Hispanic Executive #71

TheTechIssue.docx

How MicroTech Founder Tony Jimenez transformed his kitchen table start-up into a half-billiondollar company P108

Efrén Garcia helps Atlas Technology build the future of Web3 P68

The world works with ServiceNow

Behind every great experience is a great workflow. As the foundation for all digital workflows, the Now Platform® connects people, functions, and systems across your organization.

Our first issue of the year focuses on exciting new developments in the technology space, putting a spotlight on both the emerging technologies and the revolutionary thinkers behind those ideas

102. ELIZABETH NIETO Global Head of Equity and Impact | Spotify 108. TONY JIMENEZ Founder, President, and CEO | MicroTech 116. DENYS DIAZ CIO | TowneBank 122. ROLANDO ORTIZ VP of Enterprise Architecture & International IT | The Wendy’s Company 125. RAFAEL ZAMORA Chief People Officer | Conversica

129. ERIC BROWN Cybersecurity Director of Enterprise Identity & Access Management | SAIC 132. RON CASTRO VP of Supply Chain | IBM 136. PATRICIA DOMINGUEZ IT Director | Cooper Standard

140. CARIZA ARNEDO Associate General Counsel for Compliance | Meta

144. JEANETTE HERNANDEZ PRENGER Founder and CEO | ECCO Select

150. NONNY DE LA PEÑA Founder and CEO | Emblematic Group

153. CARLOS MORAN JR. CISO | Toppan Merrill

Tony Versus Goliath

Tony Jimenez grew MicroTech into a halfbillion-dollar company after beating IBM, HP, SAIC, and other giants for government bids. Now he’s on a mission to become the best technology integrator in the nation.

Contents

LEGAL MATTERS

Losing her mother to cancer motivated Maria Pasquale to build a purpose-driven career helping research, develop, and market potentially lifesaving treatments for patients

BEYOND BEAUTY

As Ulta Beauty’s chief merchandising officer, Monica Arnaudo helps the beauty retailer support Black-led companies, promote wellness, and make a positive impact

HYUNDAI’S HEMISPHERIC VISION

Executive Director and Deputy General Counsel Wilfredo Hernandez helps the company expand electric vehicles across the Americas

DIFFICULT, NOT IMPOSSIBLE

Motivated by her family’s escape from Cuba, Cariza Arnedo helps Meta protect free and fair elections worldwide as the company’s associate general counsel

MATCHMAKING TECH TALENT

Jeanette Hernandez Prenger founded ECCO Select to provide exceptional tech talent. Since then, the company has grown exponentially and is thriving.

A GLOBAL FOCUS

TransUnion’s Alejandro Medina leverages his international upbringing and twenty-plus years of global corporate experience to advance the company’s growth

A Letter from the Publisher

IN ONE OF MY FIRST PUBLISHER’S LETTERS, I remarked that we have the unique opportunity to scan our networks of successful Latinos to recommend them for board positions. That it was our duty to do so.

Who better than Latinos to advocate for other Latinos?

And this is true at every level. From the C-suite to the boardroom, from middle management to entry-level positions, there is always a Latino waiting (and ready) for their “big break.” Often all they need is someone else to believe in them, and another Latino’s recommendation is the proof that someone does.

This issue’s letter will be my final one, as I will now be focusing my efforts on expanding Hispanic Executive’s digital presence including its podcast The New Majority. But I am proud to introduce a new member of our team who has spent years embodying this belief: our new managing editor, Michele Cantos Garcia.

A New Yorker of Ecuadorian heritage, Michele has been reading Hispanic Executive since graduate school. After earning her degree, she devoted her career to providing leadership and in-demand skills training opportunities to Latinos and other underrepresented groups in the tech sector.

Pedro A. Guerrero CEO of Guerrero Media Publisher of Hispanic Executive

And as fate would have it, the first issue of the magazine she has overseen as managing editor is the one you are holding in your hands—an issue about the

extraordinary Latinos and Latinas who are leading us through the digital age.

The tech leaders featured in this issue inspired us with their unmatched creativity, their drive, and their deep expertise. But above all, they impressed us with their ability to imagine a better future—for themselves and everyone around them.

Our two-time cover star Tony Jimenez (p.108), who is beating out companies like IBM, HP, and SAIC for government IT bids, takes far less satisfaction in MicroTech’s half-billion-dollar business and far more in the knowledge that the leading-edge technologies his company is creating allow him to provide life-changing support and benefits to employees.

Spotify’s Elizabeth Nieto (p.102) spends every day advancing the music streaming platform’s mission of “unlocking the potential of human creativity” and working to ensure that Latinos (and other underrepresented groups) feel welcome and empowered.

And Emblematic Group’s Nonny de la Peña (p.150), known as the “Godmother of VR,” believed in technology’s ability to enable immersive journalism even back when headsets were held together by “lots of duct tape and paper clips.” Today, her work lets audiences everywhere step into stories through virtual and augmented reality.

That kind of vision, that belief in a better future, is essential to creating new products, new services, and

new businesses, whether in the tech industry or beyond it. But it is also what motivates us to continue identifying and nurturing Latino talent, even when confronted with pessimistic narratives founded on myopic statistics that tell us we are making little and slow progress. We advocate for others, and pass the baton to new leaders, because we understand the transformative power of small collective efforts. And through our actions and the stories of success we tell, we change the narrative from “there’s not enough” to “here we are” and incrementally author our community’s destiny.

As Michele takes over the magazine and our editorial direction, she will be penning a letter of her own to introduce each issue. She will also be on the hunt for more of our community’s untold stories . . . for those extraordinary Latinos hiding in plain sight who are worthy of elevating and being advocated for.

But we can’t tell those stories, nor change the narrative about Latinos in America, if you don’t put in the effort. Certainly, in advocating for and supporting others but also in promoting yourself. And so, my final words in this letter are this: make yourself visible. As the former CEO of the Girl Scouts, Sylvia Acevedo, told me on season 3 of The New Majority podcast, we must focus on being the very best at our craft, and the best in our industry. Show up, share your goals and achievements, and bring your fellow Latinos along.

Masthead

About the Cover

This cover was influenced by the ’80s and uses bright colors and zany handlettering to create movement around the portrait. The window pop-ups and pixelated marble textures evoke a digital design inspired by early macOS and Windows user interfaces. The portrait was shot by Noah Willman and the cover was illustrated by Hispanic Executive Designer Arturo Magallanes. Visit noahwillman.com and arturomagallanes.xyz to learn more.

Featured Contributor

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.

Creative

Editorial Director

Frannie Sprouls

Managing Editor

Michele Cantos Garcia

Editors

Jaylyn Bergner

Melaina K. de la Cruz

Brittany Farb Gruber

Sara Deeter

Julia Thiel

Staff Writers

Zach Baliva

Billy Yost

Contributors

Zachary Brown

Jeannette Ceja

Will Grant

Frederick Jerant

Natalie Kochanov

Donald Liebenson

Keith Loria

Rebecca Rakowitz

Claire Redden

Andrew Tamarkin

Designer, Hispanic Executive

Arturo Magallanes

Senior Designer

Hispanic Executive® is a registered trademark of Guerrero, LLC

Corporate

CEO & Publisher

Pedro A. Guerrero

President, Group Publisher

Kyle Evangelista

Chief of Staff

Jaclyn Gaughan

Sales

Director, Sales

Stuart Ziarnik

Director, Sales Onboarding

Justin Davidson

Onboarding Sales and Development Manager

Hannah Tanchon

Sales Researchers

Titus Dawson

Kemp Pile

Lead Recruiter, Guerrero Search

James Ainscough

Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships & DEI Solutions

Krista Horbenko

Digital Product Manager

Aleksander Tomalski

©2023 Guerrero, LLC. guerrero.co

1500 W. Carroll Ave., Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60607

Vince Cerasani Designers

Anastasia Andronachi

Rebecca Kang

Senior Photo Editor

Sheila Barabad Sarmiento

Photo Editor & Staff Photographer

Cass Davis

Contributing

Sarah Joyce

Facebook: @hispanicexecutive

LinkedIn: @hispanic-executive

Twitter: @HispanicExecMag

Instagram: @hispanicexecmag

YouTube: bit.ly/youtubehemag

Reprints

Reprinting of articles is prohibited without permission of Guerrero, LLC. Printed in China. For reprint information, contact Reprints & Circulation Director

Stacy Liedl at stacy@guerreromedia.com.

Photo Editor

Special Projects Editor

Sara Deeter

Creative Production Coordinator

Melaina K. de la Cruz

Audience & Engagement

VP, Hispanic Division and Head of Audience & Engagement

Vianni Lubus

Director, Events

Jill Ortiz

Events & Marketing Manager

Ashley Parish

Communications & Engagement Manager

Cristina Merrill

Associate Manager, Digital Marketing

Aliana Souder

Social Media Manager

Suleidys Tellez

Industry Partners

Director, Talent Acquisition & Engagement

Haylee Himel

Talent Acquisition Managers

Josie Amidei

Jordyn Gauger

Content & Advertising Managers

Shannon Borner

Allison Kolosick

Roman Magallanes

Laura Restrepo

Alejandro Vences

Operations

VP, Finance

David Martinez

Director, Circulation

Stacy Liedl

Staff Accountant

Natallia Kamenev

Senior Director, Client Operations

Cheyenne Eiswald

Senior Manager, Client Services

Rebekah Pappas

Manager, Client Services

Brooke Rigert

Office Manager and Administrative Assistant

Emiko Daniel

Blurring Borders & Realities

EDGAR SERRANO HAS MADE A NAME for himself by making the invisible visible. Borders, transitions, subliminal spaces, and concepts—his work makes space for, and celebrates, that which we cannot see by looking at it straight on. I sat down with the Mexican American painter and Chicago native to discuss the ways in which his work captures our hybrid physical/virtual reality and the hidden moments that speak truth to our transition between those types of in-between spaces.

Please tell us about your upbringing and how it has impacted your decision to become a visual artist: I didn’t encounter many paintings growing up. Due to my parent’s lack of education and interest in high art or culture, the images that populated my childhood were reproductions and cartoons. Through a series of fortuitous events, guidance from some wonderful people, and stubborn perseverance, I enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a full presidential merit scholarship. While there, however, I felt uncomfortable in the museum. Instead of standing in front of paintings as instructed by my professors, I bought postcards from the gift shop and wrote my art history papers from these reproductions. Despite what Walter Benjamin would have me believe, these cheaply printed mass-produced images still carried their aura.

After I graduated, I felt like it was nice to go to art school, like a vacation or holiday. It was my first time being around an art community, art students and teachers, so that was all new and exciting. But I felt like it wasn’t the real world. So, I took a year off from art and just worked but I realized I missed the plush art bubble and so I applied for graduate school.

I applied to Yale and was fortunate enough to get accepted. Being an artist seemed like an easier and perhaps healthier choice than running aimlessly in the streets of Chicago.

Cartoon references and reproductions are abundant in your visual practice. How do these images enter your visual world and manifest in your life? What do they mean to you?

The way cartoons manifested themselves in my life again was during the Trump administration. Images of migrant children in cages in the New York Times had a really profound effect on me. I’m a father now, looking at these young children that remind me of my son and family, and of myself coming to the US not knowing English. I was really captivated by these images; they stirred up a lot of emotions. There was one of a little boy, alone and surrounded by guards, looking up at a cartoon, Casper the Friendly Ghost, I think

that really resonated with me. The child and cartoon were both in this state of flux, in limbo. That’s what stirred this whole thing, seeing that little boy looking at cartoons, the ghost, that mirrored his own situation of being caught between two political realities.

Recently I’ve been interested in handdrawn animation smears which depict one quick blur of motion in a single frame and the illusion of movement found in cartoons from the 1920s to 1960s, the golden age of American animation. These in-between movements mirrored my own childhood of not knowing English, as the son of immigrants, the blur acting as a state of being caught in-between two realities. My relationship to these images is symbolic and contains a dark narrative subtext.

All paintings in this series were excavated from various childhood cartoon sources using old VHS tapes converted to digital files and then edited using digital video editing software. By using digital video

WORDS AND INTERVIEW BY EDRA SOTO

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, 2022 Oil on canvas. 46 × 60 in 116.8 × 152.4 cm

editing software, I can analyze video files frame-by-frame, isolating and excavating normally invisible moments of transition or blur. Resulting images are both familiar and strange, showing well-known cartoon characters in states of transition usually undetectable to the human eye due to the durational speed of each frame.

These experiences with cartoons and reproductions helped me to form my own way of seeing and making art. My quest— personal and artistic—is to unearth invisible states and identities. Fixed categories of identity can be used to marginalize, but they can also be used by the marginalized to gain visibility and political power. This paradox is the central focus of my practice.

I enjoy the relationship between popular culture and philosophy in your practice. Please, tell us when and how this relationship starts becoming evident in your painting and who inspires these connections: I employ the concept of the blur as an idea that broadly represents in-between places, both physically and psychologically, and between recognizable and unrecognizable shape shifting forms. My paintings situate the viewer on an unlikely border between the familiar and the indecipherable. According to the 18th century German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, the longer one looks at any frozen momentary action, the more unnatural and grotesque it appears, and that is precisely what these paintings represent, showing the terror-filled, frozen moment of our current political reality.

Most of these source cartoons come from a time of immense turbulence in the world, the Second World War, for one. There’s this search for a better world in the strange landscapes that populate some of these paintings that I’ve manipulated—increasing the saturation, altering the color—but I’m not really looking for a utopian ideal. I see utopia as

a lot darker or toxic. I’m always suspicious of images that try to manipulate me to feel serene. Immediately, my alarms go off at this manufactured serenity. I try to show a darker side of these paintings. It’s a strange thing looking at paintings when you can’t really categorize the grotesque, uncanny images they contain. Perpetually waiting for it to return to its original form, but as it’s a painting it’s permanently in this state of transition.

Lessing further argued that paintings should represent “a single moment of action,” and this single moment “must express nothing transitory.” The longer one looked at any frozen action, he thought, the more unnatural and grotesque it would appear. Lessing was

completely against these moments of transition or intense transitory emotion, like ecstasy or pain. The desire for these static in-between paintings to revert to an original or recognizable form is the hope for a return to normalcy, which perhaps is the biggest illusion.

You refer to borders in a metaphorical and literal manner through your practice. What experiences prompt you to engage the concept of borders? How are borders represented in your paintings?

We live in a hybrid reality—part physical, part virtual. Two different but not entirely separate worlds; their borders continually

Edgar Serrano Artist

dissolving and reforming. I know this borderland well. I am the child of Mexican immigrants, and I have lived my entire life along unseen but ever-present borders. Likewise, my paintings negotiate literal and figurative divisions and situate the viewer on unlikely boundaries between the digital and the real, the alien and the familiar.

Take, for example, my recent work which engages with animation smears. While the cartoon characters may be familiar, these in-between moments were never intended to be seen due to the speed of the film and the short duration of the transitions. The blur visually embodies in-between spaces and changing psychological states. These blurred images from the cartoons of my childhood mirror the trauma of transitioning to American culture, the struggle to process and internalize countless visible codes and invisible rules, and more generally, the position of undocumented immigrants stuck in a permanent in-between state, legally, culturally, and linguistically. It is this transition that I want to make visible.

What are your thoughts regarding Latinx artists increasing visibility in the art world?

I think it is essential as humans, as a culture, and a community to be open to different perspectives. Otherwise, there is no growth—just stagnation, repetition, and regurgitation of the same basic ideas. That’s boring. That’s so 2014.

I am obviously a champion for Latinx artists visibility in the art world. Along with every other marginalized group whose voice needs to be heard and contended with. There is enough room at the table for everyone to fit if not we need a new table.

The images you so eloquently render through your paintings align with the times. The conflict, chaos, violence, and confusion they express are reminiscent of our current political climate. What makes art and artists so essential to our society?

I use reproductions and cartoons to make art that is hopefully democratic and accessible. The American cartoons I mentioned earlier were all handdrawn, hand-painted, and strangely enough their

I Ask Your Forgiveness; I Am a Mountain Tiger, 2022 Artwork, left to right: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Stoic, Happy Hurts at PM/AM Gallery, London.

soundtracks mostly featured classical music and no real dialogue. So, it was kind of a universal language, like slapstick comedy or the Fast and the Furious franchise. Their movements and moments were haunting and reflecting our current political realities, but also open. I don’t want to make work that's really didactic, overtly political, or anything like that because it’s just kind of a closed circuit. I am more interested in moments that we weren’t meant to see. Invisible moments or unnamable moments. Maybe there’s a different reality, a more traumatic way of looking at these images? For me, it’s really born out of direct representation and personal context.

I think artists digest and process information differently which results, in my case, in some strange yet familiar paintings with embedded metadata from our times. Perhaps we speak truths in way that is made palatable

through the eyes and brain. I only know that I enjoy looking and thinking about art most of the time. Most of my friends are artist and I can’t imagine living without them, so I guess art and artist are essential.

What media are you currently consuming?

I am reading Civilizations: A Novel by Laurent Binet which asks, what if history had been different? What if Columbus had failed? In part because of earlier Viking interactions with the peoples of South America. What if the Incas had invaded Europe and prevailed? The book is satirical and playful, and poses serious questions about tolerance and the role

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 in Chicago. Soto has attended residency programs at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Beta-

of government. I’m also listening to audiobooks like the The Twilight World written and narrated by Werner Herzog as a form of a sleep aid and learning through osmosis. It is such a great book! I fall asleep to Herzog whispering a story in my ear every night. I don’t know much about the book besides that it is the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II. So, I guess my attempt to learn through osmosis is a failure, but I’ve never slept better.

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 and 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.

Artwork, left to right: The Cruel Radiance, Primitive Games, Escapando el Ruido de la Eternidad at PM/AM Gallery, London.

Eternal Artifice, 2022

Healthcare Jefas

The healthcare industry is touted as one of the most equitable for women, as they hold nearly 30 percent of the industry’s C-suite positions. The Latina executives in this section are reshaping society’s most vital industry.

14. Maria Pasquale, Incyte 20. Christine (Gallardo) Morehead, One Medical 23. Rosa Colon-Kolacko, Tufts Medicine

Hispanic Executive

Legal Matters

BY ZACH BALIVA

LOSING HER MOTHER TO CANCER MOTIVATED MARIA PASQUALE TO BUILD A PURPOSE-DRIVEN CAREER

Matters

MARIA PASQUALE EVP and General Counsel Incyte JIM GRAHAM

ARIA ASQUALE ANTS O E

ILLBOARD ORTHY. M W W P T B B

It’s an unusual ambition for the executive vice president and general counsel of a global biopharmaceutical company, but Incyte is an unusual organization. It doesn’t just manufacture drugs; the firm develops solutions for serious and rare medical conditions, some of which have limited or no treatments.

But what does it mean to be billboard worthy? It means to be appreciated by the patients who rely on Incyte’s research, therapies, and lifesaving medicines in oncology and other areas.

In 2020, the FDA approved Incyte’s Pemazyre (pemigatinib), the first targeted treatment for adults with a particular form of cholangiocarcinoma, an uncommon bile duct cancer. Patients often receive a diagno-

sis when the cancer is already advanced and surgery is no longer viable. Pemazyre offers a new nonsurgical treatment option. One patient group was so grateful when Pemazyre was approved that it thanked Incyte with a billboard on the Delaware Memorial Bridge Toll Road. Approximately 110,000 drivers going from New Jersey to Delaware saw the message each day.

The gesture meant a lot to Pasquale and her colleagues. “One of the best things we experience as employees at a global biopharmaceutical company is when we hear from patients whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the medicines we make,” she says.

Pasquale knows what a difference effective treatments make for patients and their

families—her own mother passed away from a courageous battle with breast cancer at the age of forty four. Pasquale was in law school at the time, and the tragic event motivated her to find a new purpose and use her law degree to support mission-driven companies.

An in-house role at a biopharmaceutical company fit Pasquale well. She had already earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and worked at a prestigious lab in Long Island, New York, operated by Nobel Prize winner and renowned molecular biologist James Watson. She then worked at a boutique intellectual property law firm. In 2001, Pasquale joined Celgene, which at the time was a relatively small biopharmaceutical company with under four hundred

US employees and no in-house lawyer or legal department.

Seeing its potential, she approached the company and explained the value she could bring and convinced them to hire her as their first in-house counsel. Pasquale got the unique opportunity to learn and contribute to management decisions affecting every facet of a growing biotech business and to establish a responsive and custom-made legal and compliance department. By the time she left the company it had grown to over 10,000 employees worldwide. The company was sold in 2018 for over 74 billion dollars.

After seventeen years, Pasquale moved to Incyte to help another biotech firm grow and develop a deep pipeline of prod-

wehearfrompatient

ucts for patients with serious diseases and unmet needs. The S&P 500 company places a heavy emphasis on research and development. Incyte’s most notable product is Jakafi (ruxolitinib), a drug first marketed for a rare blood cancer called myelofibrosis. Since Pasquale’s arrival, she’s handled a variety of legal matters and has been pleased to see the approval of Jakafi for additional uses such as chronic and acute graft-versus-host disease, as well as the approval of other important cancer drugs like Pemazyre, the drug that the patient group acknowledged with its billboard. Pasquale is also excited about contributing to the company’s new dermatology franchise.

Experience in biochemistry helps Pasquale apply her legal training at Incyte. “We’re a

research-based organization, and my background in science allows me to work more quickly and understand the nuances of what we do to help our patients,” she explains, adding that the company pours more than half of its revenue back into research. She also considers Incyte’s work on inclusion initiatives very important—the company works to make its therapies accessible to underserved patient populations and those with financial needs.

“Having worked with Maria for many years, she has always exhibited extraordinary skills in all matters,” says Nick Cerrito, a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. “This is particularly true in litigations where she brings her exceptional insights to bear to formulate winning strategies. It is truly a pleasure to work with her.”

Pasquale has been able to embed herself in the company because she is comfortable with the business side of her role as a corporate lawyer. That involves a willingness to ask questions, understand business objectives, and address new complex legislation accordingly. She advises aspiring in-house lawyers to do the same.

“Ask questions about your client’s goals, show how your work adds value, and don’t be afraid to be yourself,” she

“One ofthebestthings . . . is when

Leading by Example

“It’s OK if you don’t know exactly where you want your career to go, but be open to different opportunities and to where you can have the most impact.” That strategy, combined with a talented and exceptional team, has helped make Pasquale successful.

In 2021, Incyte introduced a cream to treat eczema and has an application pending to make it the first FDAapproved drug for patients with vitiligo. Pasquale and her team are working behind the scenes to assist business leaders as they bring this product to consumers and launch a new dermatology division. In addition, the team assisted Incyte with getting clinical studies up and running to find important new COVID-19 treatments. Incyte’s drug, licensed to Eli Lilly and known as Olumiant (baricitinib),

recently won FDA approval for hospitalized COVID-19 adult patients requiring supplemental oxygen.

The high-volume and complex nature of the work can be demanding at times. If things feel stressful or overwhelming, Pasquale thinks about a poster in Incyte’s research building for a simple reminder of why her work matters. “Work hard, stay calm, and cure cancer,” it reads.

She’s also still motivated by the legacy of the loving mother who raised her. Pasquale created a scholarship in her memory at Stony Brook University. Each year, the award provides funding to a deserving minority student to conduct hands-on medical research with the hope of inspiring their interest in finding therapies in unmet medical areas.

Sidley congratulates Maria Pasquale on this meaningful recognition. For over a decade, our firm has been privileged to work with Maria, who has always been an extraordinary leader. We look forward to continuing our relationship with both Maria and Incyte Corporation.

says.

Cozen O’Connor congratulates Maria Pasquale! Ranked among the top 100 firms, we have more than 800 attorneys in 31 cities across two continents. We are a full-service firm with nationally recognized practices in litigation, business law, IP and government relations. Our diverse client list includes global Fortune 500 companies, middle-market firms poised for growth, and ambitious startups.

Sidley congratulates our friend and colleague Maria Pasquale — Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Incyte Corporation — on her recognition as an extraordinary, inclusive and supportive leader. Learn more about the ways we are encouraging inclusion in the legal profession at sidley.com/diversity

ONE MEDICAL IS TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE DELIVERY AND CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER CHRISTINE (GALLARDO) MOREHEAD IS FORMING THE CULTURE AND TEAMS THAT WILL EXECUTE ON THAT VISION.

BY ZACH BALIVA

POWERING HEALTHCARE the

DIS ruption

CHRISTINE (GALLARDO) MOREHEAD Chief People Officer One Medical

MOST HR LEADERS START IN AN adjacent area and eventually begin leading employment strategies by default; Chief People Officer Christine (Gallardo) Morehead has purposefully made her career in the space. Many people think of the healthcare industry as inefficient, impersonal, and expensive; One Medical is convenient, customized, and cost-effective. Morehead isn’t a typical HR leader, and One Medical isn’t a typical company. Together, they are building the future of healthcare.

CEO Amir Dan Rubin, formerly of UnitedHealth Group and Stanford Health Care, now leads the digital and in-person national primary care company, which started in 2007. Google, Zendesk, and thousands of other companies use One Medical’s platform and clinics to deliver healthcare to hundreds of thousands of members in about twenty major markets nationwide.

While many US physicians load their daily schedules with dozens of short patient visits, One Medical caps its doctors at sixteen appointments per shift. It uses its custombuilt technology and patient record system to put information—and power—back in the patient’s hands. It’s “the Starbucks of primary care,” investor Steve Wise says.

Building a new kind of primary care company where members communicate on

an app and receive care on their own terms takes a new kind of HR executive, and that’s where Morehead comes in. The seasoned HR executive joined One Medical in 2013 to form the industry-disrupting teams who are creating a system of quality, fair cost, and easy access care.

Morehead was raised in a military family and grew up in Peru and Thailand. She learned strength and leadership from her Cuban father and inherited a quiet humility from her Puerto Rican mother. “You’re not better than anybody, but nobody is better than you are,” Morehead recalls her mother saying.

That attitude, combined with her international experience, gave Morehead a passion for people and a curiosity about human behavior. She studied human resources and started her career working for iconic companies like Virgin America and Sprint.

At Virgin America, Morehead was part of a team dedicated to recreating the experience of flying, and now at One Medical, she’s part of a team dedicated to recreating the patient and provider experience in healthcare. During her tenure, One Medical has grown from three hundred to over three thousand employees and made its stock market debut as ONEM on the Nasdaq.

Morehead helped establish One Medical’s employee value proposition early on, and now

she is leading the charge on scaling those core values and formalizing foundational principles to ensure the company maintains its strong culture through an ambitious growth phase.

One Medical needs skilled technicians, engineers, and clinicians, and while Morehead leads efforts related to recruiting, learning and development, internal comms, and corporate facilities, she’s quick to point out that she is not leading an HR team. “We call ourselves the people experience team,” she explains. “All of my colleagues who report to me have one thing in common, and that’s the fact that we are dedicated to building the best possible experience for our internal employees, our partners, and our members.”

In late 2021, One Medical acquired Iora Health, a primary care organization known for providing primary care to senior patients. Morehead helped welcome and onboard seven hundred new colleagues as part of the large transaction. The move brought a new demographic to One Medical and increased the company’s geographical footprint while helping it expand its services.

One Medical started as a hybrid remote and on-site company, but in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Morehead and her colleagues are figuring out new ways to keep employees engaged and connected. Regional events and celebrated milestones help, but

Hispanic Executive

Compensation

Healthcare Wellbeing

Retirement sequoia.com

the company has also introduced new mental health services and well-being solutions for employees and members alike. One Medical is also increasing efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion to help continuously create a welcoming and equitable environment for both employees and patients.

Some innovative people strategies and employment benefits are attracting the best and the brightest to One Medical’s workforce. A formalized mentoring cohort brings clear pathways to career development for BIPOC employees, and all employees earn a four-week sabbatical for every five years of service.

The perks are nice, but Morehead says people stay at One Medical because they know they’re part of work that matters. As she develops

strategies, she keeps her mother’s old saying about humility in mind.

“We’re confident that nobody is better positioned to tackle the healthcare delivery dilemma than our team, but we also don’t need to get arrogant about our ability to transform healthcare in the United States,” she says.

“We want to let the results speak for themselves.”

And the results are there. Companies that use One Medical rate it as one of their most popular benefits and lower their cost of care by an average of 8 percent, and the company maintains an average NPS of over ninety, well above the industry average. With a strong team in place, Morehead and One Medical are changing the way employers, providers, and patients do primary care.

W e are dedicatedtobuilding the best possibleexperience

Get the most out of your investment in people.

Equity Passion A FOR

ROSA COLON-KOLACKO IS ADVANCING A CULTURE OF EQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE PRACTICES, IMPROVING ACCESS, AND GROWING DIVERSE TALENT AT TUFTS MEDICINE

BY CLAIRE REDDEN

Hispanic Executive

R

ROSA COLON-KOLACKO WAS RAISED by her mother in Puerto Rico with very limited economic stability. Her mom was an orphan and was not able to finish high school and did not speak English. Having seen her mom’s experiences and traveled the world, Colon-Kolacko has always been aware of how unprepared healthcare systems can be to care for people from different cultures and languages. In fact, she used to be her mom’s interpreter while they were living in other countries. “We experienced often unequal treatment in healthcare settings,” she says.

But when her mother experienced a deadly stroke, Colon-Kolacko found herself serving as a cultural translator from ten thousand miles away. It was a wake-up call. ColonKolacko’s daughter, who was a teenager in high school at that time, was the one who took her grandmother to the hospital, and they paid no attention to how scared she was.

“There was limited empathy for her or us as a family, when in our culture we take care of our elders until they die,” Colon-Kolacko remembers. “This experience inspired me to make this my purpose: to reimagine how we can deliver care with an equity lens and consider cultural needs in health encounters.”

During her time living in the UK, Colon-Kolacko recognized a stark contrast in cultural values. “Latinos value our families; we grow up in homes alongside our grandparents as a unit, and we care for them as they get older. When someone in our family is sick, we come as a group because, in our culture, that’s how we like to heal people.”

It’s this type of cultural understanding that Colon-Kolacko describes as “cultural humility and competence,” which in healthcare describes the ability to not only provide care to patients with a variety of health issues and diverse values but also adapt the delivery

of care in a way that meets their social, cultural, and linguistic needs. “This is how minorities suffer every day in our country, and I felt like I had to do something about it,” she says.

The devastating and unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color—more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths—magnified preexisting disparities and exacerbated those vulnerabilities. Today, communities of color are even further behind in overall health.

According to Colon-Kolacko, at health centers, between 2019 and 2020, screenings for cervical cancer declined by 15 percent, colorectal cancer by 17 percent, and depression (and follow-up care) by 19 percent. The number of patients with controlled blood pressure decreased by 16 percent, while the number of patients with dangerous hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels increased by 31 percent. There was a 51 percent drop in HIV

patients seen for follow-up care within the recommended ninety days after diagnosis.

“This is just the beginning of a postpandemic wave of healthcare challenges in the communities we serve,” Colon-Kolacko says.

Without a second thought, ColonKolacko left her fifteen-year career in global pharmaceuticals behind and shifted to healthcare systems where she was a senior change management and learning leader. “It’s my mission in life—to inspire leaders to leverage differences, to help our colleagues at work be their authentic selves, and to develop future generations of global leaders, including supervising doctoral students to [help them] serve diverse communities, improve equity for people, [and enable them] to live healthy lives,” says the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Tufts Medicine.

She adds, “My philosophy is to have a positive attitude and hope. Regardless of

ROSA COLON-KOLACKO Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Tufts Medicine

limitations of our upbringing, we should have a vision, have a plan, work hard, and advocate so that we can change the world—one person, one encounter at a time. I want our kids to know that there are more than fifty professions in healthcare.”

In her role, Colon-Kolacko strives to provide culturally competent and equitable care, improve health, and reduce disparities. “We need more Hispanics in healthcare— there are great careers in this industry, and health systems need us to build trust in our communities,” she says. “By exposing Hispanic youth to the many different roles within healthcare, giving them access to internship opportunities and volunteer experiences, and providing scholarships, our Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion encourages them to dream big.”

She believes that Hispanics must unite and not allow ethnic differences to cause divisions. Executives have the responsibility to advocate for others, she says, and to do that, they must build the pipeline. “It goes back to our culture. Latinos are very humble, but we need to inspire the new generation to pursue healthcare professions,” Colon-Kolacko explains. “This industry needs our superpower (cultural agility) to build healthy communities, as we are one of the highest growths in the population in the US. At Tufts Medicine, our goal is to provide connected care across our communities.”

Tufts Medicine relies on community health workers, community benefits depart-

ments, and alliances with community partners to implement health equity projects, including outreach, education, and providing grants to address social determinants of health needs. Colon-Kolacko believes the key for success lies in education.

“Hispanics are the key influencers of the future but in order to influence, we need to be highly educated, meaning that we need to increase the number of Latinos who have master’s degrees and PhDs as well as the number of nurses and doctors,” she says.

Through Tufts Medicine’s DEI Academy, employees are provided valuable opportunities to build a culture of inclusion. “We have a goal to increase the increase the diversity of our leaders and workforce to improve readiness of internal diverse high potentials for leadership positions,” Colon-Kolackos says. “Last year, we improved diversity in our leaders by 20 percent by partnering

with our HR team. This year, our goal is to increase leadership by 25 percent.”

Today, Colon-Kolacko, who also serves as a professor at Thomas Jefferson University (where she dedicates her time to chairing dissertation committees and mentoring minority students as they complete their doctoral programs), credits her energetic approach to an innate passion for DEI.

“The work of DEI is endless, but I wake up every day energized to see how Tufts Medicine is contributing to a better society, disrupting how care is delivered, building belonging in our workforce, growing diverse talent to represent the communities we are honored to serve, and transforming healthcare with an equity lens,” she says. “We are giving hope, transforming lives, and helping create an equitable world where all people can be healthy and live their best lives.”

“THE WORK OF DEI IS ENDLESS, BUT I WAKE UP EVERY DAY ENERGIZED

TO SEE HOW TUFTS MEDICINE IS CONTRIBUTING TO A BETTER SOCIETY, DISRUPTING HOW CARE IS DELIVERED.”

MISSION

When one’s work makes an impact in the community, it transcends employment and becomes a calling. These executives have answered their call.

28. Monica Arnaudo, Ulta Beauty 33. Maryanne Piña Frodsham, Career Management Partners 36. Leandro Vicuña, Fremont Bank 42. Benjamin Sigel, Hispanic National Bar Association 46. Eduardo Alvarez, Amyris 50. Freddy Jimenez, Celldex Therapeutics 54. Josie Gomez Fields, Veritex Community Bank 59. Brandon Porras, Kodiak Cakes 63. George Gonzalez, Oportun

BEYOND at Beauty Ulta Beauty

BY ZACH BALIVA

Monica Arnaudo leverages her position as chief merchandising officer to support Blackled companies, promote wellness, and help Ulta beauty make a positive impact.

NOT EVERYONE CAN SAY THEY’VE POSED with a pop star and partied with an icon, but for Monica Arnaudo, it’s all in a day’s work. The beauty industry veteran helps Ulta Beauty secure partnerships with brand founders, celebrities, influencers, and others with a lens to deliver what her shopper is seeking. She recently celebrated the launch of Fenty Beauty with Rihanna at a Los Angeles Ulta Beauty.

Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, and the rest of the new billionaire’s products are now available on Ulta Beauty’s website and at each of the leading retailer’s 1,300 locations nationwide.

Monica Arnaudo Chief Merchandising Officer Ulta Beauty

It’s a coup for Arnaudo, who has come a long way from her early days in Northern California. That’s where her loving parents taught her the value of a dollar and the importance of perseverance. Each week, Arnaudo worked hard to complete her chores to earn an allowance. When she was just sixteen years old, the budding entrepreneur purchased a JAFRA direct-sales kit and launched her cosmetics career.

Once the young Arnaudo had convinced her friends’ moms to host parties, she loaded her supplies into the family sedan to demonstrate and sell royal jelly and anti-aging skin care products. Then she scored a job at Longs

Drugs, where she found a mentor and started creating product displays and learning the retail side of the business.

As Arnaudo interacted with customers and sales reps, she gained a better understanding of ordering and merchandising, along with how products create experiences and enrich lives. “Beauty delivers joy and confidence, and that means a lot to me. I love serving people, and when you take care of the customer first, everything else falls into place,” she says. Although Arnaudo learned this lesson at a young age, it remains her guiding principle to this day.

After spending more than a decade in retail at Nordstrom, Arnaudo left retail and shifted to the brand side of the business, when she took a role as a key account manager at Chanel. Over the next decade and in similar roles at Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, and Sephora, she serviced the retailers where she once worked. “I’ve been able to work on both sides of the industry, which means I understand all aspects of this business,” Arnaudo explains. “I rely on this foundation in all I do.”

Because Arnaudo started her career at such an early age, she didn’t get the chance to finish college or explore other interests. So at thirty-eight, the rising star left the industry to earn her bachelor’s degree and pursue a teaching credential. She ultimately returned to her first love, but says the detour was well worth it. “It’s never too late to take risks and try something new. Don’t ignore the desires and passions that linger in your mind,” she says.

In 2017, Ulta Beauty recruited Arnaudo to lead an important part of the business. Although most of her experience had been in high-end prestige brands, as senior vice president of merchandising, and now, chief merchandising officer, she oversees an assortment unlike any other that brings together mass and prestige products to meet all Ulta’s guest needs.

Arnaudo spent the last five years putting her stamp on the business, doing so by following the north star of service that’s guided her entire career. “My job is to know our customers well so we can always engage and delight them with a curated assortment

“Beauty delivers joy and confidence, and that means a lot to me. I love serving people, and when you take care of the customer first, everything else falls into place.”

CONGRATULATES

Monica Arnaudo, Chief Merchandising Officer at Ulta Beauty on her exceptional accomplishments and recognition by Hispanic Executive .

We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Ulta Beauty.

of brands and products that will truly resonate,” she says.

Ulta Beauty carries over six hundred brands. That means Arnaudo and her team must cultivate strong relationships with brand partners, responding to changing expectations and helping them to engage guests authentically. “We are extremely proud of our collaborative partnership with Monica and the Ulta Beauty,” Leslie Marino, president of L’Oréal USA Professional Products says. “Together, we continue building a healthy business of serving our loyal customers, ensuring we add value to their lives through innovative products, services, and experiences. Led by Monica’s renown industry expertise and unwavering leadership, Ulta Beauty is a model of success.”

In recent years, Ulta Beauty has emphasized its focus on three key areas—BIPOC brands, Conscious Beauty, and wellness. Furthermore, Ulta Beauty doubled its commitment of $25 million to $50 million in 2022. The funds are set to amplify brands with founders and owners who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color

(BIPOC), but Arnaudo says the investment is more than money. Ulta Beauty’s emerging brand team is dedicated to mentoring BIPOC owners and helping them to grow. “We’re not just bringing BIPOC brands into stores. We’re creating an entire ecosystem, so they can really thrive in our environment,” Arnaudo says, adding that the retailer plans to introduce a third-party accelerator to take these efforts to the next level. Notably, Ulta Beauty also joined the 15 Percent Pledge and more than doubled the number of Black-owned brands in its assortment in the last year.

Conscious Beauty is the company’s platform to guide consumers to clean ingredients, sustainable packaging, cruelty-free and vegan products, and those making a positive impact. Ulta Beauty merchants have sourced products and introduced featured brands like DevaCurl and the Ordinary within this platform to offer greater ingredient transparency and ease of choice.

Lastly, as COVID-19 and other factors compel people around the world to priori-

tize self-care, Arnaudo and her teams are bringing in more products that address the mind, body, and soul. In the last quarter of 2021, the company launched the Wellness Shop to sell these products online and in 450 of its retail locations. Arnaudo plans to add more stores later this year.

It’s just one of many major projects in the works. Ulta Beauty also is refining its omnichannel experience and adding hundreds of new in-store locations through its partnership with Target.

As Arnaudo moves these key initiatives forward, she’s doing all she can to challenge, empower, and support her team. And as always, no matter whether they’re working on challenges, strategies, or projects, she leads them back to the customer-first mindset.

The approach has never led Arnaudo astray. After more than forty years, she remains passionate about the work she does every day. “I’ve stayed in this industry because I get to do what I love. I get to bring joy to people’s lives,” she says. “And that’s beautiful.”

“We’re not just bringing BIPOC brands into stores. We’re creating an entire ecosystem, so they can really thrive in our environment.”

How Maryanne Piña Frodsham bridges the Latino leadership gap with Career Management Partners and Latino Career Assessment

BY JEANNETTE CEJA

The Making of a Leader

Maryanne Piña Frodsham CEO, Career Management Partners Founder, Latino Career Assessment

AS THE DAUGHTER OF MEXICAN immigrants, Maryanne Piña Frodsham knows the value of hard work and the pride of being American and Mexican in an increasingly globalizing world. The CEO of Career Management Partners, founder of Latino Career Assessment, and coauthor of the book Don’t Dread Monday grew up in the border town of McAllen, Texas, where she searched for ways to expand her perspective beyond her two nationalities.

As Piña Frodsham explains, she learned about a six-week summer trip to Europe for high school seniors. “The trip was a year away, so I got a job at a local burger joint, and I saved every single penny. I did not spend that money on anything,” says the CEO. “I paid for my trip on my own and traveled to seven countries at seventeen years old.”

Piña Frodsham’s love of learning, hard work, and determination have grown with her far beyond high school. She earned her

bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education, a master’s in Second Language Acquisition, and currently is a PhD candidate at Texas A&M University and soon to be part of the elite 7 percent of US Latinos, who go on to earn doctoral degrees.

After a decade in public education, Piña Frodsham realized she was not addressing her core need for freedom and scalable impact. That’s when she realized she did not have a career alignment with her purpose.

“If I knew I had only five years to live, what would I do with my time?” she asked herself. “And I knew that if I answered something that I wasn’t currently doing, then I would have deviated and be out of alignment.” Her answer to that critical question led her to make yet another bold career move: to leave education and join Career Management Partners.

During her time at the company, she became more involved in the local Latino

community–learning about the gap in Latino leadership and understanding its reverberating impacts on diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership across every sector.

“Latinos making up 19 percent of the US population, but only 4 percent of executive positions in Fortune 500 companies shows a big gap we need to address,” says Piña Frodsham.

That’s where the Latino Career Assessment comes in. She created this tool to develop and support Latino talent. There were two reasons, she explains: “The first is I wanted to create a solution that addressed the gap in Latino leadership by creating a solution for Latinos who want more but are not being chosen for their companies’ developmental programs and feel overlooked and sometimes lost. The second reason is I wanted to make it accessible for the everyday Latino professional. I wanted them to say, ‘It’s only $79. I can invest in myself.’”

Beyond the Latino Career Assessment, Latino professionals can access services like coaching, career training, and Career Management Partners’ monthly Adelante career workshops. Piña Frodsham stressed that these services and tools are not just for professionals, but also for corporate America. Any organizations striving to hire, train, and develop future Latino leaders can incorporate the Latino Career Assessment into their employee resource groups or wider professional development programs.

And that’s not all: the sky is the limit for the former educator, founder, and author. In 2022, Piña Frodsham took her work and message all the way to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Chosen by the We Are All Human Foundation as one of six Hispanic delegates on an Equality Lounge panel, she discussed innovative ideas at a global scale with some of the top leaders in the world.

“

If I knew I had only five years to live, what would I do with my time?”

LATINO LEGACIES

BY ZACH BALIVA PORTRAITS BY WINNI WINTERMEYER

When it comes to personal finance, knowledge is power. That’s why Fremont Bank’s Leandro Vicuña remains passionate about empowering the Latino community to build and transfer generational wealth.

Leandro Vicuña Managing Director of Trust & Fiduciary Services Fremont Bank

IT WAS A HOT SUMMER DAY IN 1987 WHEN A FAST-MOVING MAN set up a few tables and chairs at an unassuming church in downtown Stockton, California. That man, Guillermo Vicuña, a dentist, recruited a few colleagues to provide free checkups, consultations, and health services to the uninsured poor. They called it Su Salud, and although Guillermo didn’t know what to expect, five hundred people showed up on the first day.

Thirty-five years later, Leandro Vicuña continues building on his father’s legacy. “Witnessing my father’s ability to mobilize thousands of professionals for a common good inspired me to serve others and give back to the community,” he says. By the time Vicuña was old enough to help at what became an annual health fair, Guillermo had built Su Salud into a thriving nonprofit organization whose three thousand volunteers cared for twenty thousand patients every year.

Guillermo’s family and colleagues grew to appreciate his sense of humor and grace during the all-day hectic schedule at each annual health fair. In 1991, a CNN reporter asked him what he was doing. He simply replied, “We are doing what the president is talking about doing.” Guillermo was driven by his passion and deeds. Few other leaders were as devoted or effective at helping those in need. Although he passed away in 2020, his spirit lives on.

Vicuña also works for a cause: helping the Latino community improve financial literacy and build generational wealth. In 2013, he started a nonprofit. Where Su Salud provided healthcare, Sus Finan-

zas offered free financial education, monetary matching programs, and ongoing mentorship.

The veteran banker holds a law degree from Western Michigan University and now leads trust and fiduciary services at Fremont Bank. In this role, Vicuña advises his counterparts in the business and provides solutions to business owners and high-net-worth clients. He came to Fremont to generate revenue, increase assets under management, and rebuild the trust and investment group.

While Vicuña says the chance to leverage his experience and lead an important turnaround drew him to Fremont, he also felt captivated by the opportunity to make a difference in the local area. “As a family-owned bank, we are committed to empowering people and putting dollars back into the community,” he explains.

While many banks set aside 1 percent of their funds for these efforts, Fremont dedicates 5 percent of its pre-tax earnings for Bay Area nonprofit organizations. It’s awarded 4,250 grants, totaling nearly $35 million.

“We also value the importance of volunteering at many local nonprofit events. Contributing our time and presence matters,” the banker and lawyer added.

In addition to serving in his official role, Leandro sits on the boards of Summer Search and Latinos for Finance. In 2021, he launched HOLA, Fremont’s employee resource group created to help Hispanics and Latinos exchange ideas and discover new pathways to career advancement.

HOLA continues gaining momentum, and Vicuña actively recruites members, encouraging his colleagues to follow his lead and join nonprofit and corporate boards to achieve boardroom equity. “Board service gives you a sense of purpose and belonging,” he says. “I’ve found throughout my career that work is about so much more than fulfilling your day-to-day duties. There is more we can do with our time and our talents. It’s rewarding to share a vision and have the courage to see it through regardless of the challenges ahead.”

“

As a family-owned bank, we are committed to empowering people and putting dollars back into the community.”

He’s also using his platform, influence, and networks to advocate for more minority representation in banking, finance, and entrepreneurship. Latinos represent the fastest growing group of small business owners in the country. The demographic has risen 34 percent compared to 1 percent of all business owners over the past decade. Still, they face lower incomes and worse loan rates. Vicuña says he and loan officers at Fremont Bank provide access to funds and bring positive change to the industry.

As clients navigate an uncertain stock market and review potential policy changes in 2023 regarding estate planning and taxes, Leandro works overtime to help Latinos and

others understand the full financial picture. “Knowledge is power when it comes to handling your money, and it’s never too late to learn,” he says. “We want to educate people at age thirteen, age eighty, and at all ages in between. Setting up the next generation for success benefits all.”

Like those clients, Vicuña thinks about where he’s been and where he’s going. He started his banking career inspired by two parents, who came to a new country and sacrificed to give him an opportunity. He’s used that opportunity to help others find financial success. And now, he’s continuing to build a legacy he can leave to his own son.

BY JOSEPH KAY

S ERVICE, ACRIFICE, URNAME and

How Benjamin Sigel helps build connections, community, representation, and lifesaving opportunities for the Latino and Jewish communities

IN 2021, MORE THAN TWENTY-THOUSAND clinical trial positions went unfilled by contract research organizations. Those roles—in research, data analysis, project management, and more—help advance new medications to market, which in turn, extends, improves, and saves lives.

At Virb, the first end-to-end human capital-as-a-service platform that sources, trains, and deploys new talent into the global clinical research industry, Ben Sigel and his colleagues aim to solve the workforce shortages by creating a people-centric diverse clinical trial ecosystem. As chief legal officer, chief diversity and inclusion officer, and corporate secretary, Sigel recognizes an opportunity to disrupt the life sciences industry to broaden representation and improve care.

“We believe this is a really unique and disruptive model that will fill many of the clinical trial positions, while diversifying the industry,” he explains. “The clinical trial workforce should be representative of the people who the life sciences industry is attempting to treat. We can improve the quality of the workforce, while also making clinical trials more inclusive, welcoming, and culturally understanding.”

Sigel contends that by diversifying the clinical trial workforce, Virb can nurture trust and understanding throughout under-

served, underrepresented, and marginalized communities. Diversifying the clinical trial workforce will help clinical trials serve the broader population and will be a catalyst to increasing diversity among clinical trial participants. When people see themselves represented in the medical field, they may be more likely to work closely and intentionally with their providers. They also may be more likely to seek care, participate in that care, and become participants in the lifesaving clinical trials themselves. Diversifying the clinical trial workforce will help deliver healthcare services that meet the diverse cultural and

social needs of our different communities and will improve access to healthcare.

Before joining Virb, Sigel served as a litigator and national director of client and community relations at Am Law 100 law firm Mintz Levin. In 2020, he took a leave of absence to run for the US House of Representatives in the Massachusetts’ Fourth Congressional District in his attempt to become the state’s first Latino member of Congress.

“Whether it was fighting for comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform, equitable access to higher-quality public education, universal and affordable

Benjamin Sigel, center, with his family.

Mintz

health care, social and economic justice, or combating climate change and the rise of hatred, bigotry, discrimination, and anti-Semitism, those issues all connected back to creating a strong community that is based on all of its members having access to opportunities,” Sigel explains. “That became even more important when the COVID-19 pandemic really took hold about a month after our campaign started and more relevant after George Floyd was murdered several months later.”

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic erased many large in-person events, Sigel was the first candidate to visit all thirty-plus towns in the district. His encounters with voters deepened his conviction that Americans of all communities only wanted a fair opportunity. Meanwhile, the race blossomed into one of the most expensive and competitive primaries in the country and Sigel couldn’t match the other candidates’ vast personal fortunes.

“I didn’t win, but I still look back and think how amazing and positively intense the experience was,” he recalls. “I’m so proud of the campaign we put together, and it was a real opportunity to raise the level of discourse

and civility and ideas in our community.” He hasn’t ruled out a future run for public office, but insists that should he consider a future run, it would be based on believing that he is the best person for the job.

As much as he loves practicing the law, Sigel finds true fulfillment in his extensive nonprofit work. He has served on over twelve different nonprofit boards, whose missions align with his passion for community building, including many which serve the local, national, and global Latino and Jewish communities.

Currently, he serves as the national vice president of divisions, sections, and committees for the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), a nonprofit membership group advocating for the interests of Hispanic legal professionals in the United

© 2022 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C

is proud to congratulate our client and former colleague, Benjamin Sigel, for his pioneering work to promote diversity at Virb and in the community.

“I’ve always been invested in helping strengthen my communities internally and through building, connecting, and deepening relationships and partnerships with other communities.”

States and its territories. A friend and colleague recommended he attend the annual HNBA conference in 2016, and he immediately knew he had found a home. “I went not knowing one person,” he says. “The conference was a really inspirational and empowering experience, and from that moment on I knew the HNBA was something I wanted to engage with not only for myself, but also to advance the interests of my fellow Latinos in the law.”

Sigel was missing that connection to the Latino legal community when he first began his legal career. His multiple identities as Latino and Jewish uniquely positioned him for an empowering journey of authenticity, which centers around service, community, and connection.

“I’ve always been invested in helping strengthen my communities internally and

through building, connecting, and deepening relationships and partnerships with other communities,” Sigel adds. “I have always believed we are so much more powerful as a community when we are united and [we] stand up, speak out, and act together.”

Sigel helped create the Young Jewish Leaders Council in Boston, which brings together all forty-plus Jewish adult organizations in the area to network, collaborate, share best practices, build skills, and strengthen the community. He also helped create the young leadership division of the American Jewish Committee both in Boston and nationally, which launched national Jewish-Latino and Jewish-Muslim taskforces for young adults. He also proudly served as the president of the HNBA’s New England Region for three years.

Sigel believes that his multiple identities help empower him to raise up others. While this work can impact the time he spends with his wife of over twenty years and their four beautiful children, he reminds himself that the labor also is an investment in his family’s future.

“Although family is extremely important, we can’t just focus on our immediate family because we are a part of a greater family and community,” Sigel says. “My children are going to have more access to opportunities and a better chance of being successful in their lives when the community around them is strong and united. I truly hope that my children see me as someone who made their community better and stronger, and in turn improved their lives and the lives of so many others around them.”

Benjamin Sigel National VP of Divisions, Sections & Committees Hispanic National Bar Association

Science Leads

BY ZACH BALIVA

THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN SYNTHETIC biology and clean beauty products can be found in the eastern region of Brazil in a small town called Barra Bonita. It’s the world’s most advanced fermentation plant, and the 185,000-square-foot facility won’t stay hidden much longer. Mechanical engineer, robotics expert, and innovator Eduardo Alvarez, chief operating officer at Amyris, recently spearheaded production and introduced this amazing asset to the world.

The milestone marks a new chapter for Amyris. The biotech company, founded in 2003, historically has produced ingredients found in sectors covering 80 percent of the beauty and personal care market, including nine out of the world’s top 10 beauty companies. Now, Amyris is rolling out its own line of brands and skincare products to meet increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to traditional items.

Alvarez studied at the University of Michigan and University of California, Berkeley,

before earning his MBA at Harvard Business School. He built his career at GE, Booz Allen, and PwC, where he led the operations strategy business and worked with clients to reduce complexity, complete major M&A transactions, and drive sustained growth.

Alvarez came to Amyris in 2017 to drive Amyris production scale by harnessing the power of machine learning, robotics, precision fermentation, and lean operations. This is what Amyris calls the “lab-to-market” technology platform. With it, the company produces more ingredients at higher volumes and brings new innovations to consumers that also are good for the planet.

The new manufacturing plant in Barra Bonita is a modern wonder. Amyris formed a strategic partnership with Raizen, the largest sugar producer in the world, to build the plant on its property. The sugar cane syrup feeds the system to produce Amyris ingredients.

The company uses 1,500 pieces of equipment, 30 miles of pipes, and 4,000 tons of

steel to form a tall, vertical structure that uses gravity to reduce energy requirements. The sugar cane gets sterilized, fermented, and automated with exact formulations to produce fourteen different products. It’s a zero-carbon process that Alvarez says is delivering “real products to consumers to help them live better lives without harming the planet.”

One of those products is squalene, a hydrocarbon used in cosmetics, skin care, and personal care products, sought for its anti-inflammation and superior hydration. There are two known ways to get squalane— through olive trees and from the liver of shark. Each year, millions of sharks are killed and discarded simply for this oil. However, the Barra Bonita plant now produces the molecules used to make sustainable, sugarbased squalane.

In fact, one of Amyris’s consumer brands includes Biossance, which has an entire line of squalane-based skincare products. All of the company’s sugarcane-derived squalane is

A new fermentation plant in a remote part of Brazil is a secret weapon in the competitive world of cosmetics. Eduardo Alvarez is using it to help Amyris produce ingredients that will disrupt an entire industry.

Eduardo Alvarez Chief Operating Officer Amyris

ethically and sustainably sourced. This helps protect the millions of sharks used for liver harvesting and can be produced by consuming only one-fiftieth of the water needed to produce plant-derived alternatives.

Alvarez led teams to complete the fermentation plant during the COVID-19 pandemic and jokes he has a longstanding policy of never wasting a good crisis. Born in Nicaragua, he remembers the devastating 1972 earthquake that leveled Managua. Both Alvarez’s father, a business leader, and his grandfather, the director of a nearby hospital, worked overtime to help the community survive. His dad formed a banking co-op to help rebuild homes, while his grandfather tripled the size of the local hospital to take in victims and refugees.

“The way my family responded to challenging events showed me that commitment and passion can set the foundation for how to face life and opportunities,” says Alvarez. “I knew that service would be at the heart of anything I would do in the future.”

A few years later, things changed in Central America; political unrest made life dangerous and uncertain. At age fifteen, Alvarez’s parents sent him to the United States to seek refuge with a host family, while they stayed behind. Although a challenging time, Alvarez focused on his education.

He learned English quickly, enrolled in college, and did his best to stay busy. In his final year at Michigan, the diligent student let himself take a short respite, heading to Miami for Spring Break. There, he recognized a girl from his hometown in Nicaragua and eventually married her. Four children and thirty years later, they are still together.

With the new fermentation plant up and running, Alvarez and Amyris are focused on continued growth, innovation, and impact. “We want to continue to make natural ingredients, and the way we do that matters,” he says. “We do it with a no-compromise ethos that sets us apart.” That ethos has three pillars: Amyris ingredients and products must be effective, sustainable, and economical.

“Global4PL Supply Chain Services is pleased to congratulate Eduardo Alvarez for his distinguished leadership of Amyris,” says Sergio Retamal, president and CEO of Global4PL Supply Chain Management. “His vision, leadership, and ability to innovate at speed and scale has proven repeatedly Amyris’ placement as the leading global company in the clean beauty and sustainable ingredients sector. Eduardo’s vision and his team’s execution have resulted in a supply chain excelling both domestically and internationally.”

Going public in 2010, the cosmetics pioneer now generates millions in annual revenue, but in many ways the business is just hitting its stride. “We are the only company in this industry that can produce multiple ingredients at scale, and that means the future is bright,” the COO explains. When he joined, the company produced five ingredients at scale, now it produces fourteen and has nine total consumer product brands.

When Alvarez and his colleagues think about new products and strategy, they follow a simple path. They try to introduce the right ingredients in the right place at the right time. Personal care, beauty products, clean ingredients, and sustainability are all more popular than ever before. “These are issues that consumers and companies care about today,” Alvarez says. People want to live their lives in purposeful ways, and Amyris is in position to help them do just that.

Global4PL Supply Chain Services is pleased to congratulate Eduardo Alvarez for his distinguished leadership at Amyris. His vision, leadership, and ability to innovate at speed and scale have been proven repeatedly and have helped Amyris emerge as a leading global company in the clean beauty and sustainable ingredients sector. Eduardo’s vision and his team’s execution have resulted in a supply chain excelling both domestically and internationally.

Eduardo, kudos on your achievements. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you, your team, and Amyris.

“We want to continue to make natural ingredients, and the way we do that matters. We do it with a no-compromise ethos that sets us apart.”

We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you, your team, and Amyris.

THE IMPORT-EXPORTTRADE-COMPLIANCE EFFICIENCY SUPPLY CHAIN EXPERTS

– so you can grow globally

Exporting is a great way to increase sales since the market overseas is larger than the U.S. market. At Global4PL, we do our best to help our customers grow globally.

| www.global-4pl.com

Freddy Jimenez is paying it forward in his role at Celldex Therapeutics and through mentoring future legal professionals.

Next Generation Mentorship

BY REBECCA RAKOWITZ

WHEN FREDDY JIMENEZ ATTENDED a minority student job fair while at Brandeis University, as an undergraduate biology major, he starting realizing that though he loved science, a career in research might not be for him. As such, he began enrolling in legal studies courses to explore that option.

“The first class I took was on the informed consent process, which is a key part of human subject research,” he says. “I realized that there was a place in law for somebody who really liked science.”

That fair ended up playing a key role in his career: a hiring manager from the pharmaceutical behemoth Johnson & Johnson took a chance on him, despite his lack of experience, and hired him as a clinical research assistant. “It was an unusual thing, because they would normally take people with professional experience in that role,” he says. “But they took an intentional approach to saying, ‘I’m going to

do this to increase the diversity in our in our talent pipeline, even if it means taking a risk.’”

Jimenez started at the company’s pharmaceutical research institute, working his way up from research assistant to FDA liaison, all while attending law school at night. Following a stint in the DC office of the law firm Akin Gump, he became an assistant general counsel to Johnson & Johnson proper, where he led the team of regulatory attorneys supporting the pharmaceutical group of companies.

Now, after thirty years in the pharmaceutical industry, he acts as the senior vice president and general counsel for Celldex Therapeutics, a New Jersey-based biotech company developing targeted antibody therapeutics that could have a huge impact on addressing devastating diseases.

“I enjoy working in this industry, helping innovative researchers who come up with treatments for people in pretty dire

straits,” Jimenez says. “You can really do well by doing good.”

Moving from big pharma to a startup was a significant change, but Jimenez prefers the entrepreneurial environment, despite the inherent struggles.

In biotech companies involved in Phase I and Phase II clinical research, the failure rate of studies is about 80 percent. When Jimenez first started, Celldex was developing a glioblastoma vaccine that showed a lot of promise, but ultimately failed in Phase III.

Jimenez describes the process as a roller coaster of exciting discoveries and frequent failures, but what motivates his team to continue is the knowledge that they are working to help patients. “If you don’t take risks, there isn’t anything,” he says.

Along with juggling wins and losses, Jimenez oversees the handling of licensing agreements, compliance, employment issues, litigation, and SEC requirements around cybersecurity and corporate social responsibility. Managing his hefty to-do list is made possible by both his extensive experience and his leadership style. As his career progressed, he’s focused more on delegating: not to lighten his load but to build others up, giving them the tools and practice to thrive.

“As a young professional, it’s all about building your expertise and experience,” he

Freddy Jimenez SVP & General Counsel Celldex Therapeutics

says. “As you continue your career trajectory and become a leader, it’s no longer about you—it’s about the organization and its people.”

Jimenez’s colleagues outside the company have noted his dedication to his team. “I’ve worked closely with Freddy for several years and witnessed how he brings out the best in those around him and treats his colleagues with respect—key attributes for strong leadership,” says Kathleen A. McGee, partner at Lowenstein Sandler LLP.

Not only does Jimenez care about the growth of Celldex’s 140 employees, but he’s deeply passionate about lending a hand to the next generation of legal professionals. For the past six years, he has been involved in the mentoring program at his alma mater, Rutgers University.

He gets matched with first-year law students, and an ongoing dialogue takes place throughout their time in law school. Conversations often begin with coursework and technical aspects of law, but soon evolve into discussions regarding interests, career paths, and networking opportunities.

“It’s been very rewarding,” he says. “It’s important, I enjoy it, and I think it’s good for the profession because it introduces new types of people into it.”

He also partnered with Rutgers’ Minority Student Program, taking on summer interns—oftentimes, first-generation college or law school students lacking other lawyers in their networks. He is a

strong proponent of exposing people from underrepresented backgrounds to the profession, so the field continues to grow and adapt.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in many aspects of law to get racial minorities interested,” he says. “Every little bit counts.”

It’s this mentality that has Jimenez reaching out to an even larger student population that may have interests in both of his passions: law and science.

Jimenez is the executive sponsor of an employee resource group working to start an outreach program with public schools and colleges in the communities where Celldex operates. The project, while slowed down by the pandemic, hopefully will expand this fall. The aim focuses on bringing in STEM track students for lab tours and conversations with scientists and Jimenez.

He explains that when you think about the building blocks needed to earn a PhD, it’s hard to get there for students starting with limited role models and economic and educational resources.

“That’s not good from a representation perspective,” he says. “We’re a small company, but hopefully we can help.”

We congratulate Freddy Jimenez on the well-deserved appointment. Recognized as Delaware’s premier law firm, Morris Nichols handles high-stakes matters in the four key areas of corporate litigation, alternative entities and corporate counseling, bankruptcy and restructuring, and intellectual property litigation. Morris Nichols is a leader in shaping Delaware Law. morrisnichols.com

“As you continue your career trajectory and become a leader, it’s no longer about you—it’s about the organization and its people.”

It takes a different type of vision to turn an innovative idea into a successful business. It takes a different type of investor to back a disruptive new idea.

Lowenstein Sandler recognizes these differences.

From helping founders start companies to public and private investment transactions, from complex intellectual property matters to M&A or IPO, we help entrepreneurs and investors achieve their goals–and in doing so, change the world.

Lowenstein is proud to work with Freddy A. Jiménez, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Celldex Therapeutics.

Discovering

a Passion

Josie Gomez Fields once applied for a job as a bank teller, but she discovered a passion for community banking and now serves the underbanked as VP at Veritex Community Bank.

BY ZACH BALIVA

Josie Gomez Fields VP and Associate Market Manager

Veritex Community Bank

Like many high school students, Josie Gomez Fields was a bit unsure about the future.

The child of diligent immigrants who both worked two jobs wasn’t afraid of hard work, but she didn’t know what she wanted to do after graduation. While working at a grocery store, Fields dreamed about pursuing a career in criminal justice. But when she applied for a part-time role as a teller, she discovered a passion for customer service and community banking, altering her life trajectory.

It was a fast and profound change. Suddenly, Fields had a purpose, one focused on building relationships and earning trust. In doing so, she connected individuals— especially low-income and underserved African American and Hispanic consumers—to bankers and financial services.

It didn’t take long before clients started arriving at the local branch and asking for Fields by name. She helped them fill out deposit slips, talked about personal budgeting, showed them how to manage checking and savings accounts, and introduced them to simple financial planning tools.

These small steps are important and underscore the role of the community banking. Although Hispanic communities are increasing, many Hispanic households don’t have a

bank account and minority business owners are far less likely to qualify for loans. Fear, mistrust, language barriers, and lack of access can keep many in the demographic from stepping inside (and trusting) their local bank.

It’s a problem Fields knows all too well. She knows multiple people who grew weary of banks and stashed money under mattresses, only to have their life savings stolen. “There are disparities and misconceptions when it comes to Latinos and banking. I want everyone to be able to come to me for advice and know they can rely on me to help them,” she says.

As Fields built her career in banking, she grew increasingly passionate about promoting financial literacy among minority communities. Her interest caught the attention of senior leaders at BB&T, and when they left to create a new kind of bank in 2010, they invited Fields to come along.

That new kind of bank is Veritex Community Bank. The name, which is a combination of “veritas” (truth), and Texas, sets the tone. CEO Malcom Holland created the Lone Star state bank “rooted in truth, transparency, and uncompromising integrity.” Twelve years

STAR! BANKING

We are so proud of our own Josie Fields. Early on she knew that the difference between who she was and who she wanted to be would take focus, preparation, and hard work. Just watch her grow!

after its launch, that foundation helped make Veritex one of the 10 largest banks headquartered in Texas, placing it on Fortune’s list of 100 fastest growing companies two years in a row.

As the bank has grown, Fields has gone from assistant branch manager, to branch manager, to vice president and associate market manager. As she’s moved up, she’s been careful to maintain her original purpose. “I’m here to find common ground,” she says. “My mission in life is to find similarities with everyone I meet. I just want to connect with you and understand you so I can serve you.” Fields also kept her passion for financial literacy alive. She volunteers to teach free classes on the topic at nearby schools, churches, and community colleges.

Today, Veritex continues its rapid expansion, going from 3 to more than 20 locations and from $200 million to $10 billion in assets. Even though it’s getting larger, Fields says Veritex will always be a community bank that cares both about its employees and the people they serve.

Veritex also remains committed to the growth and development of its local Houston-area market. The bank put down roots in Village Towers, created a private banking department, and sponsors the Texas Southern University commercial banking program. Fields and her colleagues partner with groups like The Women’s Resource and the North Texas Food Bank and donate time, knowledge, money, and resources to make a real impact.

Although Fields didn’t originally set out to work in finance, she discovered a fulfilling career in banking. What she enjoys the most is the opportunity to build lasting relationships. “The best part of my job is when people I’ve known and offered guidance to come back and tell me what a difference it’s made in their lives,” she says.

Fields is quick to point out how grateful she is for the sacrifices her parents made to give her the chance to succeed. She’s continuing their legacy, motivated by a saying her father used to repeat often. “Hoy por ti, mañana por mi.”

“There are disparities and misconceptions when it comes to Latinos and banking. I want everyone to be able to come to me for advice and know they can rely on me to help them.”

WORK, WISDOM, &WAFFLES

BY CLAIRE REDDEN

Before becoming the VP of marketing at Kodiak Cakes, Brandon Porras asked the questions that pushed forward the company’s approach toward work-life balance

Brandon jumps off a 400ft canyon rope swing in MOAB, Utah.

WHEN BRANDON PORRAS WAS A CHILD, he was asked what his biggest wish in the world was. “I said I wished my dad was around more—it broke my dad’s heart.” At that moment, his Mexican-American father, who grew up believing that you needed to provide for your family above all else, decided to leave his job and start over on a new career path to spend more time with his family.

“He worked extremely hard to provide for us and did well at it,” Porras says. “But [for some time], he missed out on many things he wanted to be a part of.” Luckily for Porras, those difficult lessons on the need for work-life balance made his dad the best mentor when it came time for Porras to start his own career.

“When I was going to get an internship, my dad’s voice was in my head for every question I’d ask about work-life balance,” he says. Porras’s questions to would-be employers were often met with judgment or nonchalant

remarks about eighty-hour work weeks. That is, until he came across General Mills.

“They had an approach that felt like a true balance. Not only from a work-life perspective but also a balance between working with people and numbers,” Porras explains. This was important to Porras, who ultimately spent six years with the company as part of their rotational program, three of which were spent working with Sam’s Club and Costco.

“It was pretty awesome to get that type of experience at such a young age but I always knew I wanted to get into marketing,” Porras says. But after applying to a few business schools, Porras got an opportunity to run the club program at Kodiak Cakes, a food and lifestyle company based in Park City, Utah.

“I told them I planned on attending business school next year. I did not expect them to call me back.” But sure enough, Porras got a call the very next day. Not only was he offered a job, but through negotiations and

Brandon paddle boards down the Colorado river with the Kodiak team during a content shoot. MOAB, Utah.

Brandon Porras VP of Marketing Kodiak Cakes

the lessons he learned from his father, Porras influenced the company’s approach to worklife balance.

“When you grow up in an environment like me and many minorities grow up in, you don’t learn to ask those sorts of questions,” says the VP. “I’d advise doing it respectfully, but always asking the questions and voicing the challenge—the worst people can say is no.”

Thanks to Porras’s confidence in pushing the company’s approach, Kodiak launched the “Bear Bucks” program. With it, each of Kodiak’s employees receives a bonus every year to spend on getting out in nature and staying active. “I immediately thought, ‘That’s the company I want to be a part of,’” he says.

In his first six months on the club team, Porras worked closely with marketing to develop campaigns for Costco—expanding distribution from two regions in the country to nationwide. In recognition of his success, Porras was asked to run the marketing team himself. “I decided to defer my MBA and take on the role. I haven’t looked back since,” he says.

At the time, the marketing team comprised just a five-person crew. Not only has Kodiak’s revenue grown to hundreds of millions since, but the marketing team has expanded to more than forty employees across their in-house teams—a decision Porras says was vital to their success—in addition to working with digital advertising experts to support their growing team.

“Our CEO and president were big fans of building an internal team, and it paid off.

“When you grow up in an environment like me and many minorities grow up in, you don’t learn to ask those sorts of questions. I’d advise doing it respectfully, but always asking the questions and voicing the challenge— the worst people can say is no.”

It makes a huge impact on the consistency that people see in our brand message,” he says. When asked about what it was like working with Kodiak Cakes and Porras’s team, Laura Koelbel, director of business development and strategy at the Goodway Group, said, “For over two years, Goodway Group has proudly worked alongside of the Kodiak Cake’s marketing team to support Porras’s vision of fueling people with healthier options and becoming a category leader soon.”

Kodiak’s goal is to become the number-one pancake brand this year. However, Porras is most excited to continue the momentum behind Kodiak’s frozen waffles, which, with only half the category share, has now exceeded their pancake revenue. To support his team, Porras knows the value of building strong partnerships to help realize these ambitious goals.

But there’s more than waffles in store for Kodiak’s future, and their upcoming “Keep It Wild” initiative will serve as inspiration not just for people to get outdoors, but also to protect the environment. With actor Zac Efron becoming the company’s chief brand officer, board member, and face of the “Keep It Wild” initiative, Kodiak is launching this giveback project with all the proceeds going towards nonprofit organizations for wildlife conservation.

“When people take a bite of Kodiak, we want them to feel like it’s giving them the fuel to conquer whatever they want, whether that’s a big meeting at work or climbing a huge rock wall. As the years go on, we love that more and more people get outside to enjoy nature, but we also want to protect what we love. It’s a big initiative that’s close to all our hearts,” Porras says.

Brandon Porras (left) spending time with his father (right).

George Gonzalez finds a renewed purpose at the mission-driven digital banking platform Oportun

BY BILLY YOST

Soul FILL YOUR

George Gonzalez Director of Communications Oportun

AFTER ONE OF THE MOST ENRICHING experiences of his career, George Gonzalez needed to go home. Before becoming Oportun’s director of communications, Gonzalez spent four and a half years as the deputy press secretary for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and two cabinet secretaries. Being appointed as an Obama administration official set the capstone to a life engaged in local and national politics, and provided Gonzalez with mentorship from ambassadors, politicians, and those helping shape the life of everyday Americans.

But with the winds of political change whipping through DC in 2016, Gonzalez knew he could remain and become embittered. Or he could pause to figure out what his next chapter might look like.

He chose the latter, and he knew exactly where he needed to go.

“I just packed my stuff and returned to Mexico City,” the director remembers. Raised truly bicultural, Gonzalez grew up in

Mexico City, and spent extensive time with his grandparents in Los Angeles, before his family moved there full-time.

Gonzalez returned to Mexico to sort things out, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. “I spent a lot of time in the neighborhood that I grew up in,” he says. “I spent time with family and friends and people that I grew up with, filling my soul with what it needed, figuring out what my next move was going to be. That’s when Oportun came along.”

Finding the right role seemed like finding a needle in a haystack for Gonzalez. He had spent his career working for mission-driven organizations and campaigns, all focused on making the world a better place.

As a child, Gonzalez was glued to the news. He readily rattles off the events that shaped his world: the Mexico City earthquake, the Challenger explosion, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the release of Nelson Mandela. He was a bona fide news junkie and had built a life for himself in the circles

of those making the news. What could follow that?

“Oportun came across my radar when they had just been named a top company that was reinventing the world by Time,” Gonzalez recalls. “This was a mission-driven organization that was being recognized for their work at a significant level. They were at this crossroads of moving from a start-up environment to this larger entity that was doing exciting things.”

The company’s mission of providing inclusive and affordable financial services that help customers build credit and a more secure financial future is one Gonzalez connected with immediately.

As a modestly paid Washington staffer in one of the country’s most expensive cities, Gonzalez once needed a small loan to get through a rough period. Payday loans were available, and despite paying off the sum immediately (a miracle considering the interest on such loans), it did absolutely nothing

THE TWO-MONTH RULE

George Gonzalez remembers moving to Washington, DC, and being given a solid two months to sleep on a friend’s couch and get himself secure. The “two-month rule” has been returned in full. Gonzalez recently gave up his couch for the same period of time for a friend making their own transition. That friend has gone on to a very successful career at the Department of Defense. The two-month rule may only be sixty days, but it offers the chance to fundamentally change someone’s life for the better, forever.

to help Gonzalez build credit or improve his financial health.

Gonzalez knows the experience pales in comparison to the financial challenges others may face, but he still knows the new world Oportun is trying to create for customers firsthand.

The director speaks glowingly of his “small but mighty” in-house team at Oportun. “This team does everything it possibly can to make sure things get done right and on time,” the director says. “The public affairs and impact team is just this fantastic group of well-rounded professionals, whose previous experience informed them on how to execute at a high level. We hold ourselves accountable, and we’re happy to do that for each other.”

That team supports a company of three thousand. And it now includes the incorporation of recent acquisition Digit, a neobanking company, whose platform provides automated savings, investing, and banking tools that will extend the life cycle of Oportun’s ability to serve its customers beyond more than just a loan.

Gonzalez says the company is at another transformational point. “This is a big deal, because it’s the integration of two companies that are 100 percent mission-focused,” the director says. “We are dealing with individuals who want to make an impact, so you have

this incredible union of ideas, of minds, and feelings. No matter what challenges pop up, you can always find common ground in our shared mission.”

He repeatedly calls out the mentors who have helped him get to this point, people who understood the importance of mentorship and in helping those coming up the ranks discover their passions. Gonzalez mentions individuals like Mauro Morales, staff director at the US Commission on Civil Rights; Cresencio Arcos, former US ambassador to Honduras; and Joseph Avila, senior director of energy policy and strategy for Southern California Gas Company.

“In all of these individuals and in my own mentorship, sincerity and care are what speaks

to me the most,” Gonzalez explains. “These people have helped me succeed, allowed me to fail, and have played such a big part in becoming the kind of person I want to be.”

Gonzalez hopes to provide the same mentorship with newly established Oportun employee resource groups and others seeking guidance at Oportun. And maybe the most important mentorship is with his young nephew, with whom Gonzalez spends as many weekends as he can. It’s just another example of figuring out how to fill your soul with the things that are most important to you.

It took Gonzalez time to figure out what was next, but he continues to change the lives of those around him for the better, any way he can.

“I spent time with family and friends and people that I grew up with, filling my soul with what it needed, figuring out what my next move was going to be.”

STRATEGY

What is your secret to successful leadership?

The impressive executives featured here share theirs, and they are strategies that engage both the mind and the heart.

68. Efrén Garcia, Atlas Technology 74. Nicolas Lombo, T. Rowe Price 77. Larissa Kravanja, First American Title 80. Wilfredo Hernandez, Hyundai Motor America 86. Pedro Valencia, AbbVie 89. Ramon Cepeda, Northern Trust 93. Jon Sanchez, Panera Bread 98. Oscar Montes, Gainwell Technologies

Turning oward ech

At Atlas Technology, Efrén Garcia brings together his tech background and business expertise to help build a sustainable foundation for the future of Web3

BY CLAIRE REDDEN

Efrén Garcia General Counsel Atlas Technology

DOWN IN SOUTH TEXAS, EFRÉN GARCIA didn’t spend his childhood summers like his friends. His father, who emigrated from Mexico with Garcia’s mother in the sixties, owned and operated a construction business. While his friends were off at summer camp, Garcia would be at what he called “camp dad,” digging ditches and laying foundations in the Texas heat.

“I enjoyed being with my dad, but it was backbreaking work,” Garcia says. “Once I joked with him, telling him that I didn’t want to go to school anymore. He said, ‘That’s OK, you’ll just stay here with me under the hot sun.’ I was like, ‘Oh, hell no!’”

While neither of Garcia’s parents graduated from high school, they prioritized the education of Garcia, his sister, and his four brothers above all else. “We all have college degrees, and our parents sacrificed a lot to give us that,” he says. “Growing up, I hardly saw my dad because he was always working. A lot of the parenting fell on my mom—and she watched over us like a hawk, making sure we went to school.” While he may not have been home much, Garcia’s father made his mark and set an example that influences Garcia’s leadership style to this day.

The backbreaking construction work Garcia’s father did to support his family was the kind people only took if they were in genuine need: many were immigrants, often undocumented. Garcia still remembers the

day that the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), which now operates as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), arrived at his father’s construction site, asked for everyone’s identification, and left with three workers in the back of their green truck.

“I just looked at my dad like, ‘What was that all about?’ And he said, ‘Sometimes life isn’t fair, but it’s important you understand that you’ve got to help your fellow man.’ That always stuck with me,” the executive says. “You’ve got to take care of your community, regardless of their circumstances.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University in Houston, Texas, Garcia worked as an engineer, then headed to New York to attend Columbia Law School. Knowing he wanted to leverage his technical and engineering background in IP, he joined the patent litigation practice at the firm Wilson Sonsini and later moved to Vinson & Elkins, where he continued litigating high-stakes patent cases.

“I was a natural fit because I enjoyed learning new technologies,” Garcia says. He eventually left to join GTS, an IT solutions provider, where he served as general counsel and vice president of human resources.

The transition to working in-house is something Garcia attributes to his growth mindset and a simple desire to learn. “I enjoyed GTS, but wanted to keep expanding my skills,” he says, which led him to take the role of general counsel at Southwest Key. “I knew I’d face novel issues at Southwest Key and have the opportunity to solve problems that mattered to our community.”

Southwest Key is not a tech company: it’s the largest nonprofit organization of its kind, dedicated to protecting unaccompanied minors who have crossed the US-Mexico border. Not only did its mission align with his father’s but it also presented an opportunity for Garcia to challenge himself.

“I jumped to a billion-dollar entity with ten thousand employees. I broadened my horizons as a lawyer and a business partner by working with board members to build a

“You’ve got to take care of your community, regardless of their circumstances”

better governance process, strengthening our compliance programs, and helping steer the company in the right direction while also defending it,” Garcia says.

Given the mission, it was difficult for Garcia to leave. But when he came across an opportunity at Atlas Technology, it reinforced how much he values the tech space. “My heart was always in tech, and I realized that I could still do that kind of good work volunteering. In fact, I hope to be on the board [for Southwest Key] in the near future.”

At Atlas, Garcia not only got back into the tech world that he loved but did so as general counsel in the leading-edge field of Web3, the blockchain-based evolution of the World Wide Web. As with his prior roles, Garcia took the time to understand the industry, the business itself, and the

stakeholders he’d be working with. “Those are the three elements that I take into account every day when I make a decision or give advice,” he says.

At its core, Atlas provides the computer infrastructure that serves as the foundation for Web3’s growth. One criticism of technologies of this kind is the amount of power they require. But for Atlas, leading the charge for sustainable energy is key to its success.

“Right now, we’re using 75 percent renewable energy, and the goal is to be 100 percent carbon-neutral by the year 2024,” Garcia says. “We’re at the forefront of using technology to remain accountable on that goal.”

Atlas works with a third-party company that tracks its carbon footprint on the blockchain, a peer-to-peer network that acts as a record-keeping system. “You can’t

“You can’t cheat the blockchain because it’s immutable—there’s no way to go back and change it. We have a lot of critics; the only way we can counter that narrative is by being completely transparent.”

Nicolas Lombo reflects on his “fish out of water” journey to becoming T. Rowe Price’s vice president and managing legal counsel

Find the Flow

BY BILLY YOST

WHEN HIS FAMILY DECIDED TO MOVE from Bogota, Colombia, to Houston amidst an escalating drug war and cartel violence, sixteen-year-old Nicolas Lombo assumed he had the transition covered. He’d taken English classes in school and was looking forward to pursuing a collegiate swimming career.

It was hard enough moving mid-semester, but the stress of his first day of school in Texas increased exponentially when a classmate turned around to speak to him. “I couldn’t understand a word he was saying,” Lombo recalls. “I had to tell him that I didn’t speak English, even though I thought I did, and I just remember thinking, ‘What have I gotten myself into? I don’t think I belong here.’”

And yet, as vice president and managing legal counsel at T. Rowe Price, where Lombo has spent the bulk of his professional career

supporting T. Rowe Price Trust Company, the natural introvert has still managed to thrive as a leader, communicator, and attorney. Throw in a fulfilling marriage and two young daughters, and the swimmer-turned-lawyer’s journey reads as a best-case scenario for immigrants in a new country, working to adapt and overcome in every way possible.

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS FREE LUNCH Lombo’s pursuit of the law, he admits, would have shocked his younger self. His father was a lawyer, and while he enjoyed visiting his office as a child and chatting with his father’s colleagues, he assumed he would wind up a swim coach or possibly a businessman. But eventually, his genes took hold.

“It wasn’t something I was looking for and certainly not something I always had my

heart set on, but the more classes I took on the subject, the more interested I became,” Lombo remembers.

Fortunately, the Philadelphia legal community (Lombo attended Widener Law School in the city) recognized the incredible disparity in representation for minority attorneys and had assembled a diversity initiative—the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group—to help address the issue. That's not to say internships were being handed out.

“It’s so important to understand that these initiatives aren’t free rides in order to meet a quota,” Lombo says. “The process was not easy, and the application process was extensive. The interviews were challenging, but I was able to make a good impression.” Lombo earned an internship with Sunoco as a firstyear law student—but as it turns out, his

future was determined less by the internship and more by a free lunch.

While at Widener, Lombo learned an incredible lesson about making himself open to opportunities. In this case, the cashstrapped student was engaged in the eternal collegiate pursuit of tracking down some free grub. He signed up for a free law event at the Wilmington Convention Center and prepared to fill his plate.

While he was eating, Lombo engaged in conversation with several attorneys from the firm Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, who eventually got in contact with one of his law school professors to discuss a potential summer associate position. He already had his internship locked up at Sunoco, but Lombo landed at the firm the following summer and built out his early career there.

Nicolas Lombo

VP and Managing Legal Counsel

T. Rowe Price

“I went for food and to learn, but ended up with a job offer,” Lombo remembers of the event at the convention center. “It motivated me to go against my introverted ways and continue getting out there while still being myself. You never know what’s going to come from just opening yourself up to possibilities.”

T. ROWE PRICE: A COLLABORATIVE AND DIVERSE CULTURE

Coming in-house at T. Rowe Price contributed, in many ways, to a feeling of déjà vu for Lombo. He was still incredibly early in his law career, and coming in-house to work for a well-established global investment management firm required learning a whole new language and institutional culture.

As his responsibilities have increased, Lombo has had to learn to be more comfortable with speaking up. “I was always someone who liked to put my head down and let my work speak for itself,” he admits. “But you just cannot be that person all of the time. I’m still usually the quiet person in the room [laughs], but that doesn’t mean that I’m not involved.”

Eleven years with any organization is a serious commitment, and Lombo says his managers—as well as the firm’s culture— are the reason he’s stayed. “T. Rowe Price has a very collaborative culture. It welcomes diversity of thought and encourages associates to share their point of view, to the point where introverts like me are comfortable sharing our perspectives.”

While he may be reserved, Lombo’s hard work and leadership, especially in helping build out T. Rowe’s collective investment trust business, led to his promotion to managing legal counsel in 2018 and vice president in 2021. The lawyer was also able to recently reengage his love of swimming after realizing that he didn’t have to commit to the grueling training of his youth.

“I used to think that if I wasn’t going to put in five or six hours a day, that I shouldn’t do it at all,” Lombo says. “But getting back to the pool has been very therapeutic.” Lombo may have had to spend his teens feeling like a fish out of water, but he’s found his way, now with a family of his own in tow and a successful legal career.

“I went for food and to learn but ended up with a job offer.”

First-generation motivation helped Larissa Kravanja push through her imposter syndrome on the road to success at First American Title

A at the Shot Title

BY BILLY YOST

IT TOOK YEARS FOR LARISSA KRAVANJA

to stop feeling like an imposter. The INROADS scholarship and University of Virginia undergraduate degree didn’t do it. The full ride and law degree from New York University (NYU) didn’t either.

The daughter of Cuban and Slovenian parents grew up in a family where secondary education was a rarity, almost nonexistent. However, Kravanja’s family rallied to help her achieve a new level of success. And, while incredibly driven, it took a long time for the vice president and counsel at First American

Title Insurance Company to feel like she belonged in the career she was carving out for herself.

“I just didn’t have many models to follow early in my life,” Kravanja remembers. “That probably isn’t unique for first-generation immigrants but, at some point, I had to ask myself, ‘how many degrees and great jobs do I need to have before I feel like I’m not tricking everyone around me?’”

Part of that insecurity stemmed from Kravanja’s ambition outpacing her knowledge of exactly what field she wanted to pursue.

Without career paths to emulate, she thought of success almost only in terms of a few jobs: doctor, lawyer, engineer, or teacher. It’s a common viewpoint of many first-generation immigrants, and one the lawyer-to-be would eventually outgrow.

Kravanja reluctantly applied to law school, but in the meantime, allowed herself to examine other possibilities. One stood out to her: real estate. “That was the moment it really clicked for me,” the VP and counsel says. “Within two weeks I quit my job, I got my real estate license, and started doing

Larissa Kravanja VP & Counsel First American Title

residential work in New York City. No one told me there was more money on the commercial side, but I really loved it.”

There was one problem: just months after discovering her passion, Kravanja received a full ride to NYU School of Law. Fortunately, she knew she would be able to combine her newfound passion with a law degree. Kravanja ended up practicing real estate law for some heavy hitter firms in the space, but five years ago, she had another realization.

The parts she loved the most about her job were the sales, deals, and relationships. That’s where First American Title came in. It offered a chance to lean into all the parts of real estate law that motivate Kravanja the most.

“In terms of my client base and the growth I’ve experienced, it’s been pretty good,” the lawyer says. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Kravanja was named to First American Title’s executive sales council, where she influences and

motivates junior employees in their careers. And, while she imparts helpful hints and advice, there’s one underlying motivator that has driven Kravanja her entire career.

“There is always someone who’s going to be smarter and better connected than you,” she explains. “But no one is going to be able to compete with you if you’re a hard worker. I’ve always believed I could outwork those around me, and that’s a belief you need to have for yourself.”

Advocacy also plays a significant role in Kravanja’s approach to developing others. The lawyer firmly believes it’s imperative to cultivate relationships where one can feel like they have people looking out for them, whether it be academic or professional. They don’t have to be significant decision-makers; they just have to care.

Seeking out those kinds of mentors has been essential in Kravanja’s career, as she didn’t have people around her whose

careers she could learn from. “When you try to surround yourself with people who are hardworking and committed to building relationships, I think you begin to emulate their success,” she says. “Whether it’s just a conversation or a coffee, just try and interact with people you admire. It might just be one conversation, but it can make all the difference.”

There is a drive in Kravanja that she attributes to being the child of immigrants as she seeks to improve not only her own life, but also the lives of those around her. Despite all her success, her ambition remains fierce, and she is emboldened to set even bigger goals for herself.

“I just don’t know how to turn it off,” Kravanja said, laughing. “I’m always going to keep pushing and keep growing. If you spend your whole life as an ambitious first-generation American, I think it can just become part of who you are.”

“At some point I had to ask myself, ‘how many degrees and great jobs do I need to have before I feel like I’m not tricking everyone around me?’”

Hyundai’s Hemispheric Vision

BY CLAIRE REDDEN

Wilfredo Hernandez, the new executive director and deputy general counsel at Hyundai, has spent nearly nineteen years committed to the brand’s vision, which he continues to build across the Americas

ABOUT FIVE YEARS AFTER GRADUATING FROM STANFORD Law School, Wilfredo Hernandez got a call from Hyundai Motor America—it was one of his mentors from his first post-law school firm, calling to see if he’d like to apply for a role at Hyundai.

At the time, Hernandez was a senior counsel at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he spent a year and a half developing his skills as a civil litigator practicing securities litigation. “Hyundai was interested in whether or not I would like to come in and work on consumer litigation. I expressed a general interest and, after interviewing with them, I was very interested,” the deputy general counsel recalls.

Hernandez joined Hyundai on December 15, 2003—nearly nineteen years ago. Starting out as counsel, he climbed to roles including senior counsel, director, a finally lead counsel of Genesis Motor America, and executive director of franchise law for the Hyundai enterprise in the United States—something he attributes to an exemplary work ethic and loyalty.

“The primary keys to advancement are—first and foremost—work ethic and industry, and second, loyalty to the brand and its vision. At Hyundai, the vision isn’t just to grow for growth’s sake but to be better. We want to grow the brand, expand our footprint in the country, and showcase the quality of vehicles we could manufacture,” he says.

Looking back now as the deputy general counsel of the American region, Hernandez is particularly proud of his oversight in some of Hyundai’s most prominent brand and product launches, particularly the launch of Genesis, the company’s luxury division.

At the time, Hernandez’s team was in the process of developing but hadn’t fully evolved. “Back then, I was the sole operator, so I was at the forefront of the Genesis brand launch. It was a multiyear process that involved myriad legal and administrative challenges from dealers, regulators, and state officials across the country,” Hernandez says.

The success of the launch signified what an important role his office plays. “My group has grown since then because there’s been a recognition by the company of how vital what we do is to the development of the network,” the lawyer says.

“Wilfredo’s leadership enables Hyundai and Genesis to meet the complex legal challenges of an evolving automotive industry,” says Richard H. Otera, managing partner at Nelson Mullins Riley. “We are privileged to work with Will and the Hyundai and Genesis legal team!”

Over time, the dealer franchise team expanded, and Hernandez intentionally set it up to operate as a triage unit, similar to how healthcare teams are organized in hospi-

Wilfredo Hernandez Executive Director and Deputy General Counsel for the Americas Strategic Region Hyundai Motor America

tal emergency rooms. “When a matter from the business comes to our office, or a new lawsuit against the company is filed, the first person at the door takes it to assess the extent of the threat and render a preliminary assessment. Then the team comes together to determine how best to handle the issue, and then assign the matter to a primary physician or two (if you will) to dispense the best legal advice possible,” he explains.

Hernandez also emphasizes the importance of staying attuned to the ever-changing elements of dealer automotive franchise law. “Not only do you have to be attuned to the ongoing changes but you also need the mental acuity and flexibility to process the change and recognize what it means for the company and its trajectory,” he says.

As his team continues to grow, Hernandez looks for candidates with the same work ethic and loyalty to which he credits his own success. But he also looks for candidates with humility. “I encourage my team to take the initiative and make mistakes; that has been a constant for me,” he says. “My team will always receive my backing because that’s the only way we’re going to grow.”

Not only are his team members encouraged to make mistakes, but they’re also motivated to balance life and work, even if Hernandez might not do so himself. “I 100 percent encourage my team to practice work/ life balance, and I’ve never denied a vacation request in nineteen years of working here. Truth be told, I don't regularly take vacations myself. My way of decompressing is watching European football on the weekends,” Hernandez says.

Just a few months into his new role as deputy general, Hernandez maintains his loyalty to the brand’s vision—which, for Hyundai, is increasingly electric. The company recently launched the Ioniq model line.

"At Hyundai, the vision isn’t just to grow for growth’s sake but to be better.”

Hispanic Executive

Congratulations, Willy!

We are a proud partner of Hyundai Motor America and delighted to join HispanicExecutive in celebrating Willy's successes.

“The Ioniq model line is fully electric and will be expanding its portfolio of vehicles in the years to come,” Hernandez explains. “In addition, Genesis, the first brand I helped launch, is going fully electric in 2030.”

Hernandez has done much more than help the company launch models and a new brand. He has spearheaded the market representation legal initiatives that have helped transform the brand’s network since the installation of new management in 2019. He has also been instrumental in facilitating Hyundai’s entrance into the electric market in the US.

The fate of Hyundai’s recent market representation moves, as well as the future of Hyundai’s electric vehicles, will determine, in part, what the enterprise does in the rest of the hemisphere. “I hate the expression, the proverbial ‘building the airplane as it's flying,’ but that's what we’re going to do,” Hernandez says. “I'm excited to see where our brand will go in North and South America.”

Hogan Lovells offers extensive experience and insights gained from working in some of the world's most complex legal environments and markets for corporations, financial institutions, and governments. We help you identify and mitigate risk and make the most of opportunities. Our 2,800 lawyers on 6 continents provide practical legal solutions wherever your work takes you.

“I encourage my team to take the initiative and make mistakes; that has been a constant for me. My team will always receive my backing because that’s the only way we’re going to grow.”

We understand and work with you as part of your team to solve the toughest legal issues in your sectors and commercial centers around the world.

© Hogan Lovells 2022. All rights reserved.

Pedro Valencia is not just a strategy expert— he is also an award-winning scientist, a dedicated mentor, and a passionate advocate of healthcare innovation

BY BILLY YOST

From the Lab to the Corner Office

PEDRO VALENCIA WAS BORN TO LEAD.

The vice president of the corporate strategy group at AbbVie has spent the last five years putting his passion for vision and strategy to work at a company known for innovative biopharmaceuticals.

“My role at AbbVie is the convergence of everything that I’ve been trained for,” Valencia explains. “I was trained in engineering and cancer research, I spent time in venture capital, and I’ve worked with various biotech and pharmaceutical companies. I’ve been able to put all of those skills together and really give the best to one company focused on innova-

tion and patient impact—two things I’m very passionate about.”

As the VP sees it, his role is to help senior leaders at AbbVie make critical decisions on wide-ranging topics that have an impact on major investments the company makes and, consequently, impact the overall direction for the organization. Every day, Valencia helps AbbVie address questions like, “Where are the greatest unmet patient needs? How does the company expand investments to elevate standard of care in key therapeutic areas? What potential technologies could act as disrupters for their business?”

Pedro Valencia VP of the Corporate Strategy Group AbbVie

“To answer these questions, there is usually imperfect and complex data where a robust set of frameworks, analytics, and methodologies are critical to help leaders navigate through this process,” the VP says. “I lead a team that, similar to me, has both scientific and business experience, and we closely collaborate with leaders across the company to bring the best thinking and help our leaders make decisions.”

Valencia’s business and scientific expertise aren’t the only contributors to his success. As he explains, he grew up as the youngest of sixteen children. Born and raised in Colombia, the scientist says virtues like order, patience, collaboration, generosity, and hard work were constant family practices.

Valencia immigrated to the US when he was seventeen with five dollars in his pocket. He wanted to attend MIT, but his father relied on him to help pay bills at home. He needed to learn English, find a way to fund his education, and, in the meantime, create an academic record so stellar that MIT couldn’t possibly say no.

MIT didn’t say no, and Valencia thrived at the school. He was even named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for his contribution to nanoparticle synthesis at MIT—an effort that would help make drugs more effective, less toxic, and capable of being combined with other types of medicine. But he soon decided it was time to do something else.

“I enjoyed my time at MIT doing science in the lab, but I gained an emerging passion for biotech and pharma from the business and strategy perspective,” he remembers. “I knew I was missing one key component: business training.” Valencia accepted a job in strategy consulting with a focus on helping major pharma and biotech companies and he began to develop a new area of expertise.

The perseverance Valencia demonstrated at an early age is complemented by an adaptability that has been well honed over the years. Even after he moved to the US, Valencia continued moving around: from Florida,

he moved to Wisconsin for undergraduate studies, then attended graduate school in Boston. And as a consultant, he went on to work for new clients in new cities all over the world, roughly every three months.

“I’m always changing my environment, which is incredibly helpful for the work that I do,” the VP explains. “At any point in time, I’m dealing with new kinds of questions from different leaders in the organization while the pharma space itself is undergoing quite a bit of change in the rate of innovation and the way we do business. The adaptability I gained over the years is helping me navigate these changes.”

Today, Valencia is paying it forward as both a leader and mentor. At various points in his career, he has found and connected with mentors who helped him navigate key challenges and unknowns. Despite a busy schedule running the largest biomedical engineering lab at MIT and founding

and advising dozens of companies, Valencia’s PhD advisor at MIT, Robert Langer, invested his time in helping Valencia find and pursue his business calling while completing his scientific training. In addition, Valencia speaks of AbbVie chief strategy officer, Henry Gosebruch, as someone who has continued to impact his journey.

“It’s important for me to give back now, so I spend quite a bit of time trying to help others and give back what I have received,” Valencia says. “I take career development very seriously with my team and spend a significant amount of time helping them navigate changes and find exciting opportunities at AbbVie.”

Off the clock, Valencia stays busy with his six children, all under the age of twelve. The leader and strategist is probably doing some of his best work partnering with his wife to simply managing the children’s busy schedules. But no matter how hectic things get, Valencia knows he’s found his calling.

“I take career development very seriously with my team and spend significant amounts of time helping them navigate changes and find exciting opportunities at AbbVie.”

Ramon Cepeda brings a wealth of knowledge to his work as senior managing director of wealth management at Northern Trust

BY KEITH LORIA

Ramon In Cepeda We Trust

WHEN RAMON CEPEDA WAS IN HIGH school, he didn’t know that he would one day pursue a career in banking. He did, however, get a taste of the kind of work he didn’t want to do when he took a job in a factory.

“They had me working on heating up these big coils, and it was awful,” Cepeda remembers. “It was like one hundred degrees in there all the time because we had these big furnaces going. I decided I didn’t want to do that, and I got a job as a teller at our local community bank. So in high school and through college, I was a bank teller and that’s how I paid for college.”

He was considering a career in law enforcement but changed his mind when he met the woman he would later marry and decided that kind of work wasn’t a good fit for the life he wanted.

“The bank president was kind enough to say, ‘You have your college degree, so we want to give you an opportunity to do something different,’” Cepeda recalls. “That’s how it started.”

Back then, his work focused on loans in Little Village, a prominent Mexican American community in Chicago, where he grew up. Cepeda also gained experience in other types of loans and eventually left that small bank for a position with LaSalle Bank in Chicago.

In 2007, he joined Northern Trust, where he led both the commercial real estate lending team and the professional services team within wealth management. His expertise was key to the real estate team’s work with high-net-worth families and individuals, as well as the professional service team’s focus on regional and national firms within the legal, accounting, and consulting practices.

“I came over to start the group that eventually grew to a very large commercial real estate department,” Cepeda shares. “We had a lot of success, so it was a good move on my part. At the time, I had many offers to sift through, and I ended up taking less money to come here because it felt like a better fit.”

Ramon Cepeda

Senior Managing Director of Wealth Management Northern Trust

Cepeda noted that the commercial real estate practice has grown to twelve people and a portfolio of $3 billion under his stewardship.

“As with any organization, when you’re successful at one thing, they want to give you more things to do,” he explains. “I took on another team that is called a professional services group. I was leading those two efforts for a long time, pretty much the whole time was here, and then, in March of this year, we did a reorganization of some teams.”

That led to his current position at Northern Trust as senior managing director of wealth management.

Cepeda says Northern Trust is not a typical bank; it's more of a wealth management outfit.

“Our core business is lending to ultrahigh-net-worth individuals and families, so the teams that I was running before were built up to serve that client base in wealth management,” he says. “After the reorg, I was

pulled into a multidisciplinary team that has banking, trust, and investments. My team has those twenty people, and we’re able to cover any client need.”

That team includes attorneys, investment professionals, and private bankers who serve some of Forbes’ richest families in the areas of investments, trust, and banking.

“A typical day for me is going out and meeting some of the families and having generational meetings, where we talk about succession planning, trusts, and ways to help manage their wealth—not only for the next generation but for the generation after,” Cepeda explains. “We think long term as a bank.”

Some of the initiatives he is working on include assuring clients that the bank has their best interests in mind and Northern Trust’s expansion into different markets, including Nashville, Tennessee, where the bank has established a virtual office, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Cepeda credits much his success to his wife of twenty-nine years, Anna. He remains connected to the community in his home city by helping nonprofits that work in affordable housing and social services in their areas of finance and auditing.

Especially important to him are his efforts as a member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

“Education has been a really big cause of mine,” he states. “Making sure people in our community have access to first-class education at an affordable price is a big part of my role in the University of Illinois.”

He’s especially proud of the increasing number of Hispanic and Black students attending the university.

“You really feel like you’re making a huge impact,” Cepeda says of this work. “It’s been very satisfying to be part of the growth of the university and helping folks out in my old communities. That’s been really fulfilling.”

“A typical day for me is going out and meeting some of the families and having generational meetings, where we talk about succession planning, trusts, and ways to help manage their wealth—not only for the next generation but for the generation after.”

The Science of Sales

BY FREDERICK JERANT

Data analytics was not in the original plan for Jon Sanchez, but he fell in love with the field in college and today applies his expertise to enhance the customer experience at Panera

PHARMACOLOGY WAS

JON SANCHEZ’S

original career plan, but that took a sharp left turn when he landed a high school summer job at Best Buy.

“I spent most of my time on the sales floor, but Best Buy was a data-rich company, so I also got to spend a lot of time in the back, digging into all that data,” he recalls. “That was my first exposure to analytics, and I loved it.”

Today, Sanchez is the director for digital and customer analytics at Panera Bread. Once in college, he changed his major to business administration and continued working at Best Buy. After graduation, he was hired fulltime at Best Buy’s Minneapolis headquarters as a demand planning analyst.

He then joined New Balance in a similar capacity and became immersed in the commercial and operational parts of the company’s website, including web analytics, experiment-based conversion rate optimization, and digital marketing. He discovered that seemingly insignificant changes to a website’s structure or its functions could influence sales.

“Coming up with hypotheses to test, running an experiment, and then changing the website based on those results often made me feel more like a scientist than a businessperson. I still often feel that way,” he says.

He moved to Panera Bread in 2016 in a strategic finance role, with the gradual addition of digital commerce and loyalty marketing. In 2019, Panera’s chief digital officer, George Hanson, created the digital commerce department as a standalone business unit, and Sanchez was promoted to his present position a year later. His key task was the development of the digital and customer analytics team, with a broad scope of involvement.

Throughout his career, though, he’s often been the only Latino in the room. “I’ve often felt like I had to prove that I’m smart enough and hard-working enough to be in the positions I’ve attained,” he says.

He’s become a champion for more diversity in the profession. “Analytics is not strictly objective; there’s a lot of creativity involved, especially in data analysis or devel-

Jon Sanchez Director of Digital & Customer Analytics Panera Bread

oping a machine-learning model,” Sanchez says. “Any problem will have many possible solutions, depending on how you interpret the data—so relying on diverse viewpoints can lead to unique insights.”

He’s found that, as a career or profession, analytics is overwhelmingly populated by white men, and he strives to change that.

At Panera, his team is divided among three “pillars”—traffic analytics, conversion analytics and customer analytics. There’s plenty of diversity in the team itself, Sanchez says. “It’s over 60 percent female and 40 percent BIPOC. All told, 75 percent of my team is either BIPOC or female. I take great pride in this, because it makes us better as a team, more capable of solving the complex problems that come our way.”

The data analysis his team does impacts the company from several angles. “We can determine where our guests come from, what influences them to visit us in-person or online, and ways we might reduce

‘friction’ to make their experiences smoother and easier,” he explains.

Thanks to his team, Panera can apply more advanced analytics and machine learning techniques to broader strategies, such as assessing business performance in terms of expected customer spending, and determining which products and services resonate with customers.

His colleagues outside the company have been impressed by his work. “As a leader, Jon has a knack for fostering talent and getting the most out of a team,” says John Adamo, client partner at Epsilon. “Whether it be a direct report, or partner organization such as ours, his passion is contagious.”

In 2020, the company launched its coffee subscription, which in 2022 evolved to become Panera’s “Unlimited Sip Club,” a $10.99-a-month (plus tax) subscription that grants members a practically unlimited amount of Panera’s self-serve beverage offerings. “It’s the first in the industry,

and there was some apprehension at first,” Sanchez says. “The combination of ‘free,’ ‘unlimited,’ and ‘subscription’ often indicates high risks from a strategic standpoint.”

Despite launching during the onset of the COVID pandemic, the program has been a hit. “My chief role in it has been to oversee the data analysis—customer behavior and spending patterns. It appeals to many of our regular customers, and has actually drawn in new ones,” he says.

Despite his success, Sanchez still must deal with certain stereotypes. “I remember a lightbulb going off while reading a book about Google search data. For years, you could enter ‘Why are all Mexicans…’ into the search bar, and the auto-complete function would add ‘stupid’ or ‘lazy,’” he says. “The algorithm was simply reflecting what had often been entered before—the biases that people keep secret, but whisper to that little bar.”

Sanchez has two pieces of advice for others. The first: “Have a ‘growth mindset.’

“Coming up with hypotheses to test, running an experiment, and then changing the website based on those results often made me feel more like a scientist than a businessperson.”

Realize that resilience, hard work, and coaching—striving for development and growth—are more important than our natural talents. I often think of Albert Einstein’s statement, ‘It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.’ It resonates with me, because I think that’s how I try to approach things.”

“I’m learning to let go of the need for constant perfection,” he says. “I’ve found it to be freeing.”

The second: “Don’t be afraid to fail.” In analytics, he explains, you’ll see issues and situations that don’t have clear and immediate answers. It’s vital to have confidence in yourself, and in your team, that you’ll be able to figure it out together. Hold them accountable for their successes, not their failures. But be there when they fail to cheer them on, and make sure they don’t give up.

The disruption in the restaurant industry has only begun, the pandemic acted as a catalyst to accelerate this change. Data and AI is a powerful tool to navigate this change, as it gives brands deeper customer understanding, optimizes digital plaforms, and streamlines store operations. Tiger brings expertise in customer analytics, marketing effectiveness, digital product management and operations having accelerated business value from AI investments for multiple brands globally.

As a Data and AI services partner for Panera Bread, Tiger is leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning to enhance store operations and digital user experience. Discover more about Tiger at tigeranalytics.com

We provide advanced data analytics services with specialization in marketing optimization, customer analytics, supply chain and risk analytics.

data

We bring expertise in science, data engineering and business intelligence delivering value across QSR, Retail, CPG, Manufacturing, Banking, Insurance and many more.

As a trusted Data & AI services partner for

Tiger is leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning to enhance store operations and digital user experience.

Panera BREAD

Oscar Montes employs a jet fighter’s eagle eye to drive growth at Gainwell Technologies

High-Flying Leadership

BY WILL GRANT

OSCAR MONTES KNOWS A THING OR two about employing a wide perspective. The former naval officer and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter pilot is used to seeing the world from an elevated vantage point—which is no doubt why he’s transitioned from the CEO chair at a $300 million organization to a role in which he can drive growth at Gainwell Technologies, whose revenues have surpassed $2 billion. This role is a good fit for Montes: he has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to see things differently, to drive innovation, and to succeed in the incredibly competitive world of government contracting and healthcare.

In his new role as chief growth officer (CGO), Montes is tasked with developing and implementing Gainwell’s growth strategy, as well as driving business development, sales, and marketing efforts. If there’s any question about his ability to deliver on any of these fronts, a quick check of his references would put paid to those doubts.

Montes amassed a whole host of career accolades in his previous position as CEO of

Magellan Federal, a behavioral and specialty healthcare firm that serves members of the military, federal civilian employees, and their families. That list of achievements includes a nomination to (and recognition as a finalist for) WashingtonExec’s 2022 Chief Officer Awards.

“There are several key contract wins that the team worked exceptionally hard to secure,” Montes told WashingtonExec. “One was the Military and Family Life Counseling East contract, with an estimated value of $2 billion over five years. Additionally, we won the Navy, Air Force, and Defense Department Civilian Employee Assistance Program contracts, solidifying our position as a leading provider of federal behavioral health services.”

Montes also succeeded in enhancing the leadership team at Magellan Federal, which took on three new business unit leaders, a new chief information officer, and a new strategy growth chief during his tenure. Overall, Montes led a team of over 2,500 employees.

At Gainwell Technologies, the new CGO aims to grow the company’s footprint in both the Medicare and Medicaid spaces. As the post-pandemic environment continues to evolve, Montes understands the ever-changing health market environment will continue to challenge even the best-laid plans. But there have already been some early wins.

In June 2022, Gainwell announced that its HMS technology company had been selected to provide Medicaid Third Party Liability services solutions to state-level Medicaid agencies via the National Association of State Procurement Officials Valuepoint TPL Services contract.

“For decades, HMS has been a leader in providing cost containment solutions to state Medicaid agencies,” says Gainwell’s president and CEO, Paul Saleh, in an announcement. “This contract win further validates the long-standing quality, effectiveness, and innovation of our TPL solutions—and they are invaluable in continuing to keep our nation’s healthcare programs protected and strong.”

The addition of Montes enhances the already award-winning leadership team at Gainwell. The company landed on Comparably’s fifth annual list of Best Leadership Teams, which was calculated based on millions of anonymous employee ratings of executive leadership teams and direct managers on Comparably.com over a year’s time.

While awards help, Montes’s corporate achievements are just another extension of who he is as a leader—a leader who has proven himself time and time again on behalf of his country. The officer and pilot has logged over two thousand flight hours and four hundred carrier landings, including combat operations in Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks of 9/11

(where he flew over two hundred hours of combat). A corporate leadership team may have its fair share of challenges, but it’s safe to say that Montes’s experiences—including acting as a strike fighter tactics officer for an aircraft carrier of over fifty fighters—have taught him how to strategize quickly.

Currently, Montes supports the Armed Services Arts Partnership, an organization that seeks to cultivate communities in which military veterans and their families can flourish in the arts. Along with that nonprofit work, Montes also serves on the board of Making Homes Possible, an organization dedicated to providing affordable homes for families.

Marshall & White leverages virtual capabilities, efficient support models and cost containment strategies to provide the very best legal support. Our attorneys combine top law firm experience with government and in-house expertise. M&W clients range from F100 global leaders to emerging businesses. For more information please visitmw-pc.com.

M&W congratulates Oscar Montes on his leadership and well-deserved recognition.

M&W proudly supports Hispanic businesses in the areas of government contracting, health care, technology, and corporate law.

The technologists, tinkerers, and thinkers are leading the way of the future

Contents

ELIZABETH NIETO Global Head of Equity and Impact Spotify

TONY JIMENEZ Founder, President, and CEO MicroTech

DENYS DIAZ CIO TowneBank

ROLANDO ORTIZ VP of Enterprise Architecture & International IT The Wendy’s Company

RAFAEL ZAMORA Chief People Officer Conversica

ERIC BROWN Cybersecurity Director, Enterprise Identity & Access Management SAIC

RON CASTRO VP of Supply Chain IBM

PATRICIA DOMINGUEZ IT Director Cooper Standard

CARIZA ARNEDO Associate General Counsel for Compliance Meta

JEANETTE HERNANDEZ PRENGER Founder and CEO ECCO Select

NONNY DE LA PEÑA CEO and Founder Emblematic Group

CARLOS MORAN JR. CISO Toppan Merrill

BY MICHELE CANTOS GARCIA

BELONGING IN THE

Guest Editor Elizabeth Nieto, global head of equity and impact at Spotify, speaks on her team’s inclusive initiatives and how they are shaping the music streaming company’s future

ELIZABETH NIETO Global Head of Equity and Impact Spotify

FOR ELIZABETH NIETO, WORKING AT a top tech company, innovating for a global workforce, and navigating a corporate culture influenced by Sweden and the United States is all in a day’s work. After successful HR stints at Citigroup, Marsh & McLennan, and MetLife, among others, she made the switch and joined the tech sector: first at Amazon and now at Spotify.

As Spotify’s global head of equity and impact and a mother of two (a teenage son and an adult daughter living in Doha, Qatar), Nieto is committed to making the company one of the most tolerant, welcoming, and multicultural employers in the world. In addition, the executive brings her skills and a passion for equity to nonprofit boards supporting underserved and at-risk youth.

The New York City-based Argentinian native spoke to Hispanic Executive about her commitment to equity and what a tech-focused future means for talent and employers.

IN 2021, YOU JOINED SPOTIFY (“THE BAND”) TO LEAD EQUITY AND IMPACT, WHERE YOU BROUGHT TOGETHER DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING; EARLY CAREER PIPELINE; SUSTAINABILITY; AND SOCIAL IMPACT. CAN YOU SHARE MORE ON THE EXPERIENCE AND SPOTIFY’S VISION?

It is exciting to be part of a company that has an ambitious mission: To unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creators the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. In Equity and Impact (E&I), we believe in the power of our people, their stories, and the impact we have as a platform to imagine and deliver a sustainable future that is welcoming for all people, in a world that centers justice, equity, and environmental sustainability.

How do we accomplish our E&I mission?

By focusing our work on communities, indus-

tries, and the planet. We bring together creators, industry partners, changemakers, and Spotify teams from all over the world to cocreate programs that positively impact the underrepresented and marginalized communities globally and our planet. Internally, we further strengthen our culture of inclusion by increasing diversity and deepening the experience of belonging, where every band member does their very best. Here are some examples of the work we do:

Sustainability: We committed to net zero emissions in a decade, and we are working closely with our colleagues in other tech organizations to achieve that goal. However, we also know that we are uniquely positioned to educate through our platform, so this year we launched Twenty Seventy-Two, a collection of research-based audio short stories that illuminate the realities we will face in 2072 if we do not implement climate actions today. We also curate and have original podcasts that address the needs for climate action and solutions.

Social Impact: Externally, we celebrate cultural moments and address critical issues through our media responsibility workstream. Internally, we leverage the power of our people to create good in the communities in which we live and work through our corporate and employee giving and our band members volunteering.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging: The team is focused on increasing and retaining diverse talent, creating a culture of inclusion through our policies and practices, and ensuring our employees feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to thrive.

Heart & Soul (Mental Health Initiative): We launched this initiative four years ago, because for us everyone’s experiences of mental health—from illness to well-being— are welcomed, respected, and championed. Our goal is to cultivate a stigma-free workplace that is open and caring about all mental health issues. Our three key goals are raising awareness, providing support, and reducing stigma. Together, they bring focus and impact to all our initiatives. This year we also launched a program for those who are suffering from domestic abuse.

Early Career Pipeline: This team attracts top-notch talent with a focus on diversity, identifying and hiring students, recent graduates, and newly skilled professionals to launch and develop their careers within Spotify.

YOU CUT YOUR TEETH IN HR IN FINANCE AND CONSULTING, AND THEN EXPANDED INTO TECH DEI. WHAT HAS YOUR CROSS-INDUSTRY WORK TAUGHT YOU? WHAT CAN THESE INDUSTRIES LEARN FROM EACH OTHER?

In highly regulated industries (like financial services) you learn to have it “all figured out” before you launch a program. There is very little room for errors, so I learned to be thorough, to think of every potential risk, and to be prepared with solutions for each risk. In the tech world, iteration is the norm. There is always a v1, v2, v3 approach to creating a solution. Failure is not only expected but welcomed.

In my team at Spotify, we mix both approaches by favoring timely action over perfection. Our goal is to be fast and thorough when creating and launching initiatives like our domestic abuse support program. We took the time to think about the best approach and then we imagined how to better serve our

“

One advantage women and Latinas have now is that information is available like never before.”

band members. We knew we would need to review the program after six months, evaluate what worked, and integrate new aspects after the first phase.

AS A LATINA DEI LEADER WHO MADE THE TRANSITION INTO TECH. HOW HAVE YOU TRANSFERRED PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OTHER LATINAS WHO WANT TO DO THE SAME?

In my case, most of the skills and capabilities expected in functional roles like HR are similar in most industries, so the transition to tech was not as difficult. But I clearly had to learn a lot. Back in consulting and financial services, it was clear that to be a good HR person you needed to know the business. To be respected by leadership you had to understand the business strategy, regional differ-

ences, macroeconomics factors affecting the business, regional differences, and the risks involved in running a global business, plus customer needs and products.

That was the same approach I took when moving to the tech industry, going deep into learning how things work.

One advantage women and Latinas have now is that information is available like never before, access to upskilling has been democratized, and the deep need for talent has made companies more open to bring in candidates from different industries.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT SPOTIFY’S LATINO ERG “BANDA.”

Banda is a Belonging Group, a group of LatinX employees, amig@s, and allies whose mission is to create a safe space that fosters an

FIKA OR CAFECITO?

“My answer is MATE! I always start my mornings with Argentinian yerba mate, served the traditional way in a small gourd and sipped through a metal straw with a filter called a bombilla. And I rarely drink coffee.

“This is the first time I’ve worked for a non-US company, and I’ve enjoyed learning about the strong Swedish values that transcend into how we do things at Spotify. Spotify’s Band Manifesto is a good example of the Swedish approach to leading—‘We have no time for internal politics . . . we don’t take ourselves too seriously’—and gives a fun twist to Swedish humility.”

TALK EN ESPAÑOL: LATINX PODCASTERS AND CREATORS

“I am constantly amazed by the creativity of our Latinx podcasters here in the US and in Latin America. I’m listening to Spotify Original Caso 63, a Chilean fiction podcast now being produced in English, and El Grupo, a hilarious sitcom about a parents chat group.”

inclusive environment for everyone, promoting intercultural exchange, and upholds Spotify’s values, much like an ERG. One of the successes of the Belonging Groups is their aim to partner across groups to provide intersectional programming. We recently hosted a discussion and celebration of the unique journey of parenthood for all families. It was a partnership between Banda, Spectrum (the LGBTQIA+ Belonging Group), and Parents (Affinity Network). Banda is also collaborating with our marketing teams in the creation of marketing moments aligned to both the Latinx creators and listeners.

AS A THREE-TIME NONPROFIT BOARD MEMBER, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK AND WHAT EXECUTIVES BRING TO NONPROFIT BOARDS?

Each of us that “made it” has the responsibility to give back. Growing up in Argentina, I had the privilege of completing

all my education, from first grade to my graduate degree, in academically rigorous public institutions. But I know that not everyone has the same opportunities. That is why I have been involved with nonprofit boards for a long time, and all of them focused on providing education access to underserved youth.

Each organization has its individual needs based on its own evolution. I always remind those interested in serving on boards that there are three needs all nonprofits have: time, talent, and treasure. Many up-and-coming leaders say, “but I do not have lots of money to contribute.” That is when you provide for the other two Ts. Sometimes the need is for time and bouncing ideas with the leadership. Sometimes the need is for talent and using your exper-

tise in insurance, finance, legal, technology or HR to make a difference.

WHAT IS AN EXCITING TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR FIELD?

Talent is available in parts of the world where we currently do not have offices, but as we continue to develop our Work From Anywhere program, there will be no limit to getting the best talent. Our challenge is that we still rely on synchronous work habits. However, our CEO is pushing us to find solutions to innovate, design, develop, and launch products that enable more and more of our teams to work asynchronously. There are new tools available to succeed in an asynchronous world, we just need to jump into using them more and more.

BELONGING AT SPOTIFY

In 2022, Spotify reshaped, renamed, and refocused its employee resource group communities into three types.

BELONGING GROUPS: Groups aligned to Spotify’s diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) strategy focus areas (e.g., ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity). They work in partnership with the DIB team to accelerate diversity, infuse inclusion, and amplify belonging.

AFFINITY NETWORKS: Dedicated to fostering community with individuals with similar interests and social engagement.

REMIX GROUPS: In-country and local groups open to all employees in that country interested in creating employee engagement activities.

“

I always remind those interested in serving on boards that there are three needs all nonprofit [boards] have: time, talent, and treasure.”

TONY VERSUS

Five years ago, Tony Jimenez wanted to make MicroTech into a half-billion-dollar company. He reached that goal early after beating IBM, HP, SAIC, and other giants for government bids and he now wants to become the best technology integrator in the nation.

BY ZACH BALIVA PORTRAITS BY NOAH WILLMAN

TONY JIMENEZ IS FEARLESS. HE LEADS a half-billion-dollar tech integrator that serves the biggest government agencies and the top names in international business. But long before there was MicroTech, Jimenez was just a Navy brat from California who had to learn how to navigate the tech world as a Latino.

Jimenez didn’t let his minority status prevent him from serving his country with honor for twenty-four years or dwell on the fact that he was the only person of color in his master’s program at Webster University in St. Louis. He honed his skills, worked hard, and refused to take shortcuts or make excuses— somewhat unaware that the deck was stacked against him.

“My classmates and peers were all white males who had prepared their whole lives to become IT gurus,” he says. “I didn’t realize that I was setting a new standard and doing something special until people wanted to know how I had done it.”

Jimenez had done something special. He had become a trailblazer for Hispanics in IT without realizing he was breaking new ground. “Maybe if I had known, I would have been more afraid,” he jokes.

In 2003—after many years of distinguished service in the United States Army

where he served in the Military Police Corps, the Acquisition Corps, and attended college on a rare active-duty scholarship—Jimenez retired from the Army and took a civilian job as a director of information technology enterprise solutions at Unisys. Although he was happy, Jimenez had been thinking about starting his own IT services firm. When close friends argued that he should do it while his IT knowledge and experience were still relevant, Jimenez agreed and decided the time was right to launch MicroTech.

There was just one problem: Jimenez had no money and no assistance. But what he lacked in funding he made up for in passion and ambition. He found two investors, sold them 40 percent of a fledgling start-up company with no clients, and used their seed money to handpick his initial team. “Having two passive owners forced me to be successful right away because I had no other choice. I had a huge incentive to grow the company, and the pressure was on,” says Jimenez, who is founder, president, and CEO.

MicroTech was profitable in year one. In year two, it doubled its revenue. It did the same in years three and four. In fact, the company doubled or tripled its revenue and headcount in each of its first eight years.

TONY JIMENEZ Founder, President, and CEO MicroTech

SideBar

Meet Tony Jimenez

Born:

Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Virginia

Parents: Military Service:

Ray (Puerto Rican), Cecile (Cuban)

Military Service: Enlisted in the US Army and served with the Military Police Corps from 1975 to 1978 and 1980 to 1982. In 1984, Jimenez received his Regular Army commission as an MP Officer and returned to Active Duty as a Second Lieutenant. In 1991, Jimenez was moved into the Acquisition Corps. The service-disabled veteran was granted top-secret clearance in 1976, has served in numerous combat zones, and has over twenty-four total years of active military service.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Unisys Director of Enterprise Solutions

2003–2004

MicroTech President, CEO, and Founder

2004–present

EDUCATION

– MA in Computers and Information Systems, Webster University

– MS in Acquisition Management, Florida Institute of Technology

– BS in Business Management, St. Mary’s University

– Executive education training course graduate, Dartmouth Tuck School of Business

– Advanced Program Management Course, Defense Acquisition University

– Systems Acquisition Management Course for General/Flag Officers, Defense Acquisition University

BOARD MEMBER

– American Film Institute

– Government Business Executive Forum

– Latino Donor Collaborative

– US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce

– National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council

Jimenez and his team provide network support, telecommunications support, products, services, and solutions to major companies and government agencies. “We do tech, and we make tech work the way it was intended to work,” he explains. Doing so—and doing so well—sparked MicroTech’s early success. By 2015, Jimenez bought out his two partners to take sole control of the operation. Then, he focused more on implementing his vision to expand the company into new areas and win large government contracts. Before the end of 2020, MicroTech was routinely winning billions of dollars of new contracts from agencies like the Department of Defense, the Social Security Administration, Veteran Affairs, and the General Services Administration.

MicroTech reached unprecedented success under Jimenez’s leadership. The large contracts are validating, but Jimenez says he takes more fulfillment in his ability to make a difference in the lives of his employees and the communities they serve.

He first saw this in action after a MicroTech chief operating officer was rushed to the hospital for an emergency operation. Jimenez went to visit his friend and colleague. As he was escorted to the man’s hospital room, Jimenez realized something profound. “My little business had provided healthcare that someone could rely on for a lifesaving procedure. I actually

started a business that gives paychecks and healthcare and benefits, and that is something special,” he says.

Hispanic Executive first featured Jimenez in 2018. Then, he shared his goal of building MicroTech into a half-billion-dollar company in just five years. But as he read his own article, Jimenez realized something. “What started off small was starting to get big and unwieldy. We were in danger of doing certain things we were no longer good at,” he says. Jimenez decided to specialize, and he made the difficult decision to downsize and focus on quality over quantity.

Although MicroTech had previously sought to “rightsize,” these critical moves helped recalibrate and refocus the organization as it celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. In 2019, Jimenez sold off a division that dropped his headcount from five hundred all the way down to one hundred. Though difficult, it was the right move. “I knew the world of IT was about to change, and I wanted to reposition us to focus on emerging services like cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data center migrations,” he says.

Other leaders may have hesitated to make the move, but Jimenez relied on the intuition he honed by leading large technology projects in the US Army and the same ambition he leveraged at the start of his civilian career. Those characteristics compelled him to make the tough call, pivot the business he poured many years into, and fine-tune MicroTech’s capabilities to match its client’s changing needs.

MicroTech 2.0 quickly emerged. Jimenez not only doubled down on security, cloud infrastructure, and telecom but also built relationships with AT&T, Sprint, CenturyLink, and other major carriers. At the same time, he polled his government contacts on new trends and accessed critical intel. Those clients were struggling to order expensive equipment and keep up with ever-changing technologies. Jimenez and his colleagues created a new solution by which MicroTech leases government agencies’ tech platforms using a managed service provider (MSP) model paid for over multiple years.

In addition to zeroing in on new business lines, Jimenez and MicroTech have focused on maintaining robust certifications and developing proprietary technologies. The company’s on-premises private cloud platform uses six patents that Jimenez and his employees developed in-house. “It’s truly unique for a minority-owned tech company

to be able to accomplish something like this, and I’m very proud of our team,” Jimenez says.

MicroTech is CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) Level 3 appraised for both services and development and has ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001, 20000, 27001, and 20243 certifications. These certifications are usually reserved for major players like IBM, SAIC, and the world’s other massive IT companies.

Much of this was made possible by a calculated risk Jimenez made two years earlier. “We did something no small business in its right mind would do,” he says. In 2017, MicroTech decided to compete for one of several $50 billion General Services Administration (GSA) Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contracts to modernize the large agency’s telecommunications and IT networks.

Doing so required the company to complete and submit a 950-page techni-

My story is not only compelling; it shows what can be done. Latinos can do great things when given the opportunity.”

MEET THE CLIENTS

MicroTech has completed over two thousand federal projects with a value of more than $3 billion since 2004 to build its reputation as a leading systems and technology integrator.

The company also serves state and local government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Notable US government clients include:

Department of Defense

Department of Veteran Affairs

Department of Justice

Social Security Administration

General Services Administration

Missile Defense Agency

Army Navy

Air Force

cal proposal to prove it had the ability to manage a robust contract for the GSA. The cost to submit the bid was more than $2 million. “You’re gambling that you’re going to win, and if you don’t, you’ve thrown away a lot of time, energy, and money that you’re not getting back,” Jimenez says.

At the time, MicroTech was doing $100 million in annual revenue. To win the contract, it would have to go up against large telecom companies like Verizon, which did $130 billion in revenue per year. That’s $2.4 billion a week—or more in one day than MicroTech made in an entire year.

MicroTech won one of the contracts. Of the ten contracts awarded, eight others went to global giants like AT&T, Verizon, and British Telecom. MicroTech was one of only

two small businesses selected. “Companies like ours don’t win billion-dollar awards like that,” Jimenez remarks.

Winning the contract is one thing, managing it is another. Jimenez established a wholly owned subsidiary called Defined Technologies LLC just to support the fifteenyear project. He created an entire business within a business complete with a dedicated team of professionals assigned exclusively to the GSA contract. Then, Comcast came calling. In 2021, Jimenez and MicroTech sold Defined Technologies to the media giant for a large and undisclosed sum.

With the sale complete, Jimenez once again finds himself in an interesting position. MicroTech is suddenly smaller than it has been in the last fifteen years. “I

might have fewer people working for me right now, but I’m better financed, better equipped, have more experience and my team is as good if not better than it’s ever been. Our ability to do something special again going forward is huge,” Jimenez says. MicroTech is currently holding more than $240 billion worth of pre-competed, multiple-award, government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs), and indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts.

Additionally, Jimenez continues to examine how to best leverage his company’s capabilities to meet the modern challenges his clients face. Today, those challenges include poor cloud and network security, weaknesses in mobile devices, and vulnerabilities created by hybrid work structures.

For Jimenez, the past two decades have been filled with hard work, considerable challenges, and undeniable success. MicroTech’s leader believes his journey is proof of what’s possible. “My story is not only compelling; it shows what can be done. Latinos can do great things when given the opportunity,” he says.

After all he’s accomplished, Jimenez has several goals for the future. He hopes to continue to provide secure employment and good health benefits for as many people as possible. He wants to contribute to the success of his community. He wants his story to inspire someone else to follow in his footsteps.

“I want someone to read this article and say, ‘I want to be like Tony,’” he says. “Because if I can do it, you can too.”

CASE STUDY: MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

When the Missile Defense Agency was looking for a way to empower effective communication to users in seventeen different time zones, it turned to MicroTech to deploy a system that leverages interactive video, Web 2.0 technologies, and voice and video over IP. MicroTech installed a secure video conferencing infrastructure and provided training at seven military installations.

The project’s most innovative features include HD video telepresence technology and secure signal switching via Multiclass S3. MicroTech’s system brought $20 million in annual savings and in 2010 won it the CIO 100 award, which recognizes companies that generate business value with technological improvements.

BY ZACH BALIVA

After a quarter-century in the financial services industry, CIO Denys Diaz delivers technology solutions to make banking both easy and safe for TowneBank customers

SOME DAYS, DENYS DIAZ IMAGINES HE has an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, both whispering in his ear. The angel tells him to make everything safe and secure at all times. The devil tempts him to deliver solutions as fast as possible. As the executive in charge of information technology, cybersecurity, and business continuity at a large and growing bank, his job is all about balancing competing demands to maximize profits and protect sensitive data while maintaining an excellent customer experience.

Despite the bank’s relatively young age, TowneBank is making a mark in the financial sector. TowneBank got its start with three offices in 1999 and is already one of the largest banks in the state of Virginia. A family atmosphere and commitment to the community attracted clients (whom they call members) and helped make the bank profitable in just eleven months. TowneBank has now expanded to over forty banking offices and has been publicly traded on the NASDAQ since 2007.

The organization has continued to grow, celebrated its twentieth anniversary, and made its way onto Forbes magazine’s list of America’s Best Banks in 2022. Now TowneBank is expanding into other states like North Carolina, where it will compete with industry titans.

TowneBank can’t succeed against banking behemoths without the right technology and information security strategy. Diaz, a veteran tech leader with twenty-five years of experience, joined the organization seven years ago to increase security, enhance digital capabilities, and modernize the bank in support of an aggressive and ongoing growth strategy.

Diaz leads a department of approximately a hundred technology professionals serving several lines of business. The technology team is constantly challenged to meet regulatory expectations, provide reliable data, and secure all confidential member and bank information. Bankers expect easy access to information and data to deliver excellent service. Diaz and his team are always working to find creative ways to provide solutions that satisfy all stakeholders.

“When it comes to data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity at a bank, education is key,” he says. “Most people understand our security measures are necessary, but accessing information and servicing the members can never become a chore.”

A quarter-century in technology roles has helped Diaz learn how to manage the delicate balancing act. He came to the United States from Cuba at age fifteen, earned a degree in computer science, and started his career in financial services for the job security and stability. He’s been a bank’s first CIO four different times.

While each stop has been different, the basic goals and principles are the same—banks deal in information and move bits and bytes that represent dollars and cents. Diaz and his team apply technology to make that information flow as quickly and securely as possible.

Before joining TowneBank, Diaz was working for its closest competitor, the smaller Monarch Bank. He stayed on when the organizations merged in 2016. The immediate challenge was for the team to create and deliver on a technology progression strategy to ensure the bank’s competitive posture could be improved in light of the business growth plans. He looked to apply all the lessons learned throughout his career.

DENYS DIAZ CIO TowneBank

And over the last several years, they’ve done exactly that. The bank has now fully executed a comprehensive cloud strategy as well as other elements of a robust technology, security and business continuity all aimed at facilitating member service. Together, his team created what Diaz calls the “mobile banker.” Now, bankers have the capability to interact with each other and serve clients without ever coming into the office.

IT has also condensed and upgraded digital capabilities and improved the member experience by providing solutions for digital signatures and improved onboarding processes for new members. The goal is to replace stacks of paperwork with digital solutions with the fewest “clicks” possible. Lastly, multifactor identification, password management strategies, and other protective measures are introducing a new level of security that is both safe and user friendly.

“As Denys Diaz continues to transform TowneBank’s internal IT processes and

customer experience to embrace a digital future, we truly appreciate his trust and confidence in our abilities to assist in executing on critical strategies,” says Presidio account manager Matt Estes. “Our engagements around enterprise architecture automation, modern backup, data recovery, and IT security best practices in partnership with Denys, I believe, have really helped them accelerate modernization.”

Today, Diaz is more passionate than ever about the work that he does because he’s seen the positive impact banks have on their local communities. “The people I work alongside are the ones who lend to the people who start new or grow businesses,” he says. “Anytime you stay at a hotel or eat at a restaurant, it is likely a bank made a loan to fund an entrepreneur or business owner, and these businesses then become an asset to their city or town.”

“Get ready to unlearn everything you think you know and learn anew, because it is guaranteed things are going to change faster than ever.”

The Loan Origina�on Pla�orm Built for the Needs of

Banks & Credit Unions

Drive loan growth,reduce risk, increase profitability

TowneBank also supports numerous charities throughout Virginia and North Carolina. The organization sends a percentage of all profits to the TowneBank Foundation, which partners with more than two hundred nonprofit organizations. Each year, Diaz joins many of his colleagues to donate time and money to local chapters of the Salvation Army and the United Way.

In the three months that followed, Diaz and his teams would work twelve-to-fourteen-hour days to process unusually high volumes of loan requests. They ultimately distributed about $1.6 billion that helped more than six thousand local businesses stay open and pay their employees.

LEARN MORE

The value of community service was evident after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted and closed local business in 2020. As soon as the federal government announced SBA-backed loans to help businesses make payroll, Diaz and his colleagues shifted into high gear. They received rules and regulations on a Friday, worked with numerous partners to implement new loan operation software, and by Monday morning, TowneBank was ready to make Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

Diaz is ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. Grateful for the opportunity his family gave him by immigrating to this great country and forever indebted to the wonderful mentors he’s had throughout his career, he shares this advice for those who wish to serve in the field of technology: “Get ready to unlearn everything you think you know and learn anew, because it is guaranteed things are going to change faster than ever. Obey the rules, but take risks, move fast, and hold on for a wild ride.”

TECHNOLOGIES UP GLOBAL

BY DONALD LIEBENSON

Rolando Ortiz focuses on strengthening global partnerships and building new ones at Wendy’s

ROLANDO ORTIZ VP of Enterprise Architecture & International IT The Wendy’s Company

ROLANDO ORTIZ IS VERY MUCH ON BRAND

He estimates that he and his family eat at Wendy’s at least once a week.

The Wendy’s Company’s commitment to quality and doing the right thing are two of Founder Dave Thomas’s values, which attracted Ortiz to the restaurant chain two years ago at the start of the pandemic.

“The culture at Wendy’s is second to none,” the vice president of enterprise architecture and international IT says. “Wendy’s people genuinely care for others’ well-being. The company prioritizes providing the tools teams need to succeed, allowing them to innovate and to do it sustainably. Community, diversity, and inclusion are key aspects of who we are. Being Hispanic myself, that is really important. This is a place where I can be me.”

There are roughly seven thousand Wendy’s restaurants globally. Growing the brand is job number one, Ortiz says, and two initiatives are helping in that regard. One is Own Your Opportunity, which was created to expand restaurant ownership opportunities for all and among underrepresented populations, specifically among women and people of color.

The other pivotal initiative is Good Done Right, Wendy’s corporate responsibility platform that was launched in 2019. Here, the focus is on increasing the representation of underrepresented populations among the company’s leadership and management, as well as the diversity of Wendy’s franchisees.

“We’re definitely looking for franchise partners,” Ortiz says. “Wendy’s is a great investment for anyone who wants to grow with us. Wendy’s will even help you build your restaurant through programs like Build to Suit, for example. I was in Montreal recently, and it was inspiring to see how a local franchisee valued serving his community.”

Ortiz is responsible for Wendy’s global IT infrastructure. In his two years with the company, he has focused on modernizing the technologies to build a world-class technology organization. “The goal has been to

design a road map of how to evolve the technologies we had been using to a cloud-first reality,” he says.

An integral part of his role is to ensure that the support teams are keeping up with technological changes and working to deliver on Wendy’s technology vision of fast, frictionless, and fun customer, restaurant, and employee experiences delivered through forward-leaning technology and data science.

Ortiz was born in Mexico City and grew up in Toluca, Mexico. His father worked for more than thirty years for the Chrysler Motor Company as one of the engineers responsible for building up the plant that assembled automobiles for Mexico and North America, Ortiz says.

When he was a junior in high school, Ortiz, who considered himself “pretty good at anatomy,” declared that he wanted to

be a doctor. One class visit to the local morgue dissuaded him of that notion. Also proficient in math, he pivoted to pursuing an engineering degree.

A year spent in New Mexico as a foreign exchange high school student afforded him the opportunity to “think things through,” he says. He paired two interests, business and technology, and later attended the Monterey Institute of Technology, majoring in business administration and computer science.

Ortiz came to Wendy’s with more than thirty years of global technology leadership experience with companies including Procter & Gamble, the Kellogg Company, and Grupo Bimbo. The company’s offer to make him responsible for Wendy’s global technology infrastructure intrigued him, but what sold him on the opportunity was “when they told me about the culture and values and about the growth they were looking to achieve.”

Wendy’s “people-centric” corporate culture helped with the onboarding process, Ortiz says. “Everyone was extremely helpful in making sure I was part of every important

discussion, that I had the contacts to be as effective as possible, and that I had space to build a successful team.”

On the international side, he says, the initial challenge was to work closer with international franchisees. “There were close relationships with operations and marketing, but there was an opportunity to make connections with technology,” Ortiz explains. “Perhaps the biggest challenge we have now is to transform existing partnerships to embrace the changes we are driving. How do we create new partnerships and strengthen the ones we have?”

Ortiz has been married for thirty-three years and has four children. On his family’s weekly Wendy’s outings, each person has a go-to menu item. Ortiz is partial to the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. His son, he reports, is “a Baconator guy.”

But recently, he opted for a restaurant that served a $19 hamburger. “I was sure it was going to be great,” he admits, “But I was disappointed. You can pay $20 for a hamburger somewhere else, but Wendy’s will be a better experience.”

Hughes Network Systems congratulates Rolando Ortiz, vice president of enterprise architecture and international IT at the Wendy’s Company, on this well-deserved recognition. We are proud to work with leaders like Rolando, who has a strong vision of how everyone can benefit from technology.

“

You can pay $20 for a hamburger somewhere else, but Wendy’s will be a better experience.”

NotePad

CONGRATULATIONS, ROLANDO ORTIZ.

WE CELEBRATE YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY AND WE APPLAUD WENDY’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY.

PERSONAL BEHIND THE

BY ZACH BALIVA

Conversica is building the digital workforce of the future. Chief People Officer Rafael Zamora is creating the culture that will spark the revolution.

SARA MARTINEZ MAY VERY WELL BE the employee of the year for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. She generated a 300 percent increase in sales opportunities and added millions of dollars to the franchise’s sales pipeline. But she won’t receive a commission or even take home a commemorative plaque to celebrate her achievement. Sara Martinez is not a human.

Sacramento’s sales all-star is an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant from Conversica. The savvy Silicon Valley company is the leading provider of digital team members that harness the power of Conversational AI to help companies acquire customers and grow their businesses. AI assistants engage potential customers in humanlike two-way interactions and process more than one billion interactions for some of the world’s most wellknown companies and organizations.

RAFAEL ZAMORA Chief People Officer Conversica

For the Kings, Sara Martinez leverages the powerful AI platform developed to engage with single-game ticket purchasers, season ticket holders, and other contacts. She has a conversation with each lead to determine the specific best next step for that exact person before routing them to the appropriate human colleague.

Rafael Zamora helps lead those humans. As Conversica’s chief people officer, he’s leveraging twenty years of experience launching and transforming small start-ups into successful IPO brands to build the teams that build the AI. “What we do to build AI assistants takes imagination and innovation,” he says. “We need the right culture to attract the right people to make us as creative as we can be.”

The value of diversity and a love for people are central to Zamora, the youngest of six boys in a traditional Mexican American family. His parents immigrated from Michoacán

to pursue the American dream and taught everyone in their busy home the importance of trust, transparency, hard work, honesty, and accountability. In fact, Zamora was a campus minister before studying psychology and organizational development.

“I have a passion for people and human behavior that I combined with what I learned in my family,” he explains. “Culture is king, and people are the superpower of every company I’ve been a part of.”

After helping take four start-ups public, Zamora came to Conversica in 2018 to build its HR function. The move also gave him the opportunity to be a key part of the company’s executive team. In that role, he helps drive conversations about culture, strategic planning, and long-term development.

Zamora expects big things from the rapidly growing company, and he’s doing all he can to build a strong foundation for everything

that lies ahead. He’s established an in-house staffing function, changed onboarding practices, and made other key improvements.

But overall, Zamora is focused on just one thing—building the right culture. When he arrived, the company had five locations and a fragmented identity. He surveyed his colleagues, implemented assessment tools, reorganized teams, prioritized job satisfaction, and made other important changes. Now, Conversica operates as one team with a single identity. That team includes 200 humans and 3,700 digital employees.

Those digital employees are more than typical chatbots. They are intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs). Chatbots operate through just one channel. IVAs can email, text, or chat. Chatbots are triggered by actions and answer simple questions. IVAs reach out to clients and interpret dialogue to create engaging interactions. While chatbots are limited to how they are programmed, IVAs use machine learning to change and adapt.

Although intelligent virtual assistants are critical to Conversica’s success, Zamora and other leaders like CEO Jim Kaskade

“Culture is king, and people are the superpower of every company I’ve been a part of.”

UNLEASH YOUR REVENUE TEAMS TO ENGAGE AND ACT AT SCALE

Conversational

know that the company is powered by real people. “We value everyone here, and we prioritize creating a fun, inclusive, safe, and diverse environment where people want to work,” he says.

Zamora is the first Mexican American on Conversica’s leadership team. After the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing social unrest in the US, the company elevated its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Its Latino workforce has increased from 2 to 18 percent, and Zamora is working to increase opportunities for people of color and his colleagues from other underrepresented groups.

In April 2022, Conversica announced the completion of $25 million in financing that it will use to scale the business. It comes at just the right time. COVID-19, staffing shortages, and other factors are making customer service and employee safety more prominent than ever before. The world is getting more digital, automation is key, and demand for AI is about to explode.

Zamora and other leaders have their teams ready to capitalize on the opportunity, and before long, he expects to be back on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange ringing the bell to celebrate another IPO.

“What we do to build AI assistants takes imagination and innovation. We need the right culture to attract the right people to make us as creative as we can be.”

AI solutions from Conversica help enterprise revenue teams attract, acquire and grow customers across the customer lifecycle over Email, SMS, or Website Chat.

IT veteran Eric Brown relies on lessons learned through his career to give others new opportunities and open doors at SAIC

ERIC BROWN Cybersecurity Director, Enterprise Identity & Access Management SAIC

BY ZACH BALIVA

LIKE MANY YOUNG TEENAGERS, ERIC Brown dreamed of being an astronaut. He loved the idea of heading to NASA and eventually boarding a rocket to the moon or even to Mars. And while that specific ambition eventually faded, his love for science, computers, and gadgets never did.

Brown grew up in an immigrant family that emphasized the values of hard work and education. His grandparents came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, where his grandmother excelled in the field of healthcare, and even became her country’s secretary of medicine. His father served as an electrical engineer, and Brown’s own academic and career path launched when his parents recognized and nurtured his passion for technology.

They encouraged him and his two siblings to make the most of their education. “My parents realized that it’s not always just who you know, but what you know that can take you far in life,” he says. “Knowledge and training can open doors that otherwise remain closed.”

Brown’s older sister went to medical school and became an emergency room doctor, and his younger sister, a nurse, has her PhD.

He chose technical education and pursued numerous licenses and certifications from (ISC)2, Microsoft, CompTIA, AXELOS, and other credentialing organizations for IT professionals. Later this year, Brown will earn a bachelor’s degree in science, cybersecurity, and information assurance.

This hybrid training has served Brown well and kept him up to date with emerging trends—there have been a few changes in technology since beginning his career in 1998. Over the last twenty-five years, he’s worked in networking and engineering roles at various companies across Florida.

After a position at an internet company and serving as systems engineer at a small start-up, Brown moved to JM Family Enterprises, where he was part of a team that took the organization’s 4,500 employees from Windows NT to Windows 2000. These and other tech implementations, including e-business strategies, helped the auto company generate millions of dollars in new revenue.

Over the next several years, Brown stepped into leadership roles with Netstairs. com, the Golf Channel, and other companies. He navigated racial bias, negative stereotypes,

and other challenges along the way. “Being Hispanic in an industry dominated by white males has been hard at times,” he says. “I’ve tried to learn from my experience and let it change the way I treat others.”

Brown remembers one boss telling him he couldn’t be a manager because Hispanic people are workers. Now in a leadership role himself, he looks at merit and not race, gender, or other factors when hiring a candidate or promote an employee.

In 2015 Brown joined SAIC, a Fortune 500 technology integrator. Based in Reston, Virginia, the organization comprises 26,000 employees and more than $7 billion in annual revenue. As cybersecurity director of enterprise identity and access management and a member of the CISO senior leadership team, Brown manages a team of twenty and oversees all aspects of a $6 million annual budget.

That team remains focused on identity management, multifactor authentication, and access management. They also built a leading identity-as-a-service platform providing identity lifecycle management, authentication, email encryption, and other features and services to a large user base.

Knowledge and training can open doors that otherwise remain closed.

•

•

While cybersecurity measures already were important, Brown says COVID-19 raised the stakes even higher. “With many people working remotely, the physical perimeter of safety and security we once relied on no longer exists, so identity has become a foundational cornerstone of secure access to company assets. What we do has to be accurate, flawless, and well-managed, because it is the new way to keep sensitive data out of the wrong hands,” he explains.

Brown currently works on several high-value initiatives, including a privileged identity management program affording special permissions to leaders and managers. He and his technical experts also manage the SAIC identity and access disaster recovery strategies.

Although Brown has held leadership roles for more than two decades, his management style evolved in recent years thanks to the influence

of his mentor and former CISO. “I was once really technical and didn’t always let people lead their areas,” he says. “I’m still technical, but I’ve learned to add in inquisitiveness and understanding.” Instead of trying to have all the answers, Brown focuses on being a resource. He also invests more time than he used to in mentor ing younger employees.

Brown encourages everyone on his team to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives. As a parent of young, homeschooled twins, he knows how important that is. “We have to integrate work life and home life now, instead of keeping them separate,” he says.

Finding the right rhythms helps Brown and those on his team avoid burnout. They stay energized. And together, they’re improving the tech nology infrastructure and user experi ence at SAIC.

“

”

ALWAYS

IBM’s Ron Castro on building an artificial intelligence-enabled supply chain

BY JOSEPH KAY

RONALD CASTRO, RAISED IN COSTA Rica and trained as an engineer, always expected to finish his education and return home to manage a manufacturing plant. But after he finished his master’s degree and joined IBM, he discovered that larger, more integrated challenges awaited him at every level of the corporate ladder. Instead of returning home, he embraced the opportunity to work across IBM’s global, end-to-end business operation that spanned oceans and time zones.

“There was always more opportunity to drive value, grow, and improve the business,” Castro says. “It helped open my thinking to be broader than Costa Rica, broader than plant manager, and along the way I learned not to shy away from exploring and learning different areas of the business.”

Since 2018, he has served as vice president of supply chain at IBM, where he oversees a dozen direct reports managing a global workforce in the thousands, responsible for all

RON CASTRO VP of Supply Chain IBM

Innovate anywhere to apply everywhere.”

aspects of delivery for IBM’s state of the art product portfolio. Currently based in RaleighDurham, North Carolina, his IBM roles have taken him around the world to Paris, São Paolo, Melbourne, and Shanghai, as well as IBM operations in New York, Vermont, California, Minnesota, and North Carolina. His objective is to inspire and lead the digital and cognitive journey to an end-to-end artificial intelligence-enabled supply chain.

Over the last few years, the team has integrated data from a variety of systems into one platform that any user can access; today, with embedded artificial intelligence (AI), non-expert users can submit queries via natural language interface, then use constant-learning-enabled advisory functions to explore options, and ultimately make informed data-driven decisions.

“The goal is to gather data insights to drive supply chain velocity,” Castro adds. “Make the best decisions with speed, and leverage an agile approach where we can go big, but also course correct as we gain insight and situations change.”

Speed, agility, and resiliency are the crucial pillars of Castro’s approach. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, IBM deployed AI tools to monitor social distancing, temperature checks, and observe movement patterns on the manufacturing floor.

The AI-driven analysis led to operational improvements which minimized disruption and, more importantly, kept workers safe. Soon, IBM’s supply chain team was able to leverage agility and manufacturing expertise in the face of uncertainty to rapidly build masks and later, tablet computers to support New York City schools.

Today, Castro says, supply chain resilience is “more than critical.” The pandemic, chip shortages, logistics issues, natural disasters, and geopolitical conflicts all compound and intersect with each other to create an extremely challenging environment for supply chain management. It’s crucial to implement new technologies to maintain speed while retaining the flexibility to adapt on the fly. IBM’s global scale enables Castro and his team to “innovate anywhere to apply everywhere.”

Now that supply chain leaders can integrate so many new technologies—AI, 5G, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), hybrid cloud and more—they have an opportunity to generate value and exert major influence on the business.

“In that context, we need to continue to develop the soft skills: observing, listening, understanding, communicating, collaborating, and negotiating to drive a growth-mindset which enables the ability to relate to people

from different backgrounds,” Castro says. “Not just different cultures and communities, but also different areas of the business.

“It is really exponential, the value supply chain leaders can gather through digital technologies” he adds. “Then we continue to drive diversity and make the most inclusive environment possible, because that helps to drive innovation.”

Over more than two decades with IBM, Castro has seen the company take major steps forward for diversity and inclusion. For the past five years, he’s served on the IBM Hispanic Executive Council, one of several business resource groups helping to drive initiatives in the company and beyond. “Embracing differences,” the VP emphasizes, “is more than just a benefit to the bottom line—it’s the right thing to do.”

“I have seen a big, big focus in the last few years to make sure we’re creating the best environment and the right incentives to recruit, retain, and grow diverse leadership,” he explains. That includes not just ethnic and racial representation, but also neurodiversity, veterans, LGBTQ+ and more.

Ultimately, Castro’s growth mindset, openness, and flexibility are major assets to his company and team. He credits his success to his enthusiasm for new approaches; and to up-and-coming supply chain leaders, he declares he never regrets taking risks and moving quickly.

“When I look back at my career, I never say: ‘I wish I had done this slower, I wish I had been less bold,’” Castro says. “Always be bold.”

RAUL CASTRO STANDS NEXT TO THE 2022 IBM Z16 PLATFORM

PATRICIA DOMINGUEZ

IT Director

Cooper Standard

Patricia Dominguez helps Cooper Standard find new ways to do more with less

BY ZACH BALIVA

PATRICIA DOMINGUEZ WAS ONE OF the first people in Mexico to have an Apple IIc computer. The year was 1984, and Dominguez remembers loading into the family car and driving 265 miles from her native city of Chihuahua over the border to El Paso, Texas, to find the closest electronic store selling Steve Wozniak’s revolutionary eight-bit home computer.

Today, Dominguez is a veteran IT director at Cooper Standard, a large automotive parts supplier based in the Detroit suburbs. But back then, she was a high school student with a budding passion for technology and electronics.

It all started in Beaverton, Oregon. That’s where Dominguez spent her freshman year, learning English. During her time at boarding school, Dominguez saw something she had never seen in Mexico—a countertop microwave oven. Americans were using Radarange RR-6s to defrost food and reheat leftovers.

Although Dominguez once thought she might follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor, a year in Beaverton (which has since become home to a cluster of leading computing companies) exposed her to new technologies and set her on a new path.

“I saw how fast the world was changing, and it made me aware of the potential in technology,” she says. She returned to Mexico and studied information technology at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

The passion Dominguez discovered in Beaverton has motivated her for the last forty years as she’s built a reputation as a dynamic change agent capable of implementing tech solutions, leading large teams, and driving process improvements to transform complex organizations. She’s applied her expertise in dozens of countries throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

In the early part of her career, Dominguez established a strong foundation that would take her far. She started at Delphi, where she managed the entire scope of applications for Delphi Mexico. The Mexican division was then a $3 billion motor vehicle manufacturing company with sixty plants, making it the second largest nongovernment employer in the country.

After three years, leaders tapped Dominguez to lead strategy and operations support for an engineering systems portfolio for which

she executed global deployment to twenty thousand users. Taking major assignments and switching roles every one to three years forced her to maintain continuous learning and professional development. “I’ve never just done development or IT projects,” she says. “I’ve developed broad skills and a wide perspective. Working with different teams, roles, responsibilities, and challenges brings a very rich experience.”

In 2015, as Delphi was preparing to restructure and relocate, Dominguez joined Cooper Standard for the chance to stay in Michigan as part of a small, growing company with strong culture and values. As IT director, she plans and executes multiple technology projects, manages vendors, and finds new ways to improve financial results and empower new growth.

As supply chain challenges and tough economic times impact all companies across the industry, Dominguez’s role takes on special importance. She and her team have the opportunity to harness the power of technology and automation to achieve efficiencies, reduce costs, and increase profitability. “The issues we face today are

“I saw how fast the world was changing, and it made me aware of the potential in technology.”

difficult and require innovative and creative solutions,” she says.

Recently, the tech department started using a third-party cost management tool called Apptio to analyze budgets, forecasts costs, and allocate resources. Dominguez realized what an impact the platform could have on her counterparts and expanded it to other functions and departments. By sharing IT’s “secret recipe,” she’s making an impact on the entire organization.

Additionally, Dominguez partnered with Lexmark and gained efficiencies by moving from leasing printers to a managed print service. The change not only reduces costs but also contributes to environmental goals and sustainability efforts.

While changing the way a company handles printing may sound simple, it’s a long and complicated ordeal that involves retraining employees and negotiating massive contracts. The project didn’t come in as a request; IT noticed a bottleneck and addressed it.

That, Dominguez says, is what being a dynamic leader is all about. “A change agent has to lead, contribute, collaborate, and support the organization through

Revolutionize the auto industry with intelligent manufacturing

transformation by bringing ideas, people, and resources together to achieve results and deliver value.”

She leads her team through strategic planning, financial management, and global IT initiatives. The work requires collaboration with people from multiple functions located across multiple regions such as North America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Dominguez’s own identity as a Latina is an asset.

“Being from another country helps me be sensitive and more receptive to cultural differences for better work interaction,” she says, adding that this is even more important today as most communication is done on digital platforms.

As Cooper Standard executes its growth plans, Dominguez is focused on the seamless expansion of IT technologies, bringing capabilities to additional functions, and advancing innovation for optimum use of resources while maximizing ROI. After more than forty years, she’s still excited about emerging technologies. But instead of the microwave, she’s looking into things like robotic process automation and artificial intelligence.

Discover state-of-the-art manufacturing hardware and software that can intelligently turn your production lines into autonomous, self-organizing operational environments

Automakers are faced with continued pressure to meet production targets and stay profitable. With a traditional “build, test, break” mindset and a siloed approach to manufacturing, carmakers are struggling to keep up and deliver the next-generation car. Not having the necessary insight into real-time manufacturing performance and failure identification will eventually lead to failure, slowing down production and jeopardizing their competitive position. They need to adopt a smart manufacturing approach to compete in today’s fast-changing automotive landscape, implementing multiple solutions across the disconnected branches of their manufacturing organization.

info.plm@siemens.com

www.siemens.com/software

Difficult, Not Impossible

BY BILLY YOST

Motivated by her family’s

escape from Cuba, Cariza Arnedo helps Meta protect free and fair elections across the world

CARIZA ARNEDO LEARNED AN EARLY lesson from her family that continues to inform her practice, her profession, and her life today. When her grandparents uprooted their lives in Cuba to flee political persecution, they arrived in the US with a determination to make something great out of their new lives.

“Since the minute I was born, the motto that has been ingrained in me is that ‘difficult doesn’t mean impossible,” says Arnedo, who is currently an associate general counsel for compliance at Meta. “It simply means you have to work harder.”

She put that motto to the test early on when she decided that, sans mentor or guidance, she would attend Georgetown University for her undergraduate studies. The university was located in the nation’s capital, a place close to Arnedo’s heart. Her family had fled Cuba to

live a freer life, and in her future law practice, she would find ways to consistently intersect business, government, and the push and pull of that ever-evolving collaboration.

For Arnedo’s father, a focused and driven businessman, his daughter’s choice to pursue law didn’t make a lot of sense. “My dad always had a very straight perspective of making money, getting it done and moving ahead, so my decision to study the law may have seemed a little abstract to him,” she explains. “So, it was a hard choice for me to make on my own. But I just fell in love with the ability to study the fundamental rules that govern societies and countries.”

Arnedo has built out a role that encompasses her favorite parts of her practice since coming to Meta in 2016. As a member of Meta’s political activities compliance team, the attorney acts as a subject-matter expert

CARIZA ARNEDO Associate General Counsel for Compliance Meta

META MENTORSHIP

Cariza Arnedo says her leadership is influenced by the valuable mentors she’s found along the way. That’s why she’s so passionate about mentoring at Meta. Both on behalf of Meta’s Latinx@Legal business resource group and the legal team’s judicial internship opportunity program, Arnedo provides mentorship and guidance for underrepresented people who may, like her, not have had mentors to guide them early in their careers.

In college, Arnedo also helped create a conference that ultimately went on to become the nongovernmental organization Raíces de Esperanza (Roots of Hope), a nonpartisan group dedicated to helping Cuban youth to connect with others and help write their own future.

on laws relating to political campaigns, interactions with the government and political entities like political parties, and how corporations and other entities interact with those bodies and candidates.

Under that banner, Arnedo manages Meta’s global elections legal program. “Meta does a lot around protecting the integrity of elections and encouraging people to register to vote,” she explains. “We build products and take measures to help people on the platform stay informed and figure out how to vote in their country.”

During the French elections in April 2022, Meta partnered with several organizations to help develop a chat bot on its WhatsApp instant messaging platform to help users register to vote. Users would simply interact with the chat bot and be led through the registration process quickly and with as few roadblocks as possible. It’s just one of

team’s countless efforts to help make voting a little easier, a little faster, and a little more representative of a country’s population.

Arnedo says that while Meta is heavily active in protecting electoral integrity and encouraging civic participation in the US, Meta’s global footprint means cross-functional teams are supporting elections around the world. “I don’t think I ever imagined that I would be working on elections in Ethiopia, in France, in Côte d’Ivoire,” she says.

In her role, Arnedo has seen the global elections legal program invest significant time to combat disinformation spread by bad actors on its platforms. In the French elections, Meta worked with local media agencies to create short videos to help users figure out how to identify hallmarks of misinformation like sensationalist titles, implausible quotes, or questionable content. Other videos were created for

White & Case congratulates

platforms like Instagram to help younger users navigate their first-time voting experiences, and to help them avoid scams that might actively encourage citizens to vote on the wrong day or wrong location.

In these efforts, Arnedo says the company’s role is to remain politically impartial and focused on making reliable information available to as many people as possible.

“That’s easy for me, because I so enjoy the civic engagement portion of this that is truly nonpartisan,” she explains. “Meta’s job isn’t to decide which side may have the ‘right’ view. Meta wants to help you, the user on our platform, to go out and exercise your civic right to participate in an election and go vote.”

Arnedo is emphatic about her practice because she says she’s truly found her dream job. She has the power to build communities and bring the world closer together. It’s Meta’s mission statement, but it’s been part of Arnedo’s practice all along. It may have been difficult to find that kind of personal and professional alignment, but it wasn’t impossible.

White & Case LLP: “Cariza is an exceptional attorney—brilliantly handling complex legal issues of first impression around the world. She strategizes and manages her global matters seamlessly to come up with pragmatic and commercial solutions. It’s been a pleasure partnering with Cariza for so many years—working together to advance Meta’s goals.”

—Aalok Sharma, Partner

We are proud of the longstanding relationship between our law firm and Meta.

“Meta’s job isn’t to decide which side may have the ‘right’ view. Meta wants to help you, the user on our platform, to go out and exercise your civic right to participate in an election and go vote.”

whitecase.com

Cariza Arnedo, Associate General Counsel at Meta, on her exceptional accomplishments and recognition by Hispanic Executive.

THE TALENT MATCHMAKER

More than twenty-five years ago, Jeanette Hernandez Prenger founded ECCO Select to provide exceptional talent to the technology industry. Since then, the company has grown exponentially and is thriving.

BY ANDREW TAMARKIN PORTRAITS BY CASS DAVIS

WHEN JEANETTE HERNANDEZ PRENGER founded ECCO Select back in 1995, she did everything at the company.

“I secured the client, did the recruiting, placed the candidate, worked with a bookkeeper to handwrite payroll checks, created the marketing collateral, and was responsible for compliance,” Prenger says. “I had to wear every hat in the company.”

ECCO Select provides technology talent for both the private and public sectors. In the beginning, Prenger’s goal as CEO was to find exceptional talent that met her clients’ needs at a lower price point than her competitors. Y2K was around the corner, so she promoted project work for modernizing old legacy systems. Soon after that, she acquired a small IT staffing company,

which diversified her book of business and grew her client base.

“This was before the internet, before Salesforce or Monster or Dice or LinkedIn,” she says. “It was picking up the phone and meeting someone in person. It took longer, but it also showed me how to make the best use of my time.”

As her company grew, so did her team. Today, she has more than five hundred associates around the country supported by a team headquartered at the corporate office in Kansas City, Missouri. Prenger’s success at the intersection of technology and talent recruitment is due to her unique blend of qualifications: an IT background, high emotional intelligence, and a keen understanding of personal chemistry.

“It’s about matchmaking,” she says. The work is as much about matching talent to the right team environment as it is matching necessary skills to a job description.

“I was always the girl who made friends easily and introduced people,” she says. “Going into a job where you match talent to needs in the technology world came [naturally] to me.”

The scope of Prenger’s role nowadays is strategic and supportive: among other things, she ensures ECCO is scalable for the next level of growth. As the company’s clientele expands internationally, Prenger works through compliance measures and certifications. ECCO Select has cemented professional relationships in Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and Prenger plans to do work in Portugal (where she was born).

JEANETTE HERNANDEZ PRENGER Founder and CEO ECCO Select

Prenger works directly with her leadership and management teams to collaboratively execute long-term objectives. While planning ahead is always a good idea, she has her own reasons for it: looking ahead, Prenger sees herself in a different role and wants to prepare the company for a sustainable transition. “As we get older, whether we have the energy or not, there’s a natural progression toward that next generation,” she says. “You need to make sure you have the right people and processes in place.”

For her, that means recognizing talent, cultivating space for growth, and being open to movement internally. She also emphasizes surrounding yourself and your company with people who have a passion and commitment to a high-quality work, product, and service mentality.

She gives an example: “I have a vice president of national sales who started off as a recruiter. She didn’t love being a recruiter, but she did a great job. As we promoted her, she voiced her interest in learning how we sell services. We developed her and now she sells services and she’s a superstar.”

Helping employees move into new roles not only lengthens tenure, but creates space for more stimulating, fulfilling careers within the organization. “We constantly strive to be the best we can be. It’s not just in the work we do individually, [but] also the experiences people have with the company,” Prenger says. “If each individual is successful, the company is successful. And it shows: in our bottom line, in our top line revenue, and in growth.”

Prenger’s leadership style celebrates diversity. She meets people where they’re at and

“

I was always the girl who made friends easily and introduced people.”

[we]

the grit

acknowledges the differences in their working styles. This self-awareness has, for Prenger, helped reinforce a company culture built on collaboration and excellence.

“I am very passionate about what we do, how we do it, the way we do it, and the way we make people feel,” Prenger says. “As a culture, [we] have the grit and resilience to ask for help, fail and learn, and to overcome challenges.”

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the collaborative synergies of face-to-face communication. With clients, Prenger prefers sitting down for coffee or a drink. Among colleagues, she values problem-solving across the same table. “When you’re face-to-face with someone, you can see if they’re really engaged,” Prenger says.

Not every development from the pandemic has been negative. Like many companies in recent years, ECCO Select has morphed into a hybrid workplace. “With the tools of technology, we can do business a lot

less expensively and without wasting as much time,” Prenger explains.

Getting her company to where it is today hasn’t always been easy—and while ECCO is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE), Prenger was initially skeptical of the idea.

“I want someone to want to do business with me because we do a great job, not just [to check] off a box because they have to,” Prenger says. “Now that we’ve been in business twentysix years and done as well as we have, I don’t think that’s as much of a consideration.”

The company has come a long way since the days when Prenger herself was its only employee. “I was the first person in my business. I didn’t have any partners. It really made me figure things out,” she says. “I took small steps. It took time but I feel that it helped support the great culture and company that we are today.”

As a leading national business advocacy and entrepreneur enabling organization, The Latino Coalition is thrilled to see our Board Chair, Jeanette Prenger, receive this prestigious and well-deserved recognition. Her business leadership has been exemplary and her commitment to having a positive impact on the community is nothing short of phenomenal.

As a culture,

have

and resilience to ask for help, fail and learn, and to overcome challenges.”

At Emblematic Group, CEO and Founder

Nonny de la Peña uses virtual reality and other technologies to bring audiences into the story like never before

BY NATALIE KOCHANOV

JOURNALISM’S

IMG_Emblematic-Group.JPG

THE JOURNEY FROM EMERGING to established technology is rarely a straightforward one, and virtual reality (VR) is no exception. Just ask Nonny de la Peña, CEO and founder of VR-driven media outfit Emblematic Group. Nicknamed the “Godmother of VR,” de la Peña has been around for all of the field’s growing pains—even back when headsets were held together by “lots of duct tape and paper clips.”

“We had my brother breaking goggles in my mom’s garage,” jokes de la Peña, recalling the headsets her company used in its early days. “Now the field has definitely matured. There are a lot of headset manufacturers out there, so we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

VR’s evolution is due in no small part to the contributions of de la Peña herself. Through her work at Emblematic Group, she has again and again pushed the boundaries of what VR—and related technologies such as augmented and mixed reality—can do. As she continues to search for compelling new ways to tell stories, she now also

looks to share her knowledge with the next generation of innovators and creators.

De la Peña discovered her interest in and aptitude for tech as an undergraduate at Harvard University, where she majored in visual and environmental studies and sociology. “They required all freshmen to take basic programming, and I was really, really good at it,” she says. “I should have continued in computer programming, but I was nervous because everybody kept saying how hard it was, and I felt less educationally prepared than many of my classmates.”

De la Peña found her confidence in a different discipline: journalism. During her

final year at Harvard, she received funding to travel back and forth to Los Angeles to report on a Chicano gang with territory not far from where she’d grown up in Venice, California. The project, which included both text and photographs, helped kick-start her career as a journalist at venues like Newsweek and the New York Times

De la Peña later pivoted from print journalism to documentary filmmaking to engage her interest in visual art. Tech became involved in her work soon after that. “With the advent of the web, I started teaching myself to code,” she explains. “Around that time, a book by Howard Rheingold called Virtual Reality came out. I read the book and thought, ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’”

By “this,” de la Peña means not just getting into VR but also leveraging it as a storytelling medium. In 2007, her first VR project was a collaboration with digital artist Peggy Weil designed to bring Guantanamo Bay to the forefront of public consciousness. “We built a virtual Guantanamo Bay in

NONNY DE LA PEÑA CEO and Founder Emblematic Group

Second Life, one of the earliest metaverse spaces,” de la Peña remembers.

Beyond attracting significant attention, the project inspired de la Peña to coin the term “immersive journalism.” She solidified the genre with her follow-up piece Hunger in Los Angeles, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival—making it the first VR documentary ever to do so.

“I had established the concept of using these new technologies for news, nonfiction, and journalism, instead of for gaming,” de la Peña says. “That led people to the idea that serious work—work of value and importance—could be done in these spaces.”

But how to do that work? For de la Peña, founding Emblematic Group was the only answer. “When you’re trying to break new ground, you’ll often find resistance. It’s an old story, but it was very true in my case,” she says. “I got resistance from all kinds of quarters,

from journalists and really everybody. Also, being a woman in technology, I just was not taken seriously. I literally had to form my own company in order to push the field forward.”

Advancing the field remains as much a goal for de la Peña today as it was at the beginning. One of her latest innovations is REACH. Love, a software tool that allows users to create volumetric content by clicking on-screen buttons. Since it doesn’t require any coding skills, REACH is bringing VR and its myriad storytelling possibilities to a broader public.

De la Peña is broadening her scope of impact through another venture as well. “I was tapped by Arizona State University [ASU] to direct a new program and center on narrative and emerging media based in downtown Los Angeles,” she says. “The exciting thing about working at ASU is that they have a real commitment to diversity and inclusion.

It’s given me an opportunity to accelerate and scale a shift in demographics in an industry that has historically been very monocultural.”

No matter how much she adds to her plate, de la Peña still manages to carve out time for her own creative practice as a director. Emblematic Group’s documentary Please, Believe Me, which is about Lyme disease, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022, and an upcoming project in partnership with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will address the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre.

As long as she has a full project lineup, de la Peña will never get bored. “A lot of people say that your work doesn’t have to define you. But if you’re running a company that’s your startup—and you’re passionate about it, which I certainly am—your work is who you are,” she says. “I love what I do, and it’s been a thrilling ride.”

“Being a woman in technology, I just was not taken seriously. I literally had to form my own company in order to push the field forward.”

Own Your Superpowers

Carlos Moran believes the Latino experience is one to be relished and relied on at Toppan

Merrill

BY BILLY YOST

CARLOS MORAN JR. CISO Toppan Merrill

CARLOS MORAN JR. IS A PHOTOGRAPHER, a licensed pilot, a scuba diver, a volunteer for Team Rubicon (a disaster response nonprofit headed up by mostly ex-military professionals) and he just won’t stop taking classes. There is just too much to learn and too little time.

One of his earliest memories is of standing in his grandfather’s kiosk in Ecuador, watching money change hands and providing all manner of customer service functions befitting a child that could barely see over the counter. It was a foundational experience for all that would follow.

Moran spent significant parts of his early life living between Ecuador and the United States, not entirely sure if either culture accepted him as its own. “On the other hand, those cultural differences helped me to connect with people that have different points of view, whether it’s language, beliefs, or background,” Moran explains. “Understanding those human values is what helps Latinos thrive. It’s one of our superpowers.”

The idea of “Latino Superpowers” comes up frequently with Moran. In a sense, Moran’s struggle to understand the world around him has made him more adept than most at bringing people together, providing empathy, and finding connections where others might see none.

“As a leader, empathy and compassion are so incredibly important,” says Moran, chief information security officer (CISO) at Toppan Merrill. “Latinos have the ability to communicate through storytelling and connection, and I think our struggles and ability to move on from them are part of those superpowers that we possess. There’s a passion that drives us, and it’s helped get me to where I am.”

STAVING OFF THE INEVITABLE

As the eldest of eleven children, Moran has always seen himself as a protector. He applies the same mentality at Toppan Merrill, a leader in financial printing and communication solutions, where the increasingly complex

world of cybercrime is always just on the other side of the door.

Moran has helped guide and strategize the company’s cybersecurity posture, walking the difficult line between ensuring the safety of the company’s assets, while keeping systems as resilient, secure, and operational as possible. He calls this “harmonized business risk/ reward,” because constant change makes it essentially impossible to achieve true balance.

In an environment where a cyberattack is a constant threat for any company, Moran says companies need to focus on their weakest link: human error.

“If people haven’t been properly trained and the time hasn’t been invested in their education, you’re putting the whole company at risk,” the CISO explains. “We’ve put a lot of work into cultural change when it comes to dealing with phishing attacks that can occur on a daily basis. Technology is not enough. People are your first, last, and best line of defense.”

Moran says connecting with the broader organization is imperative to ensuring that

“Latinos have the ability to communicate through storytelling and connection, and I think our struggles and ability to move on from them are part of those superpowers that we possess.

”

cultural shift is welcomed. He is frustrated by tech professionals who speak in acronyms when, to him, “simplicity reflects true mastery.”

Those outside of his department must understand how to better ensure cybersafety, so cybersecurity must be explained in a way that is neither condescending nor critical. The CISO places a high premium on those who can make genuine connections, and it’s reflected in his team.

LEARNING TO SERVE

Moran’s broader leadership is best described as servant based. He remembers cleaning offices with his parents when he was a child, getting home late to do his homework and waking up early for school the next day. While cleaning those offices, he’d make his parents laugh by sitting behind a large desk and pretending to order his family around.

“That was my conception of what leaders did,” Moran says, laughing. “Fortunately, I learned a little bit more as I got older.”

His journey is fascinating precisely because he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do when he went to college; he didn’t even know if he wanted to go to college. But after asking his guidance counselor what profession made the most money (a definitive consideration for the immigrant and eldest of eleven), he pursued electrical engineering and landed his first job at NASA.

Moran’s career would eventually cross with that of Vinton Cerf, widely considered one of the “fathers of the internet.” He even met former Mexican President Ernesto Cedillo. But no matter the career highlights, the leader remains devout in giving back to his community.

Moran is on the board of advisors for the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

for the State of Minnesota, where he also served as president. He’s also on the CSA CxO Trust Advisory Council for Cloud Computing, serves as an active member on the advisory board for Minneapolis-based Evanta, and as an executive member of the CyberEdBoard. Beyond that he’s an associate member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and has previously volunteered for the American Red Cross.

Then there is the whole host of extracurricular activities and the time spent with his own family. Moran says the constant curiosity can annoy family and colleagues alike, but it’s important to him to understand where people’s motivations, desires, and how he can best serve them.

Moran is that rare mix of true empathy and technological expertise. He knows millions have shared in his struggles, and he wants Latinos to recognize their own superpowers.

For the security practitioner caught between rapidly evolving threats and demanding executives, IANS is a clear-headed resource for making decisions and articulating risk. It’s through our Faculty, our network of seasoned practitioners, that we provide experiencebased insight and guidance for CISOs and their teams.

“Technology is not enough. People are your first, last, and best line of defense.”

INSIGHTS

The philosophies of innovative leaders have the power to inspire and spark change. Read on for the thought-provoking insights of these successful executives.

160. Chris Rosas, Bumble 165. Julio Flores, Synopsys 168. Rebecca Thibeault, Synchrony Financial 174. Mark Padilla, Anaplan 177. Gustavo Serbiá, Hair Cuttery 180. Javier Suarez, Reynolds American Inc. 186. Ernesto Bautista III, BJ Energy Solutions 189. Alex Londono, The GEO Group Inc. 192. Kelly Navarro, Moore 198. Lani E. Medina, PetVet Care Centers

LOVE & TAXES

Chris Rosas talks San Antonio, taxes, and a culture worth fighting for at Bumble

BY BILLY YOST

Chris Rosas VP Tax & Treasury Bumble

CHRIS ROSAS IS A TAX AND TREASURY pro with the grit of a salesman and the heart of a leader. The vice president of tax and treasury at Bumble has found his ideal match, representing a diverse workforce and an empowering product that aims to help people make healthy and equitable connections across love, friendship, and business networking.

Rosas’s early experience at Clear Channel—a company that tripled in size during his crash course in corporate and international tax—and his work at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) provided the foundation for the future leader. In fact, PwC partner Mitch Bramlett says of Rosas, “[He] is a thoughtful and practical problem solver. He empowers

his teams but they can always count on him to be in the trenches with them. It’s been a pleasure to witness Chris’ growth and success in his various leadership roles. He leads with integrity and impact.”

The Bumble VP shares his experience, his connection to Bumble’s mission, his passion for San Antonio, and his father’s challenge to become a salesman, no matter the job.

What has working across different industries provided you in terms of growth? Are there any particulars to your current role that you find unique and interesting?

The diversity of industries has given me a perspective on broad business issues. After

Clear Channel, I spent four years working in international tax at PricewaterhouseCoopers. That amazing experience helped my professional growth really take off. (I should also mention I met my wife, Stacy, at PwC, which only makes the experience that much more amazing!)

Being at PwC taught me what it was like to be in client service and develop a service orientation to internal stakeholders that I carried with me in my next role at Rackspace and now at Bumble. You must keep focused on your clients, whether external or internal.

After PwC, I transitioned to the head of tax at Rackspace, which was another exemplary experience. I earned the confidence of

Hispanic Executive

my leaders and expanded into treasury, internal audit, government relations, and many other projects that broadened my perspectives on the company and industry.

At Bumble, it’s been an exciting new challenge as our structure has both partnership and corporate elements to it. I’ve had to get a crash course in partnership tax since that is almost entirely new, but that’s what colleagues and mentors are for. It’s interesting to have such a difference in stakeholders and each day seems to be a new adventure! Bumble is also my first experience working outside of the B2B space for a company that provides services directly to consumers.

Could you talk about how Bumble’s mission impacts you and how you connect with the company?

As a husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend, I love Bumble’s mission of helping people create safe and equitable relationships and that I’ve met so many people that have met their partners on the platform.

Bumble’s corporate culture is one that fosters diversity and inclusion. Coming from companies with male-dominated leadership, it’s incredible to see Bumble’s commitment to having women in senior leadership, including a majority of the board of directors.

At my first company happy hour, I was struck by meeting new coworkers across the spectrum of gender, ethnicity, age and every different demographic I could think of. That diversity has been the key to building a stronger company as it’s a company that “walks the walk” when it comes to creating a positive environment for its employees to bring their true self to work.

I’d love to know more about your passion for San Antonio and your work with small businesses.

While at Rackspace, I was responsible for helping us qualify for and comply with various tax incentives for our San Antonio headquarters and data centers. For our HQ, for example, we renovated a vacant mall in a long-deteriorating neighborhood. We gave it a new life as a cool tech space and transformed the community by bringing thousands of employees to the area and partnering with local institutions to ensure everyone benefitted.

As ‘Rackers’ (employees of Rackspace) moved on from the company they remained in San Antonio. They started up businesses, became executives elsewhere, and set up VC funds. One of our founders was incredibly active in redeveloping downtown and creating an urban center that could incubate startups. We also started a school to teach IT skills and created a local tech talent pipeline that fed our company and several IT departments across the city.

“

Your personal network is the most powerful muscle you can build.”

Rackspace’s efforts were transforming the city and I wanted to get involved. I had grown my network by working with the city and state on our incentives and been exposed to the political side of things when I led the efforts to pass two tax bills in Texas. I took a leap and applied for a position on the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation, the city’s nonprofit arm investing in startups. During my tenure, I saw many companies that could have a big impact but needed help. I eventually left the SAEDC and began investing directly in these companies because I knew they all had the potential to be the next company to improve our community.

Could you break down your father’s advice, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows what you know,” and how it impacted you?

My dad knew a thing or two about business. He began his career after college as an IBM salesman, eventually starting his own business, for which he was awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year.

He told me that everyone is in sales, even if you’re not “in sales.” He pushed me to take a sales training course. I resisted at first but he wore me down and got me to attend a sales training he was sponsoring through the Small Business Development Center at UT San Antonio with several aspiring small business owners. I vividly recall the instructor saying, “Some people say, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. That is wrong. It is who knows what you know.”

That really resonated with me. Your personal network is the most powerful muscle you can build. I used his advice to not only meet new people, but to have quality interactions where my peers, colleagues and contacts knew not only my name, but the value I could bring.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked to ensure that my professional connections “know what I know.” One example is a connection I made at tax conference in 2011. I was on a panel discussion tax issues in cloud computing and met someone that ended up introducing me to Bumble!

“I love Bumble’s mission of creating an environment for safe and equitable relationships and that I’ve met so many people that have met their partners on the platform.”

At Synopsys, Julio Flores prioritizes innovation and diversity and inclusion in his role as vice president for internal audit

Take Account

BY DONALD LIEBENSON

THERE’S A WIDELY HELD STEREOTYPE THAT ACCOUNTING IS boring—which isn’t helped by the way the media generally portrays the profession. A classic Monty Python sketch, for example, portrays Michael Palin as a chartered accountant determined to become a lion tamer. When his vocational guidance counselor suggests that accountancy is exciting, he protests, “No it’s not. . . My God it’s dull, it’s so desperately dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull.” To which the counselor replies, “But you see, your report here says that you are an extremely dull person.”

Julio Flores, vice president for internal audit at electronic design automation company Synopsys, begs to differ. It is, in fact, the broad scope of his team’s work in-house that keeps it interesting, he says. “We can be doing an assessment anywhere where there may be significant inherent risk. We are all over the company: working with different departments and different people each day.”

Flores’ career path was “strongly encouraged,” he says, by his college professors. He originally majored in criminal justice, and then veered in the direction of sociology. “I wanted to work with troubled youth,” he says.

Flores initially attended junior college at night while working a fulltime job with an insurance company (this work ethic was inspired by his mother, a Mexican immigrant who raised him while working several jobs, including as a seamstress and a house cleaner). When he made the jump to California State University, Northridge, he switched to business management, for which he had to take an entry-level accounting class.

“That’s when I was turned on to accounting,” he says. “The professors there were adamant about opening our eyes to the possibilities and opportunities in accounting. One of them brought in a video of the New York Jets’ CFO, the message being, ‘You can have a job with

Julio Flores VP of Internal Audit Synopsys

Hispanic Executive

the NFL!” Sometime during that semester, I decided to change to accounting.”

What drew Flores to accounting, in part, was the clarity of having something concrete to do with his education. “It’s not vague,” he says. “A selling point was the long-term opportunity. This is one of those professions for which there is continued demand. Even in down times, people still need accountants.”

There’s a widespread misperception that accountancy is a bookkeeping job. “It’s not,” Flores explains. “There are different types of jobs that fall under this broader umbrella. It’s not only a niche area. You’re dealing with very high-level people in different departments. You can learn a ton. And you can move up quickly; it’s a fast-paced environment.”

Synopsys is at the forefront of Smart Everything, with advanced technologies for chip design, verification, IP integration, and software security and quality testing. Flores is coming up on his sixth year with the company. He previously worked at PwC as a director of internal audit services, as well as KPMG. At Synopsys, he is charged with leading an

independent corporate audit department whose role is to “kick the tires” and test all the policies, processes, and controls to make sure they are working as intended to mitigate risk, such as helping ensure that intellectual property is appropriately safeguarded.

“Because our job is to protect our company against a broad set of risks, we get into all sorts of interesting operational areas that may impact us from an operational, reputational, legal and compliance perspective, not just the financial sides of things,” Flores says.

Two other priorities for Flores and Synopsys are innovation and diversity and inclusion efforts. Flores built his department’s data science team from scratch, which he considers “foundational.” “We use it at every stage of our projects: planning, execution and reporting,” he says. “Now they can’t imagine not using it.” Flores also serves as the executive sponsor for Synopsys’ Latinx employee resource group, La Comunidad, which he and other leaders within the company helped launch.

One of Flores’ most treasured partnerships is his more than twenty years with the

“Even in down times, people still need accountants.”

Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA).

He has served in several chapter leadership roles. He currently hosts ALPFA events at Synopsys as a sponsor.

“When I worked at KPMG, they were a big sponsor and supporter of ALPFA,” he says. “They invited me to an annual conference, and it opened my eyes to the organization. I met all sorts of great people and participated in networking events. I got hooked. Twenty years later, I’m still an active member. My only regret is that I did not get involved earlier, as I had many friends that got involved during college, which helped them land jobs before many others.

Reflecting on the mentors who guided him on his journey, one piece of advice stands out to Flores: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” He explains that when he was a new manager who was responsible for looking for errors from his team, his mentor told him that if he found one minor mistake, but nearly everything else was done correctly, he should focus on what was done well instead of the minor item that wasn’t—a very different message than focusing on the minor item.

Crowe LLP: “Julio is always looking for ways to improve his team, their internal audit approach, and his own leadership and technical skills. He provides strong direction, but he lets his teams drive their areas of responsibility. He is not content to simply do what might have been done previously and challenges us to constantly improve. His strong leadership and humility make him the type of person you don’t want to let down.” Vince Hayes, Partner

Proud to support Hispanic líderes

At Crowe, we take great satisfaction in helping our clients solve business challenges, from automating complex internal processes to implementing enterpriselevel technologies.

We’re also proud to encourage and support Hispanic business leaders –and we congratulate our client Julio Flores, vice president at Synopsys, for this well-deserved recognition!

If you need help taking on a major challenge at your organization, talk to our knowledgeable team of specialists.

BY FREDERICK JERANT

A passionate education advocate, Rebecca Thibeault leads employee benefits and an impactful debt-free tuition program at Synchrony

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S FAMED 1758 quote, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest,” still rings true today. It’s wisdom that Rebecca Thibeault, senior vice president of benefits at Synchrony Financial, continues to exemplify.

“My mom was sixteen and my dad was seventeen when I was born,” she says. “Both of them dropped out of high school and went to work. My mom worked at a grocery store in the evenings and my dad worked days at a cable company so there would always be a parent at home with my brother and me.”

Her family situation, combined with an increased understanding of how schooling can improve one’s life, strengthened Thibeault’s resolve to acquire a solid education. “I always knew I wanted to go to college and, fortunately, my family encouraged me and supported me along the way,” she says.

After graduating from Brockton High School in Massachusetts, she was accepted to two of the local “big three” business schools: Bryant University, Babson College, and Bentley University. She ultimately chose Bryant, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“College taught me a lot of great lessons,” Thibeault says, “but the most important ones were actually learned outside of the classroom, such as how to interview, what types of questions to ask, and how to dress, for example. Simple things like those can really open doors for you.”

Thanks to one of Bryant University’s numerous on-campus job fairs, Thibeault was hired before graduation by Phillip Morris, a multinational tobacco company, to manage sales for a two hundred-store territory. Then, she got her first taste of the field of human resources at Core2 Business Consulting in Boston, where she was involved in benefits administration, payroll, and vendor management among other functions.

In 2007, Thibeault moved to New York City for a spot with private equity firm Warburg Pincus. “I joined as a compensation and benefits analyst,” the Boston native says, “and it was my first ‘real’ job in HR.” During that time, she earned a master’s degree in organizational effectiveness from New York University and certification as a compensation professional, both by using the company’s tuition reimbursement program.

Following stints at Bowne, and Towers Watson, Thibeault joined Synchrony in 2014 as a compensation analyst and held roles of increasing responsibility until she attained her current position leading benefits in 2020. “My key responsibilities are to design, communicate, and execute all of Synchrony’s benefit programs,” the SVP says.

And her efforts have borne fruit. “Between 2019 and 2022 Synchrony rose twenty-six points on Fortune’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work for’. The 2022 list has Synchrony at number twenty-five,” she says. “While there are many factors that contribute to the score, the generous benefits Synchrony offers employees play a strong role.”

Thibeault added that company culture is important and she was thrilled to see the word cloud generated by employee comments in the Great Places To Work Trust Index Survey. The word benefits was most prominent, followed closely by words like family, care, flexibility, support and people.

Her efforts are supported by a four-person team that she supervises with a confident, “hands off” style. “I give my team projects and know they’ll see them through, coming back to me only if they need my help. More times than not, they bring new ideas or approaches I would have never thought of myself. I trust in their capabilities, and they thrive with the freedom to perform.”

And she does not hesitate to empower her star performers to shine. “After learning the ropes, I encourage my team to lead presentations and introduce new programs so they get

“Synchrony also covers degrees in education and healthcare fields—such as teaching and nursing— because those are the types of professions our communities need the most.

Rebecca Thibeault SVP of Benefits Synchrony Financial

the experience and the exposure within the company,” she adds.

Thibeault added that benefits departments nationwide are experiencing burnout from the two-plus years of reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic—Synchrony is addressing that stress for all employees with its innovative mental wellness programs.

“It can be difficult to find a mental health professional that accepts your insurance and doesn’t have a three-month waiting list,” she says. So, Synchrony partnered with the O’Connor Professional Group, to provide employees with dedicated “coaches” that offer in-the-moment guidance to burdened employees.

“We have twelve coaches who come from a diverse set of backgrounds,” she adds. “We have folks from different races and religions who can speak different languages. We have veterans, moms, a former pastor, and more. We also maintain a matrix outlining the different areas they specialize in, to help employees find their best match. There’s no red tape, and no worrying about insurance. The employee simply selects a coach and schedules a time to connect.”

Thibeault encourages her hard-working staff to take advantage of Synchrony’s generous tuition reimbursement program (up to $20,000 a year) and highlights its newest employee benefit: a path to debt-free tuition.

“We work with EdAssist Solutions, a branch of Bright Horizons, to provide a flexible, no-cost degree program,” she says. “Their 101 courses are available on EdAssist’s online platform, and they are all selfpaced. Once those are completed, employees can easily transfer the credits to a college or university within in EdAssist’s network to finish their degrees.”

“Rebecca is a collaborative leader who understands that providing a workforce education program that removes barriers and creates opportunities for all its employees to achieve career and financial mobility is a strategic imperative with lasting impact on the lives of Synchrony’s employees,” says Dr. Jill Buban, vice president and general manager of EdAssist. “We are proud of the program that we have been building with her and the team at Synchrony.”

Thibeault added that Synchrony is billed directly for all Fast Track courses through

EdAssist so employees never have to pay a dime out-of-pocket. That, coupled with the flexibility to take self-paced, online classes “removes so many of the barriers employees face when considering going to school,” she says.

Additionally, while most employer-paid tuition plans are limited to studies only in the employee’s field of work, “Synchrony also covers degrees in education and healthcare fields—such as teaching and nursing— because those are the types of professions our communities need the most,” she says.

Thibeault stresses that education is important for everyone. “Your position on the socioeconomic ladder growing up can influence your future. If financially, college wasn’t an option for your parents, it’s not likely to be an option for you. It’s tough to escape that cycle and you see this a lot in the Latin American community. But education will open doors for you.”

And it’s never too late to start, Thibeault advises. “My own mother, who had dropped out of high school at sixteen, went on to earn her associate and bachelor’s degrees— in her fifties!”

We help working learners find their path.

Pursuing an education while building a career isn’t easy. We partner with the world’s best companies and academic institutions to make education more affordable, accessible, and attainable.

We are proud to work with inspirational clients like Rebecca Thibeault at Synchrony who are using education as a great equalizer.

Veteran lawyer Mark Padilla knows how to prepare for the limelight. After taking tech companies from start-up to IPO, he’s getting Anaplan ready for all that lies ahead.

Always Moving Forward

BY ZACH BALIVA

A PASSION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND advocacy runs deep in Mark Padilla’s veins. The veteran in-house lawyer has been instrumental in helping software company Anaplan evolve into a mature public entity, but he’s never forgotten his roots or lost his desire to give back to the community.

Padilla remembers hearing stories about his cousin Gilbert who grew up working with his family in the fields of a California labor camp. The young man served in the army during World War II and returned

to find the influx of Mexican braceros was lowering wages for American-born laborers like him. In the mid 1950s, Gilbert met a young man named Cesar and later, an activist named Dolores. In 1962, Gilbert Padilla, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta started what became the National Farm Workers of America, which would later become the United Farm Workers or UFW.

Those stories lingered in the back of Mark Padilla’s mind as he decided to explore his interest in the law as an undergraduate student

Mark Padilla VP of Corporate & Compliance Legal and Assistant Corporate Secretary Anaplan

at Yale University. A spring break externship through the alumni association took him to the Bronx Superior Court where he sat in trials and interacted with Latino clerks, judges, and lawyers.

Those legal professionals impressed upon Padilla the need for more representation in the field, and he remembers Judge Frank Torres explaining why the country needs more Latinos in positions of power and influence. “The demographics of the country are changing, and we need to prepare ourselves to make our voices heard,” Padilla reiterates. He was convinced and enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center.

Wilson Sonsini gave Padilla a platform from which to launch his career, and he spent a decade honing his craft at Silicon Valley’s preeminent tech firm known for taking companies like Apple and Google public. He advised boards and leaders of private and public companies while often representing clients from their start-up phase to financing and through an initial public offering.

During this era, a friend introduced Padilla to a local community college program in need of legal and financial assistance. Right away, he noticed an alignment of his heritage, interests, and vocation. “My mom attended community college after she came to the United States from Peru,” he explains. “I value what these programs offer, and I wanted to help.”

Padilla spent more than six years as director of the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation. He worked with board and staff members to recruit a team of volunteers and raise funds for scholarships and programs at Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College.

In 2014, Padilla went in house with McKesson to manage SEC public reporting and M&A activities and serve as chief

counsel for the leading healthcare and information technology company. At the firm, he also worked alongside entrepreneurs at early-stage tech companies as general counsel of the company’s venture arm. McKesson is a 150-yearold pharmaceutical company with more than $200 billion in revenue. The purposeful move gave Padilla the opportunity to experience the inner workings and all facets of a large corporation.

After six years, Padilla was ready for a new challenge. He came to Anaplan to marry his experience from advising small, private, venture-backed companies with what he learned at McKesson.

As vice president of corporate and compliance legal and assistant corporate secretary, Padilla is helping the young public organization put mature structures in place. Anaplan was founded in 2006 and went public in 2018. The high-growth company sells cloud-native SaaS solutions to many of the world’s largest businesses.

Hispanic Executive

Padilla spent his first year at Anaplan leveling up the corporate legal side by implementing training practices, redesigning proxy statements, and building out ESG and DEI disclosure programs. At the same time, Anaplan caught the attention of Thoma Bravo. In March 2022, the large and well-known private equity firm announced plans to acquire Anaplan in a cash transaction valued at $10.7 billion.

“This is a clear validation of our team’s outstanding work and the start of an exciting new chapter for Anaplan, our customers, and our partner ecosystem,” said Anaplan CEO Frank Calderoni in a statement.

Anaplan is on solid ground, and Padilla is looking to reengage in board service and other community outreach efforts. As he moves forward, he recalls what Judge Torres taught him many years ago. “We know our culture has arrived in this country when there are not just actors and celebrities in the spotlight, but Latino judges, lawyers, engineers, doctors, and others,” he says. “We can all make a difference.”

“We know our culture has arrived in this country when there are not just actors and celebrities in the spotlight, but Latino judges, lawyers, engineers, doctors, and others.”

Morrison & Foerster is delighted to support Mark Padilla at Anaplan. We are impressed by Mark’s many accomplishments as a legal leader, and congratulate him on his recognition by Hispanic Executive. MoFo is an international law firm offering a comprehensive platform of legal services across the globe. Find out more at MoFo.com.

A Company-wide Makeover

How Gustavo Serbiá helps Hair Cuttery rebuild its culture and trust in HR post-bankruptcy

BY BILLY YOST

AFTER FILING FOR CHAPTER 11

bankruptcy protection in 2020, national salon chain Hair Cuttery transferred ownership to HC Salon Holdings. Since June 2020, the brand has had to rebuild itself, essentially starting from scratch when it came to employee trust. Gustavo Serbiá, vice president of human resources and a change management expert, was brought aboard to help repair that breach, a legitimate challenge at the time.

“There had been a number of layoffs, last checks were not paid, and benefits were canceled,” Serbiá says of the organization prior to the new ownership. “Not to mention COVID. From a credibility standpoint, we had to work to deliver on the absolute basics to help people who had been here previously understand that real change was happening.”

The basics included ensuring that every single paycheck was processed correctly for the first time under new ownership. For a

company of five thousand, asking for a flawless first pay cycle was a tall order.

Additionally, the company was able to pay employees whose pay had not been delivered prior to bankruptcy as well as reimbursing for the benefits that were lost. The VP says that from a change management standpoint, these were critical matters that needed to be addressed to build faith with both tenured employees and encourage new hires that the “new old” company was operating differently.

And despite the bankruptcy, Serbiá knew there were parts of the old organization that were working; the company had been around since 1974. But from an HR perspective, Serbiá realized that the organization needed to level up.

“I needed to rebuild the team and, frankly, move the HR bar to a new level of sophistication around how to interact and support people,” he explains, “while

Gustavo Serbiá VP of HR Hair Cuttery

also ensuring that we have the appropriate systems and processes in place to support that evolution.”

While the common adage goes “HR is HR,” Serbiá admits that the salon industry has offered some nuances he hasn’t previously encountered—and that’s saying something for an executive whose career in hospitality HR runs deep.

“There is a lot more emotion and passion in the salon industry,” the VP explains. “These stylists are artists and have strong feelings about the work that they do. When I started, I needed to step back and look at every employee interaction to better understand how we can best deliver for our stylists.”

Serbiá immediately implemented employee feedback opportunities but not the routine annual surveys that most are accustomed to. After reading Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goddall’s Nine

Lies About Work:

A

Congratulations to our partner Gustavo Serbia!

Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, Serbiá worked with the HR team to redesign a quarterly pulse survey focused on eight questions with their team and leadership opinions front-and-center.

In April 2022, the numbers looked good. The survey’s inaugural 70 percent satisfaction rating hit 85 percent, with an engagement score of 96 percent. With close to two thousand comments, Serbiá says the HR team takes each and every answer seriously, reflecting on opportunities to serve employees better.

“We want to show people that we will back up our questions with actions,” Serbiá explains. “I think the executive leadership’s support of this survey process is a great example of how committed we are to making things better for our people.”

Hair Cuttery’s rebirth is heading in the right direction despite a pandemic, a bankruptcy, and a necessary culture rebuild. The company’s change

management expert knows a thing or two about the necessity of growth.

Serbiá spent a decade working as an actor while also building out his HR expertise. But after getting married and preparing to be a father, Serbiá realized that it was time to grow his HR career. The Puerto Rican-native has had to adapt continuously throughout his life, and while challenging, those experiences have helped shape him into a change management expert who understands the culture and needs of a diverse organization and thrives in a whirlwind of change and growth.

While Serbiá’s own commitment to continual growth is evident, the leader credits his mother and several other HR mentors for helping instill the kind of values and leadership that were necessary for his own success. Those mentors helped Serbiá navigate changes in his own life, and now he’s helping a well-established brand navigate their own big changes by putting the associate experience first.

Lockton Companies: “Gustavo Serbia is an incredibly hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. His direct approach and honest feedback have created the foundation for a great working relationship, which has led to collaboratively working together to create an employee benefit strategy that meets business objectives and enhances the employee experience.” Heidi Chow, SVP, Portfolio Manager

We believe in bringing your authentic self to work and are dedicated to DE&I at all levels, which is why we have been recognized as Business Insurance’s Best Place to Work for 13 consecutive years and named one of The Best Employers for Diversity 2022 by Forbes.

“I needed to step back and look at every employee interaction to better understand how we can best deliver for our stylists.”

When you join Lockton, you become a part of our family.

TOBACCO & TRANSITIONS

BY BILLY YOST

Javier Suarez helps Reynolds American transform the tobacco industry

JAVIER

SUAREZ’S FAVORITE

motivational touchpoint is a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt over 110 years ago at the Sorbonne’s Grand Amphitheater at the University of Paris. His “Citizenship in a Republic” speech has long been remembered by another name: “The Man in the Arena” speech. The most excerpted portion of that speech is as follows:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

When making the decision to join Reynolds American Inc. (a subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), the second-largest tobacco company in the United States, Roosevelt’s words seemed all the more meaningful to Suarez. “This is a company that moved forward with a more consumer-centric model, with a commitment to delivering a potentially reduced-risk future, with a focus on science-based alternatives to combustible cigarettes,” he says.

“We are also expanding our commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and diversity in a way that I immediately connected with and that aligned with my personal values.”

BECOMING “THE FIREMAN”

Since coming to Reynolds American, Suarez has been helping the company that was already a four-time winner of Fortune’s “Best Workplaces” cement that reputation. Suarez brings over twenty years of public accounting and corporate tax experience, but his most important education seems to have occurred much earlier in life.

Suarez grew up with a Cuban-born father who worked two jobs for the bulk of his youth. After the Castro regime assumed control of the country, his father was forced to flee to his family’s home in Spain. “They lost everything and came to the US to start over,” Suarez says. “The most important thing my

Javier Suarez VP of Tax Reynolds American Inc.

father taught me was that they can take everything away from you, but they can never take your knowledge.”

Suarez said he benefited from significant mentorship (especially from his father), which helped the young man think strategically and ambitiously. He built powerful skill sets in post-merger integrations, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), international tax, transfer pricing, and several other areas.

More important was the VP’s unwillingness to work inside silos. “It’s always been important to me to work collaboratively across an orga-

nization, to create networks, and the ability to influence to get things done,” he says. Those soft and hard skills earned Suarez the nickname “the Fireman” in a previous role: he was always called in to handle emergencies, a true performer in a pinch.

At Reynolds, Suarez has helped the tax team standardize its SAP platform across the globe and create digital business service groups with locations in the US and all over the world. As Suarez jokes, “The sun never sets on operations.”

Along with the standardized global platform, continued M&A activity,

The most important thing my father taught me was that they can take everything away from you, but they can never take your knowledge.”

King & Spalding congratulates and is proud to partner with Javier Suarez , who is keeping Reynolds American Inc. in the lead.

and working to create a more flexible and agile organization, Suarez says it is also imperative for his people to be effectively embedded throughout the rest of the company.

“We’re a highly-regulated industry that includes a lot of tax at every level of our organization,” the Suarez says. “As a department, we must ensure that we are a trusted business advisor by aligning tax with business goals to drive strategic value while increasing transparency and improving the efficiency of tax operations.”

TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION -

Most important, says the vice president, is helping Reynolds American move forward on its commitment to deliver-

ing ‘A Better Tomorrow.’ Suarez says he’s proud to be part of an organization committed to leading from the front when it comes to ESG, diversity, and creating a transformational culture.

“You can see that commitment to diversity and inclusivity here immediately,” Suarez says. “Our corporate goal of delivering ‘A Better Tomorrow’ has multiple focuses, but it unites this organization and acts as a spearhead for us to move into the future. Culture is everything, and I think that’s absolutely on display here at Reynolds.”

Along with its research and development toward creating alternatives to traditional combustible smoking—such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches— Reynolds also announced a partnership with the National Association of Convenience Stores in February 2022 to provide free digital age verification to those attempting to purchase tobacco products. The technology will help

ensure that those under twenty-one years of age aren’t obtaining nicotine products.

The company is betting big on safer alternatives to the traditional pack of cigarettes. That’s what motivated Suarez to move to the organization in the first place. Reynolds wants to step outside what it traditionally means to be a tobacco company and create something larger and more sustainable in the process.

“There’s something exciting about being part of a transformation process within an organization,” Suarez says. “We’re building an organization that has already made me very proud. I’m excited for the larger public to see what ‘A Better Tomorrow’ looks like.”

Javier is a collaborative leader who excels at managing complex tax matters and driving dynamic business initiatives with a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We congratulate him on this well-deserved recogni on.

Blank Rome’s prominent State + Local Tax (“SALT”) team includes attorneys who pioneered the nationwide practice of SALT with experience handling cases in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. From both national and state-specific perspectives, we can guide you through the complexity of considerations, issues, and opportunities toward successful management of state and local taxes.

For more informa on, visit blankrome.com.

Blank Rome LLP: “Blank Rome congratulates Javier Suarez on this well-deserved honor and is proud to be an integral part of Reynolds American’s outside tax-legal team. We enjoy working with Javier and his colleagues in developing practical, effective, and efficient legal solutions to complex state and local tax issues.”–Mitchell A. Newmark, Partner

“There’s something exciting about being part of a transformation within an organization. We’re building an organization that has already made me very proud. I’m excited for the larger public to see what ‘A Better Tomorrow’ looks like.”

Not Your Typical CFO

BY ZACH BALIVA

Big oil is boom or bust. For Ernesto Bautista lll, his job as CFO at BJ Energy Solutions is about more than dollars and cents.

ONE MIGHT ASSUME THAT MANAGING financial matters for an oil field service company is a competitive, high stress, cutthroat affair requiring thick skin, tenacity, and ruthlessness. The job is certainly both demanding and complex, but Ernesto Bautista III is proving that it can be done with poise and integrity. Bautista is the chief financial officer at BJ Energy Solutions (BJE), and he’s focused on more than just dollars and cents.

Bautista is a different kind of CFO at a different kind of oil field services technology company. While BJ Energy Solutions is an oil and gas fracturing service company, it’s one focused on reducing its environmental footprint. “We believe we have a responsibility to do our part through initiatives that promote the success and well-being of our communities,” says President and CEO Warren Zemlak. BJE’s leaders are committed to their core values of repeatable execution, responsible stewardship, having the right team, and client focus.

It’s a vision they take seriously, and one with which Bautista is closely aligned. He grew up in south Texas and was raised by a single parent who worked hard to make ends meet. Living in a 600-square-foot home and relying on help from others in the community taught him the power of relationships. Bautista leveraged every advancement opportunity he could find and studied economics and accounting at Rice University before starting his career at Andersen.

During his time at Andersen, Bautista worked in a small practice that focused on emerging businesses in many different industries and companies. He has since specialized in oil field services through various positions at companies like W-H Energy Services and CARBO Ceramics. In doing so, he’s become a known quantity and a recognizable part of the finance community.

“For as much money as the broader energy industry represents, it’s actually a really small community. You’re going to come across

people again and again in your career, and it’s important not to burn bridges,” he says.

That reality has caused Bautista to slow down the pace of his work. He doesn’t charge ahead to negotiate or close a large transaction without first building trust and cultivating relationships with people involved. “I don’t try to force my way through and win on every single small detail because it’s more important to see the big picture. And if you can’t get a deal done today, maybe you’ll get one done tomorrow,” he explains. Sound, long-term business deals matter, but for Bautista, being seen as someone who is both fair and honest matters more.

This philosophy extends beyond external partnerships and informs how Bautista treats his colleagues. During his tenure at W-H Energy Services, the company acquired fifteen companies and retained the owners of twelve of those organizations. Along with his CEO and chief operating officer, Bautista masterfully helped integrate them into the W-H Energy Services public entity.

Bautista also led his previous employer (CARBO Ceramics) through a bankruptcy and protected the jobs of as many people as possible. While many CFOs are content to stay in their corporate headquarters, Bautista makes a point of getting out in the field and interacting with employees and managers to understand what they do, what they need, and how his office can support their activities.

This process, combined with his current employer’s overall vision and mission, has facilitated a nontraditional long-term strategy. While many of their competitors in the boom or bust industry are speculative in nature, Bautista and his company take a different approach. They conservatively build

“For as much money as this industry represents, it’s actually a really small community. You’re going to come across people again and again in your career, and it’s important not to burn bridges.”

their hydraulic fracturing infrastructure and equipment fleets only with signed, multiyear contracts in place.

Bautista’s counterparts in other similar companies are concerned with the basics of financials. They think about debits, credits, and cash flows. And while Bautista manages those issues with tenacity, he’s also sitting with his CEO and COO to uncover new opportunities and differentiate BJ Energy Services.

As Bautista and BJE advance these endeavors, the CFO is also leveraging his skills and influence to give back to communities like his native Brownsville, Texas, where challenges are acute and opportunities scarce. He volunteers for and contributes to organizations such as Citizens for Animal Protection, Chuck Norris’s Kickstart Kids, Rice University’s Leadership Program, and UpBring, which provides shelter for at-risk children.

Some of this work is motivated by Bautista’s more recent family experience. He lost an adult stepson to cancer and hopes to one day start a nonprofit of his own. “What’s true in my professional life is true in my personal life,” he says. “I want to be someone who’s going to make a difference.”

Ernesto Bautista III

CFO

BJ Energy Solutions

His parents, like many immigrants, worked to provide new opportunities for the next generation. Today, Alex Londono honors their sacrifice through his career with the GEO Group.

People Skills

ALEX LONDONO’S PARENTS WERE hard workers. The Colombian immigrants started a business that built and recycled wooden pallets for manufacturers, supermarkets, and other clients. It was demanding work that required long hours, but they did it for his benefit. They were proud of living their own version of the American dream, and although Londono briefly worked in the family business, he wanted more. He wanted to honor his parents’ sacrifice, but he also wanted to become the first in the family to attend college and start a professional career.

Today, Londono is vice president of field human resources at the GEO Group Inc., where he leads a team of six direct reports and 120 HR professionals. Recently, Londono talked with Hispanic Executive about how respect for hard work and other values he learned from his parents continue to guide him to this day.

AS TOLD TO ZACHARY BROWN

Alex Londono VP of Field HR The GEO Group Inc.

My parents did a lot so I could have opportunities that weren’t available to them. I can never forget that. I learned the importance of hard work and dedication by working in their pallet business. I cut wood, disassembled broken pallets, loaded flatbed trucks, and made deliveries. A single pallet weighs about forty pounds, so lifting pallets all day long in the Florida sun is difficult work to say the least.

I helped run my parents’ business for a while and realized that I wanted to do something that could help them as I built a career. I saw how helpful having a law degree could be from a business standpoint, so that’s what I pursued. While in law school at the University of Florida, I would help them draft letters, interpret contract language, and settle disputes. I subsequently graduated among the top in my class, began practicing law in 2004, and a few years later helped my folks successfully sell their business, reinvest their money, and retire comfortably.

While I was doing this, I was building my own career as a labor and employment attorney. Out of law school, I was recruited by a large national employment law firm, where I worked in private practice before joining the GEO Group as associate corporate counsel in 2010. GEO is a government services provider specializing in the design and delivery of support services for secure facilities, immigration processing centers, and community reentry centers.

When I got to GEO, I was the third attorney in the legal department, and the company had about eight thousand employees. Two weeks later we doubled in size via an acquisition, so right away I had to jump in and do what I had grown up seeing my parents do. In other words, I had to put in the hours and do the hard work. I immediately took over all of the employment agency charges and demand letters that had once gone to outside firms. In the first two years, I responded to over two hundred agency matters, which resulted in over half a million in savings to GEO. More importantly, I got a good understanding of the inner workings of our business. I quickly learned the relevant stakeholders, the business strategy, the risk management profile, and where we wanted to go from a compli-

ance standpoint. I rolled up my sleeves and prepared myself to help take us there.

As my understanding of the business grew, I took over management of the company’s employment matters nationwide. In recognition of that work, I was promoted to vice president of corporate counsel labor and employment in 2015.

In 2016, however, the HR department was restructured to more effectively manage compliance in the field. As part of the restructuring, GEO’s CHRO, who I had worked closely with in my role as labor and employment attorney, offered me the opportunity to run the newly restructured field HR group. While it was a difficult decision to leave my role in legal, I viewed the move as an opportunity to grow professionally and increase my knowledge of the business. The move to HR also allowed me to have an earlier impact on critical compliance issues through training, development, and policy before matters developed into litigation.

Our biggest HR challenge today is recruiting and the retention of our workforce. The nature of our industry creates unique recruiting challenges that go beyond pandemic-related issues. Our rural locations and rigorous background check process create an added challenge.

Diversity and inclusion measures are a critical component of our recruiting and retention efforts. To that end, HR pays particular attention to our outreach efforts to make sure our hiring pools are diverse. We meet regularly with field HR staff to look at data and make any necessary tweaks to our outreach strategy. Our focus on these important diversity measures has paid off: approximately 63 percent of our current workforce is composed of underrepresented minorities.

I firmly believe my Hispanic roots help me contribute to GEO’s efforts to be diverse and inclusive. Having been a Hispanic kid who grew up in the predominately blue-collar migrant community of Hialeah, Florida, gives me a better understanding of the importance of getting this right. A large portion of our workforce is Hispanic, and being able to speak Spanish helps me connect with these employees on a different level.

Whenever my day gets tough, I have a stack of miniature wooden pallets on my desk that I look at. It gives me immediate perspective as it reminds me of just how hard my parents worked to give me the opportunity. I want to make sure I make the most of it.

“Having been a Hispanic kid who grew up in the predominately blue-collar migrant community of Hialeah, Florida, gives me a better me understanding of the importance of getting this right.”

Her early journey was filled with struggles, and now Kelly Navarro helps others like her make better lives for themselves

BY BILLY YOST

Unstoppable THE Kelly Navarro

Kelly Navarro Chief People Officer Moore

KELLY NAVARRO HAS A FRAMED CARD from her team that she received for National Boss’s Day. It’s covered in messages from employees she supports and leads as chief people officer, but there’s one that sums up Navarro in just a few simple words: “You are unstoppable.”

“That’s just me,” Navarro says. “I’m not going to stop doing what’s right, whether it’s for me, my son, or the people in my life. I am going to get it done.”

There are many reasons why the chief people officer (CPO) shouldn’t have made it to where she is. Born in Trinidad, Navarro was molded by her grandmother and her great grandmother, “strong island women” who pushed the young girl to be the best she could be. Looking back, she thinks the strength they instilled in her was a foundation of survival that she has drawn on throughout her life.

Navarro was the only one of her two siblings who was granted a US visa, and she went to live with her mother in Pennsylvania, who was working in a wealthy couple’s home.

“I don’t tell these stories to ask for pity or try to pretend I’m the only one,” Navar-

ro says. “I just hope that someone who has shared this kind of struggle can find something in my journey to motivate them.”

There is so much that could have derailed Navarro’s life. For starters, the home she shared with her mother was not the loving environment her grandmother had built. It was insufferable. Stuck between two cultures and having no one to turn to, Navarro eventually ran away from home to New York City. She stayed in hostels, with friends, at bus station terminals, anywhere she could get some rest.

Navarro met a Colombian woman on the grounds of a large apartment complex in Sunnyside, Queens, where the fifteen-yearold knew she could move relatively freely. The woman offered to rent Navarro a room (more of a closet, really) to help get her off the streets.

“To say it was small is being grandiose. You could only fit a cot in there, not a real bed,” Navarro remembers. “But it was my space and my cot. I was safe. I was cleaning houses and waitressing; I was surviving.”

Navarro moved back and forth between New York and Pennsylvania, never able to get her high school diploma, but was still

able to earn early admission to Quincy College because she’d squeezed so many of the academic requirements into a compressed timeline. But school and work were just too much to handle so once again, in order to survive, she had to drop out.

At twenty, Navarro came head-to-head with her defining moment. She got pregnant, and after a couple of years with her young son, the father decided he didn’t want his partying life to end. Navarro found herself alone once more. Faced with a new crossroads, the CPO knew unquestionably she had to do everything she could to give her young son the kind of life she never had.

“I went back to school. Now attending Delaware Technical Community College, working, and to make a living I was cleaning houses, even bringing my son with me while I cleaned houses,” Navarro remembers. “I knew there were greater things for me. Looking back, God took all of these broken pieces and made a mosaic.”

Navarro’s son, Robert, is now twenty. Navarro went to Wilmington University, where she earned her BS, and then to Widener University-Delaware Law School, where

she earned her MBA and JD. She has given him the life of her dreams.

As a Latina in the C-suite, the CPO is driven by the minimum-wage workers, first-generation immigrants, single parents, and people of diverse backgrounds. “The face, and lives of those is what makes up America’s workforce and is embodied in my journey,” she says. “Their struggles, I have faced, lived, overcame, and conquered.”

Though an executive herself, there are times when Navarro still has a very hard time understanding those who came from privilege. She doesn’t speak of those from upperclass backgrounds with disdain, more like a sociologist examining a different culture. “I am quite comfortable in my C-level skin because I have earned where I am. However, being at a C-level doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice my humility.

“I feel a connection to the majority of the workforce in a very intense way,” Navarro explains. “When it comes to the white-collar part of any business, I have to admit that there is a sense of privilege that I can’t relate to, and to be honest, I don’t think I ever want to be able to relate to because I don’t want to lose the memory of my struggles. It is the knowledge from those struggles that helps me be a successful CPO.”

“As the US becomes more ethnically and racially diverse, most corporations are grappling with how to build a workforce that reflects these changing demographics,” Navarro adds. “Research shows how employees of color and ethnic backgrounds are disproportionately concentrated in the lowest ranking positions; as a CPO I want those employees to see I am one of them, where I am now, and to be inspired to know that

one of the most senior executives can relate to their voice. Just as I can to the CEO. To understand and inspire people at all levels.”

Navarro says that she always keeps an eye out for driven individuals who she might be able to provide a chance for something bigger. They might be a manager, they might be in janitorial service, it doesn’t matter. She wants to inspire and be the kind of motivating force that her grandmother and great-grandmother were for her.

“You have to empower your people, to me the true measure of success will be the people’s lives I have touched and transformed,” Navarro explains. “I will take anyone with the drive and desire and groom them for success.

“

When it comes to the white-collar part of any business, I have to admit that there is a sense of privilege that I can’t relate to, and to be honest, I don’t think I ever want to be able to relate to . . .”

My degrees, my JD, my title, or my role mean nothing if I’m not working to give people a chance to succeed—to empower them to be the best version of them self.”

There are those who have managed to succeed in spite of great obstacles, and after achieving that success, do almost anything to forget their lives before. It’s understandable, but Navarro says it’s imperative to stay grounded in her own struggle, to remember that there are people with the same challenges that she can now impact for the better.

Giving back is what Navarro does now. She is constantly working to empower survivors of child abuse, human trafficking, and sexual abuse; the homeless; and those whose own experiences mirror Navarro’s earlier life. As a leader, she believes employees are a company’s greatest asset. For Navarro, it’s about making her team better as a result of her presence and empowerment and making sure that impact lasts in her absence.

More than anything, Navarro says, she hopes anyone who relates to her early life can believe that someday, they will also be able to relate to her current life. The cards may be stacked against you in a million different ways, but you can find a way to rise.

Boston HR Council: “Kelly’s contributions to the Boston HR Council, one of the largest HR & People Executive Communities in the country, have been amazing. Her thoughtfulness, ideas, and willingness to contribute have been such an important part of the continued growth of the BHRC.” Sean Glavin, Founder

Lockton Companies: “Kelly Navarro is an amazing leader and visionary. Working with her on many strategic initiatives, she is able to leverage her business savvy side against her strong legal and compliance background. The result is always successful improvements for her organization and employees.” Alison Sinclair, Vice President & Unit Manager

Lockton is the world's largest independent insurance brokerage providing customized solutions to meet your organization's risk, bene ts and retirement needs.

Lani E. Medina stresses the importance of being yourself as senior corporate counsel at PetVet Care Centers

Lani and the Law

BY BILLY YOST

WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS, BUT IT WAS everything.

IT

Lani E. Medina joined the Air Force straight out of high school. She didn’t even take the SAT. Growing up in the Bronx, the self-professed “Nuyorican” (a Puerto Rican who grew up in New York City) is the daughter of a retired NYPD officer and NYC school teacher who supported Medina every step of the way in her early journey.

“I wound up stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas,” Medina says, laughing. “That was quite a culture shock for someone from the Bronx, but it was so important in providing the opportunity to interact with people from all over the United States.”

Being surrounded by corn, soybeans and wheat on all sides, Medina’s four years

in the Air Force fundamentally altered her life. The senior corporate counsel at PetVet Care Centers, a network of over 425 general practice, specialty, and emergency veterinary hospitals across the nation, says were it not for the Air Force, she wouldn’t have found her way to Columbia University, where she worked full-time and earned her undergraduate degree.

She wouldn’t have moved on to Fordham Law School, where she served as copresident of the Latin American Law Students Association and published an article, “An Unsatisfactory Case of Self-Determination: Resolving Puerto Rico’s Political Status,” in the Fordham International Law Journal. She wouldn’t have found the path into corporate law, first in Big Law, where Medina began

her legal career as an associate attorney at two international law firms, then back to higher education, and at last to her present in-house role at PetVet, where she started as an M&A attorney in 2018.

“Over twenty years later, the Air Force is still fundamental to who I am as a person,” the lawyer explains. “Those experiences [in the Air Force] helped me become the leader I am today, and what I bring to the table, so to speak, as a practicing attorney and professional is shaped by those four incredible years.”

While her time in the military would be essential in her growth as a young attorney, Medina also says that chance has played a large part in her career trajectory. At her first law firm, Medina assumed she would join the litigation department and become the firm’s

Lani E. Medina Senior Corporate Counsel PetVet Care Centers

go-to associate to work on briefs and motions. But based on the needs of the firm, she wound up in the corporate law department.

Medina was stunned. She didn’t know anything about contracts, let alone closing a deal. But she learned, and her present role at PetVet started with the formal M&A work that defined her early legal career. The lawyer says it’s important to never underestimate how the unexpected can positively impact one’s journey, and that it’s okay to pivot when the unforeseen arises.

As she’s risen through two promotions at PetVet, the lawyer has helped the company grow through acquisitions (they’re growing so quickly, in fact, that interested lawyers should reach out to Medina if they’re interested in working with her), working on deals with

tight deadlines and requiring military efficiency. But Medina stresses that her own leadership isn’t necessarily grounded in cold efficiency.

“I think the most important characteristic a leader can provide is compassion,” Medina explains. “I work with a diverse team of business analysts and outside counsel, and I try to do it with compassion and kindness. Everyone has a hard job to get these deals across the line, and I want my pride and care for my team to show through.”

Compassion isn’t necessarily the first quality associated with attorneys, but Medina says that’s the point. She may not fit the traditional stereotype of a lawyer, and she doesn’t want to. The attorney is a natural introvert in a job that relies heavily on strong communication. After spending years thinking she needed to fit into a more traditional mold, she realized that her nontraditional path to becoming

an attorney is as an asset that sets her apart from her peers.

“You have to be yourself and be confident in the skills that you bring to an organization,” Medina explains. “I can’t say this enough: Be yourself.”

Medina also places a great deal of emphasis on mentorship—both the mentorship she received and the mentorship she now provides. The senior counsel says that the best way to be prepared is having multiple mentors in both a formal and informal setting. As the first lawyer in her family, Medina wants to help pay forward the guidance she has received in navigating her own career.

It’s also why Medina spends time providing business and corporate law services to small businesses and nonprofits though her socially conscious law firm, Lani Law, PLLC.

“I mostly do pro bono and low bono (discounted legal services for people of modest means) work through Lani Law because I just want to give back to causes that are important to me and make our world a better place,” Medina explains. “Whatever we’ve been able to achieve in our careers, we have to remember to give back. You’ve worked hard. You’ve paid your dues. But remember to help those who are coming behind you.”

“I can’t say this enough: Be yourself.”

At Fox, diversity is more than just talk.

an essential ingredient in the firm’s strategic growth plan.

GLOBAL

International businesses present unique challenges— and opportunities—for corporate citizenship in multiple countries. The executives featured here thrive in navigating cultural shifts worldwide.

202. Liz Alicea-Velez, MoneyGram International 208. Alejandro Medina, TransUnion 214. Alexander de Azcarate, Molson Coors 216. Art Jimenez Jr., BEB Capital

Connecting the Americas

BY ZACH BALIVA

As MoneyGram International expands its global reach, sales and marketing expert Liz Alicea-Velez works behind the scenes to reach regional consumers on their terms

Liz Alicea-Velez

Head of the Americas MoneyGram International

FACTS AND FIGURES

MoneyGram started in 1980.

The company resulted from the merger of Travelers Express and Integrated Payment Systems.

It took the name MoneyGram International in 2004.

MoneyGram has over 430,000 global agent locations and digital capabilities in over 100 different countries.

MoneyGram provides individuals with services to meet the financial demands of their daily lives. Some of the company’s key products and services include money transfers, bill payments, checks, and money orders.

In January 2022, MoneyGram completed a strategic minority investment in Coinme. It builds upon the MoneyGram and Coinme partnership announced in May 2021 to create a crypto-to-cash network, where consumers can receive bitcoin for US dollars.

IN THE US, AUSTRALIA, FINLAND, Italy, and Belgium, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May. But in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, the day always falls on May 10. Some countries celebrate it in concert with International Women’s Day on March 8, and others, like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, recognize mothers on the last Sunday of May . . . unless that day falls on the Pentecost. Then, it becomes the first Sunday of June.

Although complicated, Liz Alicea-Velez has it down. After three years at MoneyGram International, she has all the rules for Mother’s Day and other significant global celebrations memorized. It’s an important part of her job as head of the Americas region.

Alicea-Velez is a bilingual veteran sales and marketing executive with nearly thirty years of experience building high-performing teams and departments for well-known companies in the US, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. In these roles, she has driven growth and profitability strategies by applying her deep knowledge of consumer financial services and ethnic marketing.

Many factors have led to her success, but Alicea-Velez says her international experience, cultural sensitivity, and adaptability have helped her stay close to the consumer. Her ability to memorize the calendar has helped too. People come to MoneyGram to send cross-border payments and money transfers to companies, friends, and family

members. “Consumers send money for different reasons at different times. We have to understand their holidays, preferences, needs, and desires in order to market to them and serve them in the best and most effective way possible,” she explains.

Although she originally studied sales, a desire to focus on marketing took AliceaVelez to Harvard Business School. The Bronx native with Puerto-Rican heritage developed a career plan immediately after graduation. “I knew Hispanic marketing would soon flourish, and I wanted to find opportunities where I could combine my Spanish, my business training, my marketing studies, and my background in sales,” she says. Alicea-Velez started her career leading the expansion of a banking network in Central America and the Caribbean and soon moved to First Data Corporation, where she was responsible for a turnaround in Mexico and Brazil and other activities in forty-two countries.

Alicea-Velez spent many years as an internal leader and external consultant helping companies and clients in various industries understand and reach Hispanic consumers. In 2019, she joined MoneyGram to lead efforts for all of the Americas.

It was the start of an important era at the Texas-based company. With $900 million in revenue and 2,200 employees, MoneyGram was the second-largest money transfer company in the world. As it prepared to enter its fifth decade, leaders eyed two important

goals—continued growth and a digital transformation. Hispanic consumers would be instrumental to both.

Today, MoneyGram reaches about forty-seven million customers. Alicea-Velez negotiates sales contracts with small partner stores and big-box retailers. She also makes key decisions to continue to enhance the quality of service that the company brings to customers through retail and digital platforms.

One company that works closely with MoneyGram is Massy Remittance Services (a subsidiary of holding/management company Massy Group). “Liz Alicea-Velez is a trailblazer, a visionary, and a first-class strategist,” says Neela Marquez, CEO of Massy Finance Remittances. “She combines a no-holdsbarred leadership style with a unique insight into the market that allows her to evolve their businesses in a rapidly changing environment.”

As MoneyGram pushes its digital transformation forward, understanding the

consumer is more critical than ever before. Consumers in the UK, US, Canada, or elsewhere might be sending money for school supplies to their family in Jamaica or getting funds to a loved one in Mexico. Transactions can start digital and go to a bank or be received in cash.

“There are countless options and many intersections with money transfer,” AliceaVelez says. “Our job is to make sure we have the right products and services that let the consumer send or receive money on their terms.”

A diverse team helps her understand and respond to these regional nuances. AliceaVelez leads a group made up of people born in Mexico, Africa, Colombia, Peru, and the United States. Together, they stay close to shifting preferences in the region.

For Alicea-Velez, it’s meaningful work, and she is passionate about nurturing and promoting young talent. She not only works with organizations like the Commonwealth

“Consumers send money for different reasons at different times. We have to understand their holidays, preferences, needs, and desires in order to market to them and serve them in the best and most effective way possible.”

Institute that help young women find the next steps for their careers but also helps college applicants find and apply for scholarships. Recently, Alicea-Velez returned to her alma mater, Adelphi University, to raise money for new students. “I got a four-year scholarship and want to help others get their start. I was a poor kid from the Bronx who needed a chance, and they gave me that chance,” she says.

At MoneyGram International, Alicea-Velez continues to use her expertise to help leaders pursue their goals. In early 2022, the company announced that it had reached an agreement to be acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners. The Chicago-based private equity firm will complete a $1.8 billion all-cash transaction.

The transaction is the result of the hard work Alicea-Velez and her colleagues throughout the organization have done to serve international customers, expand digital capabilities, scale the company, and position it for success. Their innovative platform is now ready for all users in the Americas and beyond.

LASCO

Financial Services Limited (LFSL) is the leading MoneyGram agent in the Caribbean, with over 130 locations on the island. LFSL serves the diaspora by facilitating money transfer for those who support their loved ones in Jamaica. Additionally, we provide non-bank retail financial services such as Cambio, loans, bill payment, and most recently digital payment services.

“Our job is to make sure we have the right products and services that let the consumer send or receive money on their terms.”

BY BILLY YOST PORTRAITS BY SHEILA BARABAD SARMIENTO

At TransUnion, Alejandro Medina leverages his international upbringing and twenty-plus years of global corporate experience to advance the company’s corporate development and growth

A Global Focus

THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN A BIG ONE for TransUnion. In April 2022, the consumer credit reporting agency completed the acquisition of Verisk Financial Services, the financial services business unit of Verisk, for $515 million. And that deal comes on the heels of the September 2021 acquisition of Neustar, an identity resolution company with a marketing solutions focus, for $3.1 billion, the December 2021 acquisition of Sontiq, an identity protection solutions business, for $638 million, and, also in December 2021, the divestment of its healthcare business, for $1.7 billion. That’s $6 billion in dealmaking in just seven months.

These are mammoth deals, but Alejandro Medina, head of corporate development and M&A at TransUnion, is used to highstakes M&A work. He’s closed on more than thirty-five deals, including full acquisitions, divestments, and minority investments since joining the company in 2016.

After assuming the role as head of corporate development for TransUnion in 2019, Medina has become increasingly interested in what it takes to create a strong global team. He knows a thing or two about excellence in global management.

The Colombia native has more than twenty years of experience in driving corporate development, corporate strategy, corporate finance, and management consulting for Fortune 500 companies. The work is global, spanning the entire western hemisphere, Africa, and Europe. Early on, Medina spent nearly a decade at McKinsey, first in Colombia, and then branching out wider and wider.

“Those global experiences really helped me to understand how incredible Hispanic talent is,” Medina explains. “We’re aspirational, we’re committed, we’re passionate, we’re rigorous, and we’re disciplined. I saw all of this incredible talent across the world and couldn’t understand why it seemed to be so overlooked in the US.”

It’s that motivation that has propelled his development work at TransUnion—not just for Hispanic talent but also for anyone whose value has been overlooked or underutilized. Medina says regardless of background, if someone has passion, proactivity, and owner-

“I think it’s important for those coming to a new environment to understand there are new customs and ways of doing things that aren’t going to change because you’ve arrived.”

Alejandro Medina SVP and Head of Corporate Development & M&A TransUnion

ship, along with the right skills, he wants them on his team. “TransUnion supports diversity and inclusion and that aligns with the type of company that embodies my values and what I seek in a workplace environment,” Medina explains.

Working globally had consistently challenged Medina to adapt, to rethink his preconceptions, and to be open to new experiences. He says those skills are absolutely essential if one hopes to thrive outside of one’s comfort zone.

“I think it’s important for those coming to a new environment to understand there are new customs and ways of doing things that aren’t going to change because you’ve arrived,” Medina explains. “You capture the best of your essence and apply it to a new environment. You can’t just pretend that you’re in your home country, that is not how you succeed.”

Medina gained experience with adapting to new environments early in life: growing up, he spent time in Europe and the US, changing schools (and languages) frequently. But his parents helped by instilling him with strong values and building his confidence in his approach to the world, Medina says.

When asked for advice for Latinos who are seeking out global roles, Medina points out the importance of fundamentals that you can lean on when times get tough or unpredictable. Understand your passions, he says, and understand that the path forward may not look the way you imagine it will; you need to become good at adjusting and adapting without losing your aim.

“It is key to identify your point A and determine your point B,” Medina explains.

“You’re not going to find much fulfillment in life if you don’t understand what you’re working toward. You don’t always have to know exactly where that journey is going to take you, but you have to have some kind of guiding North Star.”

Finding a direct connection between point A and point B may not always be possible, depending on the circumstances. But according to Medina, creating a strong starting point is key, as are adaptability and

Hispanic Executive

ingenuity. There are a multitude of ways to get somewhere, they just may take a little more time or creative thinking.

“That is the same thinking I use at TransUnion,” Medina explains. “How do we achieve growth? Organically? Inorganically? We identify our starting position, point A and then we determine our point B, our North Star. Next, you need to pick a path to get there, and there are so many different options available to get to point B. You need to select carefully but know that you may need to adjust along the way given unanticipated changes in the environment or your strategy.”

At TransUnion, he’s enabled the company to understand the differentiators that set it apart and should be leveraged. The same goes for an individual’s journey. Establishing point A is not supposed to be easy: It’s difficult to unite one’s passions and talents into one coherent goal. People can spend years in this process, but Medina believes it’s worth it.

The executive is also an adamant believer in balance. Those with M&A records as extensive as Medina’s are often labeled “deal

junkies,” dedicated to chasing the high of a high-revenue deal. Medina is not that man, though it’s possible that he’s simply transferred that energy into other areas. For example, he doesn’t consider himself a runner, but he’s training for his tenth marathon. “I just like the challenge and what you gain in the process,” he says.

But when it comes to his family, Medina draws a hard line between his work and personal life. “If you try to mix work and family, it just creates needless friction and conflict,” he explains. “I want to make sure the time I spend with my family is quality time, even if it’s not always as much as I’d like. But when I’m there, I’m there 100 percent.”

“You don’t always have to know exactly where that journey is going to take you, but you have to have some kind of guiding North Star.”

We Use the Power of Data

to Deliver Possibilities

As a global information and insights company, TransUnion strives to provide consumers access to opportunities that lead to greater quality of life. We help people and businesses transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good®.

Coors’ Commitment

BY WILL GRANT

UBIQUITOUS brands as Coors Light and Miller High Life, Chicago-headquartered Molson Coors has been a leading brewer of beer and other alcohol since the original Canadian Molson Brewery was founded in 1786. Molson Coors has been helping people come together and celebrate for two centuries. And with $10 billion in revenue, the company has its own reason to celebrate.

HOME TO SUCH

But after a 2020 tragedy at the company’s Milwaukee brewing campus shed light on potential workplace discrimination, Molson Coors hired a consulting firm to review its policies, pledged to hire more people of color, and completely reformatted its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

“There’s no two ways about it. We have more work to do. Fostering an inclusive and welcoming workplace is something every organization has to work towards each day, and we aren’t going to shy away from our responsibility to take a deep look at our own culture,” Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer Adam Collins said in a statement.

Since 2020, Molson Coors has developed five organizational values around DEI. Every October, for example, is dedicated to a Month of Inclusion series featuring interactive sessions, keynote speakers, and “candid conversations to help build our DEI understanding and development.”

Molson Coors’ enhanced DEI initiatives help create more representation in the brewing industry

“Our point of view is that our employees need to be as diverse as our consumers, who are as diverse as our products,” a video on the company’s DEI homepage announces. “We believe an inclusive culture drives stronger engagement and, in turn, improves business performance.”

Along with actively recruiting more people of color (including designating $1 billion on diverse suppliers), Molson Coors is also committed to increasing the representation of women in the often male-dominated brewing industry. The company also introduced gender affirmation benefits for both its US and Canadian workforce in an effort to make the industry more welcoming to people from underrepresented groups.

Those benefits reimburse staff for procedures that accompany a transition, such as facial feminization, vocal therapy, and pectoral implants.

“We want, as an employer, for people to embrace their whole selves and we want to accompany them through this process because we know it’s very life-defining,” Michael Nordman, Molson Coors’ senior community affairs manager, said in a statement. “And we want to make sure they have access to all the benefits they need.”

And while all those efforts have already begun yielding positive results, building a culture that embraces DEI initiatives is much more difficult than simply rolling out new

benefits. But the company’s leadership has proven ready to take on that responsibility.

Alexander De Azcarate, vice president of global IT service operations (including support of over 1,400 global applications), has long utilized his own passion for DEI to help guide others on their own career journey. His strategy has been instrumental in helping form those informal mentorships that can help nurture and grow individuals in their professional careers.

The scope of his global role is notable as it includes an IT department of 350 employees, with countless additional vendor partnerships. A native of Argentina who’s lived all over the globe, De Azcarate’s approach to leadership is grounded in respect, teamwork, and the value that diversity of experience and background brings to a role.

De Azcarate has been with Molson Coors since 2011 and risen through numerous director-level positions to his current role. Previously, the VP spent nearly eleven years at Kraft Foods, where he earned five promotions in tech and IT roles.

His visibility at Molson Coors is just as important as his own dedication to helping advance those just beginning their careers. De Azcarate’s ability to impact his organization on a global scale helps give credence to the company’s desire for change to create a more welcoming environment for everyone.

BY BILLY YOST

Skyscrapers and Service

BEB Capital Director Art Jimenez Jr. shares how his faith has shaped his incredible building career

ART JIMENEZ JR. HAS BUILT JUST about any structure you can imagine. From 2015 to 2018 alone, the BEB Capital director of property management oversaw $23 billion in construction projects, and acted as assistant controller for the most expensive real estate project in the country, the mammoth Hudson Yards development in Manhattan’s eponymous neighborhood.

Jimenez has been involved in many developments in his career, and some of the most gratifying were those that had a tremendous impact in the local community: affordable housing for California seniors, safe homes for victims of domestic abuse, and residential housing for individuals who are HIV positive.

“I’ve been able to create properties that make money for investors, which is fantastic,” Jimenez explains. “But it’s also been a blessing in my life to create properties that truly serve the community. There’s a balance to my career that has been very fulfilling when it comes to my desire to minister to others.”

Jimenez’s commitment to his community is heavily rooted in his faith, one that was

instilled early by his late father, Reverend Artemio Jimenez. The young Jimenez grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City at a time when it was not an ideal location for a family. Jimenez watched those around him succumb to drugs and crime, but he credits his parents, Puerto Rican immigrants working to make a better life for their family, for helping put him on the right path.

“I was blessed to be born in a home that instructed me in the word of God as a young man,” Jimenez says. “And while some of what they taught me may not have been something I was interested in hearing, it’s come to mean much more to me as an adult. If anyone can take anything from my story, it’s that you can survive and flourish. You can make it out.”

In his professional life, Jimenez’s highlights have included working for prestigious realty groups like the Related Cos, Phoenix Realty, and Kimco Realty. The Hudson Yards project, a staggering twenty-eight-acre real estate development that has been under construction since 2012, saw eleven towers under construction at the same time.

“There were over three thousand laborers who needed to be paid every week,” Jimenez says. “It was a massive payroll, and it showed me that if I could be successful on this project, I could truly be successful anywhere developing real estate and managing construction.”

With virtually any door open to him, Jimenez opted to go help the Volunteers of America build senior housing in the Bronx. For anyone other than Jimenez, it might seem a strange move, but it was another chance to bring world-class expertise to an organization whose mission could be furthered by his skills.

The director is just as adept at developing future leaders as he is managing a build. Jimenez was tasked with training a secretary who wanted to become her company’s first asset manager. That secretary is now a vice president for real estate management at one of the most well-known names in banking.

“When you work for me, I’m going to work you hard and I’m going to push you,” the director admits. “I want my people to know more than they did when they started working for me. In fact, I demand it.”

“I want my people to know more than they did when they started working for me. In fact, I demand it.”

Jimenez says he’s a nice person, but he’s tough as nails. He’s brought that tough love to BEB Capital since 2020. The director said the job was a challenge, a chance to grow a property management team that could benefit from his years of experience through the introduction of best practices.

He increased accountability, implemented a weekly list of two-dozen tasks or projects he wants handled, and created more structure to increase productivity.

“I tell my team that I didn’t come here to be their friend, and I will challenge anyone

Art Jimenez Jr. Director of Property Management BEB Capital

on anything,” the director says. “We had some bad habits to break, and we’re going to bring more value to this company.”

There is the image of Jimenez as a hard-charging and challenging boss, and that is true. But there is also the devout Christian who leads a prayer team of eighty-five people praying for those that need it most.

It might be a young child injured in a car accident, an elderly grandfather with a brain tumor, or a son or daughter struggling with a drug addiction. The prayer team is willing

to drop whatever they’re doing to focus their thoughts on a family member in need. As an extension of his own late father’s own ministry, Jimenez now shares in the leadership of a flock whose well-being demands a great deal of the executive. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“In all things, the remedy is love,” Jimenez says. “I just try to help people with their greatest need. It’s not about lecturing people and telling them what to do. It’s about ministering and helping put the love of God in your heart.”

“The World Needs Your Stories:” A Q&A with Hispanic Executive’s new managing editor

In spring 2022, Hispanic Executive welcomed Michele Cantos Garcia as its new managing editor. Here she answers three questions about herself and what brought her to the magazine.

Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. My Ecuadorian parents were undocumented during my childhood, and because of that, we left the US for some years. I turned to storytelling because mainstream media wasn’t telling our stories in fair and nuanced ways, and because it was cathartic.

I’ve also traveled to over thirty countries: I “speak” Spanish, Italian, Portuñol, and I worked with a French team for long enough that I can now understand a lot of the language and snoop on French conversations on the subway.

What about Hispanic Executive drew you in to the role?

Hispanic Executive’s purpose is much bigger than increasing Latino representation or shattering negative stereotypes, though that alone would draw in any Latina editor. We are first and foremost a strategic partner for executives and readers in rewriting the Latino narrative in the US, and as a strategist myself, I felt uniquely positioned to help.

What are you most looking forward to in this role?

We’re growing our website’s editorial content and curated newsletters to include opinion, guidance, humor, and much more. I can’t wait to meet more of our readers and uncover their stories as we expand that content. The world needs your stories!

Michele Cantos Garcia Managing Editor, Hispanic Executive

ANYONE CAN PROMISE RESULTS. EPSILON DELIVERS PROOF, NOT PROMISES.

All brands need a clear view of their marketing outcomes. But as walled gardens get higher, the view is incomplete.

Instead of making empty promises, we tie your business outcomes to the marketing actions that drove them, at an individual level—and give you performance transparency with the results to prove it.

See how we do it at epsilon.com