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2021 WEES: Announcing THRIVE! Men’s panel speakers 

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Latinas in Business is pleased to announce three Latino business leaders as guest speakers for our Men’s panel: “THRIVE! Enlisting Men’s Support to Grow and Expand your Network” at the 2021 Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Summit. Our 2021 WEES hybrid-event is set to take place on Thursday, June 10 from 1:30 PM – 6:30 PM EDT. 

Register Now for this must-attend event! 

 

With THRIVE! as our motto this year, the 2021 Women Entrepreneur Summit  (#2021 WEES) will center on key areas of growth to connect and empower women business owners with tools and insights that will propel them forward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The event will feature inspiring Keynote speakers, fun networking sessions, and various panels with industry leaders and entrepreneurs.

2021 WEES: “THRIVE! Enlisting Men’s Support to Grow and Expand your Network” panel

Women entrepreneurs don’t often have the gender ally benefits that their counterparts in corporate America may be offered. Join us and our panel of gender equality advocates as they share with us why enlisting men to grow and expand your network can offer a valuable perspective. There is no one approach to break gender barrier challenges, so we’ll explore how different strategies may serve different needs and real-life examples of partnerships in which our panelists have taken part. 

We welcome our three panel speakers: Ron Gonzales, Thomas Savino, and Damian Rivera. 

 

Ron Gonzales, President and CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley.

Ron Gonzales is the President and CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley.  The Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Silicon Valley Latinos. 

Gonzales has over 40 years of technology and public policy experience.  Prior to leading the Hispanic Foundation, Gonzales was the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Presencia, LLC which provides marketing and sales consulting services. He also served as Mayor of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley and the nation’s 10th largest city from 1999-2006. Mayor Gonzales may be best known for championing the extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to San Jose and Silicon Valley.  So much so that former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown nicknamed him “Mayor BART”. Before his election as Mayor, Gonzales worked as an executive with the Hewlett-Packard Company, in the areas of marketing, human resources, and corporate philanthropy.

He currently serves as Chair of the Silicon Valley Capital Club Board of Governors, and Board Member of KIPP Northern California Public Charter Schools, and SV@Home. 

Thomas Savino, Chief Executive Officer of Prospanica.

Thomas Savino is the Chief Executive Officer of Prospanica, the nationally recognized and premier nonprofit dedicated to developing Hispanic talent and growing the number of Hispanic professionals represented in industries of America to perpetuate economic growth and corporate competitiveness.

Thomas has an impressive history of advocating for business education and is a respected executive in the Hispanic community. As an expert consultant specializing in performance measurement analysis, knowledge management, and organizational structure, he has collaborated with corporations and national boards throughout the country.

During his time as a research analyst and internal consultant for McKinsey & Company, he specialized in the development of global initiatives, later joining TMS Consulting as managing director and also serving on the former National Society of Hispanic MBA’s national board.

Damian Rivera, CEO of ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America).

Damian Rivera is the CEO of ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America), one of the country’s largest & oldest Latinx membership associations in the country.

Prior to joining ALPFA Damian was a Managing Director with Accenture focused on the energy industry, and led their Hispanic American ERG for 6 years. He is also on the National Board of Per Scholas, a member of the Columbia Business School Young Alumni Board, a member of Angeles Investors, a Latino focused Angel Investor network. Damian has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. Damian bridges the non-profit and corporate sectors bringing together management experience with authenticity, a drive to impact the lives of every person he meets and a passion for service to others.

Hear their stories of allyship and collaboration and learn from their experiences at the 2021 Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Summit, Thursday, June 10th. Register Now! 

2021 WEES

You might be interested: 2021 WEES: Announcing THRIVE! Women’s Panel Speakers 

ALPFA’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas gather in Jersey City to receive awards

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Awardees and attendees of different organizations at the 50 Most Powerful Latinas Summit in Jersey City (Photo credit Negocios Hispanos USA) 

The Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) gathered the 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Corporate America Summit at the Goldman Sachs Headquarters in Jersey City on October 3rd.

 

ALPFA’s list prioritizes women leading large public companies with significant operating roles, rather than C-Level staff roles. It includes women operating global private firms, entrepreneurs who scaled their businesses into the middle market, and Latinas, who although recently retired, exercise leadership roles on Fortune 500 boards.

most powerful latinas

Damian Rivera, CEO, ALPFA

“This list puts a spotlight on Latina executives and amplifies their exposure across the country,” the association emphasized. “The list serves as a platform to continue their legacy and amplify their voices to inspire the next generation of women.”

This years’ summit was focused primarily on building legacies and fostering the next generation of Latina leaders. The Summit Agenda included sessions related to the State of Latina Leadership in Corporate America, Increasing Latinas in Corporate Boards, and breakout sessions to develop younger Latinas  leaders into the pipelines of the corporate landscape.

Hosted by Damian Rivera, new ALPFA CEO since September 2018, Damian and his team raised to the occasion with a very complete agenda covering topics from Financial Acumen to Mindfulness and Wellness for women in corporate boards.

Damian comes from a 21 year-career as Managing Director in Accenture’s Resources Utilities. His focus on social entrepreneurship would come as no surprise to people who know him. In addition to his client roles, he served as Accenture’s Managing Director responsible for North American Hispanic American Employee Resource Group from 2011 – 2017.

The 50 Most Powerful Latinas list

The first four places in the list were awarded to:

most powerful latinas

Myrna Soto, COO of Digital Hands

#1 Myrna Soto

COO of Digital Hands, and Member of several Boards including CMS Energy, Spirit Airlines, Popular Inc, Banco Popular. A seasoned cybersecurity practitioner, she has let multiple cybersecurity transformation programs in major communications, media, hospitality, financial services and critical infrastructure organizations.

#2 Maria Martinez

EVP Chief Customer Experience Office at Cisco Systems, Inc. She oversees Cisco’s $12.5B Services and Customer Success organizations helping customers transform their businesses through Cisco products.

#3 Grace Puma

Executive Vice President Executive VP, Global Operations and Transformation at PepsiCo., Grace leads the global operations center of excellence, global procurement, concentrate operations, safety and security.

most powerful latinas

Nina Vaca, President and CEO. Pinnacle Group

#4 Nina Vaca

Chairman and CEO, Pinnacle Group. Since founding Pinnacle Group in her mid-20s, the company has been ranked among the Inc. 500/5000 fastest-growing companies in the country for 13 years. The company is now in its global expansion and the launch of its global resource deployment platform.

See the complete list of  the 50 Most Powerful Latinas officially announced on Aug. 5.

 

You might be interested: ALPFA National Chair Yvonne Garcia on the 50 Most Powerful Latinas (exclusive interview)

About ALPFA

ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America) is the longest standing Latino organization with 80,000+ members assembled in 45 professional and more than 160 student chapters across America. Our ambition is to connect 1 million passionate Latino leaders for exponential impact.