HISPANIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE The Hispanic Leadership Institute is a skills-based leadership training program whose main goal is to develop the next generation of Hispanic leaders for the St. Louis business community. HLI consists of nine training sessions conducted once a month. Each session will focus on a particular skill set for the developing leader. The institute will train this group of Hispanic professionals on for-profit and non-profit management skills and network development within the St. Louis business community. In addition to leadership training, participants will be encouraged to give back to the St. Louis region through community involvement. The three essential competencies to be acquired in this class are: leading an organization, leading oneself, and leading others in the organization.
HLI CLASS X ISABEL ACEVEDO PÉREZ MAURICIO AMORE KENIA ARAUZ PATRICIO CORDERO NATALIA CORRAY ROSMERY CRUZ ANNA CRISTINA FERNANDEZ GUILHERME MAIA ALEXANDRA MCCREARY-ELLIS
CLARA MCINTOSH JUAN MENDOZA SAM MONROY MIREYA RIVAS MARK RODRIGUEZ CAROLINA SANTANGELO ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO ALEXA SEDA SANDRA VAZQUEZ
ISABEL ACEVEDO PÉREZ DONALD DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER Isabel serves as Corporate and Foundation Relations Coordinator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. She is responsible for developing and implementing cultivation and solicitation strategies for corporate sponsorship and preparing and submitting corporate and foundation proposals and applications for funding. Before joining the Danforth Center, she worked for ten years as a technology transfer professional, helping Universities commercialize intellectual property. Originally from Puerto Rico, Isabel holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University (2006) and a Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University (2010). Isabel is passionate about St. Louis community development and serves as President of the Young Friends of Forest Park Forever, where she has been involved as a founding member since 2013. She is the Vice President of Dogtown United and a member of this Hispanic Educational, Cultural, and Scholarship Fund. Isabel and her husband live in Dogtown with their three young children and a cat named Coquà Molina.
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MAURICIO AMORE BAYER Mauricio is the Global Commercial Strategy and Deployment Lead at Bayer Crops Science. In this role and in close cooperation with his regional counterparts Mauricio is responsible for defining the methodology, prioritization process and implementation tools to determine the commercial strategy in each of the regions and the corresponding KPI’s to measure execution progress. Within his responsibility Mauricio supports global multifunctional teams in deciding and bringing together the overall priorities and resourcing to ensure a global customer centric approach. Prior to this role, Mauricio was CEO for Monsanto Company in Indonesia.
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He led the Indonesian team in developing strategies to achieve the Company’s vision for Sustainable Agriculture — ‘Improving Agriculture Improves Lives’, and is focused on improving lives by enabling farmers to produce more and conserve more through its innovative corn seeds that are researched and developed to suit Indonesian agro-climatic conditions, Roundup® herbicide for weeding management; and partnerships. The Indonesia team comprises 300+ employees, 75 percent of whom are from rural backgrounds, and makes 380+ thousands direct farmer contacts annually. An agriculture sector veteran for more than two decades, Mauricio has worked with farmers in Colombia, Mexico, US, and Indonesia. He has held a range of leadership positions within Finance, Manufacturing, Marketing, Customer Relations, as well as led Monsanto’s Mexico’s commercial business — the largest in Latin America North. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad De Los Andes, Colombia, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Yale School of Management.
KENIA ARAUZ CENTENE CORPORATION My name is Kenia Arauz and I will be 31 years old on October. I have been living in Missouri since 2018 when I decided to leave everything behind in Panama and start a new life here with my husband and son. I was born in Miami, Florida but only lived there my first 3 years of life so I consider myself a Panamanian. I just graduated from Lindenwood University where I received the tittle of MBA in Human Resources Management. My college degree is on Banking, Finance, and International Business. I like to think that my MBA is the perfect match to my administration experience. I have been working on administrative positions my entire work life and I really enjoy it. I am more than excited to start this program so I can add more to my professional knowledge.
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PATRICIO CORDERO COMMERCE BANK I was born in Cuenca, Ecuador and came to the US in 1999. My wife and I met in Ecuador in the mid-90s and we have been married for 21 years. We have 3 kids, Natalia 17, Olivia 15 and Santiago 4 and we live in Lake St. Louis. I have been at Commerce Bank for a year. I’m a Retail Banking Operations Manager and my Team’s role is preparing branches in St. Louis, Metro East and SEMO to be ready for audits. They also act as a second level support from the operations and rules and policies perspective for the branches. Before Commerce Bank, I was at Mastercard for nearly 20 years. On the side I own a CrossFit gym called CrossFit Trenches, where I coach and workout since 2013.
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NATALIA CORRAY MIDWEST MULTICULTURAL LLC Natalia Corray is a Marketing Consultant with 16 years of experience in marketing and business development. Natalia specializes in multicultural marketing and has a successful track record helping businesses connect with multicultural consumers as a strategic choice to drive bottom-line results. Natalia takes pride in belonging to the fastest-growing population in the United States and wants to continue advocating for her community, ensuring that businesses and service providers cater to their particular preferences. Natalia lives with her husband, Jeremy, and her two kids, Diego and Daniela, and in her free time, she focuses on her faith and enjoying weekend camping trips.
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ROSMERY CRUZ REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA In her role as Senior Data Scientist for RGA, Rosmery Cruz leads the scoping, building, and implementation of predictive models for internal and external clients. She also developed and now leads an enterprise-wide program to educate RGA associates about predictive analytics and RGA’s client offerings in this area. In addition, Rosmery heads RGA’s predictive analytics community of practice, uniting those involved in predictive analytics throughout the organization to establish best practices, centralize collaboration, and share expertise. Prior to joining RGA in 2017, Rosmery was Client Analyst with ForeSee, where she conducted research for the company’s Fortune 500 clients to enable evidence-based solutions to critical business objectives. Before that, Rosmery served as Senior Analyst, Marketing Sciences for MaritzCX, performing statistical research on customer satisfaction as well as client acquisition and retention on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. She also developed surveys that tracked key business metrics. Rosmery received her Bachelor of Science in political science and government and Master of Science in political science from Florida State University.
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ANNA CRISTINA FERNANDEZ SSM HEALTH Anna Cristina Fernandez, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician. She graduated from medical school as well as completed a residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine located in Louisville, KY. After finishing her residency, Dr. Fernandez has been an attending physician for 3 years before joining SSM Health. Dr. Fernandez practices family medicine for patients of all ages and has clinical interests in preventive medicine, geriatrics, women’s health, and outpatient procedures. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians.
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DR. GUILHERME MAIA AMEREN CORPORATION Dr. Maia is a data scientist and Manager of Innovation for Ameren Corporation. His team uses data science and software engineering to meet Ameren’s business challenges. Prior to this position, Dr. Maia led the Analytics team for Anheuser-Busch InBev in North America where he provided advanced analytics solutions for commercial functions in sales, marketing, procurement, finance, and logistics. Dr. Maia was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Biological Engineering, where he designed technologies for air pollution control and used mathematical optimization to improve agricultural supply chain systems.
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ALEXANDRA MCCREARY-ELLIS THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS Alexandra McCreary-Ellis grew up all over the United States but made St. Louis her home in high school. She is the oldest of 3 sisters and the proud aunt of 3. She grew up in a culturally mixed household thanks to the presence of her Dominican grandmother who lived with her family throughout much of Alexandra’s childhood. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from UMSL, she began work in the nonprofit sector with an internship for the boutique consultant firm, Sustainable Philanthropy Partners. Next, she worked on programming for over six years at the historic St. Louis nonprofit, The Woman’s Exchange of St. Louis before finding her way to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis as a Program Coordinator. Colorado is her second home, and she spends a portion of each year there with her family. She enjoys sewing, painting, cooking and creating in any way she can. When not traveling, she shares a home in University City with her husband and their two cats.
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CLARA MCINTOSH NESTLE PURINA PETCARE Clara McIntosh is a Brand Manager for Nestle Purina leading the communication efforts for the total US market including a specific emphasis on Hispanics for the Beneful brand, which accounts for over $500MM in annual sales. Clara McIntosh was born and raised in Peru. Clara, a daughter of Chinese Peruvian parents, has a strong appreciation for diversity and inclusion due to her diverse cultural background. She earned a Business Administration degree at University of Lima, and she started her career in Marketing at Banco de Crédito del Peru. She moved to the US in 2003 and she completed her MBA in at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign majoring in Marketing and General Management.
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After completing her MBA, she joined Whirlpool Corporation as part of a rotational leadership program where she held multiple positions in Marketing including Category, Merchandising, and Brand Communications. During her last two years at Whirlpool Corporation, Clara led brand communications for the Whirlpool Appliances brand. Her responsibilities in this position included leading the development and execution of a new marketing campaign with a $50MM marketing budget. In 2013, she relocated to St. Louis and began her career at Nestle Purina leading the communication and product development efforts for the Wet Dog portfolio. Soon after, she led the product development efforts for the Dog Chow brands where she conceptualized and led the launch of Dog Chow High Protein wet dog food, the first wet dog offering for the brand. She is an ambassador of Diversity and Inclusion organization at Nestle Purina as well as a selected team that leads the “Dime Time” project, a CMO-led initiative where marketers are encouraged to spend 10% of their time working on innovative ideas they are passionate about. Outside work, she is a wife and a mother to eight- and five-year-old boys as well as a ten-year-old rescue “puppy”. She enjoys hiking, swimming, cooking and traveling back to Peru and different parts of the world as often as possible.
JUAN MENDOZA BECTON DICKINSON & CO. Juan Carlos Mendoza was born and raised in Araure, Venezuela. He moved to St. Louis, MO in 2013 to pursue studies in Mechanical Engineering. During his university studies, Juan was the vice president of the Society of Future Engineers (SOFE) and a member of the Hispanic Latino organization (HISLA). Additionally, during his time as a university student, Juan was the recipient of 16 scholarships, which allowed him to finish his studies during a time of many financial hardships. Juan graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 from the University of Missouri — St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis Joint Engineering Program. Upon graduation, Juan joined Becton Dickinson and Company where he is currently working as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer. He is a member of the Venezuelan Association in Missouri (AVMO). Some of his interests and passions include volunteering with local Hispanic organizations, playing soccer and Latin music.
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SAM MONROY III EDWARD JONES My name is Sam Monroy III and I am the oldest of 3 children. I have been fortunate enough to live in two different cultures as a citizen. I was born in Mexico City, Mexico to an American mother and a Mexican father. We lived there until I was 9 years old and then moved to the U.S. Most of my formative years were spent in this country, specif-ically, in McAllen which is in a region of South Texas known as the Rio Grande Valley. My Collegiate studies brought me to the St. Louis area where I received a degree in International Business and a minor in Psychology. Once I completed school, I returned to South Texas to put my degree to work.
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I started my career as a BSA (Branch Secrecy Act) Audit Manager helping my institution track money between the U.S. and Mexico for irregularities. It was there that I started dating the woman who would become my wife as she was finishing up Med School. Serendipitously, as she completed her training, an opportunity to become a physician in St. Louis arose. It was an easy transition back to a city for which I held very warm feelings. We have now been living here for about 10 years and we’ve been blessed with two children which keep us on our toes. St. Louis has certainly become home. Ultimately, my career brought me to Edward Jones, where I was lucky enough to discover a passion for Inclusion and Diversity. I very much enjoy helping bring diverse perspectives and people to an industry that up to this point has been lacking. I’ve now been with the firm for about 7 years and my work has primarily included the hiring of recent graduates into our Financial Advisor role. The past three years, I was able to help run our Financial Advisor Internship program, and fortunately, diversity has been a focal point. I look forward to seeing where my career and life take us from here.
in January 2019. Prior to her transfer to the U.S. she worked for 20 years in the Food Industry focusing on new product development. One of their main professional achievements is a Gluten Free Baker Product. The patent has been registered in fourteen countries.
MIREYA RIVAS BUNGE NORTH AMERICA Mireya is the Milling Senior Product Developer at BUNGE Milling, Inc. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Institute Polytechnic National Accredited in the United States of America. She was sponsored by Minsa Corp. and transferred from Mexico to California on November 2016 and BUNGE relocated her from California to St. Louis
Mireya was born in a rural town of central Mexico, this is the reason that she loves outdoor sports like biking, swimming, hiking and especially running. She is an ultra-marathoner and is currently training for a triathlon. She is passionate about developing new food products that incorporate, flavors from different cultures, innovative ingredients, and convenience. She is focused on trying to formulate “clean labels” because she believes that consumers need greater options for healthier, natural products. As a food technologist, Mireya, is committed to helping consumers eat healthier foods and protecting our environment.
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MARK RODRIGUEZ CENTENE CORPORATION Mark Rodriguez is a Senior Scrum Master at Centene Corporation’s Enterprise Data and Analytic Solutions division in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is the Agile Servant Leader for three teams. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida. His parents migrated to the United States from Cuba in 1956. Almost half a century later, he moved to Wentzville, Missouri to be closer to his family. He recently received his SAFe Program Consultant Certification in August of this year. Before coming to Centene, he was a Scrum Master with FIS and Equifax working with teams to bring valuable solutions to their customers. He and his wife Teresa adopted four beautiful children between 2013 and 2017.
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CAROLINA SANTANGELO BAYER I am originally from Caracas, Venezuela and graduated from Universidad Simon Bolivar with a degree in Biology. My thesis was about the nutritional value of 3 different types of sorghum where I learned early on, my passion for crop science. However, my path changed when I moved to United State, starting with learning a new language and culture. With time and perseverance, I gained 20 plus years’ experience in different managerial quality roles within the brewery, pharma and later in agrochemical industries which gave me the skills, broad knowledge and the vision that I have today. Now, I enjoy my role as a Distribution and Logistic Lead within Bayer R&D. I have the opportunity to influence, support and coach my teams as well as stakeholders from different functions here and around the world which has been a great satisfaction. Currently, I leave in St. Louis with my family; John, John-Paul, Sally, Kristina, Lucas, Carlos, Sofia, Vincent and Veraas well as with my two dogs, Tanner and Chewy.
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ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS Alejandro Santiago serves as Membership Manager at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in his role he is in charge of reaching out to the community to encourage member sign-ups, member support, and advocacy of the Hispanic Community in St. Louis. Born in Mexico, Alejandro studied most of his life there and obtained a law degree from Universidad Anåhuac. After graduating law school, Alejandro did a Master’s Degree in U.S. Law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. Alejandro has worked for non-profits and law firms in many areas including real state, immigration, mediation, and contracts. Now in St. Louis, Alejandro is committed to advancing the economic development of all in the region.
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Alexa at a young age found this appalling and did not understand why people that looked like her often resided in marginalized parts of the city. Thus, she pursued her degree in Health Science and Community Services at Depaul University in Chicago and moved to St. Louis in 2016 to pursue her master’s education in Public Health and Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis. Alexa’s goal is to equip and support Black and LatinX residents with ALEXA SEDA the tools to advocate for sustainable ENCORE STL designed neighborhoods that address Alexa “Silky’’ Seda is an emerging social and environmental injustices. Community Development Planner Not only does Alexa advocate for and Creative Producer whose main sustainably designed neighborhoods focus is on fusing community and but also for arts to play a major role in art-based development to revitalize that process. Alexa co-founded Encore neighborhoods. Her mission is STL, a production company, that uses to advocate for the creation and digital media and theater as a platform support of safer, healthier, and to increase civic engagement and pride vibrant communities in Black in our communities. and LatinX neighborhoods across Alexa enjoys songwriting, gardening, St. Louis City while bridging cooking her favorite Puerto Rican cultural divides. A Chicago native, dishes, and traveling with her significant Alexa lived in two distinct other and pups Shyla and Jax. neighborhoods in the city-one struggling with the first wave of gentrification and the other plagued with environmental hazards.
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SANDRA VAZQUEZ PFIZER, INC. My name is Sandra Vazquez and I am a Large Molecule Co-Development Forecasting Manager for Pfizer, Inc. responsible for the financial and resource management of late stage clinical product development through regulatory approval and launch. I support multiple large molecule biologics with different modalities, production processes, and dosage forms primarily for Biosimilars, Oncology, Immunology, and Immunotherapy. I am passionate about improving processes and procedures to allow Pfizer to accelerate and deliver breakthrough medicines that change patients’ lives. My 20 years of experience in project management, financial planning and analytics allows me to make significant contributions to the management of program budgets while bringing innovative ideas to improve efficiency and optimize resources to the organization. I have a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Finance from University of Puerto Rico. I’m also a Certified Public Accountant. Since 2015, I have been the Pfizer St. Louis Latino Community Group Leader supporting Latino local organizations like Casa de Salud, Puerto Rican Association Scholarship, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and Junior Achievement, among other organizations.
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HISPANIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE CLASS X SCHEDULE All HLI sessions will be held on the second Friday of the month from October 2020 to June 2021. All sessions will begin at 9:00 AM and conclude at 4:30 PM. Session dates are as follows:
2020 OCTOBER 9
NOVEMBER 13
Leadership & Maximizing Your Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
DiSC Assesment & Serving on Nonprofit Boards
DECEMBER 11 Effective Communication & Experiencing Criticism
2021 JANUARY 8
FEBRUARY 12
MARCH 12
The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence
Failing Forward and Leading Change
The Power of Public Speaking
2021 APRIL 9
MAY 14
JUNE 11
Finance for the NonFinancial Manager
Productivity & Time Management
The Brand Called You
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HCC STL FOUNDATION The HCC STL Foundation was formed in 2009 to accomplish charitable purposes, focusing on the Hispanic community of the metro St. Louis area. MISSION To strengthen Hispanics’ participation in the St. Louis business community through leadership development. VISION Help Hispanics fully participate in the St. Louis community. GOALS The Foundation will support specific efforts to achieve the vision: } Hispanic-owned businesses succeed } The number of Hispanic-owned businesses increases } Non-Hispanic owned businesses hire and promote Hispanic employees } Hispanic employees have the employment skills to succeed in their careers } Hispanic students stay in St. Louis for productive careers } Hispanic students are prepared for a rigorous college curriculum
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PRESIDENT Gilbert Bailon, Saint Louis Post Dispatch
DIRECTORS Castor Armesto, Spire Energy
Kitty Lohrum, Fontbonne University
Diana Everett, Success Promotions
Facundo Oyenard, Bayer
Matthew Forck, Ameren
Ness Sandoval, Saint Louis University
Anthony A. Gonzalez, TOTA Investments
Claire Schenk, Thompson Coburn
Dawn Higgins, Nestle Purina
Mike Zambrana, Pangea Group
Martha Garcia Kampen, Kampen Consultants, LLC