Latino Leaders Magazine: November/December 2016

TOP LATINO LAWYERS BEST SCHOOLS TALENT ACQUISITION FEATURE

GABY NATALE

ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE

www.latinoleaders.com November / December 2016 Vol. 17 No. 6 Display until 01/10/2017

MAESTRO AWARDS COVERAGE

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

51

COVER STORY: Gaby Natale - Entrepreneur Extraordinaire. Two Daytime Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program and Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish.

Photo: JOEL PARES

CONTENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 6 Editor’s Letter - Jose Escobedo highlights this edition’s top feature stories.

7 Publisher’s Letter - Jorge Ferraez introduces commercial real estate business developer, Armando Codina, executive chairman of Codina Partners, LLC, in Miami.

8

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GÓMEZ

TARRANT COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE VICE CHANCELLOR OF FINANCE, DR. MARK MCCLENDON

8 Archbishop José H. Gómez

- may just have the key that can bring the country together.

Archbishop Gómez is the first Latino to be vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was chosen in early November and is scheduled to serve for three years.

10 Latinos in High-Tech

- Latino Leaders magazine is honored to have partnered with HITEC to provide a platform to showcase top Hispanic talent in the Technology industry.

11 HITEC Coverage - The Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) hosted its 9th Signature Technology Leadership Summit in San Francisco.

12 Cisco’s Laura Quintana through Technology.

30

- Empowering

13 Valvoline’s Victor Rios - Core values come first.

14 Sabianet’s Marilyn Ehrhardt - Leading the Way. 16 The HITEC 100 index

- recognizing the most influential and notable Hispanic Professionals in the IT Industry in the Nation.

17 Paychex’s Efrain Rivera rises to the top.

24 Best Schools for Latinos

Best Universities for Latinos.

- Presenting 50

28 The New Frontier in Education - Interview with Dr. Vistasp M. Karbhari, president of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).

30 Tarrant County Community College Vice Chancellor of Finance, Dr. Mark McClendon explores Latino need for education.

32 Texas Tech Vice President,

Dr. Juan Sanchez Muñoz says strong role models and tactical financial solutions key to Latino/a student success.

36 A Family Legacy

- Real Estate developer Armando Codina is shaping and building his future with the encouragement of his daughter Ana.

2 • November / December 2016

32

TEXAS TECH VICE PRESIDENT, DR. JUAN SANCHEZ MUÑOZ

38 Top Latino Lawyers 2016 - Introduction by Benny Agosto Jr. “Creo en mi/I believe in me: What makes an Attorney Latino Leader.”

56 Latino Talent Acquisition - Introduction

by Robert Rodriguez. A look at the best in the country and why other firms should follow their lead.

58 Connect for Success

- A chat with Francis Hondal, EVP, Credit & Loyalty Solutions, Mastercard.

59 Northwestern Mutual’s Jorge Quezada Embracing the Latino/Hispanic market.

CONTENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER ARMANDO CODINA

60 Best companies for Latinos - A look at those corporations that over the years have consistently employed Latino talent and gone the extra mile to establish programs aimed to increase Latino presence and interaction.

65 Latino Talent Panel Acquisition - Leaders in Diversity and Inclusion share their visions on the current state of Latino talent acquisition in Corporate America.

68 Maestro Awards Coverage - Celebrating the success stories and accomplishments and the triumphs of many leaders that have made history and continue to make history in our community.

72 Jorge brings us the best from the wine world. Cheers!

36

CLAUDIA MĂ RQUEZ, FROM INFINITI.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

D

Dear Readers, I’m very proud of the edition you are about to read and the reasons are many. First, this is our biggest edition of the year and everyone at Latino Leaders magazine is very pleased for this accomplishment.

Second, this edition presents four very important sections which highlight Latino contributions in many ways.

We introduce “Latinos in High Tech”, “Top Latino Lawyers”, Best Schools for Latinos” as well as a very special section called “Latino Talent Acquisition.”

I would like to sincerely thank journalists Kristian Jaime, Steve Penhollow, and Joseph Treviño for their extensive collaboration and commitment to these editorial pieces. Their hard work and dedication is truly appreciated!

We would also like to acknowledge Benny Agosto Jr., a partner with Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz of Houston, a true friend and great advisor for writing the introduction to our “Top Latino Lawyers 2016.” As the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) 2011-2012 national president, we believe Benny has the credentials to introduce this feature section.

Latino participation in the technology sector is increasing and so is the arduous work shown by the members and leaders of HITEC. It is a great honor for us to have been partnered with HITEC to highlight their achievements of feature key members who represent top Hispanic talent in the industry. Don’t miss the HITEC 100 Index, recognizing the most prominent Hispanic professionals in the IT industry.

I’m sure you will find very helpful our section of the “Best Schools for Latinos”. We present schools that have high Latino enrollment and faculty, as well as providing resources for minority students and programs for outreach and diversity.

Our Latino Talent Acquisition section is a must read. Here we present our Best Companies for Latinos Index.

This year we have partnered with ALPFA and DDR Advisors, and with their guidance, we have taken a closer look at those companies that over the years have consistently employed Latino talent and have gone the extra mile to establish programs aimed to increase Latino presence and interaction.

In addition, we present interviews with prominent leaders who understand the importance of Latinos in the workplace. We also introduce the Latino Talent Panel Acquisition, made up of gentlemen who truly believe diversity and inclusion principles are a priority and bring to the table their points of view on the current state of Latino acquisition in Corporate America.

Gracefully depicting the cover is the very talented and charming Gaby Natale, a real entrepreneur who has turned her dreams into reality. And lastly, don’t miss our Maestro Awards coverage honoring true Latino Leaders among us.

Happy Holidays and may 2017 be a great one!

Jose Manuel Escobedo Managing Editor

Publisher Jorge Ferraez

President and CEO Raul Ferraez

Director of Journalism Mariana Gutierrez Briones mariana@latinoleaders.com Event and PR Director Mireya Cortez mireya@latinoleaders.com Administrative Director Lawrence Teodoro Managing Editor José Escobedo jescobedo@latinoleaders.com Washington, D.C. Sales Associate and Representative Deyanira Ferraez dferraez@latinoleaders.com Karla Espinoza kespinoza@latinoleaders.com Art Director Fernando Izquierdo ferdiseno@latinoleaders.com Editorial Art & Design Rodrigo Valderrama Carlos Cuevas Luis Enrique González Moisés Cervantes West Coast Editor Judi Jordan judijordanll@yahoo.com Human Resources Manager Susana Sanchez Administration and Bookkeeping Claudia García Bejarano Executive Assistant to the Publishers Liliana Morales Social Media Manager and Graphic Designer Kenzie Tysl For advertising inquiries, please call 214-206-4966 x 227.

CORRECTIONS We apologize for the following errors made in our last edition (September/October 2016).

1. Page 14 - The name Percy McCray was misspelled at the top of the page.

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino (ISSN 1529-3998) is published seven times annually by Ferraez Publications of America Corp., 15443 Knoll Trail, Suite 210, 75248 Dallas, TX, USA, September / October 2016. Subscription rates: In U.S. and possessions, one year $15.00. Checks payable to Ferraez Publications of America, 15443 Knoll Trail, Suite 210, 75248 Dallas, TX, USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Latino Leaders, 15443 Knoll Trail, Suite 210, 75248 Dallas, TX, USA.© 2001 by Ferraez Publications of America Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino. The periodical’s name and logo, and the various titles and headings therein, are trademarks of Ferraez Publications of America Corp.

2. Page 24 - The title of Maria Elena Lagomasino was incorrect, her title is CEO and managing partner of WE Family Offices.

Member of The National Association of Hispanic Publications

3. Page 27 - The photo of Mario Molina was incorrect.

This is the correct photo.

J. Mario Molina Chairman, CEO and President, Molina Healthcare (Fortune 201)

Audited by Member of Reg. # 283/01

MEMBER OF SRDS

6 • November / December 2016

Latino Leaders The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino 15443 Knoll Trail, Suite 210, 75248 Dallas, TX, USA Phone: (214) 206-4966 / Fax: (214) 206-4970

JORGE & RAUL FERRAEZ / PRESIDENTS OF FERRAEZ USA

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

O

On a beautiful morning in late October, a newly painted Southwest Airlines 737 800 took me to the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport to conduct our interview with a fantastic man, Armando Codina, and his daughter in Miami.

There are certain interviews that make a deep impression on me, and this was one of them. As a leadership storyteller, Armando Codina has been a fascinating figure for us in the Miami business landscape for years. So, when we started talking about the possibility of interviewing him, I was very excited and decided to make the trip to Florida and do the interview myself. His office suggested that we also interview Ana, his daughter and now his partner in the new real estate development venture. This father and daughter team is making it a reality.

When we arrived to a beautiful, contemporary corner office at his Goral Gables building, Codina told me a powerful story of a small boy who was left to travel alone to Miami, escaping the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s. A resilient soul with a tremendous courage and a creative mind, Codina managed to build an empire by himself over the years. His story is fabulous!

ARMANDO CODINA AND HIS DAUGHTER But perhaps the most impressive ANA MARIE CODINA BARLICK side of this interview was to witness the beginning of a business succession and a new development of this business story with his own daughter. Certainly, one of the most difficult tasks for any business owner is to establish and execute a successful business succession to the next generation, usually a son or a group of heirs. But in this case, to a daughter, makes this business relationship even more special. I would love to follow up with them to witness how this compelling story plays out.

As admirers and followers of leaders and their stories, Armando and Ana Codina’s interview is one that we have learned a lot from.

Also in this edition, we’re proud to present our lists of the Top Lawyers, Universities and Corporations in the U.S., which came together with superb work by our team of advisors, writers and editors. These people are an excellent way to measure the leadership of Latinos in these crucial areas.

Jorge & Raul Ferraez

latinoleaders.com

A leader with a vision for a new America

Archbishop José H. Gómez may just have the key that can bring the country together STORY BY JOSEPH TREVIÑO

Landing he man who arguably is currently America’s most powerful and high-profile religious Latino leader only wanted to be a parish priest.

Born in Mexico to a traditional family, José H. Gómez, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the biggest Catholic Archdiocese in the country, never dreamed he would one day be selected as the first Latino to be vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was chosen in early November and is scheduled to serve for three years.

“I also think this is recognition of how important Latino Catholics are to the growth and future of the Church,” Gómez said.

Many social, media and political observers say that in light of the current political climate in the country, the selection of Gómez by his fellow bishops is telling.

“These are challenging times for the Church in our society. But we go with God, and every Catholic knows that we have a great mission — to share the good news about God and to tell our brothers and sisters about his mercy and his beautiful plan for our lives and our world,” Gómez said after he was selected.

Some critics and admirers have agreed that Gómez, who besides being known for his mildmannered mien and love for sports, is also an intellectual (and the winner of a 2016 Maestro Award

by Latino Leaders Magazine) who may hold the key to solving the nation’s current immigration debate. They cite his seminal book, “Immigration and the next America: Renewing the soul of our nation.”

The immigration debate, wrote Gómez, is not so cut and dry. On the one hand, it is not right that some undocumented immigrants break immigration laws. On the other hand, a visceral reaction, punishment and mass deportations cannot be the answer for a nation with such a rich history, he wrote.

“I have my own fear. My fear is that in our frustration and anger, we are losing our grip and perspective. If you allow me to say this as a pastor: I’m worried we are losing something of our national soul,” Gómez wrote in his book.

The making of an Archbishop Gómez was born in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey the day after Christmas in 1951. His father was Dr. José H. Gómez and his mother was Esperanza Velasco, both of whom have passed away.

Though he grew up in Mexico, his mother’s family has been in the San Antonio area since 1805.

He has four sisters, three older and one younger.

“I grew up with both cultures, so it makes sense to me to become a citizen,” he said about GET TO KNO becoming naturalized.

JOSÉ HW ARCHBISH . GÓM OP Attending local Catholic schools, he could not help but be influenced by the Catholic faith, he recalled.

EZ Born in “When you go to Catholic schools, there is always the possibility of becoming a priest. I M Gómez, exico to a tradit thought about it,” he said. biggest the Archbishop ional family, José Catholic o Archdio f Los Angeles, H. Instead, he went to Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM), where he studied to be cese in In 2005 the cou the h ntry. e an accountant. Still, his Catholic faith and a strong call to the priesthood ended up leading Archbish was installed op of Sa b y P ope Joh n Anton Benedic him to the seminary. n Pau io. t Archb XVI appointe In March 20 l II as On August 15, 1978, he was ordained a priest at the Opus Dei Prelature by Cardinal Franz highest ishop of Los An d Gómez as Co 11, Pope ranking a g Latino in eles, making h djutor König, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, at the Shrine of Torreciudad, Spain. That same year, he im the U.S. Archbis Catholic the hop Gó was awarded undergraduate degrees in accounting, philosophy and theology. Then in 1980, church. mez is th presid Bishops. ent of the U.S. e first Latino to the University of Navarre in Spain awarded him a doctorate in theology.

Con He be feren was vice schedule chosen in early ce of Catholic N d to serv e for thre ovember and is e years.

A leader for a new America Gómez conceded that his ecclesiastical career has been a long road. It has taken him from being a parish priest in San Antonio to being ordained b¬¬y Pope John Paul II as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver in 2001.

In 2005 he was installed by Pope John Paul II as Archbishop of San Antonio. In March 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Gómez as Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles, making him the highest ranking Latino in the U.S. Catholic church.

A stellar career indeed. Some might think that all of this was a masterstroke of planning, but it wasn’t, Gómez said, adding that it never crossed his mind when he was growing up in Monterrey.

“Never,” he said. “What I wanted was to try to be a good Catholic. I decided to become a priest. That’s what I wanted to be. Just a priest. I never thought that I would be a bishop, much less an archbishop of San Antonio.”

For now, Gómez has his work cut out for him. Besides leading the biggest Archdiocese in the country, he is the vice president of the U.S. Bishops, and holds leadership roles for groups such as the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders and the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Bishops.

So what should Latinos do now in this new era with a new president and how do they look forward? Where to now?

Gómez said that when he came to the U.S., he quickly understood that he was in a different culture and was able to adapt to a new reality. Knowing who you are is the key, as well as an understanding that faith, family and friends will help you overcome the challenges in life.

“Understanding that we all are different. Looking for the best way to relate to other people. That’s what has helped me,” he said. “My faith, my family.

Never forgetting who I am: I am a child of God, the strength that comes from family and friends, that’s what’s helped me and I think that’s what will help other people. They understand who they are and learn how to relate to people — they can overcome any sense of discrimination.”

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

Latinos in High-Tech Story by: Mariana Gutierrez Briones

HITEC Women’s Breakfast, Sponsored by Accenture, Hosted by Salesforce.

A

t Latino Leaders we are honored to have partnered with HITEC since last July to provide a platform to showcase top Hispanic talent in the Technology industry. On this occasion we are especially proud not only to continue to share the stories, views and contributions of trailblazing insiders – but to celebrate, by publishing for the first time in a National platform, the HITEC 100 index - which recognizes the most influential and notable Hispanic Professionals in the IT Industry in the Nation.

This year’s list covers a wide range of positions, experience, skills and, of course, stories. But there is one common thread: Leadership – these pioneers are leading by example, revolutionizing their categories, creating opportunities for other Hispanics and shifting -- through their success -- what Latino in Tech looks like.

The profiles of the three HITEC 100 leaders interviewed for this edition are testament that anything is possible though a clear vision and the determination to push though barriers and obstacles until a dream is realized: Laura Quintana’s commitment to the Cisco Networking Academy is a wonderful example of a career dedicated to providing opportunities for others to grow. Cisco’s support to institutions, governments, and non-profits in 170 countries helps over 1 million students a year develop workforceready technology skills. Vic Rios, Valvoline’s chief information digital officer is one of the industries most innovative thinkers and through an endless curiosity has become a sought after speaker on topics ranging from Digital Ecosystem, Big Data and Predictive Analytics to the Internet of Things and the evolution of Machine Learning. And in her new book From Leaning in to Kneeling Down, Marilyn Ehrhardt, Owner, CEO and President of SabiaNet Inc. shares a candid story of courage, and how from the depths of our darkest moments can also come our strongest power. This selfmade entrepreneur’s determination leaves no room for failure.

These are all true originals, and we are honored to share their stories.

By continuing to publish powerful testimonials of what can be achieved through a career in STEM, and dedicating our entire March 2017 issue to the Tech industry, we hope to inspire the younger generations to look for opportunities in fields that hold the key to the future. We believe that we are just now at the beginning stages of one of the most technologically innovative time periods in our world’s history. HITEC’s core mission of enabling business and professional growth for Latinos in Tech and fill the executive pipeline with the next generation of Hispanic leaders is one that can make sure Latinos are at the center of this evolution, a mission we share a passionate commitment to.

Congratulations to HITEC, and this year’s HITEC 100 Leaders! Lead on…

10 • November / December 2016

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

HITEC:

True Leadership & True Dedication Story by: Latino Leaders staff writers

(Front to back, left to right): Anthony Scott, United States Chief Information Officer; Miguel Gamiño, Chief Technology Officer, City of New York; Andre Arbelaez, President, Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) & SVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Softtek USA; Tim Campos, Former CIO, Facebook; Guillermo Diaz, Jr., SVP & CIO, Information Technology, Cisco; Ramon Baez, Former CIO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO, AT&T Mexico.

O

n October 26th and 27th, the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) hosted its 9th Signature Technology Leadership Summit in San Francisco sponsored by Salesforce. Nearly 400 attendees ranging from CIO’s, CTO’s, and CISO’s as well as a variety of Hispanics in the tech workforce ecosystem enjoyed keynotes, panels, and Tedx-style Chats on leadership, career development, and technology thought leadership issues such as Digital Trust and FinTech.

HITEC also launched the HITEC Foundation, a 501c3 arm of HITEC, focused on the pulling up in the Hispanic community providing scholarships for students studying in STEM fields, providing grants to pursue endowment college funds, providing resources for middle schools in computer labs, and enhancing the HITEC Emerging Executive Program.

The HITEC Foundation Gala that took place on the Friday evening, led by remarks from Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Mexico and Guillermo Diaz, Jr, CIO of Cisco Systems, received nearly $200,000 in its initial launch and the HITEC community is blessed with the generosity and belief in the cause by its members and partners.

Andre Arbelaez, President, Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) & SVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Softtek USA

The summit, hosted by Salesforce’s Maria Martinez, whom is the President, Global Customer Success & Salesforce Latin America opened up the summit with welcome remarks and sharing her journey from Puerto Rico and her successful journey. Other incredible speakers included Lucia Soares, VP of Healthcare Technology at Johnson & Johnson, Miguel Gamino, CIO of San Francisco (and now CTO of New York City), Ivonne Valdes, VP of Sales of Cloud & Service Provider Segment, Nancy Faginas-Cody, SVP of IT Enterprise Systems at The Walt Disney Company, Laura Quintana, SVP of Corporate Affairs, Cisco Corporation, and Ligia Vilela, CTO of Digital Channels Technology Group for Wells Fargo.

The Summit finished with its annual HITEC 100 Awards, celebrating the top 100 Hispanic Leaders in technology and its HITEC awards, that went to 2016 Member of the Year, Marcos Jimenez, CEO of Softtek USA, 2016 Corporation of the Year, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), 2016 “Estrella” Award to Maria Martinez, President of Global Customer Success & Latin America, Salesforce, and the 2016 Advocate of the Year, Tony (newly named Antonio) Scott, CIO of the United States of America. For more information about HITEC, please go to www.hitecglobal.org.

latinoleaders.com

Empowering through Technology

Laura Quintana

Vice President, Corporate Affairs Cisco Laura joined Cisco in 1999 and currently leads the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) field operations worldwide. She and her team, based in 40 countries, help shape and drive public-private partnerships to design, implement, and operate strategic CSR programs in the areas of IT education and economic empowerment in 170 countries around the world.

These programs reach well over one million beneficiaries each year with annual in-kind contributions valued at over $240M USD. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Stanford University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their three children.

What was given to you in terms of advice or mentorship that pushed you to where you are today?

The best advice I ever received was from my mom. She passed away 21 years ago, but the values she taught me are still with me. My parents immigrated as adults to the US from Mexico and my mother never studied past middle school because she had to go to work at an early age. She did not speak English well and never learned to drive so I was her primary interpreter and we took public transportation everywhere together. I was extremely close to her growing up. She encouraged me to soar by emphasizing the value of education and the importance of working hard to achieve your goals, and always told me that “querer es poder” (where there is a will there is a way) and “nadie te puede quitar tu educación” (no one can take away your education). She also taught me to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and if I ever strayed from this, she was quick to put me in my place.

Thanks to her guidance I was the first in my family to go to college and studied engineering at Stanford. Even today, I look at every big challenge as an opportunity to learn something new and to make an impact.

What are your most important work and professional values?

To have a career where I can provide leadership and work with people and teams in a challenging and exciting environment (I get bored easily); to provide value that is appreciated by others; and to do work that feeds my soul and benefits people and their communities. I feel very fortunate to be working at Cisco, within a culture that enables teams to thrive, and in a position where my team positively impacts over 1 million students annually.

What is it like being a woman in the Tech field?

There’s never been a better time for women in technology! As a woman, Latina, and mother of three children, I’ve had a wonderful career. My approach is twofold: 1) I always try to bring value to the table regardless of who I’m interacting with; and 2) I always assume positive in12 • November / December 2016

tent and trust the other person is coming from a good place. Part of bringing value means that I listen to the people I work with. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and I can provide more value by bringing out the best in others, and together focusing on what’s best for beneficiaries of our corporate social responsibility programs.

However, I also speak up when someone says or does something off-putting. The vast majority of the time, it’s just a miscommunication that is best handled right off the bat.

What can be done to attract more young Latinos to the information and communication technology fields?

This is a big challenge that the public and private sectors can address by working together.

I’m proud to work for a company that sees education as the critical enabler it was for me.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the educational attainment gaps between minority and white students persist despite improvements made over the last few decades. In Arizona, Latinos make up 30 percent of residents yet only comprise about 13 percent of business owners. Thus, Arizona is under-producing entrepreneurs in its fastest-growing cultural group, resulting in missed opportunities for job creation, outside investments, and new products and services.

Arizona State University (ASU) and Cisco are partnering to correct this imbalance. We created a comprehensive, culturally responsive learning experience to help minority youth gain entrepreneurial and digital skills. ASU Poder (Spanish for “to be able”) gives underserved community college students the opportunity to create solutions to address pressing societal problems using digitization skills acquired through Cisco curriculum, while receiving career and college preparation training.

How does the Cisco Networking Academy impact students? Can you share a specific case?

Cisco Networking Academy improves career opportunities for people around the world. We partner with academic institutions, governments, and non-profits in 170 countries to help over 1 million students a year develop workforce-ready technology skills. A diverse group of people take Networking Academy courses – from traditional students (at high schools, vocational colleges, and universities), to people with disabilities, to prisoners, to people re-skilling for new jobs, to name just a few. We have millions of success stories, but one of my favorites is that of Rebecca Baca, a single mother who was living with her parents and working in a low-paying service industry job. Wanting to become financially independent, she enrolled in a Cisco Networking Academy course at a local vocational institute. After completing the coursework, she landed a job with an ICT services company and became their first female project consulting engineer.

For more information on the Cisco Networking Academy visit: https://www.netacad.com/.

Victor Rios

Core values come first

Rios is currently the Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at Valvoline Inc. and is responsible for all IT initiatives as well as e-Commerce, digital marketing, mobile technologies, and the digital ecosystem.

Edited by Latino Leaders

LL - What brought you to your current position at Valvoline?

VR - I was interested in exploring new opportunities, something I’ve done every 4 to 5 years during my career. An executive recruiter I’ve known for a few years approached me about the Valvoline opportunity. At first I was reluctant; I had never visited Kentucky and was unsure if I was willing to move there. However, the recruiter convinced me that it was an amazing opportunity and that Valvoline’s culture aligned with my values and priorities. His final point was, “Fly out there and meet the Valvoline Leadership Team.

If you don’t like it, what’s one day?” Turned out that one day turned into several return trips, and ultimately one of the best professional decisions I ever made.

LL - What key advice or mentorship opportunities did you receive that prepared you for your current role?

VR - I’ve been very fortunate to have had several great mentors during my career, starting with my parents. They are the ones who nurtured and instilled my values and work ethic. As I entered college, I had an administrator who always gave me good advice and helped challenge my thinking about what I wanted to do post-graduation. Over the years, I’ve had many people who always gave good counsel and were willing to take the time to get to know me, encouraging me to take calculated risks. Probably, the best advice I received was to always push myself further than I thought I could go, and to own everything I do – whether a success or a mistake – learning from it and continuing to move forward.

LL - What has been the biggest challenge you’ve encountered over your career and how did you overcome it?

VR - I’ve encountered many challenges, but one in particular was a time a digital marketing campaign went very wrong and received intense government scrutiny. The project was initially assigned to my team, but because the timelines were too short, we declined the project. What we didn’t know was that another group in the company, looking to get experience in this area, agreed to it and it had a very bad outcome. People in the company just assumed my team did it and were quick to look for people to blame. I got my team involved to help fix the issues – and it took several weeks to get it right – but during that time, I was under extreme pressure to get the problem solved. I kept the team focused on solving the problem, insulating them from the politics. Ultimately, we fixed the issues, avoided any regulatory penalties, and established credibility across the organization as a team. We focused on doing the right thing even though it would have been easier to play into the corporate politics and scapegoating.

LL - What are your most important work and professional values?

VR - Integrity, transparency and trust. I’ve seen too many people succumb to the idea of “success at any cost” and sooner or later this philosophy comes back to haunt them.

I’d rather try and fail at something, keeping my honor intact, than to succeed through duplicity or at the expense of others. I truly believe the only way to get the best out of any team is to model the behavior you expect. How can one give their best to an organization when they don’t trust their leader or the people they work with?

LL - What advice would you give to the upcoming generation desiring a career in information technology?

VR - Technology is a tool and, like any tool, to truly master it you need to understand all the ways it can be used and applied. Early in my career, I had a conversation with a division president and the head of finance regarding a potential divestiture of a product line. During an hour-long discussion, the subject of technology wasn’t mentioned. However, I knew it was an important area to be addressed and I made a lot of points that were welcomed and well-received.

At the end of the meeting the president said to me, “Finally, an IT person who understands the business!” I replied to her, “No, I’m a business person who understand how to apply technology.” It may seem a nuanced answer, but it is an important differentiation. So I would tell people interested in IT to make sure they understand all the ways technology can be applied, in addition to being the best programmer, architect or database administrator they can be.

LL - What steps would you recommend to address the shortage of Hispanics within the technology pipeline?

VR - It starts with our children. We need to ensure they are exposed to technology and understand the possibilities.

I think technology has progressed over the decades from a niche, back-office profession that wasn’t very social, to one that’s today on the forefront of business and society.

People in technology are no longer perceived as the meek; today they are “chic geek.” Even as adults it’s never too late to learn. There’s a lot that can be learned for free from the internet. There are great instructional videos, free tool sets and software development kits. Anyone who’s willing to put in some time and see the possibilities can gain enough skills on their own to have a viable career path at any age.

LL - What role do you see Latinos playing in Valvoline’s future?

VR - I think there is a growing emphasis on the value and importance of the Latino community. When you look at the culture and values of the Latino community, it matches up very well with the values, vow, and vision of Valvoline. From a growth perspective, whether it be in Valvoline’s overall business, market focus or employment, I truly expect the Latino community to be a significant contributor to Valvoline’s success. latinoleaders.com

LEADING THE WAY A conversation with

Marilyn Ehrhardt

Owner, CEO and President, SabiaNet Inc. Author, From Leaning in to Kneeling Down In the next Q&A Ehrhardt shares advice to the coming generation of IT leaders, as well as the steps to be taken in order to address the Hispanic Technology pipeline shortage and how Latino representation in this industry can be improved.

LL: How did you arrive to your current position?

ME:The road to arrive at my current position was long and arduous, as I describe in my book

From Leaning in to Kneeling Down, but what I consider the most important asset to move up and down the glass ceiling are character traits, not skills, such as determination, endurance, patience, courage, leadership, trust worthiness and integrity. I started my career as a NASA Engineer for the Space Shuttle Program, and continued in the Information Technology path of Corporate America at Digital Equipment Corporation and then Oracle. I moved to the side and started my own company and then became an entrepreneur – and through the all ups and downs, I never gave up my dream.

LL: What was given to you in terms of advice or mentorship that pushed you to where you are today?

ME: I have always sought out the advice of experts in the area I want to make progress in,

and in that path I have found key people that inspired me when I was looking for the next step, people that encouraged me when I had a kneel down moment. People that believed in me when things were foggy, and people that allowed me to be on the spotlight and get the visibility required to move forward. I am forever grateful for these people in my path.

LL: Now that you have made it - what advice would you share with the upcoming generation?

ME: I would say 4 things: First, to focus on the Character Ladder and not on the Career Ladder

because it is in the first ladder you find treasures that last forever in your life, that is why I state in my book that women are more precious than rubies. The second advice I would give to this generation is that STEM careers are at the tipping point of explosion, this is the future, so don’t be shy to join Science, Math, and Technology - the future will depend on them more than ever before in the history of humankind. Third, nothing of value comes easy and fast. And last we are always compelled to have a purpose bigger than us, so make sure that you find your purpose, and that it impacts the lives of others in a positive manner. No reward is greater than that.

LL: Which steps do we need to take to address the Hispanic Technology pipeline shortage? How can we improve Latino representation in this industry?

ME: With organizations like HITEC where visibility and opportunities for the Latino commu-

nity are exposed. The pull up and push up strategy of HITEC is a perfect model to use in the work place, in conferences, in education starting in High School and all the way to Diversity Circles in Corporate America. We need to inspire our Latino population to climb both the Character Ladder and the Education Ladder, side by side.

LL: What role do you see Latinos playing for SabiaNet’s future both as customers and collaborators?

ME: My hiring strategy is based solely on Character and Skills. I hope that more Latinos join

the Technology and Management Consulting paths so that I can chose from a bigger pool and hire more Latinos in my Company - and become a role model for Diversity Strategies.

14 • November / December 2016

Edited by: Latino Leaders

LL: Which is your main strategy to ensure success in your operations?

ME: Vision, Innovation and Execution wrapped around

Knowledge, Integrity, Truth worthiness and loyalty.

LL: Which advantages do you see in working with organizations such as HITEC? ME: HITEC is a one of a kind platform, it is unique in that

from its conception it feels like a family, it is a great model for Latinos in the professional world to follow, and it extends its arms into coaching and mentoring like no other organization in the U.S. LL: What are your most important work and professional values?

ME: Work Values: Knowledge and Experience, which go

hand in hand, Professional Values: Integrity, honesty, commitment - my yes always is yes and my no always is no.

LL: How do you see the challenges ahead for your company and in the industry?

ME: The challenges for my company are the burden of taxes

currently forced upon small firms, I am hopeful that this burden is released and small companies have the opportunity to be more competitive in the market place. In the Tech Industry I think the biggest challenge for the future is the digitalization of all - the Internet of things will change all existing processes and products, and in this opportunity lies the biggest challenge which is local talent and education.

LL: What is the philosophy you lead your teams with?

ME: Leadership is not a title, the desire to tell others what to

do, or your own ambitions imposed upon a team of people.

Leaders are nominated by their teams because they are recognized by their knowledge, their integrity and their sacrificial love for the mission at hand, as I detail in From Leaning in to Kneeling down. This book is a tool to encourage future leaders, especially women, to seek their true value throughout life’s junctions and find their gifts.

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

TOP 100 AWARDEE LIST The HITEC 100 List is the most exclusive list made with the criteria of selecting the best technologists in the United States of Hispanic descent.

Robert Abreu

Ricardo Bartra

Gene Alvarez

Cesar Beltran

Vice President - Technology Risk/Insider Threat Program Goldman Sachs Managing Vice President – CRM, CX and Digital Commerce Technologies Gartner, Inc.

Rosio Alvarez

Chief Information Officer Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Carlos Amesquita Chief Information Officer The Hershey Company

Guillermo Ardon

Group Chief Information Officer - Supply Chain and Vice President of Information Technology Johnson & Johnson

Brian Arellanes

Chief Executive Officer, President and Founder ITSourceTek Inc.

Orlando Ayala

Corporate Vice President, Chairman Emerging Markets Microsoft

Ramón Baez

Senior Vice President, Customer Evangelist Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Marcela Bailey

Chief Information Officer Monarch Landscape Companies

Leandro Balbinot

Vice President IT & Chief Information Officer North America KraftHeinz Company

Manuel Barragan

Vice President of IT & Systems Smith and Wesson

Angel Barrio

Chief Executive Officer Telefonica USA

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer DHL Global Forwarding Americas Vice President Billing Systems Integration Charter Communications

Nellie Borrero

Managing Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion Accenture

Eduardo Cabrera Chief Cybersecurity Officer Trend Micro

Benedict Cabrera

Senior Director, Business Systems Covanta

Timothy Campos Chief Information Officer Facebook

Julio Carbonell Chief Information Officer ALPFA

Carlos Carpizo President LinkAmerica

Marcelo Claure

President & Chief Executive Officer Sprint

Ernest Cordova Managing Director Accenture Federal Services

Francisco Cornellana Castells

Senior Vice President & Global Chief Information Officer Revlon

Jesse Cortez

Global Diversity & Inclusion Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Eduardo Cue

Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Apple 16 • November / December 2016

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

Vinicius Da Costa

Nancy Faginas-Cody

Joel De la Garza

Steve Fernandez

Ralph de la Vega

Kevin Fernandez

Senior Vice President – Enterprise Business Technology Executive Bank of America Chief Security Officer/Box Security Officer Box Vice Chairman, AT&T Inc. and Chief Executive Officer, Business Solutions & International AT&T

Marta Decatrel Executive Director Morgan Stanley

Rafael Diaz

Chief Information Officer U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Anthony Diaz Managing Director Accenture

Guillermo Diaz, Jr.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Cisco Information Technology

Carlos Dominguez

President and Chief Operating Officer Sprinklr

Jose Dominguez

Chief Information Security Officer TD Ameritrade

Rodolfo Dominguez

Senior Vice President, IT Enterprise Business Systems The Walt Disney Company Global Chief Technology Officer L’Oreal Paris, France Senior Vice President, Head of Business Systems Citi

Alicia Fernandez-Campfeld

Vice President, Global Service Delivery Fortive/Teletrac Navman

Henry Fleches

Chief Executive Officer United Data Technologies

Maru Flores

Global Manufacturing Development Services, Senior Manager Ford Motor Company

Francisco Fraga

Vice President Information Technology Procter & Gamble

Mariely Franzetti IT Support, Vice President Dell Technologies

Carlos Fuentes

Vice President of Strategy, Architecture and Security Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Isaura Gaeta

Vice President Business Transformation and Chief Digital Officer Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC

Platform Engineering Group Chief of Staff and Head of Business Operations Intel Corporation

Jonathan Echeverria

Miguel Gamino

Marilyn Ehrhardt

Kelly Garcia

Senior Vice President – Business Technology Executive Bank of America President and Chief Executive Officer SabiaNet Inc

Chief Information Officer City of San Francisco

Vice President of Development Domino’s

Marina Escobar

Vice President Advanced Technology Group ESPN latinoleaders.com

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

TOP 100 AWARDEE LIST Monica McManus

Vice President Applications & CIO Enterprise Operations Lockheed Martin Corporation

Noni Gonzalez

Hector Medina

Juan Gorricho

Rafael Mena

Vice President Global Technology Systems IHG Vice President, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Federal Partners Credit Union The Walt Disney Company

David Guzman

Chief Information Officer HD Smith

Marius Haas

Chief Commercial Officer and President Dell EMC

Darrell Higueros Chief Executive Officer Next Generation, Inc.

Marcos Jimenez

VP IT, Strategic Planning and Analytics Macy’s Chief Information Officer Orange County

André Mendes

Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors

David Morales

Managing Director Accenture Federal Services

Carmen Nava

Senior Vice President – Premium Care AT&T

Dr. Yonesy Feliciano Núñez

Chief Executive Officer Softtek USA

Senior Vice President and Information Security Leader - Wholesale (WTS / Capital Finance) & International Wells Fargo

Anthony R. Jimenez

Javier Olivan

George Llado

Juan Perez

President, CEO and Founder MicroTech

Senior Vice President & Chief InformationOfficer Alexian Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Francisco Lombardo Chief Information Security Officer Zurich Latin America

Jorge López

Vice President & Distinguished Analyst, Executive Leadership & Innovation Gartner, Inc.

Maria Martinez

President, Global Customer Success & Salesforce Latin America Salesforce

Cesar Martinez

Vice President, ICT Delivery T-Systems North America, Inc.

Vice President, Growth Facebook Vice President of Technology - Global Financial, Human Resources, Billing, and Customer Relationship Management Systems UPS

Eduardo Perez

Senior Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean Regional Risk Officer Visa Inc.

Ana Pinczuk

Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer Veritas

Javier Polit

Group Chief Information Officer, Bottling Investments Group & Coca-Cola North America The Coca-Cola Company

Martha Poulter

Chief Information Officer Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. 18 • November / December 2016

Latino Leaders in partnership with HITEC

Odilon Queiroz

Vice President of Global Information and Business Services Anheuser-Busch InBev

Laura Quintana

Vice President, Corporate Affairs Cisco Systems, Inc.

Paul Raines

Chief Executive Officer GameStop Corporation

Tim Ramirez

Chief Technology Officer, Corporate Financial Systems & Technology Wells Fargo

Rosa M. Ramos-Kwok

Managing Director, Retail, Preferred, and Global Wealth and Investment Management Technology Bank of America

Vic Rios

Chief Information Officer/Chief Digital Officer Valvoline

Ileana Rivera

Senior Director of IT, Computing and Client Productivity Services Cisco Systems

Karl Rottmann

Director of IT Development and Operations Broadcom

Andres Ruzo

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer LinkAmerica

Enrique Salem Managing Director Bain Capital Ventures

Nuria Simo

Chief Information Officer InterAmerican Development Bank

Lucia Soares

Vice President, Healthcare TechnologyStrategy Johnson & Johnson

Javier Soltero

Corporate Vice President of OutlookProgram Management Microsoft

Myrna Soto

Corporate Senior Vice President, GlobalChief Information Security Officer Comcast

Jorge Titinger

President and Chief Executive Officer Silicon Graphics International

Daniel Tolosa

Chief Development Officer Bottling Investments Group & Coca-Cola North America

Pamela Torres

Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Relations Technology Executive, Senior Vice President Bank of America

Nina Vaca

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pinnacle Technical Resources

Ivonne Valdes

Sales VP, Cloud & Service Provider Segment Schneider Electric

Silvia Vรกsquez-Lavado

Principal of Enterprise Technology and Financial Systems PayPal

Adam Vazquez

Vice President Information Technology Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Raymond Velez

Global Chief Technology Officer Razorfish

Ligia Vilela

Chief Technology Officer and Chief Application Officer of the Digital Channels Technology Group Wells Fargo

Alfredo Villalobos

Vice President of IT & Operations Telefonica USA Telefรณnica Global Solutions

Jorge Zapata

Senior Vice President; Business Exec -Technology Bank of America

latinoleaders.com

Paychex’s

EfrainrisesRivera to the top Story by: Jason Ogden

F

or Efrain Rivera, senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Paychex, taking risks in business and career is not only the reason he got to where he is today, but it’s also the embodiment of the Latino and Hispanic culture in modern day business.

Rivera joined Paychex in June 2011 and was formerly corporate vice president and chief financial officer at Bausch and Lomb, a global eye health company. Paychex works with small- to medium-size businesses in the payroll field, working small to big, just like Rivera has done in his career.

But growing up in a large family in Patterson, New Jersey, and splitting his time between the United States and Puerto Rico, Rivera’s original goal was to help support his mother, a telephone operator, and his many brothers and sisters.

Living in two different cultures, from the northern state of New York to the island of Puerto Rico, was one of the early experiences that helped Rivera make decisions later in his career that some may call risky, e.g. taking residence in another country to further his career.

Before thinking about a career in international business, however, he worked on his education and tried to make ends meet for his struggling family with a single mother and many siblings.

“I was really less focused on my own opportunity and much more focused on being able to help my mother,” he said.

The importance of family is one of the reasons Hispanics stand apart from many other business operators in the United States, Rivera believes.

“I think we’re also more family-oriented,” he said.

“We see many more people involved in the running of the business. It’s not just a business penchant but a family enterprise and a source of pride. We need to encourage more Hispanic entrepreneurship in the country.”

After high school, Rivera attended a small college in Rochester, far away from the city, to complete his bachelor’s degree. But he eventually went to New York University for a law degree and spent a short time as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice doing commercial litigation.

20 • November / December 2016

“All businesses have to think about where they want to be in the future — in three months or five years — and ask themselves a question: what are they doing today to lead to that goal and take the action to make it happen.”

His time in law helped him get with Bausch and I realized I could make an impact,” he said. “It was a tremendous decision; it Lomb and eventually overseas. set me apart as someone who could take risks and produce good results.”

Moving around, spending time in different counThere are many different reasons why Rivera got to where he is today, tries and learning to adapt to changes —plus a willbut one, he said, is that people should recognize the limits of what they ingness to take on risk — all benefited Rivera and know and utilize their staffs. helped him work on his career in Mexico.

“It becomes very important to surround yourself with good people who “One of the unique things about my background you respect,” he said. “You need to learn from your experience, but you is that I spent six years in Mexico when I was workcan’t be a prisoner of your experience. Business is the ultimate pragmatic ing for Bausch and Lomb,” he said. “I like to joke that endeavor. You have to be challenging yourself to try different things.”

I’m bicultural; I am a Puerto Rican who has spent Rivera said finding the ability to thrive is a balance between experimenting with new ideas and having a good team whose input and ideas a lot of time working and traveling through Mexico can be respected. and really all through Latin America.”

“If you grow and they grow, then you’re constantly getting better,” he said.

Rivera rose to the rank of top executive at a time As far as growing business, Rivera said constant monitoring and honest when Latinos and Hispanics were not normally seen self-evaluation are very important. in the boardroom setting, he said.

“All businesses have to think about where they want to be in the future — in But before this corporate leadership trail, his interests were piqued in law before he became CFO of three months or five years — and ask themselves a question: what are they doing today to lead to that goal and take the action to make it happen,” he said.

Bausch and Lomb.

It’s also important for a company, large or small, to make honest self“It took a couple of steps,” he said. “The first evaluations. He said business owners need to be objective about their step was I had an interest in studying law, so I went status and realistic about their goals. down that path and I was fortunate Rivera says a lot of businesses fail beto study at NYU.” cause of a lack of imagination. They don’t After his five-year span working in Paychex is a United States-based provider of payrecognize where they are or what their cuscorporate law, Rivera developed an roll, human resources and employee benefits comtomers want from them. interest in business and management pany that serves a variety of business sizes. It is He believes Latinos and Hispanics have an and pursued an MBA. located in New York. upper hand because, in his experience, their “So I decided after five years to With just $3,000 the company was started in 1971 by Tom Golisano and developed into a franchise company cultures are more willing to take risks. stop what I was doing and to go back that later when public in 1983. Golisano serves as comWhile working in Mexico City, Rivera did to school full time, which could be pany chairman to this day. a research project with street vendors. He pretty risky. But both of these deciFrom its roots as a small company it now employs sions could get me down the path I said the vendor thrived because although nearly 13,000 with revenues exceeding $2.3 billion wanted to be and in a position to help he could get pushed from a street corner, in 2013. The company acquired SurePayroll for $115 my family,” he said. he evaluated risk and came out every day million in 2011.

This eventually led Rivera to beto sell a product.

Paychex offers a huge variety of services as well as the come an intern at Bausch and Lomb.

“There is a certain amount of risk-taking Paychex Flex service, which allows customers to report “I ended up working in their fithat people feel more confident about payroll information over the phone, email or using a nance area, and after graduation I in our cultures, simply because of the cloud-based service.

Paychex is also a partner with SCORE, a nonprofit ended up getting an offer,” he said. “I challenges that many people have lived association dedicated to helping small businesses get think the thing that made a difference through in this country, both in getting off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals through in my career was that I was constantly here and thriving here,” he said education and mentorship, according to Paychex staff. looking for opportunities and wasn’t As far as what the next 20 years holds for RiAccording to the company, the partnership allows vera, he said he wants to give back to a world afraid to take risks.” both organizations to achieve a likeminded mission: that helped him rise through the ranks, and One risk was moving his family to help small businesses become successful. give someone a chance like he had.

Mexico to continue his career with One service that is also offered is an online human “In this stage of my career, it’s more about the company. Nonetheless, the risk resources database called the Human Resource Manhelping others and giving a hand up. There are had a reward for Rivera. agement System, which gives small business HR dea lot of people in this society who don’t get the “It was pretty risky to move my fampartments a one-stop shop for information to aid with company HR solutions. ily, and I had never lived in Mexico. But opportunity or the hand up,” he said. latinoleaders.com

Research and story by: Kristian Jaime Design by: Carlos Cuevas

Aside from purchasing a home, deciding where to attend college is one of the most long-term and costliest investments most individuals will make in their lifetime.

Increasingly competitive job markets also demand the right academic credentials to more aptly begin a career track. Yet for minorities like Latinos, only 15 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher according to recent data by the Pew Research Center. There are numerous circumstances as to why the largest minority block in the United States is also one of the most educationally underserved.

Yet there are also numerous reasons why some academic institutions better serve Hispanic students. They include: the percentage of total Latino enrollment and the percentage of Latino faculty, the percentage of students who apply and receive financial aid, aca-

demic resources for minority students to acclimate to academic rigors of college life and outreach efforts by schools to add to their overall diversity.

Institutional information provided by universities, along with independent sources like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), joined data by U.S. News and World Report and other reporting agencies all served as basis for the research methodology in compiling the top 50 universities for Latinos.

The list of Colleges and Universities we’re presenting in the following pages, along with interviews and chats with some academic leaders, are institutions that have excelled in their performance, outreach and academic level in their relation with the Latino student population of the Country.

A B Amherst College www.amherst.edu

Arizona State University

Baylor University

Belmont University

www.baylor.edu

www.belmont.edu

Situated in north Texas, Baylor is routinely rated as a top university in the country by numerous publications. Thirty-four percent of the freshman class is minority students, and 93 percent of Baylor students receive some form of financial assistance.

The 142 undergraduate degree programs, 75 master’s programs and 42 doctoral programs are assets for Latino students who want both high academic standards and proximity to their families, who live primarily in the Lone Star State. The school has a Hispanic Student Association to foster an enriching experience of the Hispanic culture, heritage and traditions in the Baylor and Waco communities while empowering and supporting students with their personal development, and advocating for a diverse and inclusive environment.

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont only admits 7,723 students, with an average of 5 percent being Latino. The Study Abroad in Turkey Scholarship for Minority Students is just one of the opportunities to see the world with Belmont. The Turkish Coalition of America, in cooperation with Diversity Abroad, awards grants for undergraduate and graduate students who have been accepted to a study abroad program in Turkey or Cyprus for an academic year, semester or summer. The Institute for International Public Policy Fellowship Program aims to increase the representation of minorities in international affairs and global public policy in the government, private and non-profit sectors. Global policy institutes and subsequent study abroad experience, with a focus on international affairs.

www.asu.edu

With a petite enrollment of 1,795, 13 percent of the student body at Amherst is Hispanic. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, 58 percent of students receive need-based financial aid, 23 percent receive Pell Grants and 17 percent are the first members of their families to attend college. The average annual financial aid package is more than $50,000. The Office of Admission hosts two weekend Diversity Open Houses to introduce prospective applicants to Amherst’s campus, student body, faculty, classes and residence halls. Diversity interns are current Amherst students who work with the Office of Admissions to reach out to prospective students from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

24 • November / December 2016

With a main campus in Tempe, the public university boasts an undergraduate Hispanic student population of 19 percent. It also includes a 12 percent Hispanic faculty population, along with a comprehensive diversity initiative from the Office of Inclusion and Community Engagement. The Southwest Borderlands Initiative strengthens existing Arizona State University scholarly and instructional resources in the Southwest with an emphasis on the region along the United States-Mexico border. It also enhances institutional recruitment and retention efforts toward building a faculty fully reflective of the Southwest Borderlands’ diversity. The other is the Graduate Education Diversity Resources, which includes scholarships, career development, mentoring and other support for graduate students and undergraduates on a path toward graduate school.

C California State University – Long Beach

California State University – Los Angeles

www.csulb.edu

www.calstatela.edu

The network of California state universities has one of the most comprehensive diversity plans in the nation.

Cal State-Long Beach is no exception, with over 37 percent making up their Hispanic student body. The Office of Equity & Diversity aims to promote full consideration of all members of all minorities in recruitment, selection, advancement, promotion and retention. Also, they facilitate, monitor, evaluate and ensure compliance pertaining to equal educational and employment. Hispanic tenured track faculty has increased from 4 percent to 7 percent. Recruiting diverse faculty and staff included race, ethnicity, bilingual or multilingual knowledge, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and ability, among other cultural identities and experiences.

CSULA may not be as well known as the more famous universities in Los Angeles, but the estimated 27,681 students are impressively diverse, with a 60 percent Hispanic enrollment. The school also includes 27 percent Hispanics on its faculty.

Cal State LA has once again earned national recognition for graduating Latino students who go on to earn Ph.D.s in science and engineering fields. Between bachelor’s and master’s granting institutions in the continental U.S, Cal State LA is No. 1 for producing Latino doctorates in the areas of chemistry, physics, mathematics and statistics, computer sciences, biological sciences, and engineering, according to data compiled by the National Science Foundation.

City University of New York – Brooklyn College

Colorado State University – Pueblo

www.brooklyn.cuny.edu At 17,390 students, Brooklyn College boasts 20 percent Hispanic enrollment and a 10 percent Hispanic faculty. The university offers the Gates Millennium Scholarship for minority students. It also offers the HACE Scholarship, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, LULAC National Scholastic Achievement Award, the New Mexico Alliance Scholarship and the Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship, to name a few. The Black and Latino Male Initiative have always been to increase the number of black and Latino males who enroll in and graduate from the college. To achieve that goal, it addresses just about every aspect of the students’ lives. In the strictly academic realm, it provides peer mentoring, tutoring and access to an all-purpose writing tutor.

www.csupueblo.edu

Cambridge College www.cambridgecollege.edu

Christian Brothers University www.cbu.edu

A total of 4,265 students call CC their academic home. For the 28 percent of Hispanic students, the private, nonprofit institution has specialized in adult learning, with five satellite locations across the country.

Cambridge College is a center of ethnic diversity, with over 65 percent of its students being members of a minority group. Students of different ethnic backgrounds flourish at Cambridge due to the inclusive culture that produces a positive educational experience. Tuition is less than the cost of the average four-year college and over 60 percent of students receive financial aid.

The Memphis, Tennessee-based university is among the smallest on the list with 1,842 students. Seven percent of them are Hispanic, with 72 percent of all students receiving some form of financial aid. The Latino Student Success Program is a multi-faceted approach to assisting Hispanic students during their time at CBU. The LSS program is made possible by a private grant that will fund the program over the next seven years. In fall of 2014, several Latino students at CBU founded a student-run organization called Hola CBU to meet the unique needs of Latino students in the CBU community. Partnerships with Latino Memphis, a local agency that assists Latinos in the Greater Memphis area, assist students by connecting them with resources, collaborating and advocating for health, education and justice.

DE

CSU Pueblo is one of Colorado’s smaller state schools with 5,000 total students, but it is home to an estimated 29 percent Hispanic students. CSU-Pueblo President Lesley Di Mare said 835 freshmen enrolled this fall, an increase of 5.4 percent over the previous year. The freshmen class hails from 30 states and 12 countries and includes 44 additional non-resident students, with notable increases in New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii. More than 55 percent of the freshmen class reported being from a minority group. The overall student population represents 43 states and 35 countries.

Dixie State University Emporia State www.dixie.edu University www.emporia.edu

While the name would imply a traditional southern university, it is actually located in St. George, Utah.

Dixie State has a total enrollment of 8,350 students, with 9 percent of them Hispanic. The Multicultural Diversity Center has several outreach mechanisms, such as the Student Leadership Program to engage students in co-curricular and extracurricular experiences as a way of enhancing their collegiate experience. The mission is committed to training and advising multicultural student leaders with learning, service and extracurricular opportunities; provide leadership training; promote school spirit; create unity and a unique Dixie culture; and offer a voice to underrepresented members of the student body.

Named after the city in Kansas where it is located, ESU is one of the smaller schools on the list with a total enrollment of 6,094. While its Hispanic student population is just 7 percent, officials say that is considerable for a school of its size. While their out-ofstate tuition of $18,524 matches many other schools’ regular price tag, 62 percent receive financial aid and 61 percent have their financial needs met.

Outreach programs include the Latino Leadership Initiative, a one-day conference for Latino high-schoolers. This free conference consists of speakers, workshops, meals and an opportunity to compete for a book scholarship sponsored by our very own Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO).

50 Best Universities for Latinos

FGHM N Florida International University

Georgia Southern University

Hillsborough Community College

Manchester University

www.fiu.edu

www.georgiasouthern.edu

www.hccfl.edu

www.manchester.edu

With 67 percent Hispanics, the student population of 54,000 also includes a 45 percent Latino faculty rate.

FIU is currently first in the nation in awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students. The Hispanic Law Students Association’s mission is to articulate and promote the professional needs and goals of law students of Hispanic descent, while utilizing legal skills and training to bring about meaningful changes in the legal community. For that reason, it is also ranked first in passing rate for the College of Law on the Florida Bar Exam in 2015 and 2016.

The university is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and has a total enrollment of 20,459 students. While only 5 percent of students are Hispanic, the school offers an innovative Diversity Peer Educator program. As Diversity Peer Educators, their mission is to increase awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to create change and engage in helpful conversations about diversity, inclusion and fairness. That also means articulating their individual impact on social justice education and their role in supporting diversity awareness and inclusion at Georgia Southern University. GSU also features the Minority Advisement Program as a unique college success program for incoming minority students. It matches freshmen and transfer students with upperclassmen to help them acclimate to college life.

The Florida-based community college has 44,419 students, with 28 percent being Hispanic. Diversity efforts include providing advice and consultation for enrollment and completion of a diverse student body; serving as a conduit to communicate individual department and campus concerns/needs/initiatives in the area of diversity; acting as “diversity ambassadors” — model behaviors and practice skills that demonstrate a respect for differences — and promote full inclusion; and reviewing existing diversity initiatives and submit recommendations. HCC includes more than 70 workforce programs designed to provide applicable skills in a changing job market.

Located in North Manchester, Indiana, this university only includes 1,600 enrolled students, 5 percent of whom are Hispanic. Although MU is perhaps the smallest school on the list, it has a comprehensive diversity plan. That includes an aggressive recruitment of a diverse student body, concerted and intentional efforts to diversify faculty and staff, and diversity across the curriculum through the Academic Affairs and an Intercultural Center that serves as a resource center for the different cultural groups on campus. Hispanos Unidos (Hispanics United) is a support organization for students interested in learning more about and sharing Hispanic culture. Hispanos Unidos meets weekly throughout the semester.

Miami-Dade College

Nevada State College www.ncs.edu

New Mexico State University

New York University

www.mdc.edu

www.nyu.edu

www.nmsu.edu

MDC is another school on the list that is overwhelmingly Hispanic. The student body is 71 percent Latino, while 55 percent of the faculty is Hispanic. That also includes 38 percent of students who claim Spanish as their native language. Just a year ago, MCD enrolled a whopping 92,085 students. The latest honor for their efforts came from the American Association of Community Colleges, which conferred upon MDC its Advancing Diversity Award for its significant contributions — over a sustained period of time — to advancing diversity in community college leadership, the community and within higher education as a whole.

This educational gem is located in Henderson, Nevada, and is the only four-year, comprehensive public institution in the state. Total enrollment is only 3,534 students, with 22 percent of them Hispanic. The Office of Community Engagement & Diversity seeks to promote a campus culture that values diversity in all its forms.

That includes supporting diversity of faculty, staff and administrative and executive leadership across campus; strengthening recruitment, retention, achievement and graduation of diverse students; creating diversity education for professional development for college employees related to diversity; strengthening and promoting curricular and co-curricular programs related to diversity.

Situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the school includes 15,490 students, with 50 percent of them Hispanic. It is a highly regional student body, where 77 percent apply for financial aid and 64 percent receive funds. Thirty-nine percent of their faculty is Hispanic, making the cultural transition to college life much easier. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, NMSU qualifies for federal funds towards scholarships under Title III and Title V programs.

NMSU also received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

Based in New York City, NYU totals 57,245 students, with Hispanics making up an average of 11 percent. Its varied undergraduate and graduate programs include a law school complete with a Latino Law Student Association. LaLSA supports Latino/a students and provides opportunities for NYU School of Law students to be a part of and serve the wider Latino community. They help students adjust to the demands of law school by offering programs that focus on professional and academic development, and providing a network of friends and alumni. At the same time, LaLSA mentors Latino children in low-income neighborhoods and provides bilingual assistance to adults.

26 • November / December 2016

50 Best Universities for Latinos

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Dr. Vistasp M. Karbhari, President of The University of Texas at Arlington wants Latinos to not only get a higher education, but to succeed Story by: Kristian Jaime

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s Hispanic students now enter college in unprecedented numbers, the changing demographics of education are diversifying exponentially.

States like Texas, where college enrollment by Latinos in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) is at record levels, the focus is also on completion rates. The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), under the leadership of university president Dr. Vistasp M. Karbhari, is no exception.

“We are situated in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that is growing in population and economic wealth. There is also tremendous growth in terms of Hispanic students,” said Dr. Karbhari.

The influx of traditional students from high schools across the country is now just one of the avenues where their estimated 39,000 plus students emerge. Online learners from around the world now push the total of degree-seeking individuals at UTA to a whopping 57,000.

That easily makes it one of the largest universities in the Lone Star State. But it is not just about the numbers as much as it is reaching all segments of the population.

“We think of ourselves as a twenty-first century urban research university,” continued Dr. Karbhari. “We have traditional students, but more and more we have students that come to us from a two-year community college, returning adults coming back to education and veterans returning for a degree.”

Maximum Impact The former provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at The University of Alabama in Huntsville also served as professor and vice chairman of the Structural Engineering Department at The University of California in San Diego. Although his academic career has made him a journeyman of sorts, it all started in India.

Following his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Poona, his doctoral work and eventual Ph.D. led him to matriculate at The University of Delaware.

“I asked where I could make the maximum impact with the work I’m doing,” Dr Karbhari said. “As a researcher and [educator], I could do research that could [change] the world and still be able to mentor students in a positive way than I could in the corporate world. I also love to teach and I wanted to see that light switch on in students.”

It was not long before the successor to UTA president James Spaniolo found his calling in the classroom and with the emerging luminaries-in-training through mentoring. One would assume with so many years in academia, the pressures 28 • November / December 2016

of publishing and grant writing would subdue the satisfaction of shepherding students to success.

Yet Dr. Karbhari is all too cognizant that a degree is nothing short of years of work, often times with the minutia and worries of life still in progress.

“My favorite time of the year is graduation where I see the smiles and tears of people who have spent years working towards a degree,” Dr. Karbhari continued. “It is the culmination of hard work and many times it is someone who is the first in his or her family to get a degree. Or it could even be someone who got a doctoral degree after they didn’t think they could.”

Recruiting the next generation of Latino leaders to UTA is nothing short of comprehensive and wholly innovative. The Hispanic Advisory Council (HAC) facilitates the dialogue that leads to diversity and outreach programs. This includes representatives from the corporate and private sector as well as educators on the academic front line.

No questions on diversity International training programs in Central and South America in the medical field are pathways to UTA curriculums and just one of the programs in place to bolster their 28 percent Latino student body.

“For us, diversity is not a question. It is a way of being. You can walk across our campus and see a number of ethnicities together and they celebrate it. That’s not because they are different, but because this place is friendly and open,” continued Dr. Karbhari.

Programs like University Crossroads include early intervention with middle and high school students to explain the necessity of a college degree. Go Centers, which now include 29 offices within the College of Education, use peer-to-peer advocacy for higher education and is paying off with a 100 percent graduation rate among student enrolled in that initiative.

Bound for Success is more than a partnership between the surrounding school districts and UTA, it is a pathway to college acceptance with the top 25 percent in a tenth grade class getting a tentative acceptance if they maintain their grades and graduate.

By partnering with the Tarrant County College District (TCCD), those planning to attend UTA can share records with both institutions from the beginning with a locked in tuition rate pending completion of a degree in four years. Furthermore, it allows for those willing to declare a perspective major at UTA to take classes that will best transfer for that degree plan.

“20 years ago, a student would come to a university for a [well-rounded] education. But in today’s economic climate, they need to know they have a job waiting for them. They need to know that time they spent would help them economically,” concluded Dr. Karbhari.

OS

Northern Illinois University

Northern Kentucky University

www.niu.edu

www.nku.edu

Located 65 miles west of Chicago, NIU is among the most diverse universities in the region, with a student population of 16 percent African American and 15 percent Hispanic. The office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion even convenes the Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities. The office’s goal is to advise the president on the status of minority students, faculty and staff, and make recommendations to improve the quality of life and opportunities for NIU minorities. The Latino Resource Center focuses on student-centered service by developing partnerships focused on student learning while establishing an inclusive community that builds collaborative relationships across campus and the surrounding community.

The university is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and has 15,114 students enrolled. While it only has a 3 percent Hispanic student population, it does offer educational diversity scholarships that may provide up to full tuition. With 64 percent getting some sort of financial aid, 65 percent say it covers their needs. NKU also offers Latino achievers program aimed at multiracial effort to promote self-esteem and provide mentoring to at-risk youth in the Greater Cincinnati area. It helps address the growing need for mentors who can give students of color exposure to educational and career opportunities, as well as influence the path they will take in their lives.

Our Lady of Lake University

San Diego State University

www.ollusa.edu

www.sdsu.edu

The seminal San Antonio university has only 3,334 total students. With 70 percent undergraduate Hispanic students and another 49 percent in the faculty, the majority of the student body originates from Texas. Among area private universities, OLLU students graduate with the lowest average debt, according to U.S. News and World Report rankings. In addition, OLLU is No. 38 in the West for providing need-based aid to students.

OLLU is tops among local universities and 10th in the West for economic diversity; it ranks 33rd in the West for campus ethnic diversity.

With total enrollment topping 35,000, SDSU is one of the most diverse campuses, with 28 percent from Hispanic backgrounds. It is also one of the premier schools in the Southwest, with the majority of students in business and science. SDSU has become only the third public research university in California to also receive HSI designation and one of approximately 300 nationally. SDSU had the largest improvement in graduation rates in the nation in the most recent six-year period, improving from 44 percent in 2003 to 61 percent in 2008. SDSU’s current six-year graduation rate is 65.7 percent and 61.3 percent for students of color, virtually closing the achievement gap.

Tarrant County Community College Vice Chancellor of Finance explores Latino need for education Story by: Rita Cook

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ark McClendon, Ed. D., Vice Chancellor for Finance at Tarrant County College District in Fort Worth, Texas, is passionate about his role at the school. He oversees the best balance sheet of all community colleges – not only in Texas, but the nation – and is responsible for the college’s departments of Finance, Auxiliary (bookstores, food and concessions) and Business Services.

He followed up our interview with an email that began, “On behalf of all 25,000 Latinos students, I am very grateful for this consideration of making our story more public.”

Public is indeed what the Vice Chancellor wants the message to be so that Latino graduation numbers at community colleges can be improved.

Current numbers show a staggeringly low 10 percent graduation rate at community colleges and 40 percent at four-year institutions within a four-year period.

McClendon most certainly has benefitted from his education, having earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a Doctorate (Ed. D.) from Vanderbilt.

He points out that as first-generation college students, if Latinos do not know where they are going, how will they know when they get there?

30 • November / December 2016

“People who have a college degree have a better life,” McClendon said, referring to better health, fewer problems with the law, a higher degree of happiness and upward mobility for an entire generation.

So with all the positives of higher education, why do Latinos have such a high dropout rate in the college and community systems?

McClendon believes these unfortunate numbers can be attributed to a number of factors, including the lack of college readiness, lack of family support, limited financial aid opportunities, low socioeconomic status and language barriers.

These challenges are why he believes studying at a community college is so important for Latinos. Community colleges promote a culture of acceptance, and the experience also helps determine if a student is college-ready. Community colleges teach to the student’s needs, thus creating a bridge to higher education.

McClendon says initiatives are in place at TCC to help Latinos finish school through summer academic boot camps.

These courses are designed to help students who score below college-entrance standards to enhance their scores on college admission tests.

There is also an early warning system that notifies academic counselors when a student is failing. This allows the counselor to reach out to the student and provide support.

San Francisco State University

Schreiner University www.schreiner.edu

www.sfsu.edu San Francisco is home to more than the Golden Gate Bridge, with SFSU totaling 30,256 students. Its Hispanic population is an estimated 33 percent, with the faculty including another 10 percent. San Francisco State University ranks among the top master’s-level universities in the western U.S. for ethnic and economic diversity, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings.

SF State placed particularly well for ethnic diversity, tying for sixth place on the magazine’s diversity index, which measures the proportion of minority students in the student body. Among rankings of international student populations, SF State also tied for sixth out of 87 western schools, with 7 percent of students on campus coming from foreign countries.

Samford University www.samford.edu

Located in the hamlet of Kerrville, Texas, the total enrollment stands at only 2,545. Yet Schreiner has an impressive 32 percent Hispanic student population. Furthermore, 10 percent of the faculty is Hispanic on a campus that is small but dynamic. SU is a Title V recipient, a prestigious grant awarded to Hispanic Serving Institutions to enhance academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability. These funds can be used for scientific and laboratory teaching equipment; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; purchasing educational materials; academic tutoring or counseling programs; endowment funds; distance learning academic instruction; faculty development; and student support services.

The Birmingham, Alabama-based university only has 5,471 total enrolled students, but 6 percent of the total enrollment is Hispanic.

The school offers diversity ambassadors who are committed to learning about and sharing the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion. Diversity Ambassadors also serve as a key resource for underrepresented prospective students who desire to learn more about the Samford before, during and after the admission process. The experiences and information shared by ambassadors serve as integral pieces to prospective students’ navigation of the university, and helps them learn more about unique opportunities for underrepresented students on campus.

Samford University is Alabama’s top-ranked private university with nationally ranked academic programs rooted in the university’s Christian mission. Located in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, Samford has 5,471 students from 47 states and 29 countries studying in 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Story by: Rita Cook

Design by: Carlos Cuevas

Texas Tech Vice President says role models and financial solutions key to a student success.

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uan Sanchez Muñoz, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President for Institutional Diversity Equity, and Community Engagement and the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs at Texas Tech University.

He has also served on the President’s Administrative Council, Provost’s Staff, Dean’s Council, Academic Council, Strategic Planning Council, Strategic Enrollment Planning Council, and is the Chair of the Texas Tech University System’s Outreach and Engagement System Priority.

From those angles, Muñoz is poised to comment on the dilemmas and solutions that face the Latino student population – not only at Texas Tech, where there is a 24 percent Latino student body and a faculty that is approximately 7 percent Hispanic – but also at colleges and universities across the country. Even at a glance, it is obvious that Latino involvement in higher education needs to improve. “When we look across the country and those locations with larger populations and urban centers, we have seen significant growth in the Latino community,” Muñoz said.

So how does a university get to a point where Latino students not only enroll in universities, but also stay there and graduate with an undergraduate or graduate degree?

Muñoz says preparing Latino students for higher education can be greatly improved through the help of faculty and mentors throughout the arch of a student’s life.

In many instances of a successful undergraduate Latino student, Muñoz says there is a faculty member who made a significant impact on that student’s life.

“Without faculty to encourage success, [Latino] students often don’t complete,” Muñoz explained.

One way the Vice President is addressing that issue at Texas Tech is through a university mentoring program, in which freshman students are paired with mentors who share in that student’s academic or long-term professional career. The university currently provides mentors for hundreds of students.

“A significant number of the students in our mentoring program are Latinos, and first-generation college students, and we create a climate of high academic expectations and support services that mitigate moments when they find themselves discouraged,” he said. “They hear from other first-generation college students in the third or fourth year and are given suggestions and help.”

Another hurdle for many Latino college students are the financial resources required to apply, enroll, and complete a higher education. Whether a student’s family has money can determine if they will be able to attend college.

“We are still a young community within the context of higher education,” Muñoz said. “We have to look at how schools are creating financial resources that are not just need- and merit-based, but also persistence-based. We have to find dol32 • November / December 2016

lars when state resources become challenged – we need completion scholarships in the third or fourth years for those students that have the intellectual wherewithal and ganas.”

It is much easier for students to receive a variety of grants and financial aid in their first few years at a university, but Muñoz suggests, “We have to create mechanisms to identify unanticipated need in the middle of one’s education. Decline in the third and fourth year means we need to identify tactical scholarships based on performance, persistence and likelihood of the student to complete in the final years.”

Muñoz said staff needs to help identify students early on that might drop out so they can come up with a plan to strategically help these students in a manner that does not play on an ethos of pity, but of persistence and excellence. “There are small things schools can do proactively to assist Latino students,” he said.

Latino students are also going to school longer in order to finish, and Muñoz said once students drop out or stop going, they don’t often resume their education. He again points to the creation of a system that relies on a support mechanism to address the concerns, challenges and obstacles that Latino students face –a system that will prove to be reliable and strategic in how it prevents academic attrition. “We have to focus on output and not just input,” he said.

That success will bring along more Latinos who want to focus in areas where they have been conspicuously underrepresented, such as graduate education in the STEM fields, the professoriate, medical school, law school or MBA programs.

Southern Illinois University

Southern Methodist University

www.siu.edu

www.smu.edu

SIU joins it northern cousin with a Latino student body of about 20 percent. With 70 percent of its students receiving financial aid, an astounding 60 percent say their financial needs were met. The Hispanic/Latino Resource Center, a unit of the Dean of Students, promotes academic success within the SIU Latino community by sharing resources and spearheading programming that promotes cultural affirmation, persistence and community engagement. SIU also was awarded the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award.

As part of the Office of Associate Chancellor for Diversity, the Underrepresented Tenure Track Faculty Program provides guidance and assistance to new minority faculty to help them navigate the tenure track.

SMU totals 11,739 students in Dallas, Texas, 12 percent of whom are Hispanic. The Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI) is a national center of excellence that helps participating companies recruit, develop and retain high-performance Latino executives who will drive business growth and create a sustainable competitive advantage for their companies. The LLI hosts two annual symposiums, each focusing on topics relevant to the Latino workforce and market.

In addition, nationally recognized experts on Latino talent management, and community engagement will be featured through quarterly webinars. This innovative experience prepares participants for success in their first managerial positions and equips them to progress into higher levels of responsibility.

St. John’s University

St. Mary’s University

www.stjohns.edu

www.stmarytx.edu

Located in New York, SJU is home to a total of 20,881 students. With 14 percent of total enrollment Hispanic, it is one of the most diverse schools on the East Coast. The mission of Diversity Peer Education Program is to help create a learning environment that celebrates diversity, builds partnerships and provides support to enhance the success of an inclusive and culturally respectful university campus. The Reach Inspire Succeed Empower (RISE) Network is a scholar’s empowerment network that provides Black and Latino freshman students with skill-based development, support and opportunities to enhance their overall academic career at St. John’s University. The goal is to create an environment where successful, high potential students can come together to assist in increasing student retention and graduation rates.

The small campus of 3,625 total students is 69 percent Hispanic and the faculty is 40 percent Hispanic. St. Mary’s has seen significant enrollment gains in undergraduate STEM programs since 2010, especially among Hispanic students. This fall, more than 47 percent of St. Mary’s freshmen chose a major in the School of Science, Engineering and Technology. At the same time, San Antonio has been on a mission to develop industry in these fields. St. Mary’s is advancing its STEM pipeline in order to connect students with growing professional opportunities. By the end of the project, St. Mary’s expects to increase enrollment in STEM programs by at least 6 percent, with at least 50 percent of new students being Hispanic and/or low-income.

St. Augustine College

Stanford University

www.staugustine.edu

www.stanford.edu

St. Augustine College is the first bilingual institution of higher education in Illinois under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

With total enrollment topping 1,638 students, 87 percent are Hispanic.

An average of 90 percent of students receive financial aid and, along with the main campus, it also includes South, West and Southeast campuses. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) honored St. Augustine College with the Outstanding Hispanic Serving Institution HACU-Member Award just three years ago. The College founders reacted to observation and research that indicated that a large number of Hispanic adults, because of specific circumstances, could avail themselves of bilingual academic and vocational career training.

Of the 16,122 total enrollment, 16 percent of Stanford’s students are Hispanic. The DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence) Doctoral Fellowship Program awards two-year fellowships to advanced Stanford doctoral students from diverse backgrounds who want to investigate and prepare for academic careers. EDGE (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) Fellowships aim to support the recruitment and retention of doctoral students in their first two years who have the potential to contribute to diversity in their academic fields and departments. Stanford has been part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, for sophomores interested in pursuing academic careers that address the educational consequences of racial and ethnic disparities in higher education.

Sul Ross State University www.sulross.edu Nestled in the small town of Alpine, Texas, 2,137 students call SRS University home. Sixty-five percent of the enrollment is Hispanic, with 38 percent of the faculty also Hispanic.

The university has three satellite campuses in Del Rio, Uvalde and Eagle Pass, collectively known as Rio Grande College. SRSU and Rio Grande College are part of the Texas State University System, the largest college system in the state after the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems. Like many schools on this list, the high diversity rate among its students has made SRSU a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

T Tarrant County College District www.tccd.edu

TCC includes six locations throughout the county and takes part in many Hispanic student initiatives. TCC has taken an important step toward increased student access and success by joining the nationwide movement, Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. That effort includes completing developmental instruction and advance to credit-bearing courses, enrolling in and successfully completing gateway courses in subjects such as math and English, and earning a degree or certificate. Of the estimated 51,727 total students, 30 percent are Hispanics. TCC is one of the 20 largest higher education institutions in the United States.

50 Best Universities for Latinos

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Texas Tech University

Texas Wesleyan University

Texas Woman’s University

www.ttu.edu

www.texwes.edu

www.twu.edu

The Lubbock-based university not only has an impressive number of Latino undergraduate students, at 22 percent; it also has one of the highest numbers of Hispanic faculty among all universities period, at more than 18 percent. The outreach efforts have not gone unnoticed, with Hispanic Outlook listing Texas Tech University on its annual list of the Top 100 Institutions for Hispanics based on degrees awarded. The White House Initiative on Education Excellence also selected it as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education for academic outreach to Hispanic students. Texas Tech also was the recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award.

With a total enrollment of 2,619 students, the Fort Worth university includes 23 percent Hispanics among its student body. Student organizations include Lambda Theta Phi to promote the spirit of brotherhood, to protect the rights of Latino students in the pursuit of education, to promote the rich Latino culture and to maximize leadership potentials to provide guidance to our community. As a small, private, four-year coeducational university, Wesleyan delivers a solid undergraduate curriculum and select graduate programs to a diverse student body.

Texas Wesleyan is ranked in the No. 1 tier of regional universities in the West for 2014 by U.S. News & World Report, and has held the ranking for four straight years.

The university has locations in Dallas, Denton and Houston, and contrary to what the name might imply, it is actually coeducational. The total enrollment hovers at 15,303, with the majority of students at the Denton campus totaling 12,557. An estimated 24 percent Hispanic enrollment comprises the largest minority block, with men making up 12 percent of that number. Seventy-one percent of students receive some sort of financial aid, with 27 percent getting their full financial needs met. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently awarded Texas Woman’s University a $200,000 grant for its G-Force studentmentorship program, designed to increase enrollment of first-generation college students.

University of Illinois – Chicago

University of Nevada – Las Vegas

University of North Texas

University of St. Thomas

www.uic.edu

www.unlv.edu

www.unt.edu

www.stthom.edu

As one of the largest universities in the state, UIC includes 29,048 students, with a Hispanic enrollment of 26 percent. Thirteen percent of the faculty is Hispanic, making it one of the most diverse campuses in a large city setting. UIC is among the top five most diverse campuses in the nation and is a national leader among urban, public higher education institutions in providing access to underrepresented students. UIC is focused on eliminating disparities in health, education and economic opportunity. Community engagement is a centerpiece of UIC’s urban mission. Not surprising, it has earned a federal Minority Serving Institution designation.

While Las Vegas is known more for nightlife, for the 29,805 enrolled students of UNLV, it is a place of study.

The campus has a 25 percent Hispanic student rate, with an additional 11 percent on the faculty. UNLV has been designated a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) by the U.S. Department of Education and is now competing for grants under Title III and Title V of the Higher Education Act. The Office of Diversity Initiatives co-sponsors UNLV’s annual Diversity Research and Mentorship reception. Attendees learn about faculty of color research interests, publications and courses taught, and discuss research and mentor opportunities.

UNT is the second university on the list located in Denton, Texas, with 20 percent of its total enrollment being Latino. The relatively frugal tuition of $10,519 makes it a good investment, although 58 percent of students getting some form of financial aid. The university was ranked as a top school in the nation by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine. UNT is one of the nation’s most diverse universities, with 7,800 Hispanic students and ÚNeTe. The interest group represents Latinos on campus, coordinates activities on behalf of Latinos, represents the interests and the voice of Latinos in university committees and task forces, and disseminates information about Latino research and culture.

The Catholic university based in Houston has a 37 percent Hispanic enrollment and 22 percent Hispanics on the faculty. That is more impressive when you consider the school has only 3,312 students. More than 50 percent are Catholic, with an overwhelming 75 percent of incoming freshman identifying as Catholic. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of St. Thomas a five-year, $3.8 million grant for Hispanic and low-income students who are interested in pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and nursing. The priority of the grant is to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students attaining degrees in the STEM fields.

34 • November / December 2016

University of Houston www.uh.edu

With over 42,000 students, 75 percent of UH alumni live in Texas. The tier one institution boasts a student body from 137 countries, including 29 percent of Hispanic heritage. Just this year, the university gave out 2,404 degrees to Hispanics, which totaled 25 percent that year. The University of Houston also has 75 Hispanic members on its faculty and has the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

Among its outreach efforts are student ambassador programs, which are a team of student leaders who promote the university’s commitment to diversity and the creation of a global learning community. They help bring individuals and groups of students together to engage with and learn from one another.

University of the Incarnate Word

University of Texas – Arlington

University of Texas – Austin

University of Texas – El Paso

www.uiw.edu

www.uta.edu

www.utexas.edu

www.utep.edu

UIW joins a number of San Antonio schools on the list with a 53 percent Hispanic student body and a 37 percent Hispanic faculty. With 10,984 total students, the school also was named a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The Graduate Support Center includes 230 programs that invest in key education priorities for Hispanics. The initiative seeks to leverage these Bright Spots to encourage collaboration between stakeholders focused on similar issues in sharing data-driven approaches, promising practices, peer advice and effective partnerships, ultimately resulting in increased support for educational initiatives in the Hispanic community that last from cradle to career.

As one of the largest suburbs of Dallas, Arlington is home to a university with 57,000 students. Twenty-eight percent of the student body is Hispanic, and the school has received accolades for diversity from numerous academic lists.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) named the university its 2014 Outstanding HACUMember Institution for its contributions to Hispanic higher education. Hispanic Network Magazine ranked the school among the nation’s Best of the Best Schools in 2015. Seventy-three percent of students receive scholarships and the school was recently named a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The HSI designation makes UT eligible for funding from specific programs and initiatives aimed at promoting academic success for Hispanic students, but it benefits everyone enrolled at the institution.

With 20 percent Hispanic students, the Longhorns boast a total enrollment of 50,950. As the number of Hispanic Americans in the United States grows, so does the potential for Hispanics to seek leadership roles. Launched in 2009, the initiative measures emerging political and policy trends in the Hispanic community, recognizes Hispanic leadership, develops and hosts relevant information, and seeks to increase recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds to the university.

The Hispanic Alumni Network aims to make a difference in the lives of Hispanic students by providing committed alumni volunteers and promoting outreach, mentorship, scholarship and fellowship.

Of the estimated 23,397 students at the El Paso-based university, 80 percent are Hispanic, with a faculty that is 60 percent Hispanic. That easily makes it not only one of the most Latino-friendly schools on the list, but also in the country. According to a 2015 Washington Monthly survey, UTEP is among the top 10 national universities, joining the likes of Texas A&M, UCLA, Stanford and Harvard.

UTEP recently received a landmark grant by the National Science Foundation — one of the first ever given by the NSF — to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering by broadening participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

University of Texas – Pan American

University of Wyoming

www.utrgv.edu

www.uwyo.edu

Located in Edinburg, Texas, UT Pan American merged with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, thus making it the 10th-largest in the state at an estimated 20,000 students. It ranks fourth nationally in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics nationwide, according to an annual report published by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. The Diverse Issues in Higher Education report ranks the school first in awarding bachelor’s degrees in Health Professions and Related Programs, second in bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics in English Language and Literature/Letters, and third in bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

The Laramie-based university currently has an estimated 13,500 students, 7 percent of whom are Hispanic. The Multicultural Student Leadership Initiative (MSLI) is a leadership-training program for students who support diversity and want to make a difference during their time at UW. MSLI was designed to support U.S. ethnic minority students and all students who want to promote diversity through leadership. MSLI peer mentors are students who have been involved with leadership activities on campus for at least one year. MSLI faculty/staff mentors are from a wide range of campus academic, professional and personal backgrounds. MSLI Triads meet at least every other week to build a positive support network.

W Western Illinois University www.whittier.edu

The Whittier, California, school joins the list as one of the smallest universities with only 1,670 students and a 44 percent Hispanic student rate.

Among its faculty, Hispanics comprise 28 percent, with a 13-to-1 student to teacher ratio. As a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), Whittier College is just one case study where Latino students regularly outperform their peers on a national level in regards to matriculation and graduation rates. In 2010, 63 percent of Latino students at Whittier graduated in four years. HSIs represent 9 percent of non-profit colleges and universities in the country, yet enroll 16 percent of all students in postsecondary (non-profit) schools, and serve 54 percent of all Latino students.

50 Best Universities for Latinos

A Family Legacy

Armando Codina is shaping and building his future with the encouragement of his daughter Ana

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Story by: Valerie Menard Photo: Elio Escalante

ags to riches stories abound in the United States. That’s the dividend of having an American dream that says anyone can succeed with hard work, desire, and a little luck. But the riches to rags to riches stories are more rare. Armando Codina, executive chairman of Codina Partners, LLC, in Miami, experienced a similar path on his way to success.

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

During the Cuban Revolution, many citizens came to the U.S. as exiles, at times leaving their families behind. The son of a successful politician, Codina knew nothing but privilege, even though his parents divorced when he was only a year old. As he describes it to Voices of Change reporter Thomas Z. Thornton: “I was kind of a wild kid who had no worries. I had motorcycles. I had horses … I never paid attention to anything other than having a great time.”

But his father’s work made him a political target, ultimately forcing him into exile to Miami. While Codina and his mother were left behind in Cuba, he visited his father in Miami, and at one point, his father returned to Cuba. But one Christmas, Codina remembers overhearing a conversation between his parents where his father declared that the country had made a great mistake supporting Fidel Castro, a Communist, and that his father would have to return to exile in Miami.

His mother also chose to leave Cuba, so during the Pedro Pan exodus of unattended juveniles, she sent her 14-year-old son north. In 1961, Codina joined the almost 15,000 children who came with fake visa wavers to the U.S. He landed in New Jersey, initially at a camp, and was then transferred to an orphanage.

In this interview with Latino Leaders publisher Jorge Ferraez, Codina shares how his mother took meticulous care outfitting her young son with two tailor-made suits of finely woven wool, and shirts embroidered with his initials. Even the tailor questioned her choice, but his mom was adamant. For his part, Codina was unfazed about the move, initially.

“My father had always talked of sending me to summer camp to the States to learn English, so I thought of it as an adventure,” he shares. “But when they transferred me to an orphanage, I was worried. I couldn’t speak English, but I knew what the word orfanato meant in Spanish. I was confused because I had a mother and a father and I knew they had not abandoned me.”

36 • November / December 2016

Design by: Carlos Cuevas

The first night there was not so easy. He heard the other children crying at night for their mothers. However, his conviction that he was not abandoned helped soften the blow.

“I knew that my mother didn’t abandon me. She sent me there for a reason, and sooner or later, she would be reunited with me,” he says.

At the orphanage, however, the situation darkened. He met boys who didn’t welcome such a finely dressed young man. He admits that he faced ridicule and beatings, but he does not look back with bitterness. Instead, he describes his experience as character building, adding: “When I left there, I thought to myself, ‘I’m never going to let anybody abuse me again. I’ll hit them with a two-by-four if they try.’”

He would spend time with foster families before he was ultimately reunited with his father and mother in Miami. Once together, Codina immediately went to work to support himself and his mother, postponing a college education.

ARMANDO AND HIS DAUGHTER ANA MARIE CODINA BARLICK.

The industrious young man began as a bag boy at Winn Dixie, but quickly took a second job at a bank. This experience ignited his entrepreneurial spirit.

“From the time I started at the bank, I did well,” Codina remembers. “The bank owner, Frank W. Sherman, took a liking to me. I was only there a short amount of time when I saw an opportunity in automated services.”

He thought that doctors could benefit from automation, especially in accounts receivable. Inspired, he applied for a $60,000 grant from the Small Business Administration and launched his first businesses, Professional Automated Services, in 1970. He sold it in 1978.

Ready to try a new industry, he launched a mobile telephone company, a predecessor to cellular communications. From there, he moved into real estate, forming Codina Group in 1979. He soon learned that this industry felt just right.

“I didn’t know anything about computers or real estate,” he admits. “I started in real estate because I had helped doctors locate space with the computer processing company, and I liked it; it felt natural.”

In 2006 he merged with Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), a company whose properties he had always admired. Then in 2007, he sold the company stock for cash to Fortress Investment Group, one week before the financial crisis began. Cash rich at an opportune time, he opened Codina Partners in 2009.

He also hired his daughter, Ana Codina Barlick, the oldest of his four girls, as a partner. She would become the company’s CEO.

Family First Codina says his formative years made him stronger, and the experience made an imprint on his life. A natural entrepreneur, he was more committed to being a family man. In fact, he considers this commitment as one of his secrets to success. He loves working and family life and doesn’t get distracted by what he calls, “the beautiful people scene in Miami.”

As his commercial real estate business developed, he focused on areas closest to home so he could see his mother every day for lunch. As a result, he became the largest commercial developer in the state of Florida between 2004-06, with developments centered in Dade, Brower and Palm Beach.

Codina and his daughter, who earned an MBA from MIT, also work counter to the typical developer model that opts for quick profits by building high-rise after high-rise.

They prefer to build communities, beginning

with the building but also including qualityof-life factors such as open space, transportation and education. Codina Barlick points to the Gables Grand Plaza condo complex completed in 1998. Built at the site of the former Coral Gables bus terminal, it features 195 luxury apartments, 35,000 square feet of retail space, and a 450-car parking garage.

“Many developers don’t want to invest years going through the governmental process and building the required infrastructure,” Codina Barlick shares. “We ask, ‘why would anyone move here?’ With residential developments, it’s about convenience and kids. Let’s not build on every acre and monetize it, because at the end of the day, you’re going to get it back.”

The pair also mentions a mixed-use project, currently underway in downtown Doral.

Imagined as a traditional live-work-play town square, it will sit on a 120-acre land parcel in Miami-Dade County, and include 2,800 residences, 100,000 square feet of retail space, and more than a million square feet of office space nearby.

The two admit that as a family-run business, they remain mindful of the responsibility and the need to leave a legacy. In the past, Codina could make riskier moves, but now, they look to the future.

“Real estate in Miami is based on what opportunities present themselves, so it’s hard to have a long-term plan because you want to be flexible,” Codina Barlick explains.

“We’ve always tried to have a platform that can respond to that. Visioning big deals and projects: that’s him. I’m CEO, he’s chairman. It’s his capital; it originates with him.

We’re four sisters, nine grandchildren. Big projects have been successful but also very risky. When you have other family involved, you want to have something that’s safer and easier to understand. That’s what we’re trying to balance.”

Her father adds: “We’ve never given a property to a bank.”

Besides sharing a common goal, Codina considers working with his daughter part of his legacy to raise children with a good work ethic who will contribute to society.

“The last thing I would want to leave is a legacy of dysfunctional people with money; people without a fire in their belly.

“I look back, and I feel really bad for my father and mother, who died in exile,” he continues, “But my life could not have turned out better for me, and everything I have I owe to my mother, my wife, and this country. If I live a hundred years, I cannot repay what this country has done for me.”

Like any Latino leader, Armando Codina believes in giving back to the community and does so, in part, by serving on multiple boards commissions. Here’s an overview of where he has offered a Latino perspective.

•American Airlines-Founded in 1930, American Airlines merged with USAirways in 2013 to create the largest airline based in the United States.

•General Motors Corporation-Headquartered in Detroit, MI, General Motors is a global automotive company, offering products on six continents and with a workforce of 215,000.

•BellSouth Corporation-Created after the divestiture of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1984, BellSouth was purchased by AT&T for $86 billion in 2006.

•Florida Power & Light-The principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc., Florida Power & Light is based in Juno Beach, FL and serves roughly nine million Floridians.

•Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.-From a bagger to the boardroom Codina has served on the board of Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., one of the largest grocery store changes in the southeast with 513 stores.

•Quaker Oats-One of the oldest American companies, Quaker Oats was founded in 1877 as the Quaker Mill Company of Ravenna, Ohio. It was purchased by Pepsico in 2001.

•The Home Depot-Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the Home Depot is a home improvement supplies superstore founded in 1978, with stores in all 50 United States, U.S. commonwealths and Canada.

•Florida International University (FIY)-Founded in 1969 on an abandoned airfield, FIY was Miami’s first and only public research university, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

•Merrill Lynch-Merrill Lynch merged into Bank of America Corporation in October 2013 and employs over 15,000 financial advisors and manages $2.2 trillion in client assets.

•Community Partnership for the HomelessFounded by Alvah H. Chapman, Jr., former CEO of Knight-Ridder, Chapman Partnership was incorporated in 1993 as Community Partnership for Homeless and is the private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, operating two Homeless Assistance Centers in downtown Miami and Homestead.

•The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment (Honorary)-The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment was established after the 1995 murder of Melissa Aptman, a Miami native, two weeks before she was to have graduated from Washington University.

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

Creo en mi/ I believe in me:

What makes an Attorney Latino Leader Research and story by: Steve Penhollow

W

Design by: Carlos Cuevas

hat makes an attorney Latino Leader? This is a question I am frequently asked. It is also a question I am happy to answer. There are many factors to be considered, and no one exact definition rings perfect. However, a leader is a person who holds the skills and ability to lead or guide other individuals, teams, or entire communities and/or organizations.

For a Latino/a attorney, such a leader also holds within him or her a strong belief in oneself, in others around them, in justice, and the rule of law. These individuals and leaders all have a dream in their heart which makes the work they do on a day-to-day basis worth the effort, and makes our community and our country better places. But I will point out that it is OK if others don’t believe in your dream. Don’t let that deter you. A dream for a better Latino community and a better world will only come for those leaders that have the confidence in themselves, the business opportunities to involve others around them, and the desire to help others and make an impact in the community, while always giving back. An attorney Latino Leader is a philanthropist.

38 • November / December 2016

The list of this year’s attorney Latino Leaders exemplifies these factors.

As an example, you will find leaders that were the first to go to college in their family, the first to go to law school, the first Latino/a hired at their firm or their legal department, the first Latino/a owner or partner of their firm, and without question national leaders.

Each attorney Latino Leader is making a real impact in their respective communities. And as our Hispanic population continues to grow in our country, so should the key leaders who are Latino/a.

All that one has to do is believe in oneself... “creo en mi”! Thus, when we do our work, when we use all of our efforts, when we push through old boundaries and glass ceilings, the rewards and satisfactions are great. And the rewards are sweeter because they have been earned. - Benny Agosto Jr.

SOFIA ADROGUÉ

BENNY AGOSTO, JR.

CESAR L. ALVAREZ

Member Gray Reed and McGraw, P.C. Houston Complex Commercial Litigation

Partner, Abraham Watkins Nichols Sorrels Agosto & Aziz Houston Workplace Accidents, Birth Injuries, Product Defects

Co-Chairman, Greenberg Traurig Miami, FL Corporate and Securities

bagosto@abrahamwatkins.com

www.gtlaw.com/People/CesarL-Alvarez

www.abrahamwatkins.com/ Attorney-Profiles/Benny-Agosto-Jr.shtml

www.gtlaw.com/Home

sadrogue@grayreed.com www.grayreed.com/OurPeople/Sofia-Adrogue-P-C www.grayreed.com

Adrogué handles complex commercial litigation and multi-party proceedings in state and federal courts as well as in ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) proceedings throughout the United States and abroad. She represents clients in all industries.

She has been honored by numerous publications and organizations, including Texas Lawyer, Houston Woman Magazine, H Texas Magazine, Talento Bilingue De Houston, the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber, the National Diversity Council, and the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation.

In July 2004, the city of Houston honored Adrogué with a “Sofia Adrogué Day.”

DINO ELIZARDO BARAJAS Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Los Angeles Domestic and International Project Development and Project Finance

www.abrahamwatkins.com

Agosto has served as Hispanic National Bar Association national president and continues to advocate for Hispanics in regard to the fair and equitable administration of justice.

Agosto is the founder of the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas (MABATx) Foundation. He built the foundation to benefit young, Hispanic, Houston-area law students through scholarships. He is the president and co-founder of the HNBA’s Legal Education Fund, which raises money for minority scholarships.

Agosto is also an advocate for gender fairness.

YESENIA M. GALLEGOS

Partner, Steptoe & Johnson Washington, D.C. Complex Litigation, Global AntiCorruption Matters, and Internal Investigations

Partner, Fox Rothschild Los Angeles Employment Law

bbenitez@steptoe.com

www.foxrothschild.com/yeseniam-gallegos/

www.steptoe.com/professionalsBrigida_Benitez.html www.steptoe.com/

www.akingump.com/en/index.html

Barajas’ emphasis is on Latin American infrastructure projects, debt financings, and mergers and acquisitions.

He represents lenders, investors and developers in the financing of a wide range of domestic and international projects in the energy, power, infrastructure and commercial sectors, as well as in traditional banking, structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, asset finance, joint ventures and venture capital transactions.

Barajas has worked on transactions in the U.S. and Latin America. He is a member of the Los Angeles office’s diversity committee.

Alvarez is a senior chairman of Greenberg Traurig. He previously served as the firm’s executive chairman for more than three years and as its CEO for 13 years. During his tenure as CEO, he directed the firm’s growth from 325 lawyers in eight offices to approximately 1,850 attorneys and government professionals in more than 36 locations across the globe.

Greenberg Traurig has been recognized as the fastest-growing law firm in the United States and one of the top 10 law firms in the country.

BRIGIDA BENITEZ

dbarajas@akingump.com www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/dino-e-barajas.html

cadirect@gtlaw.com

Benitez has litigated cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts around the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

She is a past president of the DC Bar, the second largest unified bar in the country.

Benitez draws on more than 20 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes, complex litigation and arbitration matters.

She conducts internal investigations before enforcement agencies relating to a variety of sensitive and business-critical issues.

She has also served as Chief of the Office of Institutional Integrity of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

ygallegos@foxrothschild.com

www.foxrothschild.com

Gallegos is focused on employment matters, including advising and litigating on behalf of companies of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, in areas such as restrictive covenants, wage and work-hour law (including class actions), discrimination and harassment, executive employment agreements and separations, leaves of absence, and reductions in force.

She also performs wage and hour audits and provides employers with training (in English or Spanish) on preventing sexual harassment, employment law for workplace managers and supervisors, wage and workhour compliance, and on the interplay between state and federal leaves of absence.

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

ADOLFO GARCIA

IGNACIO J. GARCIA

ADRIANA GONZALEZ

Partner, Corporate, Brown Rudnick LLP Boston Corporate, Cross-Border/ International Transactions, Venture Capital

Shareholder Ogletree Deakins Tampa, Florida Employment Law, Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets

Shareholder, Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. Lake Worth, Florida Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, and Catastrophic Injury

ignacio.garcia@ogletreedeakins.com

agonzalez@gonzalezcartwright.com

www.brownrudnick.com/people-detail/garcia-adolfo-r

www.ogletreedeakins.com/ people/ignacio-j-garcia

www.gonzalezcartwright.com/ about-us/adriana-gonzalez-lawyer/

www.brownrudnick.com/home

www.ogletreedeakins.com

www.gonzalezcartwright.com

Garcia’s practice is focused on corporate and international business. His extensive experience includes financings, private equity, securities, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investments, restructurings and contractual arrangements in the U.S. and around the world.

Garcia has spent a substantial portion of his over 40 years of practice dealing with various types of situations involving international business in countries other than the United States.

He has been honored by Legal Eagle and Latinvex, among many other organizations and publications. In March 2016, he was named one of the best lawyers in New England by the Wall Street Journal.

Garcia’s focus is on representing employers with their labor and employment needs. He has defended both individual and collective actions under numerous state and federal employment laws.

Garcia has also defended employment related torts such as defamation, negligent retention, negligent hiring, assault, battery and fraud, as well as breach of contract claims. He regularly advises employers on numerous dayto-day matters related to their employees. Garcia is fluent in Spanish and has been a speaker at numerous human resources and legal conferences throughout Florida.

Gonzalez has litigated cases throughout Florida on behalf of injured clients. Her practice specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury cases arising from automobile accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, product defects, and slips and falls.

Over her career, her cases have resulted in more than $25 million in settlements for her clients.

Gonzalez is a Broward Hispanic Bar Association Bravo Award recipient and has frequently been named a Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star.

She is active in her local community, providing necessities to underprivileged children in Lake Worth Elementary Schools.

GERARDO “JERRY” GONZALEZ

RAED GONZALEZ

ARNULFO D. HERNÁNDEZ

Senior Attorney Gonzalez Olivieri LLC Houston Immigration, Naturalization, Litigation

Founder, Managing Partner Hernández & Associates, P.C. Denver, Colorado Criminal Defense, Immigration Law

rgonzalez@gonzalezolivierillc.com

ahernandez@hdezlaw.com

www.gonzalezolivierillc.com/raedgonzalez-jd-llm-senior-attorney-houston.html

www.hdezlaw.com/About/ Arnulfo-D-Hernandez.shtml

www.gonzalezolivierillc.com

www.hdezlaw.com

Gonzalez is a senior litigator at Gonzalez Olivieri LLC. He handles immigration hearings across the U.S., including Puerto Rico, in the federal district and appellate courts.

He has been featured in Who’s Who in American Immigration Law, and Who’s Who in America and has been covered by major cable news channels and national newspapers. He is a frequent speaker on immigration and an avid supporter of comprehensive immigration reform.

Gonzalez has been honored by H Texas Magazine and Texas Monthly.

Hernández has emerged as the leading Latino immigration and criminal defense lawyer in Colorado. His law practice includes “crimmigration” cases, a blend of immigration removal defense and criminal defense.

Hernández is the elected President of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and has served for the past two years as chairman of the National Hispanic Bar Association’s Immigration Committee.

He has been named a Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Star for three years and was named a 5280 Top Lawyer in 2017.

agarcia@brownrudnick.com

Founder - Gonzalez Law LLC Phoenix, Arizona Bankruptcy, Corporate & Transactional, Litigation Jerry.gonzalez@gnzlaw.com www.gnzlaw.com/lawyers/gerardo-h-gonzalez

Gonzalez’s practice handles litigation for major companies, government entities and new ventures. His legal experience is centered around employment related matters and economic inclusion issues affecting transactions, real estate and client business. He actively supports the private sector and has previously conferred with a U.S. presidential candidate as well as other political leaders.

He has been recognized by MartindaleHubbell, Bar and Judiciary and honored by the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee.

He is co-founder of National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

40 • November / December 2016

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

FRANK HERRERA, JR. Founder The Herrera Law Firm San Antonio, Texas Personal Injury fherrera@herreralaw.com www.herreralaw.com/legal-staff/#Frank www.herreralaw.com/

Herrera is a longtime advocate for personal injury and accident victims.

He also dedicates countless hours of his time, financial resources, and legal expertise to causes he believes in strongly, such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the New American Alliance, the St. Mary’s University Alumni Association and Central Catholic High School.

Herrera has served as chairman of the board for the New America Alliance and Valiente International Ventures.

He’s also considered an innovator in utilizing courtroom technology in trials.

RAUL R. HERRERA

JORGE M. LEON

Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP Washington, D.C. Corporate and Securities

Partner Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Michael Best & Friedrich LLP Chicago Retirement Plans

raul.herrera@aporter.com www.arnoldporter.com

Herrera concentrates on international matters, with a particular emphasis on international corporate and financing transactions in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has been involved in transactions in every Latin American country and many in the Caribbean on behalf of a wide variety of clients, including private, public, and multilateral entities.

Herrera is knowledgeable in deal structures, procedural requirements and policy directives of agency lenders.

He is often called on to resolve client disputes throughout Latin America and has experience in international arbitration matters.

jmleon@michaelbest.com www.michaelbest.com/People/Jorge-Leon www.michaelbest.com

Leon counsels employers in the manufacturing, education, defense, IT, and food and beverage industries on the design, establishment and maintenance of retirement plans. His work has ensured that more than 150,000 workers across the country can meet their retirement needs.

He has been honored as a Recognized Practitioner, Employee Benefits & Compensation,

by Chambers USA. Various publications have sought his insight regarding employee benefits matters. Leon has implemented various diversity initiatives at Michael Best and currently serves as the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair.

ROBERT T. MALDONADO

ELSA MANZANARES

GONZALO C. MARTINEZ

Partner, Cooper & Dunham LLP New York Intellectual Property Litigation

Co-Chair, International Trade Partner, Corporate Gardere Dallas and Houston International import and export regulations

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs San Francisco Products Liability, Consumer Class Actions, Constitutional Law, Employment Law

rmaldonado@cooperdunham. com

gonzalo.martinez@squirepb.com www.cooperdunham.com/ component/contact/11professionals/11-robert-maldonado

emanzanares@gardere.com www.gardere.com/Professionals/Elsa-Manzanares

www.squirepattonboggs.com/ professionals/m/martinez-gonzalo

www.cooperdunham.com

www.gardere.com

www.squirepattonboggs.com

Maldonado specializes in intellectual property litigation and also has experience in obtaining U.S. utility and design patents, as well as trademark and copyright protection. He has negotiated and drafted major intellectual property licensing agreements.

Maldonado is a fellow in the Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of The Litigation Counsel of America. He has been honored by El Diario La Prensa, the largest and oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in New York City and the oldest Spanish-language daily in the United States. He was regional president of the Hispanic National Bar Association in 2013.

Manzanares is an experienced international trade and compliance partner who advises clients on U.S. and international regulations governing the import and export of goods, technology and services. She advises clients across numerous industry sectors, including Aerospace, automotive, explosives, firearms, chemicals, military training, electronics, oil and gas, and software and technology.

Manzanares frequently appears before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. State Department. She sits on the firm’s business development and hiring committees.

Martinez handles complex disputes in many areas, including products liability, consumer class actions, constitutional law, employment law, real estate and commercial litigation.

He worked on the team that represented a major foreign automobile manufacturer before the U.S. Supreme Court and he has also argued cases before the California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

His class action experience includes representing foreign manufacturers, chemical companies, technology companies, utilities and banks.

42 • November / December 2016

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

RICHARD J. MONTES

JUAN P. MORILLO

MONICA NEUMAN

Partner, Mauro Lilling Naparty LLP Woodbury, N.Y. Appeals and Litigation Strategy

Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP Washington, D.C. Lender Liability & Other Banking Financial Institution Litigation

Partner, McDermott Will & Emery Boston Conflicts of Interest—Health, Security Incident Response and Breach Notification

juanmorillo@quinnemanuel.com

mneuman@mwe.com

www.quinnemanuel.com/

www.mwe.com/Monica-Neuman/ www.mwe.com/

Since joining Mauro Lilling Naparty, Montes has handled many appeals in state and federal courts. His specializes in malpractice, construction law, employment law, general negligence, toxic tort, punitive damages, and product liability.

He has helped spearhead the firm’s national growth as specialty counsel on damages in catastrophic injury cases. Montes is a frequent lecturer and has been published extensively. He has received awards from Long Island Business News, the Hispanic Bar Association and other organizations and publications.

Morillo co-chairs the White Collar and Corporate Investigations Practice in Washington, D.C. His practice focuses on criminal defense and civil litigation for major financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies and foreign governments.

Morillo represents clients in cases largely involving accounting, financial, securities and tax fraud, bribery and antitrust.

He has appeared on many national news channels and has been quoted in many national publications.

Morillo’s practice has been honored by Global Investigations Review and Law360.

In 2017, Morillo will publish a treatise on international criminal white collar practice.

JOSEPH NUÑEZ

JOSÉ OLIVIERI

ANGEL REYES III

Partner Vantage Law Group Minneapolis, Minnesota Commercial Real Estate, Retail and Office Leasing joe.nunez@vantagelawgroup.com

Chair of Michael Best’s Higher Education Industry Group Founder and Co-Chair of Michael Best’s Immigration Law Practice.

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP Milwaukee, Wisconsin Immigration Law

Founder and Managing Partner Reyes Browne Reilley Dallas Personal Injury, Business Contract Litigation, Mortgage Default, Complex Pharmaceutical Litigation, Business Tort Litigation

www.vantagelawgroup.com/joe/

jaolivieri@michaelbest.com

www.vantagelawgroup.com

www.michaelbest.com/People/Jos-Olivieri

Nunez is recognized for his ability to successfully handle complex, high-visibility projects, for his creativity in business matters and for facilitating successful business transactions.

He has negotiated and closed hundreds of acquisitions, dispositions and leases.

Prior to coming to Vantage, Nunez spent 20 successful years with Target Corporation.

At Target, he negotiated and managed over $5 billion in real estate developments, including economic incentive packages.

He has served as regional president for the Hispanic National Bar Association and Governor Mark Dayton appointed him to the Minnesota Election Integrity Task Force.

www.michaelbest.com

rmontes@mlnappeals.com www.mlnappeals. com/?project=richard-j-montes www.mlnappeals.com

Neuman’s focus is on regulatory compliance matters affecting the health care industry. She represents tax-exempt hospitals and health systems, academic medical centers, physician group practices, health insurers, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, as well as a variety of other organizations in their health care transactions. She serves as a member of the firm’s Diversity/Inclusion Committee and the Racial & Ethnic Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee. Her current pro bono practice focuses on advocating for children with special education needs on cases received primarily through the National Medical-Legal Partnership and the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts.

angel@reyeslaw.com

44 • November / December 2016

www.reyeslaw.com/angel-reyes-iii.html

Olivieri’s expertise in U.S. immigration law includes immigration status, permanent labor certification, national interest waiver, adjustment of status, consular processing, citizenship and naturalization and I-9 compliance.

Olivieri also counsels colleges and universities on issues including governance, Title IX, student discipline, and labor contract administration. He has been recognized for excellence by Chambers USA since 2008 and he received the 2016 Executive Leadership Award from the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee.

He has served as Board President of Milwaukee’s United Community Center and Board Vice President of Carroll University.

www.reyeslaw.com

Reyes started on Wall Street but ended up in Dallas, where he opened what would become a highly respected personal injury law firm.

He has helped thousands of people recover hundreds of millions of dollars from big insurance companies and big corporations.

Reyes is a Managing Principal of Cambria Investment Management, Inc., and is on the board of directors for the Alta Verde Group, a privately owned real estate fund.

Reyes is often quoted by national newspapers and periodicals and appears on national television and radio shows.

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

REGINA RODRIGUEZ Trial Lawyer, Partner, Hogan Lovells Denver, Colorado Drug and Device Manufacturers, Product Liability regina.rodriguez@hoganlovells.com www.hoganlovells.com/en/reginam-rodriguez www.hoganlovells.com

Rodriguez handles cases across several industries, including those involving drug and device manufacturers, product liability, the false claims act, government investigations and commercial matters.

She has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division in the District of Colorado.

She was also appointed as a member of the U.S. Attorney General’s Civil Chiefs’ working group.

Rodriguez has served in the Assistant Attorney General’s Office for the Department of Justice and she provided assistance to then-Attorney General Janet Reno.

ENEIDA M. ROMAN Founding Partner Roman Law Boston Mediation, Real Estate, Estate Planning eneida@eromanlaw.com http://eromanlaw.com http://eromanlaw.com

Roman is a licensed industrial/organizational psychologist in Puerto Rico and a licensed attorney in Massachusetts. She is also a certified mediator and strongly believes in the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve legal matters.

In 2012, she co-founded The Latina Circle, a non-profit social venture focused on developing Latina executive leaders in Boston.

In 2016, she was appointed as National CoChair of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Latina Commission.

She has been recognized as an American Bar Foundation Fellow.

46 • November / December 2016

JAMES ROMO Managing Partner, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud &Romo Cerritos, California School Districts, County Offices of Education, Labor & Employment

JESSE RUIZ Partner Drinker Biddle Chicago Mergers and Acquisitions, Venture Capital and Private Equity Investments jesse.ruiz@dbr.com

jromo@aalrr.com

www.drinkerbiddle.com/people/r/ ruiz-jesse-h

http://aalrr.com/attorneys/james_c._romo

www.drinkerbiddle.com

http://aalrr.com/

Ruiz counsels clients on business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity investments.

He also represents them in equity and debt offerings, financings, the purchase and sale of assets from bankruptcy estates, and a variety of commercial transactions. Ruiz counsels public and privately held companies and entrepreneurs on strategic initiatives and transactions.

In 2016, Jesse became the president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners.

He currently serves as a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Romo is one of the founding partners of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and works out of the Cerritos and Pasadena offices. He specializes in collective bargaining, contract administration, employee discipline proceedings, and defending employee discrimination claims. Romo represents public employers in all aspects of labor relations and employment law. Romo has extensive experience handling proceedings before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, Public Employment Relations Board, and Office of Administrative Hearings.

MANUEL SANCHEZ Partner, Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP. Chicago Product and Professional Liability, Civil Rights MSanchez@SanchezDH.com www.sanchezdh.com/attorneys/ manuel-sanchez www.sanchezdh.com

Sanchez is the founder and managing partner of Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP. He is a highly accomplished trial lawyer, specializing in complex product and professional liability, employment law, civil rights and toxic tort defense (when the plaintiff has been exposed to a dangerous substance). He has been the lead counsel and has successfully tried to verdict more than 75 cases in the Midwest and South.

Sanchez has received three gubernatorial appointments and was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

TOP LATINO LAWYERS 2016

MARGARITA R. SANCHEZ CEO & Founder, Disan LLP Washington, D.C. Latin America, Arbitration, Litigation msanchez@disanlegal.com www.disanlegal.com/team/ margarita-sanchez/ www.disanlegal.com/

Sanchez, who has represented Latin American states and global clients in high-profile cases involving dispute resolution, has made a commitment to the advancement of women in law and working for a gender-balanced workforce in the legal industry.

Her firm has received a Chambers & Partners award for Outstanding Firm for Furthering Women’s Advancement and she has been honored by Latinvex and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Sanchez started her own non-profit organization called The Mazo Foundation to provide free legal services to low-income individuals and start-ups from Latin America.

PEDRO JAIME TORRES-DÍAZ Principal Jackson Lewis P.C. San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami Employment Discrimination, Wage and Hour Counseling and Litigation Pedro.Torres-Diaz@jacksonlewis.com www.jacksonlewis.com/people/pedro-jaime-torres-d-az www.jacksonlewis.com

Torres-Díaz has successfully defended employers in Florida and Puerto Rico in all types of courts and administrative hearings before local and federal agencies. He also serves as President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and writes articles on legal developments in Puerto Rico for numerous publications.

Torres-Díaz has extensive trial experience before both federal and local courts and administrative forums in Puerto Rico and Florida.

He has successfully defended employers in all types of administrative hearings before local and federal agencies.

L AT INO LE A DE R S

Gaby Natale Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Story by: Diane Alter

Credits/Special Thanks to: Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau – Winspear Opera House, Dallas, Texas.

Photography: Joel Pares Makeup/Hair: LaDonna Stein Dresses by: Marchesa (black & gold dress), Badgley Mischka (sequin mermaid gown) and Binzario Couture (magenta ball gown)

latinoleaders.com

L AT INO LE A DE R S

“SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES ARE STILL UNDISCOVERED. WE MUST KEEP EVOLVING AND THINKING BIG CREATIVELY. WE MUST STAY ONE STEP AHEAD.” 52 • November / December 2016

T

he road Gaby Natale took on her way to becoming a successful host, TV producer and winner of two daytime Emmys was filled with many twists and turns. Yet every twist and turn was a lesson and a stepping stone. Blessed with an adventurous and curious nature, as well as the desire to see the world, Gaby embraced every experience. And she bravely broke from tradition.

“Everyone in my family is a lawyer,” Gaby told Latino Leaders Magazine. “My mom, my dad and my aunt are all lawyers. I grew up thinking there were only four career choices: lawyer, engineer, architect and doctor. But I wanted to travel. I wanted to broaden my experiences. I have always been independent.”

So an independent Gaby left her native Buenos Aires and went to study in London at the University of Westminster, where she earned a BA in international relations.

“I traveled to England after studying international relations at the University of San Andres,” Gaby said. “I loved learning all about international relations. The field encompasses so much about so many things that are so important and matter. It’s all about current events and world happenings. But it was studying international relations in London that I found my real passion. I spent every extra cent I had, which wasn’t much since I was on a tight budget — not on shoes or clothes, but on going to films. That was when I decided to study production. That was also when I found my passion—my calling.”

Still, it was an uphill climb. After finishing her studies in London, Gaby returned to Buenos Aires in 2000. It was a time when Argentina was dealing with an economic depression. Unemployment was widespread and the prospects for any kind of work were dim.

“I remember looking for a job and a prospective employer saying to me, ‘You want a job and I have to fire half my staff today.’ I went a year without a job. But I did not just sit around.”

The year Gaby went without a paying job was filled with a lot of volunteering. One volunteer job involved helping a friend out at a seminar. Speakers from all over the world were scheduled to take part. It sounded exciting, but it was also a humbling experience for Gaby.

“I knew a lot of people that I graduated with would be there,” Gaby recalled. “I thought to myself that I would be there pulling out chairs and handing out programs to some of my former colleagues. I had a pity party for one that lasted until my mother intervened. She told me to get dressed in my best outfit, put on bold red lipstick, and seize it. It was fashion advice. My mother said, ‘you never know what opportunities might come out of it.’ And she was right. It was a defining moment for me.”

Gaby was introduced to a number of valuable contacts at the seminar. Many kept in close contact and eventually sent Gaby freelance work. It was just a matter of time before Gaby moved to Washington, D.C., to work for a public relations firm. While there, she put her journalism skills to work, covering the contentious and dangerous situations simmering at the border between Arizona and Mexico. A Univision affiliate station saw Gaby’s work and her potential. Univision offered her a job, which would take Gaby to Texas. latinoleaders.com

As for her leadership style, Gaby said the key is to not limit herself or others. It is also important that she stays true to her roots and heritage. “This is not just about me,” Gaby continued. “I represent a community. It’s about respect.”

Gaby’s entrepreneurial spirit means she is constantly brainstorming on something. Her empire continues to grow and expand globally.

Right now, Gaby is working on a mobile events application, available in English and Spanish, that will help people plan, put on and pull off celebrations.

With just 24 hours in a day, we asked Gaby how she fits every event and every commitment into her busy schedule. She admits it is difficult to have a perfect work/life balance. But Gaby is quick to add that her profession includes so many personal experiences. And having her husband at her side, in business as well as life, makes it a bit easier.

“I do have a lot on my plate and have many obligations to fulfill,” Gaby shared. “Yet my work is a lesson in personal development. The hours just fly by. I have the best job in the world.

How many professions allow you to go to the White House and the morgue.”

The way Gaby sees it, what she does is not work.

It is also not about racking up awards, YouTube visits or ratings. It is all about a vision, a voice, a personal feeling so strong that she needs to build something around, something big and bold, and share it with the world.

Gaby started working as a news anchor in the Lone Star State, but she had grander ambitions.

She had stories to tell. Sentimental, sincere and important stories.

“I wanted to be able to make my own choices,” Gaby explained. “I wanted to be able to have editorial and creative control.”

After earning her green card in 2007, a lengthy process that required three applications, Gaby left her Univision job. With a $20,000 business loan, Gaby and her husband — who Gaby describes as her “partner in love, life and the whole lot” — started her own company. SuperLatina, an interview and lifestyle show, was born.

The show came from Gaby’s desire to rally behind Latina women. Gaby maintains she is the biggest cheerleader for Latinas. She says many young Latinas already have the intelligence and the dreams to succeed, but what is sometimes missing is the confidence and belief in themselves. That is where Gaby comes in.

“A SuperLatina is a woman who fights and who stands up for herself,” Gaby explains. “The SuperLatina is the best part of you.”

The show began airing in Texas, and New Mexico was next to pick up the show. Subsequently, Gaby was nominated for six Emmy Awards and became a YouTube sensation. In addition to being the host of this widely popular nationally syndicated television show, Gaby and her husband own a small television studio in Fort Worth. Gaby is also president of AGANAR Media, a content development and experiential AGANARmedia is a progressive content development and marketing company that specializes in cutting-edge observational marketing company. The firm works developing TV shows and viral video with some of the world’s most recognizable companies. campaigns, with a focus on Hispanic auBrands: Count car giant Ford Motors, telecommunications diences. Clients have included industry goliath AT&T Inc., and fast-food titan McDonalds’s among goliaths with marquee names, such as AGANARmedia’s marquee clients. Multinational consumer Ford Motor Co., MetroPCS, McDonald’s goods company Procter & Gamble, department store chain Macy’s, and internet pioneer eBay are also partners. and Proctor & Gamble.

Less than a year after Natale became Work: AGNARmedia’s collaborations with clients is truly a U.S. citizen, SuperLatina went naunique. For example, the firm’s work with Ford has included tional in 2014 on Vme-TV. The onceparticipating on the Ford Driving Dreams campaign. This involved a nationwide tour giving students in underprivileged a-week show was suddenly available school districts the change to compete and win scholarships. in 43 media markets and more than 70 million viewers. It boasts a loyal and Services: AGNARmedia’s relationship with Macy’s, one of its growing following, currently airs at 3 most active sponsors of Hispanic heritage month, includes a September and Christmas series called “Talk to the Experts.” p.m. Saturdays. SuperLatina also enThis series captures and enhances the in-store experience at joys an enormous internet following. the world’s most storied department store. AGNARmedia’s Gaby recognizes the media industry relationship with McDonalds’s is aimed at highlighting the is a space in transition and she must Golden Arches’ healthy menu options for multicultural families. lead, not follow. That is a challenge, Key Team Member: Andres O. Suarez is the CEO and cobut also an opportunity. “So many founder of Agnar Media. Prior to manning the helm at Agnar things are changing,” Gaby said. “So Media, Suarez served as editor-in- chief at several consumer many opportunities are still undismagazines in his native Argentina. The highly accomplished covered. We must keep evolving and Suarez also held the position of international editor for Telefe thinking big creatively. We must stay Noticia’s national evening broadcast, the highest rated show one step ahead.” in its category in Argentina.

54 • November / December 2016

Gaby’s Awards and Accomplishments Gaby in one of the few females in the highly completive entertainment industry who not only owns the rights to her TV show, but also a television studio. Like Oprah, Gaby is widely recognized in the entertainment space by just her first name. Her numerous awards and accolades include: •Two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program and Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish.

•Two National Academy of Television Arts & Science (NATAS) Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program and Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish.

•Nominated seven times for the NATAS Lone Star Chapter Emmy award and won the award in 2015 for Interview Programs.

•SuperLatina in 2008 was named Best Magazine Show by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters.

•Gaby’s investigative reporting on the challenges facing gay Latinos was recognized in 2010 with a national nomination to the Glaad media awards.

L AT INO LE A DE R S

“A SUPERLATINA IS A WOMAN WHO FIGHTS AND WHO STANDS UP FOR HERSELF.” latinoleaders.com

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Top companies for Latinos A look at the best in the country and why other firms should follow their lead

I

By : Robert Rodríguez

consider myself very privileged to be a part of the Latino talent collective in corporate America. Membership in this group has granted me unique access to the front lines of the Latino talent agenda in big companies. Also, because I’m a consultant, my perspective into what is happening becomes more powerful because it is undiluted by internal corporate politics.

Through my experiences, I have gained a sense of the current narrative and the trends associated with corporate efforts as they related to Latino professionals. To me, three trends have clearly emerged. First, not only do corporations see the Latino community as a catalyst for economic growth, but now they view Latino professionals as their next great source of intellectual capital. They have finally come to realize that, like it or not, the workforce of the future will have an increasingly Latino identity. As a result, investments in Latino talent initiatives are starting to mirror investments that were in the past only made for Hispanic marketing efforts.

A second trend is the growing influence of Latino corporate executives. Clearly, the days of the invisible corporate Latino executive are numbered. Fortunately for all of us, Latino executives are no longer hiding in plain sight. Today’s Latino executives see themselves as provocateurs of the status quo. While they may have been the only Latino executive in the room when they took on certain roles to increase their influence and responsibility, they are vowing to not be the only Latino in executive management when they leave.

That brings us to the last trend, the trend that is the focus of this special section of Latino Leaders. Namely, that there are clearly some companies that have surged to the front with regard to their commitment and approach to Latino talent programs. The rigor and sophistication being applied by these companies when it comes to initiatives targeting Latino professionals are far more advanced than most other companies.

Because of their innovative and forward-thinking approach to internal Latino programs, they have established a gap between what they are doing and what the rest of the companies are doing. This gap is allowing them to capture a greater share of the

L

Dr. Robert Rodriguez is the founder of DRR Advisors, LLC, a firm specializing in Latino talent management programs. He has worked with over 100 corporations on their Latino initiatives and is considered by many to be the nation’s leading authority on corporate Latino efforts. He is the author of Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Latino Talent.

Celebrating Diversity Leadership

atino Leaders magazine has been doing research and writing articles for more than 15 years about companies whose strategies, policies and outreach to the Latino Community set an example of inclusiveness. We have also constantly published exclusive interviews with the most successful diversity directors and influential CEO’s whose mission to integrate Latinos into their work force and supplier base are an example to follow. Our valued partners, such as ALPFA and the USHCC, have also provided a wonderful compass when determining the pulse of diversity in corporate America.

This year we have partnered with ALPFA and DDR Advisors for a special feature on Talent Acquisition. With their input we are honored to introduce for the first time our Best Companies for Latinos 2016 index - featuring those corporations that over the years have consistently employed Latino talent and gone the extra mile to establish programs aimed to increase Latino presence and interaction. This research was based on the following main areas: Outreach and retention of Latino employees with diversity across all levels (C-Suite to entry) - affinity groups and internal strategies to embrace and integrate Latino labor force, supplier diversity programs that encourage 56 • November / December 2016

Latino talent pool. And what should be of concern to most corporations, their approach is allowing these companies to widen the gap between themselves and everyone else.

In this section, you’ll see exactly what these companies are doing to successfully recruit, retain and develop Latino talent. Many of their initiatives are not even on the radar for other companies, and this gives them a competitive advantage in the search for Latino talent.

You’ll read how these companies have successfully launched internal Latino leadership development programs, how their Latino executives have established internal caucuses to drive their firm’s Latino talent efforts, and why they are holding internal summits designed to bring together their internal Latino leaders for professional development and exposure to top executives.

To the rest of the companies not on this list, I encourage you to learn from their example. They have much to teach the rest of us. This way, before you can say, “we’re doing the best we can when it comes to Latino talent,” at least now you’ll have a better sense of what “the best we can” looks like.

minorities to apply and deliver goods and services and external strategies and programs aimed to attract Hispanic Talent and customers.

In addition, we present interviews with two prominent leaders who truly believe the importance of having Latinos in the workplace - Francis Hondal, EVP, Credit & Loyalty Solutions, MasterCard, who believes in building the right team and delivering results, and Northwestern Mutual’s Jorge Quezada, Director of Diversity & Inclusion – Leadership Development. Quezada is responsible for heading the development of leaders and securing the success of the Diversity and Inclusion principles and practices for the company.

Lastly, we present highlights of our Latino Talent Panel Acquisition. We introduce Victor Arias Jr., Senior Client Partner in the Dallas office of Korn Ferry, Raymond Arroyo, President of ALPFA Solutions, and Salvador Mendoza, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at NBC Universal Media, LLC. All respected voices in diversity matters, they share with us their visions on the current state of Latino talent acquisition in Corporate America, and why, now more than ever, it is key to reach out.

Congratulations to our featured leaders and the Best Companies for Latinos 2016.

Connect for Success A chat with

Edited by: Latino Leaders

Francis Hondal, EVP, Credit & Loyalty Solutions, Mastercard

Six years ago, Francis Hondal considered herself an ‘executive in transition’. After a successful decades-long career in financial services focused on Latin America, she decided to pursue her passions as an entrepreneur, an artist, a mentor and a philanthropist. In her usual high energy style, she launched a marketing consultancy practice, dove head-first into networking, served on the board of her alma mater Florida International University, volunteered for local Miami women’s charities and enjoyed some R & R with her family.

I

t was a very special time in my personal and professional life,” said Francis. “I was able to reflect, recharge, reconnect and pursue new professional opportunities.” Those connections eventually led her to Mastercard, where she oversees Credit and Loyalty Solutions across 210 countries and territories.

The importance of forging connections and building strong relationships was instilled in Francis early on.

A first generation Cuban American, Francis grew up in Miami with her four siblings. Her father, a charismatic and hardworking businessman, owned an import/export business. Her mother, a true inspiration, has been at the core of maintaining close connections to their family in Cuba while building new connections in their new hometown. “Having the courage to leave her family and the resolve to face various shades of adversity encouraged me to be highly optimistic and believe I can do anything I set out to do.”

Francis brings that drive to her work at Mastercard. When she joined the company back in 2011, she oversaw the product organization in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that she knows well and loves. “While attending college, my interest for an international role peaked while I worked at my father’s business.

Joining a company like Mastercard, with a widely recognized brand in every corner of the globe, has been an important component of that dream.”

During her time working in Latin America and the Caribbean she oversaw marketing, products and Mastercard Advisors, the insights and professional services arm of the company. After four years in that role, Francis accepted a new challenge; taking on global responsibilities. “Expanding the role to include Asia, Europe and Middle East & Africa is a wonderful opportunity to develop understanding of global business practices while experiencing different cultures. It is a wonderful professional and personal development opportunity. In fact, I am encouraging my 20-year-old son to participate in a study abroad program in Barcelona – hopefully the beginning of his own journey!”

As executive vice president of Credit and Loyalty Solutions for Mastercard, she and her team create products and solutions designed to help the company’s bank, credit union and merchant partners provide their customers with exceptional services, benefits and experiences. “We help people pay for whatever they want, wherever they are – and in the way that’s most convenient for them.”

With 750 million Mastercard credit and charge cards out there, and growing, that’s no small feat.

“Truly understanding what matters to consumers and how to address their needs is at the core of our strategy. I’m a working mom, and what I look for in products and services may be similar to another working mom; however, distinctly different from the young professional just starting out. We know that moms value tools that help save them time; plan family vacations and securely shop online. They are excited by rewards and discounts. Every day, I think about how we can play a role in connecting people to priceless possibilities.”

To Francis, leading in business comes down to creating a vision, building the right team and delivering results. “I’ve always worked with incredibly talented and diverse teams and have high expectations for what we can accomplish together.”

At Mastercard, a critical ingredient in her success has been the desire to collaborate and connect. “Great achievements have always been a product of teamwork.”

“TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHAT MATTERS TO CONSUMERS AND HOW TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS IS AT THE CORE OF OUR STRATEGY.”

58 • November / December 2016

Northwestern Mutual’s Jorge Quezada

- Embracing the Latino/Hispanic market

Jorge Quezada, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Development Edited by: Latino Leaders

Lead is responsible for heading the advancement of leaders and securing the success of the Diversity and Inclusion principles and practices for the company.

LL: How important are diverse markets—particularly Hispanic markets for Northwestern Mutual and why?

JQ: The Hispanic market, as well as other multicultural markets, has always been

important to Northwestern Mutual, despite being largely underserved by the financial services industry. Our goal-based approach to financial planning aligns well with a focus on family and the importance of education in the Latino community. From a talent perspective, our goal is to have an organization that represents the communities we live in and serve, and we see the Hispanic market as a key source for our growth in both our field and corporate office talent.

LL - How are you increasing the awareness of Hispanic and Latino-focused strategies inside and outside the Company?

JQ: We grow customer awareness through a two-tiered strategy that enables us to part-

ner with key Hispanic organizations at the national level, then leverage their scope and membership across our key markets at a local level. Our local market strategy positions our financial representatives to better invest in the community, and deliver financial education and planning that empowers our clients to live their lives differently.

LL: What have been your most successful strategies to attract top Hispanic talent, specifically financial representatives?

JQ: There are three keys to successful recruiting: engaging the community at the

local level, building strong relationships that extend beyond transactions, and having an attractive career value proposition. Additionally, we have a strong relationship with several universities that have strong Hispanic student populations. Our interns actually learn the business and cultivate clients so that when they graduate, they’ve already made inroads to their career.

strong Latino employee resource groups which is empowered to develop its members, and several multicultural/women –based leadership programs. We are proud that we are identifying Latinos at every stage of development.

LL: In your experience, what is Corporate America looking for when it comes to addressing the Latino and Hispanic Markets?

JQ: At Northwestern Mutual we are not “addressing”

Latino/Hispanic markets; we are embracing them!

Companies are looking for ways to connect with the Latino community. Some companies committed to being culturally competent, like Northwestern Mutual, have realized you need to have a long term strategy to develop relationships in the community. We are investing time and resources to make sure we are at the center of our Latino clients’ lives.

LL: What are the challenges for Companies if they lack diversity approaches in the marketplace?

JQ: They may miss connecting with the diverse com-

munities they are trying to serve.

LL: When and how did you start your relationship with Northwestern Mutual?

JQ: My relationship with Northwestern Mutual started when I purchased a disability

insurance policy from my financial representative around 1997. Then in December 2015, I was approached with an opportunity to become the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Development Lead for the company.

LL: At the current moment, do you think there is a lack or a surplus of Latino manpower for high end leadership positions: Directors, V.P., C-Suite, SVP, etc?

JQ: There is definitely a surplus of Latinos in our corporate pipelines. A leadership

pipeline is a living thing: its strength or weakness is determined by the commitment a company shows towards the pipeline. At Northwestern Mutual, we have a purposeful strategy, committing to the development of Latino talent in our organization. It includes: organic development that takes place at the team or department level, a

LL: What about your current position to you enjoy the most?

JQ: I love watching the transformation that people,

teams and departments experience in their own D&I journey. At Northwestern Mutual, we have created a culture of continuous learning and it’s wonderful to witness us learning from one another.

LL: How would you define your leadership style?

JQ: I have an inclusive-collaborative style. I look for op-

portunities to provide the quietest person in the room with a voice. I believe the person who feels most different needs to belong. And, regardless of tenure, all people need to know they can contribute. latinoleaders.com

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Best Companies for Latinos

Research and story by Joseph Treviño

1 AT&T

2 COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL

3 COCA COLA

Name: American Telephone & Telegraph Headquartered in: Dallas, Texas Established in: 1983

Name: Comcast NBCUniversal Headquartered in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Established in: 2011

Name: The Coca-Cola Company Headquartered in: Atlanta, Georgia Established in: 1892

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: AT&T scored the highest rating in the 2015 Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Corporate Inclusion Index by achieving a near perfect score of 95 points (it has done so for the past five years).

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: A media giant, Comcast NBCUniversal is also grand when it comes to diversity and hiring Latinos (think Telemundo and other ventures). In the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index, Comcast earned a ranking of 85, an impressive improvement of 25 points over the previous five years.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: CocaCola achieved a stellar score of 90 in the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index, with 19 percent of its U.S. workforce comprised of Latinos (they make-up 21 percent of its refreshments workforce). For decades, Latino publications and organizations have awarded the company for its programs geared toward Latinos.

Diversity: The brilliant Ralph de la Vega is a great example of the company’s top leadership, having also served on several prominent boards. AT&T’s Hispanic ERG, which is called HACEMOS, has been widely recognized as one of the strongest ERGs in corporate America.

Diversity: Myrna Soto is Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Security Officer of Comcast Corporation.

She also serves on the boards of CMS Energy and Spirit Airlines.

Suppliers Diversity: AT&T is a member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a prestigious group of 20 major companies that spend $1 billion or more with minority business enterprises.

AT&T is also a member of the BDR, NMSDC and WBENC.

Suppliers Diversity: In 2015, Comcast reached over $1 billion in supplier diversity spending and was inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable. The company is also a member of the NMSDC and of WBENC.

Website:

Website:

http://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=5711

http://corporate.comcast.com/

Diversity: Latinos make up 8 percent of the company’s corporate headquarters workforce. Maria Elena Lagomasino sits on the board, while well-known Latinos Roberto Goizueta (former CEO) and José Octavio Reyes Lagunes have been among the company’s top echelon.

Suppliers Diversity: Terrez M. Thompson Vice President of Global Supplier Diversity says the company is hungry to meet the diverse suppliers and invites them to go to http:// supplierdiversity.coke.com The company has supported Nely Galan’s Adelante Movement, a program intended to empower Latinas.

Website: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/

4 KAISER PERMANENTE

5 CIGNA

6 WALMART

Name: Kaiser Permanente Headquartered in: Oakland, California Established in: 1945

Name: Cigna Headquartered in: Bloomfield, Connecticut Established in: 1982

Name: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Headquartered in: Bentonville, Arkansas Established in: 1962

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Kaiser Permanente consistently nabs high marks on this area. It earned the top spot on DiversityInc’s 2016 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, reaching No. 1 for the second time since debuting on the publication’s list in 2006.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: One of the globe’s health service leaders scored a remarkable 90 points in the 2015 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index. Rosanna Durruthy, Cigna’s Chief Diversity Officer, says that diversity is essential, as well as the health of its customers.

Diversity: Latinos, Asians and African-Americans make up 66.6 percent of its total management. The company has two Latinos in its board, Cynthia A. Telles and Ramón Baez, and has at least two other Latinos in top leadership positions.

Diversity: HACR congratulates Cigna on its diversity efforts, procurement and scoring high in the Inclusion Index. Also, Roman Martinez IV, a private investor, sits on the board.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: As the biggest retailer in the world, Walmart also leads in doing outreach, hiring and retaining Latino employees. Its Diversity Report says 13.54 of its workforce is Latino. It consistently holds events with its own Hispanic Latino Associate Resource Group (HLARG).

Suppliers Diversity: Kaiser Permanente belongs to the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a prestigious group of 20 major companies that spend $1 billion or more with minority business enterprises.

Website: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/

Suppliers Diversity: Cigna’s supplier diversity program dates to the 1970s. In 2007, the company purchased $39.3 million in goods and services from minority- and womenowned companies from across the country.

Website: https://www.cigna.com/

Diversity: Executives and managers who are Latinos make up 7.22 percent of Walmart (mid-level officers and managers make-up 10.65 percent). The company launched an internal caucus of its most senior Latino executives to help drive the Latino talent agenda.

Suppliers Diversity: Walmart belongs to the exclusive Billion Dollar Roundtable, which celebrates corporations that have spent $1 billion or more with minority- or womenowned businesses. Latino suppliers are countless and growing.

Website: http://corporate.walmart.com

60 • November / December 2016

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

7 NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL

8 TARGET

9 PEPSICO

Name: Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Headquartered in: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Established in: 1857

Name: Target Corporation Headquartered in: Minneapolis, Minnesota Established in: 1902

Name: PepsiCo, Inc. Headquartered in: Purchase, N.Y. Established in: 1965

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Hosts annual Hispanic Summit focused on financial representatives focused on the Hispanic market. 300+ member employee resource group (H-ERG) focuses on employee development, business impact, and community outreach. Leading sponsor of Soledad O’Brien’s “Latino in America” tour.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: In 2014 the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index awarded an impressive 85 points to Target. Latina Style consistently includes Target in its 50 best companies, and The Human Rights Campaign gave it a score of 100 on its 2014 Corporate Equality Index.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: The 2015 Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Corporate Inclusion Index awarded 90 points to PepsiCo, one of the highest ratings of any company. Hispanic entities continuously recognize the company as being one of the best for providing opportunities to Latinos.

Diversity: Strong sponsor of several Hispanic non-profit organizations, including ALPFA, National Hispanic Corporate Council and HACR. Diversity Employers magazine named Northwestern Mutual on its list of the “Top 100 Employers.”

Diversity: Target’s board includes at least two Latinos: Media mogul Mónica Lozano and the former, Kenneth L. Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The company is turning to Latinos to get to the next level.

Suppliers Diversity: The mission of the Supplier Diversity program at Northwestern Mutual is to develop mutually beneficial relationships with historically underrepresented businesses as a way of strengthening its overall supply base, providing the best value to their policy owners, and creating lasting impacts in communities.

Suppliers Diversity: “By investing in these suppliers, we demonstrate our commitment to building strong partnerships to ensure broader, more innovative assortments, economic development and quality of life for the communities we serve,” says Brian Cornell, Chief Executive Officer.

Diversity: PepsiCo has an internal Latino Leadership Development program called “Ascender,” a year-long plan that includes professional development, mentoring and exposure to corporate executives. The course targets high potential, mid-level Latino leaders.

Website:

Website:

Website:

https://corporate.target.com/

http://www.pepsico.com/company/leadership

10 MICROSOFT

11 EY

12 GM

Name: Microsoft Corporation Headquartered in: Redmond, Washington Established in: 1974

Name: EY Headquartered in: London, England Established in: 1989

Company’s name: General Motors Company Headquartered in: Detroit, Michigan Established in: 1908

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Latinos make up 5.5 percent of its workforce, according to Microsoft’s 2016 report. Microsoft’s Latino/Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HOLA) seeks to educate and connect the company to the Latinos communities and enable Hispanics to realize their full potential.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Fortune magazine ranks EY as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.” It may be one of the only top four firms to host a periodic Latino Employee Summit. The last one was in 2015 and included about 250 mid-level Latino leaders.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: A classic bran and a giant in the automobile industry, General Motors also made the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index, nabbing a stellar rating of 95, one of only three other companies to do so. It increased by 20 points from last year.

Diversity: More than 1,000 employees are members of Microsoft’s HOLA, which has chapters in Washington, Florida, California, Texas and North Carolina. Its aim is to build a pipeline for advancing Latinos.

Diversity: Stephen Howe Jr., the Managing Partner of EY, told Latino Leaders, “we see more and more Latinos entering the workforce, becoming successful entrepreneurs, and exceptional leaders. We know we need to recruit more Latinos and increase our focus on the Latino community.”

Diversity: GM has had several top Latinas (Grace Lieblein, Cynthia Telles). It does an outstanding job of supporting Hispanic education in STEM and actively recruiting Hispanics for career opportunities at the company.

Suppliers Diversity: Microsoft spent more than $2.5 billion working with suppliers that are minority-, disabled-, veteran- and woman-owned businesses in fiscal year 2016.

Microsoft also belongs to the prestigious Billion Dollar Club.

Suppliers Diversity: The EY website says it is “committed to maintaining a diverse supplier base and building relationships with suppliers who reflect the market, clients and communities we serve. We seek to identify, develop and do business with diverse suppliers.”

https://www.northwesternmutual.com/

Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity

Website:

Suppliers Diversity: In 2015, PepsiCo spent an estimated $1.4 billion with suppliers that were minority- or womenowned enterprises in the United States. This includes Tier 2 spend reported by non-diverse suppliers.

Suppliers Diversity: A member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, GM has one of the highest levels of supplier diversity spending at $6.6 billion annually, and is a member of both NMSDC and WBENC. Website: http://www.gm.com

http://www.ey.com/

latinoleaders.com

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Best Companies for Latinos 13 INTEL

14 KPMG

15 MASSMUTUAL

Name: Intel Corporation Headquartered in: Santa Clara, California Established in: 1968

Name: KPMG Headquartered in: Amstelveen, Netherlands Established in: 1987

Name: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company Headquartered in: Springfield, Massachusetts Established in: 1851

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: With 8.1 percent of its employees being Latino, Intel is on a mission to achieve 45 percent of diverse hiring by the end of 2016. It has a lofty goal: to go beyond tracking retention and achieve 100 percent pay parity by the next quarter.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Lynne Doughtie, Chairman and CEO of KPMG LLP, says, “We are intentional about ensuring that diversity and inclusion objectives radiate throughout our entire organization. These are business goals with business leader accountability.” KPMG is also intentional about its close relationship with ALPFA.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: MassMutual has a Partners Mentoring Program in which employees with high potential are matched with senior executives as well as a Reverse Mentoring Program in which millennials mentor senior leaders. It has maintained a diversity and inclusion strategy since 2008.

Diversity: Doughtie says it is serious about including Latinos in the company. “We currently have employees serving on local ALPFA boards, and many who are members. Our members benefit from the supplemental career and professional development initiatives.”

Diversity: Patricia Diaz Dennis, one of the most respected Latinas in the corporate world, sits on the MassMutual board. The company has Lorie Valle-Yañez as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer and has partnered with ALPFA.

Diversity: The Intel Hispanic Leadership Council, comprised of Intel’s senior-most Hispanic executives help in the development and advancement of Hispanic leaders – a nine-month leadership program is specifically designed for Latinos.

Suppliers Diversity: Between January and June of 2016, Intel had spent $125 million with diverse suppliers and was shooting for a goal of $400 million this year. The company wants to achieve $1 billion in annual spending by 2020.

Website:

Suppliers Diversity: DiversityInc ranked KPMG No. 11 among the Top Companies for Supplier Diversity (2016), which recognized the company’s growth in spending with diverse businesses. For fiscal year 2015, it allocated 22 percent of its procurement spending on diverse businesses.

Suppliers Diversity: MassMutual actively seeks diverse suppliers from underserved communities for inclusion in competitive bids. Diverse businesses are defined as for-profit, U.S. based and at least 51 percent owned by a woman, ethnic minority, LGBT, veteran and/or individual(s) with a disability.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/company-overview/ company-overview.html

Website:

Website:

https://home.kpmg.com/us/en/home.html

https://www.massmutualdirect.com

16 STATE FARM

17 MACY’S

18 BANK OF AMERICA

Name: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Headquartered in: Bloomington, Illinois Established in: 1922

Name: Macy’s, Inc. Headquartered in: Cincinnati, Ohio Established in: 1858

Name: Bank of America Headquartered in: Charlotte, North Carolina Established in: 1904

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Many Latino leaders and experts recognize State Farm’s achievements in this field like Latina Style Magazine, which included the company in its 2016 Latina Style 50. The 2015 HACR Inclusion Report gave the company a respectable rating of 80.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Macy’s has made Latinos a key factor not only in its marketing efforts, like their new Thalia line, but also has been named to the Million Dollar Club by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Diversity: Dan E. Arvizu, the Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, sits on the State Farm board.

The company has a Diversity and Inclusion Vision geared toward “a workplace known for inclusiveness, opportunity and personal development.”

Diversity: The company has one of the most diverse boards, including Elisa D. Garcia as its Chief Legal Officer. In La Voz it has a vibrant ERG committed to developing Latino leaders.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) recognized Bank of America as for its Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership & Advancement (HOLA) as being one of the nation’s top ERGs. Of its U.S. workforce, 46 percent of its people are of diverse races and ethnic backgrounds.

Suppliers Diversity: According to the State Farm website, “the mission of Supplier Diversity at State Farm is to identify and encourage equal opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities to contribute to our overall goal.”

Website: https://www.statefarm.com/

62 • November / December 2016

Suppliers Diversity: CEO Terry Lundgren says Macy’s is serious about diversity, and to prove it in 2015 purchases from minority- and women-owned businesses totaled approximately $1.1 billion – surpassing the billion-dollar mark for the second consecutive year.

Website: https://www.macysinc.com

Diversity: Bank of America has partnered with highly respected organizations like the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), it holds its Hispanic Latino Leadership Summit and it has media mogul Monica Lozano in its board.

Suppliers Diversity: The company belongs to the prestigious Billion Dollar Roundtable. In 2014 it spent $2.5 billion with diverse businesses, and in 2015 it celebrated the 25th anniversary of the highly respected Supplier Diversity and Development program.

Website: http://about.bankofamerica.com

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Best Companies for Latinos 19 DELL

20 JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Name: Dell EMC Headquartered in: Round Rock, Texas Established in: 2016

Name: Johnson & Johnson Headquartered in: New Brunswick, New Jersey Established in: 1886

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: According to Dell’s website, “Adelante is Dell’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group. Dedicated to the true essence of diversity. Adelante seeks to celebrate the contributions made by Hispanics at Dell in an effort to aspire all to greater heights.”

Diversity: Christine Cantarino is Dell’s Executive Director of Global Process Quality and Standards, Supply Chain Operations, Ed Loya is Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Then there’s the already mentioned Adelante, the company’s ERG group.

Suppliers Diversity: Belonging to the elite Billion Dollar Roundtable, which celebrates corporations that have spent $1 billion or more with minority- or women-owned businesses, Dell is almost in a league of its own when it comes to supplier diversity.

Website: https://www.delltechnologies.com

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Scoring an outstanding 90 in the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index, Johnson & Johnson’s outreach to Latinos is exemplary and worthy of following. The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) recognized the company as having the nation’s top Latino Employee Resource Group (ERG).

Diversity: William D. Perez sits on the board while Denice Torres is the Chief Strategy and Business Transformation Officer. The Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Achievement (HOLA) optimizes and leverages Johnson & Johnson’s internal and external resources.

Suppliers Diversity: The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) named Johnson & Johnson to its Million Dollar club for demonstrating its commitment to minorities and women, while the company is also a member of the prestigious Billion Dollar Club.

Website: https://www.jnj.com/

“UBERFICATION” OF TELEHEALTH: DRIVERS WANTED

M

EDINEXO is an online physician-sourcing network, connecting patients and their doctors with physician specialists. The world’s first telehealth marketplace connects providers to internal and external telehealth resources including specialists and world-class technology providers. Providers are routed live or are provided the ability to schedule appointments with specialists able to speak the language of the specialist and/or patient available 24/7. The patient or provider then selects the most qualified and cost effective physician to provide the necessary consultation, with payment being automatically processed through MEDINEXO’s payment processing system.

MEDINEXO’s approach might be seen as an “uberfication” of all physician consultations. Others can look at MEDINEXO as the “Priceline of healthcare,” but ultimately MEDINEXO is a disruptive new model for healthcare business exchange, a TRUE MARKETPLACE. There are many telehealth providers, equipment vendors and electronic records/diagnostic companies to choose from.

Our unique marketplace allows healthcare systems to look within their network and the connected networks of outside providers to allow a greater diversity of resources, availabilities and languages spoken. Our system, focused on medical providers rather than individuals, provides better patient outcomes and multiplies the value to organizations providing care compared to investing in their own standalone telehealth systems.

The “uberification” of telehealth care makes MEDINEXO’s franchising model a very unique business opportunity.

21 PRUDENTIAL

22 CAPITAL ONE

Name: The Prudential Insurance Company of America Headquartered in: Newark, New Jersey Established in: 1875

Name: Capital One Financial Corporation Headquartered in: Tysons Corner, Virginia Established in: 1994

•

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Prudential scored a respectable 80 in the 2014 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index.

The company is consistently ranked as one of the best places for Latinos to work. Formed in 1995, the ERG Hispanic Heritage Network seeks to articulate the Latino viewpoint.

Outreach and Retention of Latino Employees: Capital One is making strides in recruiting, retaining and training Latinos as noted by Latina Style in their 2015 Top 10 Employee Resource Groups of the Year, Hispanic Network of Capital. The company’s goal is for inclusion at a deeper level.

•

Diversity: Prudential has not one, but two members in its board of directors. There’s Gilbert F. Casellas, Chairman of OMNITRU and George Paz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He is with Express Scripts Holding Company.

Diversity: Capital One has a good Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in Lane Hopkins and a great ERG. It also has Emilia Lopez, Managing Vice President of U.S. Cards Division, who has introduced many programs like making Spanish service available for cardholders.

Supplier’s Diversity. According to its website, “Prudential is committed to providing meaningful opportunities for qualified diverse vendors to compete for business.

The company recognizes that purchasing products and services from businesses that reflect the demographics of our markets contributes to the sustainability of communities, customers and Prudential.”

Website: http://corporate.prudential.com

Suppliers Diversity: According to the company’s 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, “our direct spend with diverse suppliers represented approximately 10% of our overall procurable spend. In addition to ensuring diverse suppliers are included in supplier selection decisions, we offer various programs to help suppliers grow.”

Website: https://www.capitalone.com/

64 • November / December 2016

•

• • •

Lower initial cost – No equipment to buy, facilities to maintain, or major staffing needs.

The “Marketplace” brings the best in class technology, specialists, and healthcare systems into one ecosystem, magnifying the value over any one system.

Growth potential – telehealth’s ability to reduce costs and increase the quality of patient outcomes is fueling tremendous growth.

Multi-lingual platform - diverse demographics in the US, and internationally makes language specific specialists a necessity.

Payments simplified – with a predictable fee schedule facilities are able to keep revenue in house rather than sending out to outside facilities.

Problem solved – those investing in their own telehealth platforms are then tasked with marketing the service to their patients or risk under-utilized resources and poor ROI

Med nexo MEDINEXO with recent successes in Colombia and Mexico has exciting prospects in North America, Asian and Europe markets in 2017. For more information, visit us at www. medinexofranchise.com or follow us on social media.

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Latino Talent Acquisition Panel Edited by: Latino Leaders

The Latino talent acquisition panel hosted by Latino Leaders magazine on December covered the most pressing issues facing the hiring of Latinos in high-end leadership roles and positions in the country.

Some of the topics discussed were the primary role diversity plays in Corporate America, the challenges in the hiring processes and the strategies companies use when recruiting professional Latinos, as well as the roles enterprises play when recruiting, maintaining and fostering Latino talent.

We are proud to introduce three men who have excelled in their fields and share with us their visions on the current state of Latino talent acquisition in Corporate America.

Victor Arias Jr.

Raymond Arroyo

Salvador Mendoza

Senior Client Partner in the Dallas office of Korn Ferry. He is a member of the CEO/Board Services practice and is also the Global Leader of Diversity & Inclusion for the firm.

President of ALPFA Solutions, Managing Director and the head of the Diversity Practice at Reffett Associates and Chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Previously, Mendoza was VP, Global Diversity and Inclusion for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.

latinoleaders.com

LL - At this moment, do you think there is a lack or a surplus of Latino manpower for high end leadership positions: Directors, VP, C-Suite, SVP, etc.?

LL - How difficult has it been for you or companies associated with you to find Latino executives?

VA - Depends on how the needs for the leadership positions are defined. Most of these positions require execs that are on the track of actually running pieces of an organization’s main businesses with defined P&L responsibilities. Latino/as need to ensure they are aiming for these types of assignments, even if they might seem less attractive than staff roles with big budgets. With more Latinos having prior P&L experience, then we can really start moving the needle on representation in the C-Suite and in the boardroom. At the same time, we need to keep reminding corporations of their need to intentionally look for and place Latinos in these types of roles, justifying it as a business imperative.

VA - Those companies finding it difficult to find Latinos are usually afflicted by one of two ailments: they are using the old paradigms of talent acquisition and/ or they are sourcing talent without regard to ethnic background, as suggested in Question #2. Those using old paradigms revert to looking for talent at the same pools whether from corporate America or from “traditional” campuses … these companies could benefit from rethinking looking at the competencies of nontraditional talent like Latinos who may not be in the current line of sight but have the raw talents to be successful. They should also have campus recruiting efforts that look at campuses that offer talented graduates, for example, that take longer to graduate because they worked their way through school but come out with strong work ethic, hunger and loyalty. These are usually state schools that provide more access to nontraditional talent.

RA - There’s no question that Latinos are significantly underrepresented at the manager levels and above in corporate America. We represent about 3 percent at the C-Suite, 4 percent at the EVP level, 6 percent at the VP level, and 9% at the manager level. With all the talk and efforts around diversity, their numbers are abysmal and need to dramatically improve.

SM - There is not a lack of talent, I’m convinced that the talent is there, what we lack is representation at that level. For example, we see an increase of talent coming up the ranks, as companies make the effort to diversify the talent and build their bench, but along the way between building the bench and going from middle management to upper management, there seem to be clogs in the system.

We have an obligation to seek out (talented people) within our companies and advocate for them.

LL - What is Corporate America looking for when it comes to Diversity/ Latino positions?

VA - Think this world has changed dramatically and you will see less and less “diversity/Latino” positions. The talent pool represented by millennials also identifies less and less with being diverse or Latino. However, Corp America still understands the benefit of “segmentation” when it comes to identifying potential growth areas of their businesses. There is no denying that Latinos represent a HUGE growth market, especially for B2C companies, and the more insights they can get to attack these markets, then the more incentive they will have to hire Latino talent into their organizations and onto their boards.

However, it will be less so as looking to fill in “diversity/Latino” positions.

Matter of fact, Chief Diversity Officer roles are diminishing in number and are also being filled much less externally rather than by an operating executive internally as a rotational assignment.

RA - Having spent 25 years in corporate America, but no longer there, I can say that corporate America is not recognizing and embracing the different nuances that Latinos bring to the workplace, and therefore companies are generally not serious about making improvements. If they did, their budgets would reflect their commitment – and their budgets simply do not show it.

SM - I would think that companies committed to diversity and inclusion would want to form relationships with organizations that help them find the talent. I always say that it’s easy to recruit and get diverse individuals to come into your company; in comparison to keeping them. You do not stop recruiting people when they get into your organization, you have to continue working with them, develop them, offer learning opportunities and ultimately prepare them for that next role. We want to make sure that we are explicit in the way that we say “we appreciate who you are and what you bring to the table by being part of this community.”

66 • November / December 2016

RA - It is proven to be difficult, not because Latinos aren’t there, but companies don’t know how to find them. I recently completed a Chief Investment Officer search for a client and identified 13 Latinos as candidates. Most companies, who don’t have my network, wouldn’t have looked as hard as I did to find them.

SM - It’s like the old adage that everything good in life is difficult to obtain. I wouldn’t say that it is difficult.

Many times I’ve heard “we can’t find them.” I translate that into, you have not exhausted all the avenues to recruit them. Companies make it difficult by the limits they put on themselves when embarking on those efforts. I have been with NBCUniversal for a little over four years, and can say unequivocally and without a doubt that the company is supportive in our efforts and work to build our pipeline and to find talent.

LL - How can we increase the pipeline of Latinos for leadership positions?

VA - Those Latinos that are at elite educational institutions have a much higher chance of succeeding in corporate America than those attending state schools or nonelite institutions. Hence a strategy of ensuring their success will require fewer resources.

Of greater importance is the need to ensure that Latinos at state universities have greater opportunities to hone the same inherent potential as their elite institution colleagues but require greater resources to succeed such as tuition assistance, internships, and mentorship for graduate school and career advice.

In the long term, that is where our efforts should be.

From a professional career perspective, we need to keep pushing Latinos to take on P&L roles if they want to keep aiming for the C-Suite and/or the boardroom.

Latino Talent Acquisition in Partnership with ALPFA

Victor Arias Jr.

Raymond Arroyo

Salvador Mendoza

VA

RA

SM

RA - Develop them. Give them exposure and opportunities to learn while on the job. Pay attention. Treat them well, which includes honest feedback. Constructive feedback leads to better performance. Sometimes managers are afraid to give constructive feedback to minorities for fear of being perceived as racist.

SM - As executive leaders within our companies we have to proactively serve as advocates and promote the up and comer Latinos and Latinas. So what as to the potential rumors that “He’s only interested in sponsoring Latinos,”? I advocate for everyone, in this case, however, we have to be unapologetic and intentional on how we support the development of Latino talent in the company.

LL - What are the reasons corporate America would be interested in hiring more Latinos to their key positions?

VA - Again, I refer to Question #2. The huge wave of Latino consumers continues to crash all around us. Every year 1 million Latinos turn 18 … and this will continue for the next 20 years. This should get the attention of corporate America and also our entire political system. The economic potential is immense for corporate America.

RA - If we believe that all humans are equal, and the distribution of talent is equal, then we must be missing a huge part of Latinos’ contributions, as they’re being excluded, often unintentionally, from the senior level positions in corporate America.

SM - What I see more and more now is that the companies that are committed to diversity and inclusion see that commitment as creating a competitive advantage.

You may still see companies that view it as a compliance issue, but by far, it is all about remaining competitive now and in the future.

LL - Do you know of strategies or companies that have had success in recruiting Latinos?

VA - Companies that have been successful, in my experience, are those companies who have deployed on campus recruiting programs at state schools such as Cal State LA, UT El Paso, UT Rio Grande Valley, Florida International, City Colleges of NY, etc. They have successfully tapped into pools of talent that require them to compete much less with others yet allows them to develop very motivated and educated professionals who graduate with little debt and a great deal of motivation. Additionally, those companies that invest in community organization such as NCLR, CHCI, NSHMBA and ALPFA also enjoy much greater brand appeal and acceptance by Latinos looking for careers.

RA - Understand the business case. Allocate the proper investments – people and money – to not only recruit Latinos, but to develop them. Many companies focus on recruiting Latinos (usually tactically, not strategically), but they do not have specific programs to develop Latinos. ALPFA Solutions can be a great resource for most companies.

SM - I always hesitate to say that they’ve been successful, because I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, but there are certain companies in the financial consulting sector that have implemented good initiatives.

LL - Do you feel that the election results will have an impact on diversity issues? If so, how?

VA - The recent election results will have notable results on diversity issues. Assuming the rhetoric is genuine, then there will be pressure to diminish programs directly related to diversity initiatives. However, the economic potential is again undeniable for Latinos, and corporate America gets that. Hence, the continued promotion of the economic business case and also continued campaigns undoing negative stereotypes of Latinos in America are critical. I have hope that the divisiveness spawned by the elections creates a greater sense for all Americans (and yes, Latinos are Americans) to create strong forums to discuss how to unite, resulting in better outcomes for this country.

RA - I don’t think the election results will have a negative impact on these efforts. If the companies are grounded on the true business case for diversity, there is no cause for concern, in my opinion. The demographic shifts and the marketplace changes do not stop because a new president was elected.

SM - I don’t think that it is going to have a profound effect on the efforts of some companies, as it is well engrained, in most companies, in creating a competitive advantage in this multicultural environment we live in.

Our communities are savvy and sophisticated to understand when companies are not authentic when reaching out and use their diversity and inclusion efforts as a way to pander and patronize the community. latinoleaders.com

L AT INO LE A DE R S

THE MAESTRO AWARDS 2016

HONORING THE MAESTROS AMONG US

F

Story by Kristian Jaime Photos by Alain Milotti, Kyle

Espeleta and Jason Gilmore

or the past 10 years, honoring the Hispanic magnates among us has taken the form of the Maestro Awards, presented by Latino Leaders magazine.

With the decade anniversary being celebrated at a recent ceremony at the Scottish Rite Temple in Dallas, the award has taken on a life of its own, with similar events taking place in Los Angeles and Chicago. While the recipients come from every discipline — including business, education, civil service and entrepreneurship — they all have a lifetime of achievement to celebrate. “[We celebrate] the success stories and accomplishments and the triumphs of many leaders that have made history and continue to make history in our community,” said Jorge Ferraez, the magazine’s publisher.

It seemed only fitting that Dallas be the location for the milestone ceremony, as it was the original home of the first Maestro Awards. Also celebrating a notable landmark was Latino Leaders, which turns 16 this year.

Recipients for the Dallas awards were as follows: Antonio R. Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as Maestro of Leadership; Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo, vice president and founder of Casa Noble Tequila as Maestro of Entrepreneurship; Manny J. Fernandez, managing partner of KPMG as Maestro of Professional Achievement; Carlos F. Orta, vice president of Corporate Affairs of Carnival Corporation as Maestro of Diversity Advancement; and Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County as Maestro of Community Service, who received a standing ovation from the over 250 attendees.

In usual fashion, the trailblazing publication took an unusual approach to handing out the honorary hardware. For Ferraez, the medals came with a brief conversation about the challenges and triumphs of each of the recipients in their respective fields.

While the list of past winners is surely distinguished, they represent the changing face of Latinos in the United States. With an ever-increasing number of Hispanics entering colleges, graduate-level programs and the executive workforce, there is no shortage of trailblazers raising the profile of Latino professionals.

“We need to ask how long it will be before our population is where it needs to be in terms of education and jobs to be equal with the [market] as a whole.

We need to be ready to compete for jobs in a global marketplace,” Ferraez said.

In 2016, the Maestro Awards were celebrated in Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas.

68 • November / December 2016

“We celebrate the success stories and accomplishaments and the triumphs of many leaders that have made history and continue to make history in our community.” Jorge Ferraez, publisher of Latino Leaders magazine.

Recipients for the Chicago awards included Dr. Andrew Sund, president of St. Augustine College as Maestro of Community Service; Ezequiel “Zeke” Flores, CEO of Flying Concessions LLC as Maestro of Entrepreneurship; Jose R. Sanchez, president and CEO of Norwegian American Hospital as Maestro of Professional Achievement; and Neli Vazquez-Rowland, president and CEO of A Safe Haven Foundation as Maestro of Leadership.

The Maestro Awards were sponsored by Southwest Airlines, St. Augustine College and Mi Sueño Winery.

Ferraez also acted as emcee for the ceremony in Los Angeles, which was sponsored by Southwest Airlines, Mass Mutual Financial Group, Delgadillo Cellars and Mario Bazán Cellars.

Award recipients included Dr. Cynthia Ann Telles, director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Psychosocial Clinic as Maestro of Professional Achievement; Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group as Maestro of Entrepreneurship; Dr. Sandra R. Hernandez, president and CEO of California Healthcare Foundation; Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as Maestro of Leadership.

Patrons were also treated to unique insight into the rise of each of these medal winners with questions pertaining to lessons learned early in their careers and how they overcame their trials throughout their long tenures. Moreover, the recipients offered a glimpse into a world where Latinos had to make their own way in the endeavors of business and education.

Opportunities come through mentorship and education, but another common trait among award recipients is persistence and effort. In many cases, “Maestros” were breaking new ground for Latinos in commerce or community service, thus inviting backlash.

As a new crop of Hispanic professionals takes the lead, only time will tell how many more will join the ranks of Maestros.

L AT INO LE A DE R S

CHICAGO

Dr. Andrew Sund- President, St. Augustine College: Maestro of Community Service, Jose R. Sanchez- President & CEO, Norwegian American Hospital: Maestro of Professional Achievement, Neli Vazquez Rowland- President & CEO, A Safe Haven Foundation: Maestro of Leadership, Ezequiel “Zeke” Flores- CEO, Flying Concessions LLC: Maestro of Entrepreneurship

Dr. Andrew Sund, president of St. Augustine College as Maestro of Community Service Dr. Sund assumed office on July 1, 2008. A bilingual and bicultural professional, Sund fits perfectly at St. Augustine College, the only bilingual college in the Midwest with a mission to serve the Latino community of the Chicago area.

Professionally, Sund began his career at St. Augustine College, where he developed as an academic advisor, director of Institutional Research, associate dean for Curriculum and Assessment, associate dean for Student Services, and interim dean of Academic Affairs. Additionally, Sund worked four years at OliveHarvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, as assistant dean for Research and Planning and dean of Workforce and Community Education. Sund received his bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy from the University of WisconsinMadison; his master’s degree in History from Northwestern University. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jose R. Sanchez, president & CEO of Norwegian American Hospital as Maestro of Professional Achievement Sanchez brings over 30 years as a health care executive to the hospital that serves more than 112,000 patients annually. Before joining Norwegian American, Sanchez was senior vice president of the Generations +/ Northern Manhattan Health Network, one of the largest health care networks in the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.

Sanchez is a licensed social worker, with a BA in Psychology from the City College of New York and a master’s in Social Work from Adelphi University.

Under Sanchez, because cancer is prevalent in the population the hospital serves, Norwegian American has invested in growing its oncology department. Since 2015, the oncology department has grown 159 percent. Similarly, the hospital has invested in cardiology to address the prevalence of heart disease in the community, and today the cardiology department is three times the size it was in 2011.

Neli Vazquez Rowland, president & CEO of A Safe Haven Foundation as Maestro of Leadership Neli Vazquez-Rowland is the co-founder and president of A Safe Haven Foundation (ASHF).

Founded in 1994, ASHF is a vertically integrated ecosystem that supports social service delivery along with vibrant social business enterprises in order to create a sustainable environment that fosters positive change in the lives of homeless individuals.

Neli is a first generation American who grew up in Chicago’s Little Village community, a densely populated Latino enclave on the city’s west side, notorious for crime and violence.

As a graduate of Loyola University’s School of Business, and the Minority Executive Management program at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, Neli was the first in her family of seven to graduate from college.

She built a solid 13-year career as an investment banker, and rose to the level of vice president both at Bear Stearns and Oppenheimer.

Ezequiel “Zeke” Flores, CEO of Flying Concessions, LLC as Maestro of Entrepreneurship The Chicago native is a global business leader and airport concessionaire who is founder and CEO of Flying Retail. Zeke founded Flying Retail to upgrade the travel experience and attract strong national brands and partners to Chicago airports.

Zeke began his career by parlaying his BS in Accountancy from DePaul University into careers with a Big Five accounting firm and with food industry giant Sara Lee, where he oversaw projects in 14 countries and was a lead manager for a $4.2 billion spin-off. He has been involved with over $5 billion in real estate-related and corporate business transactions. He is on the government relations committee of the International Council of Shopping Centers, as well as a member of the steering committee of the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition.

Zeke completed Northwestern’s Kellogg Corporate Governance Program.

latinoleaders.com

L AT INO LE A DE R S

THE MAESTRO AWARDS 2016

LOS ANGELES

Luis Maizel- President, LM Capital Group: Maestro of Entrepreneurship, Dr. Cynthia Ann Telles- Director, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Psychosocial Clinic: Maestro of Professional Achievement, Dr. Sandra R. Hernandez- President & CEO, California Healthcare Foundation, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez- Archbishop, Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Maestro of Leadership.

Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group as Maestro of Entrepreneurship Maizel is the co-founder and senior managing director of LM Capital Group, LLC, has been investing in the global fixed income markets since 1984. Mr. Maizel was born and raised in Mexico City. His experience includes serving as vice president of finance for Grupoventas, S.A.; faculty member at the Harvard Business School; and president of Industrial Kuick, S.A. After structuring a favorable buyout of Kuick, Maizel relocated to San Diego, California.

Mr. Maizel received an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from The National University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1971 and Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1974, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar, the school’s highest academic honor.

Maizel is a member of the NAFIN Foreign Board (Mexico’s National Development Bank), Vibra Bank (the first Hispanic community bank in San Diego), and several non-profit organizations.

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Dr. Cynthia Ann Telles, director of UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Psychosocial Clinic as Maestro of Professional Achievement Telles has been on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry since 1986. She is the Director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Spanish-speaking Psychosocial Clinic. In addition to departmentwide oversight responsibilities, she manages the clinical operations of this model psychiatric clinic, as well as training and research.

For more than a decade, she has been a member of the board of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, the largest integrated health care system in the United States. She is a member of the Executive and Audit Committees and, most importantly, serves as the Chair of the Community Benefit Committee, which formulates policy and approves the allocation of approximately $2 billion in charitable contributions.

Telles has authored many publications in scientific journals and numerous presentations at national and international scientific meetings. She received a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Boston University.

Dr. Sandra R. Hernandez, president & CEO of California Healthcare Foundation Dr. Sandra R. Hernandez has been president and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation since January 2014. CHCF is an independent foundation with assets of more than $700 million, headquartered in Oakland, California, and dedicated to making health care work for all Californians, especially low-income and underserved populations. Prior to joining CHCF, Sandra was CEO of The San Francisco Foundation, which she led for 16 years. She previously served as director of public health for the city and county of San Francisco.

She practiced at San Francisco General Hospital in the AIDS clinic from 1984 to 2016. She served on the External Advisory Committee at the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences in 2016.

She is a graduate of Yale University, the Tufts School of Medicine, and the certificate program for senior executives in state and local government at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop, Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Maestro of Leadership The Most Reverend José H. Gomez is the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community. In his ministry, Archbishop Gomez encourages people to follow Jesus Christ with joy and simplicity of life, seeking to serve God and their neighbors in their ordinary daily activities.

He has played a leading role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to promote immigration reform in his book, Immigration and the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation.

Archbishop Gomez is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and a naturalized American citizen.

Prior to becoming Archbishop of Los Angeles, he served as Archbishop of San Antonio (2005-10) and Auxiliary Bishop of Denver (2001-05).

He holds a doctorate degree in theology as well as undergraduate degrees in accounting, philosophy and theology.

He speaks and writes often on issues involving the Church and American society.

DELGADILLO

L AT INO LE A DE R S

DALLAS

Antonio R. Flores, president & CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as Maestro of Leadership, Carlos F. Orta, vice president of Corporate Affairs of Carnival Corporation as Maestro of Diversity Advancement, Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County as Maestro of Community Service, Manny J. Fernandez, managing partner of KPMG as Maestro of Professional Achievement and Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo, vice president and founder of Casa Noble Tequila as Maestro of Entrepreneurship.

Antonio R. Flores, president & CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as Maestro of Leadership Flores is responsible for the overall leadership, executive management, public and community relations, policy formulation and advocacy, association governance affairs, advancement planning, financial and investment oversight, human resources policies, strategic planning, and programmatic accountability and reporting.

Prior to his position at HACU, Flores served as director of programs and services for the Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority and the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority. His statewide responsibilities included policy analysis and development, legislative affairs, administrative leadership for programs, technical assistance and outreach services for all Michigan colleges and universities, program evaluation and research, and overall management. Flores holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Carlos F. Orta, vice president of Corporate Affairs of Carnival Corporation as Maestro of Diversity Advancement

Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County as Maestro of Community Service

Manny J. Fernandez, managing partner of KPMG as Maestro of Professional Achievement

Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo, vice president and founder of Casa Noble Tequila as Maestro of Entrepreneurship

Carlos F. Orta joined Carnival Corp. & PLC in March 2014 as vice president of corporate affairs. Responsibilities include leadership and oversight of state, local and international affairs as well as multicultural initiatives for Carnival Corp. around the globe.

From April 2006-February 2014, Carlos served as the president and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.

During his time at HACR, revenue and corporate memberships doubled, while several new programs and initiatives were launched, including the HACR Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers Program, the HACR CEO Roundtable, and the award-winning short documentary film series Insider Game.

Born in Havana, Cuba, his family moved to Madrid, Spain, in 1969 and settled in Miami in July 1971.

He graduated from Barry University with a BA in Liberal Studies and currently serves on the board of directors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the South Florida Progress Foundation. He recently joined the United Way of Miami’s Toqueville Society.

Sheriff Lupe Valdez is serving her third term for the citizens of Dallas County. She became the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the county in 2005. Sheriff Valdez is the only Hispanic female sheriff in the United States and only one of four female sheriffs in Texas.

Some of the department’s accomplishments since her election include the hiring of 400 new detention service officers and the expansion of the freeway management patrol system, which covers over 78 miles of county highways; the construction of the South Tower Jail Facility, one of the largest direct supervision facilities in the country with the capacity to house 2,304 inmates; the current construction of a 300-bed medical facility within the Lew Sterrett Justice Center; and improvements to the quality of overall health care for mentally ill inmates.

Prior to her election, she gained experience in homeland security and anti-terrorism investigations. She has worked in the United States, Central America and South America.

Fernandez immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba with his family.

His parents instilled in him and his sister the values of hard work and perseverance. They championed education and stressed the important role it would play in his future success.

They also encouraged leading by example and treating everyone with respect.

Remaining true to these values has led to incredible opportunities with KPMG —working internationally in Mexico City, leading recruiting efforts nationally for three years, and joining three KPMG offices across the U.S. Throughout his 30 years with KPMG, he says the help of mentors and sponsors have truly made the difference in his growth as a person and professional.

KPMG has an incredibly strong network of Hispanic professionals, most clearly seen through our Hispanic/Latino network with 17 chapters nationwide. Fernandez holds a Bachelor degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

“Pepe” Hermosillo’s entry to the business marked the seventh generation of tequila makers, though he insisted his would be something different. The earliest written account of the GonzalesHermosillo family being involved in tequila was in the late 1700s, when they were producing just 22 barrels a month.

Average production still numbers about 60,000 cases a year.

By comparison, Patron is the largest in the market, producing about 1.8 million cases a year.

Growth by 24 percent in 2012 became 27 percent this year.

And while projections make Casa Noble the next big thing, “Pepe” has other ideas. He knows 100,000 to 150,000 are great numbers to achieve but that volume still allows producers to maintain a handcrafted quality. Today Casa Noble produces 60,000 six-bottle cases of tequila annually, a number Hermosillo would like to increase to 150,000. The distillery’s line, which includes silver, joven, reposado, añejo and extra añejo expressions, is also represented by rock guitar legend Carlos Santana, who became a partner two years ago.

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LORENZO CALIFANO M U LV A N E W I N E S

CELLAR

MULVANE “The Maverick” 2013 Region: Napa Valley Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Price: $ 30 Aromas: Cherry, fig and Licorice Flavors: Pepper, plum and dark chocolate Impression: soft tanins but still powerful Structure: Balanced Drink with: Filet Mignon, New York Strip Why I loved this wine? Silky and sophisticated My Rating: 94 pts.

Philippine de Rothschild “Aile d’Argent” 2013

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FTER 25 YEARS of corporate life, Lorenzo Califano was looking for something to do. Raised by a traditional Italian family, where they make their own wine, cook and reunite with friends, he decided to head for Napa Valley and make wine. It took him one year to find a partner and the right fruit to make a “high level, new world, but balanced and sophisticated like the old world wine”. He had fun, met great people and after some time discovered he had found his passion. Under the MULVANE label he scored 93 Points!

He now bottles five different labels; three Cabernet Sauvignon, one Bordeaux Style blend and a Syrah, priced on the $30.00 range and all are fantastic.

“We work with what Mother Nature gives us each year and try to make the best wine with the best fruit we can get.”

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Region: Bordeaux Varietal: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc Price: $ 78 Aromas: Violet, Jazmin, Citrus Flavors: Dry, guava, tropical fruit Impression: Flowery Structure: Crisp, elegant Drink with: Fish dishes, raw oysters Why I loved this wine? Impressive flowery aromas with elegant structure My Rating: 94 pts.

Eral Bravo YBS 2008 Region: Mendoza, Argentina Varietal: Malbec blend Price: $ 42 Aromas: Black Cherries, Dark Chocolate Flavors: Ripe red fruit, plum Impression: Incredible concentration Structure: Round, silky tanins Drink with: Argentine style beef ‘asados’, lamb chops Why I loved this wine? Perfumed and succulent My Rating: 91 pts.