail and break through that notion that we are supposed to be an ‘other,’” she emphasizes. “I want to help redefine who a trans person can be in this generation. Our platform needs to be elevated; I’ve always seen the beauty, and everyone else needs to see it as well.”

Carmen Carrera | She/Her/Hers Founder CC3 Entertainment

“Our platform needs to be elevated; I’ve always seen the beauty, and everyone else needs to see it as well.”

Welcome All Are

The Q Agenda brings an LGTBQ+ perspective to the talk show format

BY BILLY YOST

Andres Palencia | He/His/Him Co-Executive Director

THE PRESS RELEASE FOR LATV’S

The Q Agenda promises a place for “candid and genuine conversation about issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community,” but the show delivers more than that. For starters, it may be one of the only places on television for this conversation. The show’s predecessor, Glitterbomb (also an LATV production), was the first LGBTQ+ Latino talk show on nationwide television. But even though the two shows share actor and executive producer Enrique Sapene as a host, The Q Agenda is an entirely different animal.

Glitterbomb focuses on celebrity and entertainment culture—more of a dessert than an entrée. The Q Agenda is meatier, discussing the issues of the day from the perspectives of its LGTBQ+ hosts: Sapene, trans activist Juliana Joel, comedian Lianna Carrera, and celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur Victor Ramos. It’s funny, fun, and most importantly, it matters.

It’s a show that Executive Producer and Director Andres Palencia says he would have given anything to have as a young, gay Latino working to understand his identity. “We hope the show can feel like your friends,” explains Palencia, who also serves as co-executive director of LATV. “If I had had this when I was ten, or eighteen, or twenty-one, I would have been made to feel that there is a world where I can be treated in a fair and normal way.”

The Q Agenda is, in many ways, a direct answer to the challenges Palencia faced as a gay man in the often-unwelcoming entertainment world of the late 2000s and early 2010s. “Being out or coming out, even being suspected of being out, would almost instantly exclude you from certain conversations, perspectives, or creative input,” Palencia says. “There’s the toxic machismo of Latin cultures that is obviously very prevalent in Latino media. This seemed like the moment to push for people just to have a better life walking down the street, to show that our community exists on screen.”

While The Q Agenda may be filtered through the eyes of the LGTBQ+ community, what’s fascinating is the range of culture and personality in its hosts and guests. But the show doesn’t attempt to represent every perspective out there: the hosts are entirely themselves, nothing more or less. “I know I was hesitant that I didn’t want people to think I was trying to be the poster child for the trans community,” Joel explains. “We all have different lives and stories. It took me time to realize the whole point of this show is to just be an individual voice who hopefully can inspire people.”

“LATV has done a really great job of just providing platforms for who we are as individuals,” Carrera says. “I have Cuban heritage, but I’m about as Americanized as the next person. The first day I came in, I said, ‘I don’t speak Spanish, I don’t want to misrepresent. I don’t need a Hilaria Baldwin scandal. The network came back with, essentially, ‘Of course you belong here, because there are countless second- and third- and fourth-generation immigrant children who feel as Americanized as you do and who can identify with your experience.”

In having larger conversations on such diverse topics, the hosts themselves have found opportunities to grow. “In connecting with each host, I’m able

to connect with a different part of myself,” Ramos says. “With Liliana, I’m always learning something new about our political system and the motivation to get more educated.”

Sapene concurs. “The funny thing is that walking into this show, I really thought that I knew it all, and now, with the little that I do know, I’m pretty sure I don’t know anything at all. There have been moments with these three that I realized I never would have thought about a situation from their perspective. I’m so grateful to Andres and Bruno [LATV Co-Executive Director and Executive Producer Bruno Seros-Ulloa], who have given us the liberty to have these conversations.”

Palencia says that The Q Agenda is part of a larger content strategy at LATV based around three passion points. “We want to focus on culture, not language, upbringing, country of origin, or ethnic

Q AGENDA HOSTS

Lianna Carrera

(pronouns: she/her/hers)

Juliana Joel

(pronouns: she/her/hers)

Enrique Sapene

(pronouns: he/his/him)

Victor Ramos

(pronouns: he/his/him)

background,” Palencia says. “Our culture, the thing that binds us together and empowers Latinos.”

The second is investing in creating serious positions to empower Latino creatives. The final pillar is the LGBTQ+ Latino; a third of the content strategy is focused solely on providing more voices from an underserved community in entertainment. “We want to be the voices behind the scenes to reflect the content that’s on screen, because genuine expression is important,” Palencia says. “There haven’t been many opportunities for LGBT people in entertainment, let alone Latinos, so we’re doing our best to make it happen here.”

Stripped to its core, The Q Agenda seems to work in large part due to the chemistry of its hosts. The conversation feels familiar, welcoming, and approachable for all audiences. It’s not preachy but it also doesn’t pull its punches. It feels genuine but not clunky. “I think that has a little bit to do with the nature of queer community,” Carrera remarks. “So many from our community have been ostracized from their families or social groups in the past, so as a community, we instinctively build our tables longer.”

The Q Agenda is a party that everyone is invited to, Sapene says. “Anybody that needs a platform to spread a message of equality and love will find a home on the Agenda.”

THOUGHTS FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

“The mere creation of a television talk show focused on LGBTQ+ Latinos is extraordinary and breaks new ground. We can see ourselves as so much more than a victim or a butt of a joke. With Palencia and Sapene steering the ship at a network like LATV, which is known for taking risks in their programming, anything is possible. Add to this the fact that each host of The Q Agenda —gender nonbinary comedian Liliana Carrera, Afro-Latino Victor Ramos, transgender activist Juliana Joel, and cisgender gay male Enrique Sapene—can stand on their own to exemplify diversity within our community. One feels they truly are getting a large taste of the rainbow when tuning in, and being educated across all beliefs and backgrounds.

“Educated by guests as well—for many Latino members of the community who remember that gay media traditionally equaled white male media, watching trans icons such as Laith Ashley and Carmen Carrera, or young SoCal native and influencer Tony Directs, appear as a guest on the popular talk show on any given night means that they can finally see themselves in media.

“The ‘agenda’ has never been more Latino or more queer.”

“This seemed like the moment to push for people just to have a better life walking down the street, to show that our community exists on screen.”

—Andres Palencia

As co-showrunner of Selena: The Series, Moisés Zamora has tackled the project of a lifetime—and lifted his community up in the process

BY ROMAN NAVARRETTE

The Heart of the Story

Moisés Zamora | He/His/Him

Co-Showrunner, Executive Producer, and Creator Selena: The Series , Netflix

That is exactly how Zamora has patterned his career: from the ground up. To the forty-two-yearold, Mexican-born Ivy League graduate, who grew up in both Jalisco, Mexico, and California’s San Joaquin Valley, limitations have never been a factor. He embraces challenges and sees them as growth opportunities. However, “challenge” may not be the exactly right word to describe the most recent opportunity that was presented to Zamora—the chance to serve as coshowrunner, executive producer, and head writer for Netflix’s Selena: The Series, the most highly anticipated Latino television project of 2020.

Selena Quintanilla is arguably the most revered Latina singer of recent times, and her legacy remains strong today, twenty-six years after her death. Her empire continues to garner critical attention from her fans, fans who don’t want Selena’s legacy to change but who also can’t get enough of the shows and movies made about her. You can’t win.

Whoever accepted the responsibility of telling another story about the late Tejana icon was sure to catch scrutiny. There was also the fact that Zamora did not have extensive experience in Hollywood going into the project: he was approached about the opportunity to

work on the Netflix series just two years after he started working as a staff writer on shows like ABC’s American Crime and Fox’s Star. But for Zamora, saying no wasn’t an option.

“I didn’t have all the television experience in the world, but I knew I was going to surround myself with people who do. I knew I was going to grow,” he explains.

In December 2020, Selena: The Series opened at number one on Netflix in the United States, Mexico, and Spanish-speaking Latin America, and it stayed that way throughout its opening weekend. The series’ success was heralded by traditional media as well as on social media channels. What didn’t get too much attention was the fact that the man who helped achieve this extraordinary accomplishment is a gay Latino.

Gay men have long revered female pop stars such as Madonna and Lady Gaga. Having Zamora at the helm of a project that spotlights a star like Selena is therefore hugely important to that community. Fittingly, Zamora enlisted members of the LGBTQ+ community to help fill his writers room, three of whom came from a writers group he had helped create.

“One evening, I was at the WGA [Writers Guild of America] for an event and found myself huddled

I’M NOT WAITING FOR DOORS TO OPEN FOR ME. I AM GOING TO BUILD THE BUILDING WITH THE DOORS THAT I WANT TO WALK INTO MYSELF,” TELEVISION CREATOR MOISÉS ZAMORA DECLARES.

around other gay Latino writers,” Zamora says of the social group. “We quickly realized there was something special here and decided that we should create a space where we could meet regularly to support one another.”

They named themselves the Clubhouse Writers Group, and there are only two rules for members: First, they must all love one another, no matter what. Second, they must try to be the best and strive for excellence through their professional writing endeavors.

Striving for excellence also means promoting one’s success. For Zamora, that has meant leveraging the success of both Selena: The Series and the other projects he worked on during 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. “I want to position myself and be in control with projects and stories that I want to tell,” Zamora explains.

And with his new production company Zone One, a film and TV production company focused on elevating stories of people of Latin American, Indigenous, and Afro-Latin descent, Zamora is doing just that. Yet he never wants to lose his thirst for growth. “In order to be a trailblazer, you need to remember to be a student and continue to learn,” he notes.

As Zamora knows, personal growth is just as important as professional. “For me, in life, what has always worked has been trying to live the most authentic version of myself—and that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly,” he says.

This mindset might very well be a product of some of Zamora’s childhood experiences in Mexico, where—as is so common with members of the LGBTQ+ community—he was often bullied. “I was feminine, I didn’t want to play sports, I was the son of the town doctor, and I was more interested in storytelling than anything else. It was my outlet,” he recalls.

That feeling of being “othered” was something Zamora always felt growing up in Mexico and central California, but he never let those feelings overpower his

desire to succeed and tell stories. Instead, he tuned out the noise and shaped his experiences into art.

“I always prioritized working on the craft of writing and allowed myself to grow. I knew that if I was a good writer on the page, the rest would come,” says Zamora, who has continued to focus on the story instead of the chatter surrounding Selena.

And the rest surely did come. Yet Zamora knows Selena is only the beginning of the stories he is destined to tell. And the LGBTQ+ Latino community is ready for them, all of them—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

“For me, in life, what has always worked has been trying to live the most authentic version of myself— and that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Diana Feliz Oliva’s journey has been more difficult than most. That’s why the Gilead Sciences associate director is on a mission to help people accept themselves for who they are.

BY BILLY YOST

TO LOVE YOURSELF

THIS IS NOT A TRADITIONAL PROFILE, because nothing about Diana Feliz Oliva’s life or career, she believes, can fall under the label of “traditional.” Where some may have found their “moment of clarity” in a law class or in their first job out of college, Oliva experienced hers at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. And while some may have overcome adversity in a harsh corporate climate, Oliva had to discover herself while peers, teachers, and her own mother scorned an effeminate boy who preferred dolls to action figures and shamed that child for winning a kindergarten hula hoop contest.

Despite a turbulent upbringing, life on the streets of Los Angeles that could have easily cost Oliva her life, and a two-month stint in the LA County jail, Oliva persevered over poverty, crippling self-doubt, and the feeling that she was trapped in the wrong body to not only become her family’s sole college graduate, but also earn a master’s degree from an Ivy League school.

As the associate director of public affairs, patient advocacy, and community engagement at Gilead Sciences, Oliva has found the first role in her life where she is able to truly be herself. Even though it took forty-eight years, Oliva feels blessed to be here now, as the person she always knew she could be.

Oliva’s career accomplishments are more than enough to fill a profile, but like so many in the LGTBQ+ community, she has had to overcome far more than should be asked of any single person. Growing up in rural Sanger, California, in the seventies, neither Oliva’s family nor her community possessed the lexicon or cultural understanding to meet the needs of a child who felt out of place almost immediately in life.

“I felt so alone, so isolated, so depressed,” Oliva remembers. “But I always kept up my happy, can-do attitude. My body didn’t match what I felt inside, but I didn’t have anyone that I could talk to.” Her mother, a devout Catholic who was fighting her own battle with alcohol dependency, sometimes turned physically and verbally abusive.

The only way out for Oliva was Los Angeles, an early home for wayward members of the LGBTQ+ community who, after being rejected by their own families, had to find another. Oliva engaged in sex work to survive. “It may sound horrible, but it was the first time I actually received any affirmation or validation as a woman,” Oliva says. “The streets of LA were the first place where I felt anything that resembled love.”

Oliva’s transgender identity meant fairly routine interactions with the police due to the frequent

profiling of the trans community, and she found herself locked up on a handful occasions. The last time it happened was different. “My last experience with incarceration, I had to be brutally honest with myself about who I was and who I wanted to be,” Oliva explains. “It was strange, because I had this overwhelming feeling of freedom, even though I was behind bars. I felt liberated because I was ready to celebrate and live my truth.”

In 2004, two years to the month after her release, Oliva completed her bachelor’s in social work at California State University, Los Angeles. Then she moved across the country to New York City. A year later, in 2005, she received her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University.

It wasn’t a fairy tale. She was completely on her own and still struggling to survive. “My first month in New York, I was hotel hopping until I was able to find a roommate,” Oliva remembers. “Even attending one of the most prestigious universities in the country, I had to revert to sex work to financially stabilize my living situation, and I had to hide that I was trans because I didn’t think anyone would rent to me otherwise.”

After earning her master’s, Oliva spent the next twelve years working for nonprofits on behalf of HIV-positive, incarcerated, and LGTBQ+

THOUGHTS FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

“Diana Feliz Oliva had it rough growing up in the small town of Sanger, California, a place where if you didn’t ‘run like a boy’ or play sports well, or wanted to hang out with the girls at recess, you were singled out as a ‘sissy,’ as ‘gay,’ or as a ‘faggot.’ I know firsthand what Oliva went through: I too grew up in Sanger and was actually in the same grade. One of us was more religious and came from ‘the other side of the tracks,’ while the other grew up more privileged, but the taunts we heard at school were the same.

“Sanger High School is the home of the Apaches, whose motto is ‘Always with Pride.’ ‘Pride’—a word that would be ingrained in both Oliva and myself as we grew older, for other reasons, but wasn’t always an easy part of our childhood. When you are young, and you see others being made fun of, you tend to look the other way instead of joining forces. You don’t want to draw more attention to yourself and be grouped with another kid perceived as gay. However, time can heal and make you not only join forces but realize that you are stronger in numbers and that you are more similar than different. Oliva is an LGBTQ+ warrior and a trans leader, someone who this gay man can proudly call both an inspiration and a fellow ‘Sanger Banger.’”

“I’ve reconciled my relationship with my God and my spirit, and I know I’m here to make a difference and uplift and empower the communities that I care about.”

RULES OF A DIFFICULT ROAD

Diana Feliz Oliva has overcome incredible obstacles not just in her career but in the discovery of her own identity. She hopes her three pillars of wisdom may be beneficial to younger individuals working through identity issues of their own:

1. “Love yourself. Be proud of who you are. You are not alone.”

2. “Surround yourself with people who are positive, inspirational, and supportive. These people may not be your family or your friends right now— and this is something you will have to work through—but keep looking.”

3. “Find something bigger than yourself to believe in, whether that’s God, the Mother Earth, or some other spiritual being. You need to check your ego sometimes and find balance in your life. I always want to make sure I have the heart of my community at the forefront of my mind and the decisions I make at Gilead.”

individuals, as well as farmworkers, the elderly, and youth. Oliva says that after finally accepting herself, she wanted to help others on their own journey. “I was born this way, and I’ve been able to come to peace with it and—more importantly—love all of me,” Oliva says. “I’ve reconciled my relationship with my God and my spirit, and I know I’m here to make a difference and uplift and empower the communities that I care about.”

It may seem strange that Oliva’s most welcoming position has come from a for-profit pharmaceutical company, but that is exactly what has happened at Gilead. “Even as a brown trans woman who has done sex work, who was incarcerated, who’s been physically and sexually assaulted, I still have a certain amount of power and privilege, and I have to use that for the good of our communities,” Oliva says. “Our people here working behind the curtain strongly believe in corporate giving and philanthropy and care passionately about developing therapeutic solutions for chronic illnesses. When I saw all the community initiatives Gilead was

leading, I knew there was no way I could turn down this opportunity.”

Oliva’s latest promotion includes supporting and advocating for the transgender community. It’s a role she says is her dream job for many reasons: the people she can help, the example she can provide, and the guarantees she can make to her family.

“When I got this job, my brother hugged me and wept, because he knew that I would be able to help put my nephew through college in the future,” Oliva says. “I want to be able to show my nephews and nieces what their lives can be and what they can accomplish, no matter who they are. I do everything I do for my family and community.”

“I had this overwhelming feeling of freedom, even though I was behind bars. I felt liberated because I was ready to celebrate and live my truth.”

Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino founded D&P Creative Strategies to uplift their communities. But for these two, building a company also meant building a life together.

BY NATALIE KOCHANOV

GETTING MARRIED BY SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR—THE FIRST LATINA TO SIT ON THAT COURT— IS ONLY ONE HIGHLIGHT IN THE LIVES AND CAREERS OF INGRID DURAN AND CATHERINE PINO,

founders and CEOs of Washington, DC-based consulting firm D&P Creative Strategies. Before their paths crossed, each woman made a name for herself through years of experience in the public service and advocacy space. Together, they’ve achieved even more.

By the time she met Pino at a DC tea dance in 1992, Duran had already served four years in the Marine Corps, finished her undergraduate degree at Park University, and begun working on Capitol Hill. She had just made the jump to legislative affairs when a job opened up with the House Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico, Pino moved to DC to work for New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman and the National Council of La Raza (now called UnidosUS). After she met Duran in 1992, she moved to New York City to pursue her graduate work.

When introduced, Duran and Pino immediately bonded over their shared

passions, including their mutual determination to support and bring the Latino and LGBTQ+ communities together. However, despite their intense connection, they didn’t see each other again for ten years.

In the interim, Duran volunteered for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus after working on that Committee, held a legislative assistant position under Texas Congressman Gene Green, and ran the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ DC office. She then accepted a role leading the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI).

Meanwhile, in New York, Pino earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from New York University. Upon graduation, she moved back to DC to work for Independent Sector, where she created their young leader’s initiative and did government relations. She then returned to New York City to work for two charitable foundations: the DeWitt WallaceReader’s Digest Fund, now known as the

Catherine Pino | She/Her/Hers Founder and CEO D&P Creative Strategies

Ingrid Duran | She/Her/Hers Founder and CEO D&P Creative Strategies

Wallace Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

In 2002, Duran’s CHCI communications director told her about “this great Latina lesbian” who chaired the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York and worked at the Carnegie Corporation, who would be a “great asset to the CHCI board.” Duran remembered Pino and asked her to serve on CHCI’s board shortly after they reconnected.

A chance dinner together added a new dimension to their relationship. “We didn’t talk about work at all. That dinner, for me, was a turning point,” Duran says in retrospect. She left for a trip the next morning but talked to Pino on the phone every day while she was gone.

“Ingrid asked me, ‘What are we doing here?’” Pino recounts. “I said, ‘Let’s run away together and change the world.’ And the rest is history.”

History, indeed. Driven by the same shared passions that sparked their initial admiration for each other, Duran and Pino created D&P Creative Strategies in 2004.

“We knew that we could play a bigger role in bridging the divide between the LGBTQ+ community and the Latino community,” Pino says. Duran adds, “At the time, there were no Latina-owned firms, let alone Latina- and LGBT-owned firms. We wanted to be an example to others.”

Setting that example meant being entirely out as lesbians. Despite the stigma of being

in a same-sex relationship (especially during that period), Duran and Pino decided to prioritize their desire to inspire and give hope to Latino youth struggling with their LGBTQ+ identities. Unapologetically, they chose not to worry about how society would perceive them, as a couple or individually.

As it turned out, the founders’ embrace of their identities ultimately propelled D&P Creative Strategies from triumph to triumph. Since joining forces, Duran and Pino have not only empowered young people along their professional journeys, but also developed a close-knit company with employees, fellows, and interns working to effectuate change at the national level.

The couple agrees that creating a national campaign to help educate Latinos about the LGBTQ+ community during the fight for marriage equality stands out among their most coveted accomplishments. Duran and Pino built coalitions in the Latino community and crafted a public education campaign, Familia es Familia , centered on Latino and LGBTQ+ issues.

“It was an amazing campaign,” Pino enthuses. “And it was instrumental in changing the perception of marriage equality in the Latino community,” Duran adds.

Changing hearts and minds runs as a theme across Duran’s and Pino’s work. Through one of their two production companies, Freemind Beauty Productions, the two collaborated with HBO and PBS’ American Masters on a series of documentaries

“Ingrid asked me, ‘What are we doing here?’ I said, ‘Let’s run away together and change the world.’ And the rest is history.”

—Catherine Pino

featuring prominent members of the Latino and LGBTQ+ communities: The Latino List (two volumes), The Out List, The Trans List, The Women’s List, and The Boomer List. They are also associate producers of The Harvest/ La Cosecha , a documentary they worked on with friend Eva Longoria Bastón about the exploitation of children farmworkers.

The documentaries fully align with Duran and Pino’s personal goals for D&P Creative Strategies. “It’s all about bridging that divide,” Duran explains. “In each film, we made sure to include members of both communities.”

Looking to the future, Duran and Pino will continue to increase Latina representation in Congress through their by-Latinas-for-Latinas political action committee, PODER PAC, whose mission is to increase the number of Democratic, pro-choice Latinas serving in Congress. They also seek to undo the damage done to their communities by the Trump-Pence administration.

The award-winning couple has a talent for storytelling and a strong network of political, corporate, and nonprofit connections to help them. Still, Duran and Pino’s common values remain at the core of their combined strength. Whether working out together or collaborating to make a difference in the world, each has the other’s back.

“We really live, love, and work together,” Duran says. Pino adds, “There is not a day that goes by where we both don’t realize how incredibly blessed we are.”

THOUGHTS FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

“Only when you bring your authentic self to your entire life can you progress to the point where you can love both yourself and another. Until then, you are simply going through the motions and not really able to connect. Like everyone else, we in the LGBTQ+ community deserve to connect.

“The connection that Pino and Duran found, which has kept them linked both personally and professionally throughout their efforts to help the LGBTQ+ Latino community, now serves as our inspiration. This is a fairy tale come true and a great example for the younger generations of our community. We don’t need to wait to find a story like theirs on the big screen when we have it right here in front of our faces. In the end, love always wins—and in the case of Pino and Duran, it also flourishes.”

“At the time, there were no Latina-owned firms, let alone Latina- and LGBT-owned firms. We wanted to be an example to others.”

—Ingrid Duran

Armando Ibañez is devoted to representing his community through television and film

BY ROMAN NAVARRETTE

DOCU MENTING THE UNDOCUMENTED

Armando Ibañez | He/His/Him Filmmaker, Director

Undocumented Tales

ARMANDO IBAÑEZ’S EARLIEST MEMORIES

growing up in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, involve his love for the cinema. From Pedro Infante and María Félix movies to Casablanca , films gave him an escape from reality, allowing him to dream of a life where he could be himself.

However, as much as he wanted to identify with what he saw in television and film and believe that the color of his skin didn’t matter, both reminded him on a daily basis of the racism that existed in the world. “I soon realized that I did not look like everyone I saw on television. I never saw myself represented up there on those screens,” he says.

It didn’t help that the tourists who visited Acapulco, playing a large role in the economy of the resort city, were mostly white. “I grew up normalizing the fact that I had to look up to people with light skin, and thought less of myself because of my skin color,” he explains. “The system tells you that you are not beautiful, not valued, that you don’t deserve to be here.”

Ibañez always felt different growing up, recalling that when he was little he wanted to play with Barbies—something that wasn’t considered acceptable for boys in his community. He learned that in order to get by, he was going to have to “play the game” and hide who he was. Concealing his identity soon became his suit of armor.

At age eighteen, Ibañez moved to southern California in hopes of finding acceptance, but instead found a society that wasn’t much more open

than the one he’d left behind in Mexico. “There is so much machismo. You can’t really be yourself. I spent most of my twenties trying to pass as a citizen and also a straight man, always lying to myself and without friendships,” he says.

Then one day, when Ibañez was thirty years old, he was watching the news and saw a group of LGBTQ+ undocumented activists. “They were unafraid, unapologetic, and I remember thinking, ‘I want to meet you and be friends with you,’” he says.

Ibañez became an activist himself, learning every day about a community that had been fighting hard to not be erased. It was through his newfound community that he learned terms such as “queer” and “transgender.”

When he speaks of his undocumented queer Latino community, his tone shifts and he becomes almost giddy. “Sometimes, even within our own queer community, you can find bad intentions, but not within our undocumented community. All you need is eye contact, and there’s an instant bond,” he explains.

Once Ibañez found his community, his passion for storytelling ignited and he pursued filmmaking at Cerritos Community College. He graduated with a degree in film and television production and was no longer living in the closet, either in terms of his sexuality or citizenship.

Around this time, a friend of his recommended a YouTube series from a then-unknown Black television creator named Issa Rae. The series,

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, was critically acclaimed and caught the attention of Ibañez during the summer of 2015.

Soon, another role model would inspire Ibañez as he was watching the Emmy Awards. When Viola Davis became the first African American to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, a line from her speech stuck with Ibañez and would eventually be the push he needed to, as he says, “throw myself into the fire.” Davis said, “You simply cannot win an Emmy for roles that aren’t there.”

Ibañez decided to write a series inspired by his own life, featuring an undocumented waiter in LA who is gay, messy, unsure of what he wants in life, and full of heart.

A year later, his series Undocumented Tales debuted on YouTube; it’s gone on to win awards, and for season three Ibañez secured a bigger budget after being awarded a grant from the Immigrants Rising Entrepreneurship Fund. Season four is currently in the works, with Ibañez once again wearing multiple hats, including writing, directing, producing, and acting in the series.

Ibañez formed his own production company in January 2020, and shows no signs of slowing down. “I’m dedicated to social change for communities that are underrepresented,” he says. As part of a campaign for the rights of undocumented immigrants, he recently directed a short film, Freedom for All, in collaboration with Lush Cosmetics.

He’s also collaborated with the TransLatin@ Coalition for their GARRAS Fashion Show and produced an online campaign encouraging queer Latinos to vote, #VotaJota , with Familia: TQLM (Trans Queer Liberation Movement).

Ibañez seems unstoppable and looks forward to taking on new projects and storytelling roles. He credits disruptors who came before him, like Issa Rae, and his personal hero and cinematic role model, Pedro Almodóvar. Ibañez, quickly becoming a disruptor himself, has no plans of stepping back into the box that society placed him in as he was growing up in Guerrero.

Behind-the-scenes on the set of Undocumented Tales

“I grew up normalizing the fact that I had to look up to people with light skin, and thought less of myself because of my skin color. The system tells you that you are not beautiful, not valued, that you don’t deserve to be here.”

Thriving, Not Just Surviving

BY BILLY YOST

Queen Victoria Ortega and Bamby

Salcedo are working to empower trans and gender-nonconforming people

Queen Victoria Ortega | She/Her/Hers National President FLUX

Bamby Salcedo | She/Her/Hers CEO and President The TransLatin@ Coalition

(ORTEGA), PAOLO RIVEROS (SALCEDO)

QUEEN VICTORIA ORTEGA AND BAMBY SALCEDO, while not the same age, both grew up in an era when trans women were not widely accepted by society—and as trans Latina women, both faced additional discrimination. While the world has changed since then, there’s still a long way to go before the trans and gender-nonconforming community sees true equality. Ortega, now the national president of FLUX (a national division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation), and Salcedo, president and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition (TLC), are both focused on changing that by not only making the world safe for trans people but also empowering them.

A PLACE IN HISTORY

Ortega is a lifelong resident of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles. Both of her parents were Chicano activists, and Ortega says that fighting for the rights of others is baked into her DNA. She had a promising career in ballet when she was young that was cut short by an injury, but Ortega took the opportunity to not only transition but also begin a career working on behalf of the trans community.

“I had really started contemplating what was the linchpin that led to so many people testing HIV positive, especially in the trans community,” Ortega says. “There were two things that became apparent: the creation of a sense of positive future self and future permanence. The first is about recognizing that trans people go back as far as any civilization. I built a program around highlighting trans people or potential trans people throughout history from all cultures. An important part of accepting yourself is finding a sense of history.”

The second component both embraces that history and looks toward the future. “Why would anyone want to protect themselves if they believed they had no future?” Ortega asks. “You have to allow people to dream and have access to a bright future.”

Ortega has served on the Los Angeles County Prevention Planning Council, the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV Health Services, the Transgender Service Provider Network, and the California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities, along with countless LGBTQ+ centers from Los Angeles to New York. “I like to think of myself as the Mary Poppins of nonprofits,” Ortega says, laughing. “I come in, help make the organization trans inclusive and affirming, and then I leave.”

As president of FLUX, Ortega has set her sights on more than just the survival of trans and gendernonconforming communities. She wants them to lead. “We need to build infrastructure that is led by and for us,” she says. “FLUX really focuses on building the economy of trans-led nonprofits, like Bamby’s organization, TransLatin@ Coalition.”

Ortega is able to provide strategy, grant-writing, and staff development for these organizations. “I’ve made it my business to help our community understand and navigate nonprofit management to evolve into revenue-generating and sustainable institutions,” she says.

NO LONGER INVISIBLE

Salcedo and Ortega crossed paths at a difficult point in Salcedo’s life. She had recently become sober after years on the streets of Los Angeles engaged in survival-induced sex work, gang life, and drug addiction. She’d grown up poor in Guadalajara, Mexico, enduring sexual abuse by her stepfather before spending fourteen years in and out of jail in Los Angeles. But Salcedo, after entering treatment, emerged committed to helping members of her community that society refused to accept, let alone employ.

Prior to founding the TransLatin@ Coalition, Salcedo spent eight years at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as the health education and HIV prevention services coordinator. “It was while I was at Children’s Hospital that I saw there wasn’t a representation for trans Latina immigrant women nationally,” Salcedo says. “That’s how the coalition started.”

THOUGHTS FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

“There is something extremely special about sisterhood within the trans community. It is undeniable. And if you are lucky enough to witness the beauty of that bond in its purest form, it isn’t hard to figure out why it’s so powerful: while some other members of the LGBTQ+ community might get caught up in competitiveness or juvenile antics from time to time, members of the trans community always have each other’s backs. Trans women like Queen Victoria Ortega and Bamby Salcedo are fiercely resilient and will support not only each other but their trans brothers. If you start a fight with one member of the community, you will start a fight with everyone. And you will lose that fight.

“If you ask anyone about this phenomenon, you will be met each time with a similar response: ‘We understand each other on a different level because we know precisely what obstacles we’ve had to overcome just to be here and stay alive.’ It’s true. Globally, life expectancy tends to be lower for trans Latina women than for cisgender members of the Latino population. That is heartbreaking. Unfair. Sad.

“Queen Victoria and Bamby exemplify this sense of fierceness and sisterhood. They defy the odds each and every day as they continue a legacy of resilience in the City of Angels.”

“An important part of accepting yourself is about finding a sense of history.”

—Queen Victoria Ortega

DIFFERENT BUT UNITED

While both Queen Victoria Ortega and Bamby Salcedo seek more inclusion and representation for the trans and gendernonconforming community, their respective organizations have different goals:

FLUX is a national division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated to creating safe spaces for trans and gendernonconforming individuals through advocacy, events, and innovative marketing.

The TransLatin@ Coalition focuses on addressing the needs and issues of their community by working with local and national organizations and policy groups to change the landscape and livelihood of trans people. This includes communityled campaigns, policy change, and leadership development.

The TransLatin@ Coalition, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, produced the very first data set specifically highlighting the needs of trans Latina immigrant women in the US. Salcedo is also the focus of the 2014 documentary Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story.

In just four years, Salcedo turned her passion project into a multipurpose, multiservice organization through the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness. The organization has a staff of seventeen with a current budget around $1.2 million. The TLC is currently preparing to find its own permanent home as it continues to advocate for legislation that directly addresses the needs of its community.

A DECADE OF COLLABORATION

The personal and working relationship of Ortega and Salcedo has endured for more than a decade, though they both agree that their personalities are on different ends of

the spectrum. “I think that I’ve cultivated an image of being unattainable, aloof, even unemotional at times,” Ortega says. “I’m the Iron Lady. Bamby is as real as it gets. She’s a hugger, she loves people.”

“[Queen Victoria] always inspired me, even though she seemed so young when we met,” Salcedo says. “We’ve been able to be supportive of each other over the years, and I’m so proud of the sisterhood we’ve been able to build. It’s such an honor.”

As the two continue their collaboration into another decade, they’re working to make sure that people in their communities are able not just to survive, but thrive.

“We’ve been able to be supportive of each other over the years, and I’m so proud of the sisterhood we’ve been able to build.”

—Bamby Salcedo

INSIG HTS

What’s Next?

BY SARA VERDI

Sofia Hernandez’s drive to do more has taken her from the South Side of Chicago to a senior role at TikTok

Sofia Hernandez Head of Business Marketing, North America TikTok MIKE MCGREGOR

But growing up, Hernandez’s parents demonstrated the value of exploring cultures and diversities outside their Mexican community. “My parents would take us to Devon Street, which is a predominantly Indian neighborhood. We would eat there, explore the shops, and marvel at the beautiful saris,” Hernandez recalls. “Or they would take us to Belmont, which was where the LGBTQ community mainly was. She always wanted us to explore and be challenged by the idea of diversity.”

Hernandez’s parents were also both devoted activists within the Latino community. “My mother was a Brown Beret, which is the Mexican equivalent of a Black Panther. I grew up going to protests,” Hernandez says with a laugh. This exposure to exploration and activism spurred Hernandez to aspire for more than what she could find in the confines of her own neighborhood.

“I have always had the drive to do more. When I achieve something, I think, ‘What’s the next rung on the ladder?’” Hernandez explains. But while she always had the personal drive to “do more,” Hernandez acknowledges that this was not typical behavior for people in her community. “It’s quite rare that Latinos will leave their families. There’s a sense of responsibility and guilt that we encounter. We almost feel selfish,” she reflects.

But Hernandez believes that it is important to push beyond any perceived boundaries, not only to grow as an individual but also to gain the experiences necessary to give back to one’s family and community.

A PROCESS OF SELF-REALIZATION

Roughly two years after starting her career in the advertising industry in Chicago, Hernandez made the difficult yet necessary

Sofia Hernandez grew up on the South Side of Chicago. That city was, and in some ways still is, pretty segregated, she says. “If you’re from the South Side, you stay on the South Side. The same goes for the North Side,” Hernandez explains.

decision to relocate and develop her career in New York City. This decision was motivated in part by Hernandez’s recognition that the field she was in required her to code-switch and conceal parts of herself in the workplace.

“I didn’t know how to be authentically myself in that environment,” she recalls. “As Latinos, we’re taught to be one person at home and one person outside of the home. When you then go into corporate America, there’s a culture of similarities, and, often, you’re the odd one out.”

So when Hernandez made the move to New York, she also embarked on a journey to understand the woman she wanted to be. “I was tired of feeling scared about being my true self and not feeling accepted,” Hernandez emphasizes. “I started little by little but finally reached the point where I could bring my activism to corporate America.”

Reaching that point has been a process, though, and not a simple one—especially given the fact that only 1 percent of executives in the tech industry are Latina. “It has been tough,” she acknowledges. “I have cried in bathrooms, I have been so scared that I have made myself sick before meetings, and I have had difficult conversations and had people call me awful names.” Nevertheless, Hernandez believes that following through on this self-development process is what has allowed her to pave the way for other women in the workplace, including her own employees.

KEEP GOING

Now, as head of North American business marketing for TikTok, the video-sharing app that has become a global sensation since its release in 2016, Hernandez makes her employees’ comfort and confidence in the

workplace a priority. All her team members, she stresses, should feel that they can “always be themselves publicly.”

The best way to achieve this type of environment, according to Hernandez, is to lead by example. If leaders are transparent and authentic, she explains, it sets the tone for employees to feel comfortable doing the same.

She approaches inclusion with this same mindset. “It is important, as a leader, to look at your organization and your team and encourage people who come from different backgrounds to be involved too.” But to Hernandez, “different backgrounds” is about more than cultural backgrounds. “Think about it like this,” she suggests. “If you are a

marketing team, think about having an economist join. That type of diversity of thought is so valuable.”

Throughout her career journey, Hernandez has always been powered by this emphasis on authenticity and diversity. Indeed, in 2016, it inspired her to cofound a clothing company called Black On Black. But it is her family, Hernandez reveals, that is her true secret to success.

“When you come from a situation like mine, people often ask you, ‘What makes you keep going?’ And it always comes back to my family,” she says. “It is my responsibility to elevate my family because it’s up to each generation to leave a legacy for the next.”

“It is my responsibility to elevate my family because it’s up to each generation to leave a legacy for the next.”

Rally and Renew

BY ZAYVELLE WILLIAMSON

STEVEN RIOS HAS BEEN OPERATING

at the intersection of finance and manufacturing for fifteen years, working his way up from his first in-house position as a staff accountant at American manufacturer Olin Corporation to his current role as director of finance at Pharma Tech Industries. But in the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the business landscape, Rios has been forced to rethink and recalibrate.

Rios laid the foundation for his career in finance in 2003. Having already earned an associate’s degree from James H. Faulkner State Community College, he enrolled at the University of South Alabama and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in just two years. He soon found a position at Bizzell, Neff & Galloway, a Florida-based CPA firm that focuses on providing financial and consulting services to both individuals and business owners.

In 2006, Rios’s talent caught the eye of the Olin Corporation. There, his knack for variance analysis and process improvement proved to be very advantageous to the company—after working as a staff accountant for

just over a year, Rios was promoted to project scheduler, project accountant, and eventually to senior accountant.

After leaving Olin in June 2012, Rios spent nearly five years expanding his knowledge of corporate finance. As a lead specialist at ThyssenKrupp, a German multinational conglomerate renowned for its industrial solutions, materials services, and steel production, Rios proved his ability to support a company operating at a global scale. Later, as a cost accounting manager at Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration, he cultivated a specialized knowledge of a niche area of the manufacturing industry.

Since joining Pharma Tech in 2016, Rios has put every one of his skills to good use, first as a plant controller, later as a controller at the company’s headquarters in Athens, Georgia, and now in his role as director. A leader in the manufacturing industry, Pharma Tech has worked with prominent health and wellness brands for nearly fifty years. Today, the company produces a wide variety of topical powders, inhalation devices, medical devices and supplies, and other

PHARMA TECH THROUGH THE YEARS

1972 Pharma Tech is founded in Union, Missouri

1993 The company establishes a new, 100,000-square-foot headquarters and produces more than 90 percent of branded overthe-counter topical powders

2005 Pharma Tech acquires a former Johnson & Johnson facility in Royston, Georgia, and expands its packaging and manufacturing services

2013 The company unveils a new, cutting-edge microbial and analytical laboratory at its Georgia facility

2017 After rebranding to expand its service lines and offerings, Pharma Tech transitions its corporate headquarters to Athens, Georgia

How finance expert Steven Rios has used his in-depth knowledge of the manufacturing industry to help guide Pharma Tech Industries through the COVID-19 pandemic

products that target complex conditions, such as high cholesterol and diabetes.

Despite the variety of its offerings, Pharma Tech retains its focus on quality. Over the years, the company has been recognized numerous times for its business and technical excellence—indeed, in 2011 alone, the company received both Perrigo’s Supplier Excellence Award and Life Science Leader’s “CMO” Leadership Award and was also named as a finalist for the Cox Family Enterprise Center’s Family Business of the Year award.

Since taking on the position of director of finance in May 2020, Rios has been working to ensure that the company maintains this reputation. He and the other members of the Pharma Tech executive leadership team have been working to identify areas of growth, opportunity, and improvement.

According to Rios, the leadership team plans to institute new financial structures within the company in addition to bolstering Pharma Tech’s national construction projects.

But all these plans, Rios emphasizes, have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a supplier of critically needed medical devices and supplies, Pharma Tech has had a responsibility to continue operating throughout the pandemic. But for that to happen, Rios points out, things had to change.

Every individual working in a Pharma Tech facility required appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Some facilities had to pivot due to the increased demand for certain medical products, meaning that the company also had to update its overall strategy. Rios himself had to support the company through these changes while learning the ins and outs of his new position.

But Rios—and his entire team at Pharma Tech—have adapted. By focusing on the company’s key values of integrity, stewardship, humility, optimism, and working together, they have found a way forward.

Rios particularly emphasizes the importance of the last value, noting that he has made it a point to understand and work with business leaders across all functions. To his mind, working with people with different backgrounds and different areas of expertise is not a challenge but a joy— especially when it means making a true impact on the nation’s well-being.

Destined for the Dodgers

BY BILLY YOST

Ralph Esquibel is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, he finds himself leading IT for his favorite team.

Ralph Esquibel has been a lifelong Dodgers fan. He grew up just thirteen miles from the stadium, but because of his family’s humble circumstances, the young baseball fan only walked through the gates once every few years, when his dad was able to secure free tickets from work. Those days were always highlights for Esquibel, who, from his seat in the Loge section of the stadium, could actually see the players he followed on the radio and TV.

Even as a Little League player, Esquibel dreamed of playing on a team named after the Dodgers. Of course, that wasn’t as easy as it sounds. “My damned luck,” Esquibel says, laughing. “Every year, I wound up on the Twins or the Red Sox. I just wanted to be a Dodger.”

THE HOBBYIST GOES PRO

Esquibel now serves as vice president of information technology for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and when he says it’s his dream job, you believe him. But it wasn’t his pitching prowess or slugging percentage (especially not his hitting, the VP admits) that brought him to the 2020 World Series champions. It was his neighbor’s Commodore 64.

“We used to code games on his Commodore 64 in Basic,” Esquibel remembers. “The code was always somewhere between three hundred and a thousand lines, and we didn’t have the means to save it. So every night when we turned off the computer, we knew we would have to recode the whole thing.” What’s more, without the aid of a compiler, Esquibel had to carefully input each command in correctly. Otherwise, he would have to spend the night scanning through each line of code for errors in his syntax.

Tedious as the process must have been, it had Esquibel learning basic programming commands before he was ten years old. Later, as a teen, he attained a part-time job and was able to afford a computer of his own. He worked on his Packard Bell incessantly, finding every way possible to upgrade his system on a virtually nonexistent budget. It never seemed like a future, though, just a hobby.

After high school, Esquibel did what his grandfather and father had done before him: he joined the military. Like his father, he enlisted in the Marines. While in the Marine Corps Reserves, he began taking classes, utilizing his GI Bill at the local university,

Ralph Esquibel VP of IT Los Angeles Dodgers

but wasn’t entirely sure what he should focus on for his major. “I wasn’t exposed to many professionals,” Esquibel explains, “so I really didn’t think I had many options other than maybe being a schoolteacher. I never saw my hobby as a possible career.”

That impression lasted only up until Esquibel began making as much money as his parents just by doing part-time technical

“I’ve had the privilege of meeting many successful people, a lot of CIOs and CTOs who are very fond of their companies. However, I don’t know many people who have their dream job. I have my dream job.”

work for small companies prior to graduating. He had stumbled into the major leagues without even realizing it.

LIVING THE DREAM IN 2020

After a formative experience at Toyota, Esquibel managed infrastructure for American Honda and Pioneer Electronics. Then he was contacted by an old friend.

“I was just a kid from Los Angeles with a passion for technology and baseball. I figured I had a slim chance to achieve my dream, but with determination, here I am.”

MICHAEL KHACHADOORIAN

A TEAM AND A COMMUNITY

Along with serving as the Dodgers’ vice president of information technology, Ralph Esquibel is the executive sponsor of the Dodgers business resource group, Somos LA. “We provide a voice for Latinos at the Dodgers to be able to share our culture within our organization, provide Latinx employees with tools to strengthen their careers, and give back to our community,” Esquibel says.

According to the VP, Somos LA is also adamant about the importance of reaching out to the broader Latino Dodger fan community. “We’re able to engage on a one-to-one basis in our community by creating mentorships with local high schools and helping make young Latinos aware that your future isn’t just what’s in your environment today,” he says.

“He said he knew I loved technology and the Dodgers and asked if I knew that they were looking for a technology leader,” Esquibel recalls. “I was just a kid from Los Angeles with a passion for technology and baseball. I figured I had a slim chance to achieve my dream, but with determination, here I am.”

With a World Series win under the Dodgers’ belts, one might assume that Esquibel would now be taking time to savor the team’s victory. But the VP’s time at Toyota has deeply influenced his pursuit of continuous improvement—or “kaizen,” as it’s known at the Japanese automotive company. “I’m always focused on kaizen, how to improve and innovate while still reducing cost,” Esquibel says.

The VP speaks emphatically about the need to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and find new ways to engage fans once they’re able to return to the stadium. “I’m very passionate about leveraging emerging technology and utilizing it to enhance the fan experience,” he says. “When a fan enters the stadium, you are able to tailor an entire experience just for them, from their food preferences to their consumer habits. This is absolutely where the future of sports is going, and I’m proud that we’re on the front lines of this evolution.”

The Dodgers are also early pioneers of data analytics, which can ensure that a sometimes slow game, like baseball, remains engaging. As the VP explains, these analytics bring fans into the experience, allowing them to see a real-time probability calculation for

every pitch as well as the potential outcome. “It’s a whole different aspect of the game to focus on,” he says.

“We want to create a unique, best-in-class experience for fans at the ballpark, one that they can’t get at home.”

Other prominent members of the tech industry have recognized Esquibel for his efforts to integrate such technologies into the baseball experience. As David Tuhy, general manager of Data Center SSDs and a VP in the Optane Group at Intel, remarks, “Ralph has established himself as a leader in the hightech community, adopting cutting-edge technologies like Intel Optane SSDs and Cisco Hyperflex to dramatically improve the Dodgers’ operational capabilities, and as a result significantly improve the fan experience.”

As the Dodgers, and sports in their entirety, continue to soldier on through one of the most disruptive years for the industry on record, Esquibel seems as excited as ever. The questions he and his team have to answer may be more challenging, but the VP’s commitment to his team—as a fan and as a leader— remains undiminished.

Cisco and Intel are proud to partner with Ralph and the Los Angeles Dodgers as they embrace the future of baseball. On and off the field, and across the business landscape, the ability to power data analytics and enhanced digital experiences is crucial to winning. Through our combined partnership, the Dodgers small but dedicated IT staff is leveraging our industry leading technology to successfully accelerate game analytics, improve the experiences and safety of their fans in the stadium, and gain the agility to adapt quickly to changing needs. For more information regarding Cisco HyperFlex with Intel Optane SSDs visit: cisco.com/c/en/us/products/ hyperconverged-infrastructure/hyperflex-nvme-solution. html#~overview

“We want to create a unique, best-in-class experience for fans at the ballpark, one that they can’t get at home.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the largest, most loyal fan bases in all of baseball. That’s because their every decision is about making the experience better for the fans. So when Ralph Esquibel – the Vice President of Technology for the Dodgers – wanted to keep the team on the leading edge well into the future, he turned to Cisco HyperFlex with Intel Optane to give them that advantage. From the business analytics to the application speeds to scanning tickets, the Dodgers rely on this co-innovation to simplify their process and make real-time decisions. And they’re counting on that advantage for many years to come.

There may be no “I” in team. But there’s a whole lot of IT in this team.

Bringing a Security Mindset to Intel

BY NATALIE KOCHANOV

Suzy Ramirez Greenberg’s diligence extends from her security and communications leadership at Intel to her at-home parenting

WHEN SUZY RAMIREZ GREENBERG and her team received an Intel Achievement Award, Intel Corporation’s highest honor, Greenberg’s pride was twofold. “I was incredibly proud of the team’s work, but I was just as proud to celebrate as part of that team,” she says.

As vice president of communications and incident response in the Product Assurance and Security Group at semiconductor technology company Intel, Greenberg places equal importance on recognizing hard work and sharing in team success. Her collaborative leadership style and the values by which she works and lives are a result of lessons learned not only throughout her career but also from her family.

Greenberg’s paternal grandparents moved to the United States from Mexico and worked multiple jobs to give her father the opportunity to attend college. “The importance of education was really emphasized in my dad’s household,” Greenberg says. Her father took this lesson to heart, completing law school and becoming the first appointed Hispanic federal judge. In addition to that notable accomplishment, he continued his parents’ legacy by ingraining in his daughter the same drive his own parents taught him.

Right after earning a degree in communication and print journalism in 1998, Greenberg secured a position at Edelman, a public relations agency that counted Apple among its clients at the time. As a result of this client relationship, she contributed to the launch of the first-ever iMac desktop computer when she was just beginning her career.

Greenberg further developed her PR expertise at web-design software company Macromedia before joining Advanced Micro Devices, an Intel competitor. After four years of handling PR for AMD’s client and data center processor technology, she made the jump to Intel in 2008.

Suzy Ramirez Greenberg VP of Communications & Incident Response, Product Assurance & Security Group Intel Corporation

ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE

Suzy Ramirez Greenberg has always believed that work/life balance is a myth, but COVID-19 might just have changed her mind.

Working from home during the pandemic has kept Greenberg much closer to her three sons than when she was commuting, and she hopes that in the future, she’ll be able to preserve that balance of work and family time. “There’s an opportunity to use some of the demands and barriers that COVID has created to our long-term advantage,” she says.

Initially centered around wireless technology, Greenberg’s PR role at Intel quickly evolved. “After working on various clientrelated mobile technologies, I got the opportunity to focus on Intel’s software business,” she says. “I realized that I loved explaining the connection between hardware and software and why it’s so critical for software to run well on our technology.”

While establishing herself at Intel, Greenberg met her husband and started a family. As a parent, she strives to mirror

In September 2020, several months after being promoted to VP, she moved to Intel’s security team to manage communications and incident response.

“It feels like this position was literally made for me,” Greenberg says of her current role. “I’m able to meld all of the communication skills and experience that I’ve garnered over the last two decades and bring that together with the engineering-level education and security approach that I’ve gained over the last few years.”

the strong work ethic she saw in her family when she was growing up. “My husband and I want our kids to understand that everything they have is the result of hard work and opportunities that a lot of other people don’t have,” she says.

Shortly after Greenberg came back from maternity leave, an Intel executive tapped her for a sought-after technical assistant role. Though outside PR, the role and its demands suited her. “I thrive when there are a lot of things going on at once and I can lean into that adrenaline rush,” she says.

After two years as a technical assistant, Greenberg returned to a communications-oriented role, until the Spectre and Meltdown security vulnerabilities came to light. In the face of those vulnerabilities, Greenberg created an engineering team tasked specifically with open-source software mitigation efforts––the very team that Intel would go on to recognize with an Intel Achievement Award in early 2019.

Since launching that team, Greenberg has continued to concentrate on software security.

Greenberg is ready to live up to the full potential of the role. She plans to continue driving Intel’s corporate security narrative to stress the company’s commitment to secure technology—while also building empowered teams and leading them in meaningful work.

A key part of Greenberg’s leadership approach is developing not only a shared sense of purpose but also a genuine camaraderie with her team members. “If you can’t take a moment at the beginning of a meeting to ask how someone is doing, it’s a lost opportunity,” she says. “Injecting some normalcy and realness into the way that you interact with people is so important as a leader.”

Greenberg’s approachability and humor have earned her the respect of colleagues across Intel. Case in point: her former team members flooded her with messages of appreciation upon winning an Intel Achievement Award of their own.

“That, for me, is success: when my work with someone makes a lasting impression on them that they’ll carry forward into their other roles,” she says.

“That, for me, is success: when my work with someone makes a lasting impression on them that they’ll carry forward into their other roles.”

Dedicated to Disney

Thirty years ago, William Morales was working as a parking garage attendant. But his passion for technology was always going to take him to magical places.

BY CLINT WORTHINGTON

WHEN WILLIAM “WILLIE” MORALES EMIGRATED FROM HIS home country of Guatemala and came to America in 1986, he knew absolutely no one. On top of that, he didn’t have any easy means of making use of his bachelor’s degree in technology. So he took odd jobs, including as a parking garage attendant in Burbank, California, at Saban Entertainment. To pass the time, he’d tinker with small eightinch TVs, car stereos, amplifiers, and the like. One day, Denny Densmore, chief enginneer for CEO Haim Saban, brought him in on a lark to do a quick fix on a four-track Otari audio control machine. Morales fixed it in less than two hours. He was hired on the spot.

Thirty years later, Morales is the engineering manager for Walt Disney Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, and he’s responsible for a lot more than car stereos. He supervises the postproduction of many of the company’s entertainment and marketing efforts and constantly works to bring the studio up-to-date with the latest trends and processes. And it’s here, at this intersection of art and technology, that Morales thrives as a technician and leader.

Hispanic Executive

William Morales Engineering Manager

At Walt Disney Studios, much of Morales’s work is spent in the ABC Entertainment Marketing department, working on postproduction elements like color correction DaVinci systems, sound effects, and HD conversion. He uses Pro Tools’ Avid S3 and S6 for commercials and wields the DaVinci color correction software to make Disney’s commercials look vibrant and lush. And of course, the final product has to be rendered in high-dynamic range (HDR) to make it as pristine as possible.

Given Disney’s status at the top of the film and television industry, one of Morales’s greatest challenges is keeping up with the latest developments in postproduction technology to ensure they’re giving audiences the highest-quality entertainment possible. Eighty percent of Morales’s time is spent redesigning Disney’s theaters and integrating new HD equipment, such as Dolby Atmos sound systems,

Walt Disney Television

so that the theaters are technically capable of bringing to life the immersive soundscapes built into the project by Disney’s artists.

Of course, like so many other industries, this particular work has been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Disney and other media studios work to figure out how to safely bring audiences back to theaters. One way to do that, Morales says, is to convert theaters into larger, more spaced-out movie houses, which naturally requires a series of adjustments to their Atmos sound systems.

“This is a big challenge,” Morales says, especially given that he and his team are supposed to finish the project by the end of November 2020. They not only have to do construction to adjust the spacing of seats but also must get approval from Avid, the editing company Disney works with, to make sure the acoustics and surround sound are the proper weight. Simply put, this means “there can’t be too many people in one room,” Morales explains.

In addition to this work, Morales is heavily involved in a new project: the creation of a fiber-optic database for the entire Disney lot, the “Prospect Studio.” Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Studios has resulted in many changes, Morales explains, including moving Marvel in-house to a studio within the Disney lot. Morales must

get Marvel fully connected to the other buildings on the lot so that they can share data and communicate at lightning speeds.

Morales has mapped out the whole operation using a system design tool called WireCAD, drafting 85 percent of the lot across six buildings and meticulously planning which specific fiber cable goes to which location in which building. “It’s very important,” he says, acknowledging the responsibility on his shoulders. “I’m the one in charge of the system.”

Handling these complex projects, especially on such a massive scale, requires Morales to be a very hands-on leader. He’s never really lost that need to tinker personally with technology to get it working, a skill he freely shares with his team.

While his team has small phone meetings every week, Morales feels it’s important to meet physically in the space they’re working on so they can see what they have to deal with. Luckily, he’s built up enough of a rapport with his team that, as he says, “Sometimes, they don’t even need to call me, because I already told them how they need to do it.

“I love this type of work,” Morales enthuses. “I studied electronics, and being at a huge company that lets me explore that passion is just unbelievable.”

Established in 2000, WireCAD has been providing tools to broadcast networks, radio and TV stations, post production, A/V for worship, System Integrators, Command and Control (C2), Municipalities, and airports.

Clients include: NASA, USAF, US NAVY, NBC, DISNEY, ABC, CBS, Olympics.

Discover what these organizations already know - that WireCAD can help you do more with less.

“I studied electronics, and being at a huge company that lets me explore that passion is just unbelievable.”

Julie Melendez-Reicis became an IP attorney because of her mentors. Now, she wants to share her experiences with a new generation.

Fit to Lead

BY NATALIE KOCHANOV

JULIE MELENDEZ-REICIS’S JOURNEY TO INTELLECTUAL property law began with a lecture series. At the time, Melendez-Reicis was an undergraduate student at St. Mary’s University searching for an alternative to becoming a physician. Through the lecture series, she learned about other fields relevant to her technical background, and soon afterward, she started targeting her educational and career choices so she could one day practice as an IP attorney.

Melendez-Reicis—who most recently secured the role of senior counsel of intellectual property-connected fitness and digital at sports product company Under Armour—identifies the origin of her success as a pair of strong mentors at St. Mary’s: Drs. Jack Calentine and Jose M. Cimadevilla. “Those two gentlemen really made all the difference in my life,” she says. In fact, Cimadevilla organized the lecture series that first introduced Melendez-Reicis to IP law.

Now that Melendez-Reicis has established her presence in the field, she intends to offer advice as a mentor herself, drawing on Calentine and Cimadevilla’s early impact on her career as inspiration.

TOP OF THE GAME

Before reaching her current standing, Melendez-Reicis built her expertise in IP at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She then joined IP firm Gazdzinski & Associates, where she made partner by branching out into new areas. “I

was hired to handle the firm’s medical device clients because I had a biochemistry and math background,” MelendezReicis explains. “But I started picking up work that was related to computer science and software, and everything just clicked for me.”

Melendez-Reicis took as much pride in growing the team at Gazdzinski as she did in expanding the IP portfolio of the firm’s clients. Still, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work for Under Armour when a patent position opened at the company in 2015. In her eyes, the Under Armour role was a chance to apply her skills in a uniquely exciting environment.

Melendez-Reicis’s personal interest in fitness has increased her investment in her work at Under Armour, and vice versa. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to work on products that I know I’m going to use—and not just use, but enjoy using—in my free time,” she says. “It changes the entire IP experience.”

Among the products for which Melendez-Reicis has handled the IP process are Under Armour’s mobile fitness apps and the company’s “connected shoe” technology, which allows users to record performance metrics via their footwear. Constructing the IP around these products has required Melendez-Reicis to familiarize herself with areas of the law that she didn’t encounter at Gazdzinski, such as trade secret and strategic publication, and to adjust her perspective to account for business objectives.

COUNSEL AND COACH

Melendez-Reicis has achieved much during her tenure at Under Armour, but she remains proudest of her role in creating a chapter of the company’s Latino employee resource group—Latino Alliance—at her local office. Through this chapter, Melendez-Reicis, her colleagues, and cochairs Ramiro Diaz and Pedro Feitosa have partnered with nonprofits such as Latinitas and Con Mi MADRE to put on a variety of events celebrating Latino culture. Above all else, Melendez-Reicis says, the chapter promotes meaningful cross-cultural exchanges in the office.

“It’s a great way to bring Latino culture to our non-Latino officemates while also allowing them to bring their cultures to us,” she emphasizes. “We’re trying to create a more open dialogue about what it means to be ‘you’ and what it means to be ‘me.’”

Beyond her involvement with the Latino Alliance, Melendez-Reicis hopes to increase her impact in the community by mentoring and serving as an active role model. “My future focus is going to be on encouraging, inspiring, and assisting minority women who may not be represented in STEM careers to find that path. I want to carve out time to become one of those great mentors that I had in my own career,” she says.

Fortunately, Melendez-Reicis has accrued plenty of leadership experience to help her accomplish this goal. As she sees it, leadership is inextricably linked to the concept of ownership—but she views the concept of ownership from both sides. A leader must take ownership of their work, she explains, but not at the expense of team members’ ability to take ownership of theirs.

Of course, a leader must also evolve on a personal level, and Melendez-Reicis has plans to do exactly that. “I want to continue to develop an understanding of all aspects of IP law from a business perspective,” the senior counsel says, singling out copyright law and the intersection of IP law and privacy as topics that she’d like to explore further.

There’s always another mile to run, but Melendez-Reicis is standing at the ready.

“We’re trying to create a more open dialogue about what it means to be ‘you’ and what it means to be ‘me.’”

At MMB, we are devoted to protecting our clients’ valuable intellectual property rights.

Maginot, Moore & Beck LLP is proud to recognize the accomplishments of Julie Reicis and Under Armour

Marisol Sanchez VP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary Endress+Hauser USA

Provide for the People

BY CLINT WORTHINGTON

Marisol Sanchez takes Endress+Hauser’s people-first philosophy to heart, building out her legal team and amplifying critical diversity and inclusion efforts

WHEN HISPANIC EXECUTIVE SPOKE TO Marisol Sanchez in 2018, she’d already established herself as a vital member of Swissbased instrumentation and process automation company Endress+Hauser USA’s legal department. Since then, the Puerto Rican executive has been hard at work, continuing to build out the company’s legal team and growing the diversity and inclusion initiatives she kick-started to give women a leg up in their careers. Indeed, she has extended those efforts into a full diversity initiative to ensure equitable opportunities throughout the organization.

As vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, Sanchez has taken on a wide breadth of new responsibilities; she now provides legal representation for thirteen business entities across North America. She’s also begun to head up the company’s procurement division as well as the quality, safety, compliance, and commercial contract management teams, going from a department of two to a department of nine employees. “It’s a challenge,” she admits, but one that matches her desire to push herself to her full potential.

Similar to what she did with her legal team, Sanchez has also established new

procurement and contract management teams for Endress+Hauser USA from scratch. The creation of these teams, Sanchez emphasizes, would not be possible without the support of her legal team, which she’s built up into a modest but mighty team of three—Sanchez, another attorney, and a paralegal.

Finding a second attorney to join her team was a strategic process. She wanted to find someone who could look at the business holistically, assist her in supporting all the US entities, and bring more work (such as employment and immigration-related matters) in-house. “I rely on her for certain

expertise,” Sanchez says of her colleague, adding that she leverages each team member’s individual strengths to proactively implement better, stronger strategies and policies throughout the company.

Despite having a lean team, Sanchez works diligently to keep up with the responsibilities that have accompanied Endress+Hauser’s rapid growth over the past few years. “Our expectation is to grow double digit to market,” she says, “and the challenges we face are not unique to us.” Rather, Endress+Hauser defines itself by the quality of its people—those who drive the company’s services and products, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

A central component of this people-focused perspective is Endress+Hauser’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, which Sanchez has played a crucial role in building. One major initiative is the Women’s Integrated Network (WIN), a platform designed to promote the advancement and development of women in their careers, which expanded on a global scale in 2018.

“The number of women in the manufacturing and automation process space is less than 30 percent,” Sanchez explains. “So by extension, you don’t see a lot of women in advanced or managerial roles.” How do you improve those numbers? For Sanchez, WIN is a key part of the solution: the platform provides a forum for women at the company to discuss issues, highlight concerns, and help each other grow and develop in their careers.

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CONSERVATION

When she’s not molding the future of young women in manufacturing, Marisol Sanchez sits on the boards of the Central Indiana Community Foundation—an organization committed to ensuring all individuals have equitable access to opportunities to reach their full potential, no matter their place, race, or identity—and the Indianapolis Zoological Society. As a trustee for the Indianapolis Zoological Society, she does philanthropic work on behalf of the Indianapolis Zoo, one of the largest privately funded zoos in the country.

“It’s an anchor institution for our community,” she explains. The zoo is a cornerstone of tourism for Indianapolis but is also critical to conservation efforts—in fact, it has been named a global leader in that area. “Speaking of diversity,” Sanchez says, “the zoo shows us the ecological diversity we need to conserve our species.”

“You need the ideas you’re having to reflect the community— our customers.”

WIN also places a large focus on encouraging students of all ages to seek out a STEM education. As a part of that, WIN encourages students to participate in the company’s Community, Career, and Education Forum, which brings educators, students, parents, teachers, and community and industry partners together for a night to showcase what manufacturing and STEM degrees can do for students’ careers in general, including a woman’s career.

“There’s a stigma that manufacturing is dirty and limited in opportunities,” Sanchez says, citing it as one reason women don’t typically go into the industry. This work seeks to address that preconception and showcase the value of advanced manufacturing for young women. In so doing, it has the added effect of diversifying the pool of perspectives and ideas from which companies within the industry can benefit. “You need the ideas you’re having to reflect the community—our customers,” the VP says.

To help foster those ideas, WIN has been prioritizing the need for women in leadership and management roles. Endress+Hauser as a whole has also established a diversity and inclusion initiative intended to bring more minority representation to roles at all levels throughout the company.

Whether she’s keeping up with the complexities of Endress+Hauser’s legal work or encouraging greater diversity in the industry, Sanchez is hugely motivated by the energy of her team to accomplish her goals. “People ask how I can balance all these functions,” Sanchez observes. “I balance it because I trust that I have a great team leading from an expert level, a team with which I have a trusting, open relationship.”

“I trust that I have a great team leading from an expert level, a team with which I have a trusting, open relationship.”

GLO BAL Global

International businesses present unique challenges— and opportunities—for corporate citizenship in multiple countries. The executives featured here thrive in navigating cultural shifts worldwide.

152 Carlos Barreto, Cleverman

156 Mariel Creo, Citibank Europe

160 Eduardo Perez, Yves Saint Laurent

The Beauty

BY ZACH BALIVA

PICTURE THIS: A MIDDLE-AGED MAN walks into the drug store looking for a product to hide his emerging gray hair. While women can choose from multiple brands and dozens of shades, the man has few options. He grabs the first box he sees, pays, and exits the store as quickly as possible. When he opens the box, he finds a low-quality product coupled with a one-size-fits-most application technique. The dye job ends up looking uneven and unnatural.

Carlos Barreto is disrupting this outdated model with Cleverman, a modern hair color brand designed to introduce choice and quality while revolutionizing the customer experience. Users start online, where they answer questions about color, style, texture, and goals. The process pulls from ten thousand possible combinations of color, coverage, tools, timing, and treatments to generate a personalized solution. Cleverman then delivers each coloring kit straight to the consumer with one-time purchase as well as subscription service models.

No one who has met or worked with Barreto, who serves as CEO, founder, and president of Cleverman, is surprised to find out that he’s the business, marketing, and creative genius behind this product. In many ways, it’s the culmination of his work in the competitive world of consumer goods.

After studying industrial engineering in Bogotá, Colombia, Barreto started his career at Procter & Gamble, where he led marketing endeavors for Oral-B and Gillette. Early experiences with Gillette helped shape Barreto’s appreciation of diversity. At a leadership development program held in Boston, he says, “I had exposure to people from all over the world, and it showed me how critical cultural perspectives are in any business.”

Later on, Gillette dispatched Barreto to his native Colombia to work in the field as a wholesale sales representative. Barreto crisscrossed remote villages in a small car to convince independent retailers to stock Gillette products. “My time as a salesman was important because it made me more humble,” he says.

Carlos Barreto spent the past twenty-five years helping to build, market, and transform consumer brands. Now, he’s innovating on his own at Cleverman.

of Business

Carlos Barreto CEO, Founder, and President Cleverman

“I learned details about what actually happens in the field that marketers and executives overlook or never learn.”

Barreto’s year in Colombia compelled him to make several changes at the company. He implemented programs to incentivize sales staff, and he also started designing smaller store displays that would actually fit in a salesman’s car.

Eventually, it became undeniable that Barreto was a rising star in the industry. After

ten years, Barreto left Procter & Gamble and continued his career at Kimberly-Clark, where he managed feminine and adult care brands. As a young man who couldn’t use the products he was marketing, Barreto learned to rely on research and colleagues, uniting teams across various jurisdictions to develop global strategies.

Barreto deepened those capabilities as a global director of innovation at Coca-Cola. He was with the company in 2009 when Coke

introduced Coca-Cola Freestyle, the touchscreen system that can serve 165 drinks in any combination. Working on these endeavors helped Barreto understand the power of customization in the user experience, which he now leverages at Cleverman.

Eight years at Revlon further prepared Barreto for success. He joined the company in 2011 to lead its personal care portfolio. While Revlon poured resources into its iconic cosmetics business, Barreto managed

“I’ve seen that the best companies leverage worldwide talent, and we’re making that a competitive advantage here.”

non-cosmetics with whatever was left over. “I got the last two minutes of every meeting to talk about my projects,” he jokes. Despite limited resources, the executive transformed underperforming brands and helped make hair color products like Colorsilk into market leaders.

After years of racking up these types of wins for other companies, Barreto began to contemplate building something on his own. When an entrepreneur and close friend offered to bankroll his new company, Barreto left Revlon. Weeks later, he received devastating news—his investor, friend, and mentor was killed in a bicycle accident.

Barreto was shocked and left with few options—he had just quit a stable job at a billion-dollar company. That’s when he remembered a key piece of advice from his late friend. “He told me to follow my dreams, and that he knew I could do it,” Barreto recalls. The memory compelled Barreto to move forward despite the tragic setback.

In starting Cleverman, Barreto relied on several lessons learned throughout his career. Not only did he make personalization a cornerstone of the brand, he also focused on diversity. “I’ve seen that the best companies leverage worldwide talent, and we’re making that a competitive advantage here,” he explains. Italian professionals helped build Cleverman’s

We are Cyranos.

formula, Argentinian and Colombian executives worked on its digital plan, and Mexican creators established the artwork for the brand.

Three years later, Barreto has no regrets about leaving behind his career at consumer goods giants like Revlon and Procter & Gamble. He believes he started his company at just the right time, as customers are favoring smaller brands and those brands can bypass physical retailers, test agile ad campaigns online, and rely on innovative manufacturers to fill low-volume orders.

“We’re in the middle of a revolution. The world of consumer goods has changed in the last five years, and not all companies will survive,” notes the CEO. But with customized solutions, a robust e-commerce platform, and a direct relationship with consumers, Barreto has Cleverman poised for success.

The Cyranos & Partners: “I’ve had the opportunity and the privilege to work with Carlos within different brands and latitudes for the past eighteen years. He has always been an amazing source of inspiration, creating a real spirit of team work and trust. I know Cleverman has been his dream for a while and I am so excited that he finally jumped into the entrepreneurship world. His passion and focus will surely make this venture a success.” –Gustavo Martínez, PhD, Managing Director & Partner

A network of strategic creative talent who works doing this for many of the best brands, companies, social organizations and leaders from around the world.

We are excited about technology innovation like almost everyone.

We are excited about human innovation like almost nobody. Because from Bergerac to Shanghai. From Buenos Aires to Helsinki. From Wisconsin to Amsterdam. From Lagos to Moscow. From Sydney to Riyadh. We all need a Cyrano at some point.

www.thecyranos.com

An array of Cleverman products.

Communication Makes the World Go Round

BY ZAYVELLE WILLIAMSON

As a legal leader in Latin America and Europe, Mariel Creo has placed value on one thing above all else: collaboration

IT’S EASY TO ASSUME THAT, IN ORDER to succeed in hypercompetitive environments like the legal and financial industries, one must be ruthless. Intensely ambitious. Good at playing the game. Mariel Creo may be diligent and determined, but she’s never been one for cutthroat behavior or office politics. And she’s succeeded anyway—in fact, it is precisely her commitment to teamwork and collaboration that has helped her become a top legal leader at one of the most prominent institutions in the banking industry.

Born and raised in Mexico, Creo received her JD from Tecnológico de Monterrey in 1995. Upon graduating, she accepted a position as corporate counsel at CEMEX, a global building materials corporation known for its ready-mix concrete, cement, and aggregates.

This position exposed her to many different aspects of the business, Creo explained, as well as to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, the New York-based law firm that represented CEMEX. In 1997, when Creo traveled to New York for a business trip, the firm seized the opportunity and offered her a role as an associate. Creo accepted.

Creo worked at the firm for the next four years, during which time she continued working with CEMEX and also completed a master’s degree in banking, corporate, finance, and securities law at Georgetown University. Soon, though she had never spent time in the US before, Creo had cultivated a deep network of professionals and colleagues. It is that network, she emphasizes, that supported her as she advanced to associate and senior associate roles at Mayer Brown and White & Case, respectively.

But Creo also credits her network with her most important career move: her decision to transition back into an in-house legal role and join banking giant Citi in September 2010.

Over the past decade, Creo has become a go-to advisor for Citi employees both in the United States and around the world. As director and assistant general counsel for emerging markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, she led several business and internal legal teams located throughout those regions. During her tenure as director, Latin America experienced many serious social and political challenges, including, as Creo told Iberian Lawyer in a 2016 interview, “distress . . . driven by corruption scandals, investigations, and scandals.”

To Creo, the solution to these challenges was clear: collaboration.

“It’s very important to hire the right advisors—financial, legal, local. Partner up with the right people to do the diligence in the country you’re [in],” she told Iberian Lawyer. “Local advisors can be for diligence purposes, engineers, accountants, auditors—there’s a wide variety of advisors that are on the ground and can help.”

are proud to congratulate Mariel Creo on her Hispanic Executive recognition and on her welldeserved promotion to Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of Citibank Europe.

We congratulate Citi’s Mariel Creo on her recognition in Hispanic Executive

COMMUNITY AT CITI

In addition to being a leader in the finance world, Citibank Europe also leads the way when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The company is deeply committed to building an inclusive workplace, says Managing Director Mariel Creo, and has been recognized for its efforts to support both women and working families through flexible working policies, a shared parental leave policy, and an emergency childcare policy for Citi employees working in the United Kingdom.

As Creo adds, Citibank Europe has also partnered with external organizations such as Paralympic Ireland and supported internal affinity networks such as CitiDisABILITY, CitiPride, CitiWomen, CitiRoots, and Families Matter Network.

In fact, after she was promoted to general counsel and managing director, Creo’s “collaborative and personable manner” was one of the primary reasons she was nominated to Legal 500’s GC Powerlist for Latin America Specialists. “She has an always-cheerful [demeanor],” one nominator told the Legal 500, “and our work experiences with her have been consistently positive.”

In recent months, in her new role as managing director and chief administrative office for Citibank Europe, Creo’s collaborative skills have been put to the test. A subsidiary of Citi based in Dublin, Ireland, Citibank Europe serves markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). It conducts business in more than sixty countries, Creo explains, and has established a physical presence in nearly sixty countries and jurisdictions.

As managing director, Creo has worked to reinforce her working

relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners, and clients— despite the inevitable language and legal barriers that arise when working in a dynamic region like EMEA.

Today, Creo and her team are ready to tackle whatever challenges come their way. This is thanks in large part to Creo herself, who knows how to persuade others of her point of view but also knows the importance of compromise. As a legal leader, she prioritizes the accomplishment of a task or project over any one person— including herself—claiming the honor of being “right.”

You can’t always get want you want, Creo knows, but you can try to get what you need.

whitecase.com

Mariel Creo, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer at Citibank Europe, on her exceptional accomplishments and recognition by Hispanic Executive

We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Citibank. whitecase.com

White & Case: “We are proud of our long friendship with Mariel. She has already emerged as a true leader and we are excited to see her many future accomplishments as well.” –John Vetterli, Partner, Global Head of Capital Markets

Where Fashion Meets Finance

Eduardo Perez sped through school to get a start on his career, and quickly found his place in the fashion industry. As CFO of the Americas region at Yves Saint Laurent, he’s helped bring the brand to new heights.

BY ANDREW TAMARKIN

EDUARDO PEREZ ALWAYS KNEW HE would go into business, but being part of the fashion industry wasn’t part of his childhood ambitions. Today, the CFO of the Americas region at Yves Saint Laurent has been in the industry for more than sixteen years, spending time at prominent brands under the Kering Group as well as at Lacoste.

Perez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and when he was six years old, his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After his father died, Perez was sent to live with his mother outside New York City. In his low-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, getting robbed or jumped wasn’t unusual, and avoiding violence and drugs was crucial but difficult.

“Early on,” Perez recalls, “I realized that I needed to get out. I wanted to do better.”

One day, frustrated by not having the money to buy candy or a new pair of shoes, Perez walked into a bodega and asked for a job—any job.

He began by sweeping floors, and was eventually asked to stock shelves, make sandwiches, cashier, and fill out bank deposits. All of it planted the seeds for choosing his future career. “The job curated this desire to learn how to run a business, and I knew quickly that’s where I was headed,” he says.

Meanwhile, Perez was speeding through school, skipping second grade and finishing high school a year early. He earned an associate degree at seventeen, a bachelor’s in accounting from Rutgers University a few years later, and then an MBA in finance.

His career also unfolded quickly. “I had a lot of opportunities present themselves,” Perez says, “and a lot of good people—mentors—took me under their wings.”

He began his career in finance at a security firm, then became controller for a real estate group. Soon, Gucci Group (a previous structure under Kering) called, but the opportunity didn’t seem to make sense at first: it would mean a step back in title and responsibility. “All I kept hearing during the interview process was how evolving, ever-changing, and exciting the fashion industry was,” Perez remembers. “I realized where I was didn’t fit my personality, so I rolled the dice.” He took one step back so that he could eventually take two steps forward.

Those two steps happened quickly, then turned into a giant leap forward. Within six months at Gucci Group, he was promoted; after another six, he was promoted again. “Some of it was being in the right place at the right time; some of it was going in with sleeves rolled up,” he says. He worked on lines like Sergio Rossi, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, and Alexander McQueen—emerging brands at the time.

After a couple of years he took a position at Lacoste, where his view of the fashion industry expanded beyond finance as he stepped into operations and began supporting other departments such as merchandising and sales. During that time, he adapted to the European culture and refined his ability to communicate with his counterparts. “For the first time, I understood how fashion influences our lives—how you can really enjoy a brand, wear the product, and feel like it becomes part of your lifestyle,” he says. Four years after joining the company as controller, he was promoted to CFO.

Eduardo Perez CFO, Americas Yves Saint Laurent

AMEENA CORNEY

The fashion industry had become a core part of Perez’s life. So, when Saint Laurent was searching for a nontraditional CFO—a business partner, someone to help grow the business—Eduardo Perez was its choice.

Throughout its history, Saint Laurent has broken cultural barriers and instituted new norms. “Mr. Yves Saint Laurent was a trailblazer,” Perez explains. “When you look at what’s happening with inclusivity in society today, Mr. Saint Laurent was doing that a long time ago.”

Perez accepted the role and was asked to open the market in Latin America. In his Latin American travels, he studied brand awareness and turned his household Spanish into the language of negotiation. He opened up Mexico first, then Brazil, and later Panamá and the Bahamas. He chose partners, navigated the terms, and set up back-of-house functions in each country.

“[It’s] amazing—as a Hispanic, as a Latino—to be able to come in here and develop business in Latin America,” Perez says.

As trends change, fashion changes—and the financial side of the business must be able to keep up. At the intersection of fashion and finance, Perez says, “you have this collision between the creative and business minds that allow for a game-changing experience for a brand.” Whether it’s Marco Bizzari and Alessandro Michele, or Saint Laurent’s own Francesca Bellettini and Anthony Vaccarello, brand success is attributed to powerful partnerships across the creative and business sides.

As executive board member to the Center of Business of Fashion at Rutgers University, Perez helps the next generation understand how fashion and finance come together in this way. “At this point in my career, [it’s about] continuing to motivate and inspire, especially the Hispanic community,” he says.

Reflecting back on his own journey, he adds: “Anything you put your heart to you can achieve. It may not be easy, but it’s possible.”

Arent Fox is proud to work with Saint Laurent and congratulates Eduardo Perez for this well-deserved recognition of his work and principled leadership.

“For the first time, I understood how fashion influences our lives—how you can really enjoy a brand, wear the product, and feel like it becomes part of your lifestyle.”

The Last Word

A collection of resources to help further understanding of, and deepen conversations about, the immigrant community

Listen

Modern Immigrant

Watch

Undocumented Tales

Modern Immigrant explores the “difficult and extraordinary” experiences of both its host, Vero, and the many guests of the podcast who have decided to share their own stories.

Join

Immigrant Powered

A nonpartisan, grassroots initiative, Immigrant Powered seeks to showcase the positive impact of immigrant communities on the business sector. They work with small and medium businesses on advocating for responsible and inclusive immigration policies. Learn more at immigrantpowered.org.

The Undocumented Tales YouTube series follows an undocumented queer immigrant named Fernando as he navigates life in the US and searches for both love and friendship. Read more about the series and its creator on p.116.

Premiere Landscaping Professionals

COMMERCIAL | MAINTENANCE | RESIDENTIAL

LUSHlife creates and maintains breathtaking landscapes for some of the most prestigious and recognizable names in the United States. The LUSHlife team works to better understand trends, science and technology, in both design and nature in order to deliver successful results for you and your business. We specialize in precision installation, on-going commercial maintenance, and creative detailing and blueprint designs.